Chapter 479: Departure
Over the next three days, Ian and the others stayed on this sky island.
During these three days, Luffy and the others, unable to sit still, went to Angel Island to find Konis and the others to play. Reiju and Robin hadn't really toured Angel Island before, so they dragged Nami along as well.
As companions of the "God's Enemy" who had saved Angel Island, they naturally received a warm welcome from the island's residents.
Usopp didn't go. As someone with a bit of knowledge about ship repairs, he stayed behind on the Ark with Ian to help out.
The propulsion system couldn't be repaired for now, so Ian and the others could only patch up the damaged parts of the hull. The areas covered in gold were easy to fix—they could just re-melt the gold using lightning metallurgy. The main issue was filling in the large holes that had been punched through.
Although the Ark Maxim was a flying ship, that didn't mean it couldn't sail on the sea. Ian calculated that the two-hour operating time of the Wind Dial would be enough for them to return to the ocean, where they could then sail the ship normally.
So, during the repairs, Ian also made some modifications to the Ark. He erected a mast on the deck and added a sail, so it could be used for sea travel later.
Three days later, the repairs were complete. Since Ian had acted quickly back then, the Ark hadn't even fully left its construction pit. So Ian had Dorry lift the entire Ark out of the pit. With no obstruction, once the Wind Dial was activated, the Ark could easily take flight.
The Ark was enormous, especially when viewed from the ground. It was even larger than the standard Marine battleships. After all, the original designer's intention was to carry his fellow countrymen back to their homeland, so it had to be built big to accommodate as many people as possible in one trip.
"This ship could probably carry over two thousand people, right?" Usopp said, wiping sweat from his forehead with a small hammer in hand as he looked at the Ark.
"Good work, Usopp!" Ian patted him on the shoulder. Usopp had put in a lot of effort during the repairs.
"Hehe!" Usopp scratched his head and smiled at Ian's praise. "I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you, I would have fallen off the ship back then! You saved my life, so helping you is the least I can do."
Ian smiled faintly. Usopp might be a braggart and a bit of a coward, but he was still a decent guy.
At that moment, Zoro, who had been leaning against the side with his arms crossed, suddenly spoke up. "Are you really not coming with us?"
Actually, from the moment Ian started eyeing the Ark, Zoro knew that when they left the sky island, Ian wouldn't be traveling with them. It made him feel a bit reluctant.
"No," Ian said, waving his hand. "I was dragged into your adventure this time. When I leave, naturally, I won't be going with you."
Zoro fell silent at that. Ian had used the phrase "your adventure," so he understood perfectly.
"It looks like someone's coming," Robin suddenly said.
Ian turned around and indeed saw a group of people appearing in the distance.
It was none other than Gan Fall and Wyper, along with others. Among the crowd, Ian also spotted the Shandian chief, who wore a strange animal-shaped hat, as well as Konis and her group.
"What's this…?" Ian asked, puzzled.
Gan Fall chuckled. "We heard from Luffy that you're planning to leave, so we came to see you off."
Wyper, cigarette dangling from his mouth, looking like a cool guy, walked up and handed Ian a small pouch. "This is the Seastone the Shandians collected over the past three days. I remembered you said you wanted some last time, so I brought it for you. It's not much, though."
The Shandians were simple and honest. Not only did they not blame Ian for taking their gold, but they also remembered his request and gathered Seastone for him as a farewell gift.
Although gold meant nothing to the Shandians—they only needed to keep their Golden Bell—Ian still felt a bit embarrassed. He accepted the Seastone and said solemnly to everyone, "Thank you! If you ever get the chance, you're welcome to visit my sky island!"
Ian's approachable nature earned him everyone's goodwill. The Shandian chief placed his hand on his chest and bowed to Ian. "Thank you for the invitation. Also, we actually came here for another reason."
"Go ahead. If I can help, I will," Ian said.
"In fact, over the past three days, we've discussed things with the Shandians," Gan Fall began. "We're very grateful for the help you've given us, and we thank you for the information you provided, letting us know that our ancestors were once the same people a thousand years ago. We believe we can no longer continue fighting. We came here to ask you to be a witness to our reconciliation!"
