As soon as Rayleigh finished speaking, Hancock shook her head dismissively.
"I only support Gawain, I don't care what that Joy Boy did."
I've never met Joy Boy, so why should I believe him?
On the contrary, adults give me a greater sense of security!
"Yes."
Gion nodded as well.
"I don't care what's on the Laugh Tale, nor do I care what they're talking about."
I don't care how this ocean became what it is today!
All I care about is what kind of changes we will bring to the ocean!
Instead of waiting for Joy Boy and his plans to appear at some unknown time, shouldn't we focus on doing what we've already been doing?
That's why I joined the Navy, and that's why I'm following you now!
As soon as she finished speaking, Gion looked at Shiryu and Jinbe not far away.
Faced with Gion's gaze, Shiryu and Jinbe shook their heads in unison.
"If Joy Boy were truly as happy as Grandpa Rayleigh claims, he certainly wouldn't allow me to kill so freely!"
Shiryu spoke frankly, while also bowing to Gawain.
"Only a captain with a broad mind like you, who can make good use of every knife, can let me cut to my heart's content!"
"Shiryu, you're a really good person, but this hobby of yours is truly a nuisance."
Unlike you, now that I am following you, there is no way I would ever board another ship!
Even if the master himself tells me to lend me to another team, I will never agree!
Knight of the Sea said with utmost solemnity!
Hearing Jinbe's words, Rayleigh waved his hand with a wry smile.
"Jinbe, you're not making a statement, you're clearly implying something about Oden, haha!"
"If the old man thinks so, then so be it."
I can only sigh, what kind of hero was he to betray the ship like that? Haha!
Jinbe chuckled, then picked up the sake jug and toasted Gawain.
Rayleigh, observing Jinbe's expression, let out a soft sigh.
"Sigh, speaking of Oden, he was indeed a bit inappropriate towards Whitebeard back then."
After all, Whitebeard valued him highly. On Whitebeard's ship, only Oden held the titles of Whitebeard's younger brother and first mate.
As for Roger borrowing him from Whitebeard, it would be fine if Whitebeard agreed.
Newgate completely disagreed, but Oden himself proposed to follow Roger, which was... well...
Rayleigh gently shook his head.
"In any case, Oden's help to our pirate crew was truly immense."
I will never forget the kindness he showed me back then.
As for Oden himself, after our Roger Pirates disbanded, he didn't return to Whitebeard's ship; he probably felt guilty about it.
As for what happened later...
For the first time ever, Rayleigh pulled a cigarette from Shakky's pocket, lit it, and muttered something as he inhaled the smoke.
"Later, he died in Wano Country, at the hands of Kaido..."
But I, an old man...
When we received the news from the closed-off Wano Country, Oden had already been dead for four years. He hadn't even told us, his old friends, when he made up his mind to defeat Kaido.
Although I am determined to avenge him, whether I can defeat Kaido if I take action is another matter. If I make a move, I will put all my other friends in danger!
At this point, Rayleigh looked at Gawain with a wry smile.
"In other words, if you didn't have the identity of Celestial Dragon, I could only teach you a little about the application of Conqueror's Haki at best."
It is precisely because of your Celestial Dragon status that my voyages will no longer result in my friends being hunted down by the Navy.
That's why I reluctantly boarded your pirate ship, kid.
"Old man, this isn't a pirate ship; it's a future ship that blends all levels and all forces."
Navy, Impel Down, pirates, Shichibukai, Revolutionary Army, commoner ronin, entertainment industry, Celestial Dragon, Fish-Man.
In the future, we'll gather a Mink Tribe, giants, or something like that.
Then we've become a small-scale testing ground, bringing together all the world's powers and races!
Gawain responded solemnly to Rayleigh, and then he continued his story.
"And this is something I have always advocated. You on the Dark Bird Ship have different identities, different personalities and hobbies, and even different stances."
So, if my decision is acceptable to you, then I can almost certainly be accepted by ordinary people of all races and countries around the world.
You are my partners, and even more so, my testing ground, guys.
Therefore, if you have any different opinions about any of my decisions in the future, please try your best to explain them to me.
Seeking common ground while reserving differences is the wise course of action, isn't it?
At this point, Gawain nodded slightly to everyone, and they all smiled in response.
Seeing the approving smiles on everyone's faces, Gawain smiled and waved his hand.
"Let's stop here for today. I see some of those guys outside the Temple of God are starting to commit suicide."
That won't do, we're not devils, haha.
Let's go, let's sort out the political system on the Sky Island first!
Shiryu, hoist our flag at the highest point of this island!
"Yes, sir!"
Shiryu nodded, a cigar dangling from his lips, and then took the large banner that Kalifa handed him.
After Shiryu left with the flag, Gawain and the others walked out of the Temple of God and into the courtyard of the Lookout.
Gawain glanced at the burning corpse in the distance, frowned, and pointed at it.
"In countries where theocracy is the ultimate authority and faith is the means of governance, it is easy for such ignorant people to spread!"
A leader and his team who can only rule by exploiting the ignorance and stupidity of the people are bound to be incompetent!
We must make people smarter, and at the same time, provide them with multifaceted satisfaction, both materially and spiritually!
That kind of country is what we should look forward to, and what our efforts should be worth!
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain waved to the God's Priest kneeling at the front of the group.
"You four, come here!"
"Yes!!!" ×4.
In no time, the four of them scrambled to Gawain's side.
Looking at their disheveled figures, Gawain smiled softly at them and said...
"I heard from McKinley that the four of you moved into the Temple of God with Enel three years ago?"
"Yes, sir!"
