Chapter 454: Nami the Veteran Driver
Shortly after Gan Fall left, Ian and the others arrived in front of the waterfall, at the so-called "Gate of Heaven"!
Guarding the Gate of Heaven was a wrinkled old Skypiean woman. As soon as she opened her mouth, she charged each of them 100 million Extols for entry.
Extols were the exclusive currency of this Sky Island, much like the Snake Hair currency of Amazon Lily. Generally speaking, islands that were relatively closed off and had little contact with the outside world would develop such unique currencies.
Ian knew that this so-called 100 million Extols, when converted into Berries, was actually only about 100,000 or so. But the problem was, Luffy and the others didn't know that.
So they were immediately frightened by the exorbitant entry fee.
Ian stepped forward and said with a smile, "Old lady, what if I don't plan on paying this fee?"
"If you don't pay, you can still enter," the old woman replied calmly.
"Alright then, I won't pay!" Ian said bluntly.
Nami clasped her hands together beside her face, looking up at Ian with admiration and saying, "Big Brother Ian, that's so domineering!"
For a money-grubber like Nami, any attempt to take money out of her pocket was an unforgivable crime. Ian's righteous fare evasion made him look even cooler in Nami's eyes.
After confirming that Ian and the others didn't intend to pay, the old woman said nothing. Just then, a giant mantis shrimp (?) suddenly appeared beneath their ship, its claws clamping onto the Merry Go.
Seeing this creature, which the Skypieans called a "Speedy Shrimp," Ian suddenly recalled a meme from his past life. With a surge of spirit, he waved his hand and said, "Speedy Shrimp, let's go!"
The Speedy Shrimp carried the Merry Go, swiftly passing through the magnificently decorated Gate of Heaven and began ascending along the waterfall. It was only then that Zoro, leaning against the ship's railing with his arms crossed, asked Ian, "Hey, Ian, is this really okay?"
"How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Big Brother!" Ian gave him a light smack and said nonchalantly, "It's fine. At worst, we'll just be considered illegal immigrants. They might send someone to catch us, that's all."
Hearing this, Usopp and the others were stunned. Chopper stammered, "Big Brother Ian, maybe we should go back and pay..."
"First of all, we don't even have that much money," Ian said, pointing a finger at Nami. "If you want to pay, ask our Minister of Finance first!"
Nami immediately turned fierce and shouted at Chopper and Usopp, "Not a chance!"
Ian shrugged and spread his hands, saying, "See?"
Robin and Reiju saw this and couldn't help but giggle. They realized Ian had a good grasp of Nami's personality.
At that moment, Sanji stepped forward with righteous indignation and said, "That's right! I fully support Miss Nami's decision! That idiot with the green algae head can pay himself if he's unhappy!"
Zoro immediately got riled up: "When did I ever say I wanted to pay? You looking for a fight?"
And so the two started brawling again with bangs and crashes...
Luffy, their captain, was already completely captivated by the unique scenery of the Sky Island. He sat on the goat figurehead at the bow, his eyes sparkling as he looked around, completely ignoring the commotion on the ship.
Speaking of money... Ian couldn't help but open the system interface in his mind to check.
He found that his diamonds were running low.
One hundred billion Berries—after getting them, he had enjoyed a good time, buying and drawing whatever he wanted directly. But as time passed, Ian realized they were almost used up!
What else could be said about this kind of pay-to-win game? Sometimes, you can't just budget your spending. Now, Ian had only about 1.4 million diamonds left, and he hadn't even reached level 60 yet. There was still a card slot waiting for him to fill. When the time came, not to mention the cost of drawing, even just getting a four-star card would require a huge investment to upgrade it to a red card, along with exclusive items, level awakenings, and so on.
It seemed he needed to get another sum of money ready...
Thinking this, Ian couldn't help but recall the Golden City Shandora (also translated as Sandora) and the giant golden bell. If he could bring back that gold and convert it into money, it should be a huge amount, right?
Back when he was in the Celestial Dragons' treasury at Mary Geoise, Ian had seen plenty of gold items, but he couldn't take them away at the time. Gold is dense; even a slightly larger piece would be incredibly heavy. So Ian had regretfully given up then. But now...