With that, Gan Fall and the Shandian chief exchanged smiles. They knew full well the power of Enel and understood that without Ian's intervention, the sky island would have suffered massive destruction. Both elders were wise and could see Ian's contribution to the sky island. So they came to ask Ian, the "God's Enemy," to be their witness, as a way to thank him, the benefactor of the sky island.
Ian smiled upon hearing this. He had originally worried that his involvement might complicate the reconciliation process between the two tribes, which was why he had made that speculation in front of Gan Fall. Now it seemed that his words had indeed worked.
"I am honored to be this witness," Ian replied.
And so, with Gan Fall representing the Angel Island residents and the chief representing the Shandians, they shook hands and declared an end to their war, with Ian as their witness.
As Gan Fall and the chief shouted this declaration together, a melodious bell rang out from Shandora. To commemorate this moment, the Shandians rang the Shandora's Light once more.
Hearing the bell, both tribes cheered and embraced each other.
"Hahaha! A banquet! Let's have a banquet!" Luffy laughed happily and suggested.
No one objected. So, at the site of the God's Palace, they gathered a large amount of firewood, lit a blazing bonfire, and everyone sang and danced, celebrating the arrival of peace.
Enel had hidden inside the Ark as soon as Gan Fall and the others arrived. Now lying in the cabin, listening to the noise outside, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Luffy and the others were the life of the party, challenging everyone to drinking contests and causing a ruckus. With their energy, the banquet was lively.
Ian sat with Gan Fall and the Shandian chief, watching the boisterous scene while drinking.
Gan Fall leaned close to Ian and whispered, "Young man, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you."
"Go ahead," Ian nodded.
"If you're taking Enel away, make sure he never comes back to this sky island," Gan Fall said with a sly grin.
"Don't worry," Ian said, patting his chest confidently. "That guy will never show up in front of you again."
"Haha, good, good! Let's drink!" Gan Fall and the chief laughed heartily and clinked glasses with Ian.
The banquet lasted a long time, almost until dawn, when many finally couldn't hold on and fell asleep. To be safe, Ian climbed up to the Ark to sleep, which left Enel, who saw this, feeling quite helpless.
The next day, after everyone gradually woke up, Ian decided it was time to depart.
Luffy's ship was still below the giant beanstalk. To leave, they would have to take the Cloud River and then use the sky island's balloon octopus to descend to the sea. Ian didn't need to worry about them.
"Goodbye, Ian! Goodbye, Sister Robin! Goodbye, Sister Reiju!"
From below the ship's railing, Nami, Chopper, and the others waved at Ian. Reiju and Robin smiled and waved back from the railing.
"Sanji, take good care of Miss Nami!" Reiju called out to Sanji.
"Of course! You don't have to tell me that!" Sanji said, cigarette in mouth. "Take care of yourself too!"
As for Ian and Zoro, one was above and the other below. They stared at each other for a long time. Then Ian suddenly smiled, drew the Thousand Cherry Blossoms from his waist, and casually swung a sword slash toward Zoro.
Zoro didn't back down. He drew his own sword and slashed back at Ian's attack.
"One-Sword Style: Hawk Wave!"
A similar sword slash shot out from Zoro's blade, colliding with Ian's in midair before both vanished.
This was a swordsman's way of saying goodbye. Though neither spoke, Zoro had shown Ian his determination to grow, which pleased Ian greatly.
"Goodbye, Ian!" Luffy shouted. "If you see Ace, say hi for me!"
"No problem!" Ian smiled and signaled Dorry to activate the Wind Dial.
A powerful gust of air shot out from the bottom of the ship, messing up the hair of Luffy and the others who had come to see them off. They watched as the massive Ark slowly rose into the air and then turned.
The remaining functional windmills began to spin slowly, propelling the Ark forward. Gradually, it picked up speed, and soon it had left the cloud layer around the beanstalk, flying ahead.
Looking at the clear blue sky ahead and the dazzling sunlight, Ian felt a sense of exhilaration. He patted Enel on the shoulder and said, "Come on, Old Enel, I'll show you the Blue Sea! Oh, by the way, have you ever considered swapping your staff for a hammer…?"