Ian looked at Dorry, who was constantly stuffing food into his mouth. Matthew, as his friend, spoiled him rotten, always keeping food ready for him. Dorry had grown fat and naive, and Ian thought it was time to let him exercise a bit and lose some weight.
That's right, a ready-made laborer was right here. With the Gluttony Fruit's unique ability to convert food into strength, Dorry should now be able to easily carry several tons of gold, right?
Bringing him along this time had really been the right call...
The Speedy Shrimp beneath the ship was incredibly fast, carrying the Merry Go along a winding, spiraling cloud path. Before long, they arrived at the exit.
There was a sign there that read: "The Land of God, Sky Sanctuary."
Just as they made out the sign, the Speedy Shrimp shot the ship out of the exit, and the scenery around them suddenly changed. A majestic island city appeared before everyone's eyes.
This city was built on the clouds, and below the clouds lay an ocean. Lush green trees grew within the city, making one wonder how they managed to thrive.
As soon as Luffy and the others saw this enchanting view, they shouted excitedly and rushed toward the beach. Nami dragged Robin and Reiju into the cabin, where they each changed into a bikini top before jumping off the ship to play on the sand.
Sanji, along with Matthew, excitedly searched the beach for strange plants, wondering if any could become new ingredients.
Ian and Zoro also got off the ship. As they disembarked, Ian noticed that Zoro had a new sword at his waist, with a white hilt and scabbard.
At first glance, this sword looked a lot like Kuina's Wado Ichimonji, but Ian keenly observed that it was slightly longer.
"Oh? Zoro, got a new sword?" Ian asked.
"Yeah, thanks to you!" Zoro said grumpily. "Princess Vivi gave it to me before we left!"
"Let me see!" Ian reached out his hand to take it.
Zoro didn't say anything and handed over the sword. Ian took it, drew the blade, and was immediately dazzled by its gleaming, icy light.
"Good sword!" Ian examined it and noticed faint dewdrops on the blade, as if the sword's coldness had condensed the moisture in the air. In Ian's estimation, this sword was even better than Wado Ichimonji!
"This is Izumi Kanesada! One of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades!" Hearing Ian's praise, Zoro couldn't help but show off a bit.
"Is that so?" Ian saw the smug look on his face and couldn't resist teasing him. "If this sword breaks too, you'd be pretty heartbroken, wouldn't you?"
"Hey, hey! What are you planning?!" Zoro's expression changed instantly, and he quickly tried to take the sword back.
But Ian was just messing with him. The next moment, the Izumi Kanesada in his hand turned pitch black. Ian casually swung the blade a couple of times and said to Zoro, "See? If you want to keep your beloved sword from being damaged, you at least need to learn this kind of Armament Haki hardening."
"Oh... oh!" Zoro nodded dumbly, staring at the blackened blade.
Ian returned the sword to him, and the two walked toward the beach.
When they reached the shore, Luffy and Nami excitedly brought over a Skypiean and introduced him to Ian: "Big Brother Ian, this is Conis. She invited us to her house!"
Conis was holding a cute cloud fox and said somewhat shyly to Ian, "Welcome to Angel Island..."
Ian nodded and said nothing. To be honest, he didn't really want to go. His mind was still preoccupied with the Golden City Shandora...
Just then, Conis's father appeared, riding a "Waver" and arriving before everyone.
This vehicle, powered by Breath Dial, looked to Ian like nothing more than a jet ski, but it caught Luffy and the others' attention.
Luffy tried it out but capsized after just a few moves. Sanji had to jump into the water to fish him out.
Then it was Nami's turn. She took to it incredibly quickly and was soon controlling it with ease.
Seeing this, Ian had an idea. He waved at Nami and said, "Hey, Nami, give me a ride!"
Nami turned the Waver around, executed a stylish spin on the water, and stopped beside Ian. She gestured coolly and said, "Get on!"
Without another word, Ian sat down behind Nami. She revved the Waver, and with a roar, they sped off.
"That guy... he wouldn't do anything beastly to Miss Nami on the way, would he?" Sanji muttered bitterly, but before he could finish, Reiju slapped him on the head.
"Let's go. We'll head back first. They'll come back when they're done playing," Zoro said to the group.
So the group followed Conis and her father up the long cloud ladder toward Angel City.
Only Robin seemed to sense something. She couldn't help but glance back in the direction Nami and Ian had gone...