The round-faced Dawu replied.
"We've been here for three years, but we're not his die-hard fans. We're sworn enemies with Enel!"
Enel destroyed our hometown, Birka, five years ago Birka. Only about fifty of us survived!
Next, he relentlessly tormented us, forcing us to learn the Mantra. Then he used us as vanguards, forcing us to attack the God's Island and the God of Gan Fall!
After saying that, Dawu kowtowed heavily, his head shattering the floorboards.
"We truly didn't know Gan Fall had a friend like you. We... we have already repented!"
From this day forward, we will believe in you; you are our true God!
We will follow your lead without question!
"Hehe..."
Hearing these words, Gawain laughed without restraint, shaking his head in disbelief as he laughed.
Do I need your faith, or rather, what would your faith bring me?
All you can offer is an excuse for the Sky Island residents to call me the next Enel.
Hancock, turn them all to stone!
"Yes, sir!"
Hancock nodded first, then winked at the God's Army and the four God's Priest.
Moments later, all of them turned into stone statues.
At the same time, Gawain continued.
"Let them stay here for now, and we'll find out what the Sky Island residents think of them before we make any decisions."
If the Sky Island residents have a bad impression of them, that's fine. We can restore them to their original state and have Shiryu drag them to the Execution Platform and behead them in front of all the residents.
This will help win over the hearts of the Sky Island residents and also establish a small authority in their minds!
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain waved to McKinley, who was trembling not far away.
"McKinley."
"I... I... I'm here!!!"
McKinley fell to his knees with a thud.
Gawain frowned.
"Get rid of this habit of kneeling at the drop of a hat. We finally have a place where no one knows my identity, but you still kneel here and there. It's disgusting."
Also, I heard you say before that Gan Fall, the original ruler of Sky Island, is still alive, is that right?
"Yes... yes!"
McKinley hurriedly got up from the ground and answered Gawain.
Upon hearing this, Gawain waved his hand.
"Very well, have Gan Fall meet me in the largest square on your Sky Island. I will meet with the civilians of Sky Island there and let everyone get to know me."
"Yes, sir. The largest square on Sky Island is located at the edge of Angel Island's Lovely Avenue and Angel Beach."
I'll go find Gan Fall right now!
McKinley told them the location of the largest square as he hurriedly left.
After he left, Gawain looked at Kalifa.
"Kalifa, have the people on the Little Dark Bird guard all the gold for now, and we'll move it after Yixiao returns."
"Yes, sir!"
Kalifa nodded in response and then quickly made the arrangements.
After she finished making the arrangements, Gawain and the others walked down to the bottom of the Temple of God.
Although there is no map of the Sky Island, there are still many unconscious God's Soldiers below the Temple of God.
After randomly picking one up, Gawain and his group left God's Island, the part of Jaya that had been washed Sky Island, under his guidance.
Angel Island is located around God's Island. The islands formed by white Island Cloud, together with God's Island, constitute the Kingdom of God of the Sky Island.
After leaving the God's Island, Gawain finally saw more of the God's Island's inhabitants, and at the same time, the Dark Bird Flag raised by Shiryu was already fluttering in the wind above the Temple of God on the God's Island.
Originally, the residents of Angel Island were mostly drawn to the Dark Bird Ship that landed on Angel Beach.
After all, that was a ship as huge as a mountain!
The sight of such a large ship both intimidated and intrigued the residents of Angel Island, drawing them towards Angel Beach.
Especially the White Berets on duty on Angel Island; they immediately rallied and rushed towards the beach.
Of course, they were directly blocked off the beach by the members of the Black Ice Terrace on the Dark Bird Ship.
In no time, the crowd of onlookers gathered near Angel Beach grew larger and larger.
If it weren't for a large ship like the Dark Bird Ship, the Skypieans would have already started cursing. As Skypieans, they have always held the Blue Sea People in utter contempt.
After all, for countless years, the Skypieans, who had always been narrow-minded, had consistently maintained their status as victors in the wars against the Blue Sea People.
Whether it was the Shandora warriors on Jaya or the pirates who occasionally soared into the sky, they were all dealt with by the Skypieans.
This time, however, the ship was truly enormous...
In this environment, some residents of Angel Island suddenly saw the Dark Bird Flag fluttering on the distant God's Island.
"Ahhh, what's going on? Look behind you!"
"Look at the God's Island! A flag just like the one on that big ship is flying there!"
"Hey, we didn't sense anything! Has God already lost?!"
"Something terrible has happened! No wonder we just saw Enel's lightning on the distant ship, and then we never heard the god's voice again!"
"Run, everyone! Following the god Gan Fall, another god has been defeated by outsiders!"
"Quickly, get back inside!!!"
Immediately, the crowd fled the vicinity of Angel Beach, attempting to return to Angel Island.
However, Angel Beach and Angel Island are separated by a Lovely Avenue.
And so, the people rushing home happened to run into Gawain and his group strolling leisurely...
"Ahhh, it's an outsider!!!"
"He's from Blue Sea People!"
"They look so serious!"
"Such neat clothes, they're so pretty!"
"What are you saying? It's clearly terrifying!"
For a moment, the crowd was caught in a dilemma, unable to move forward or backward, and completely fell into chaos.
So Gawain smiled and waved to the people.
"Everyone!"
He said loudly.
"Sorry, I think I startled you all, haha."
However, please listen to my voice. After all, someone who's willing to chat with you wouldn't do anything to you, right?
Just now, we landed on Sky Island. I never imagined there were kingdoms in the sky, and so many interesting people like you. I was so happy.
But Enel attacked me for no reason, so I had no choice but to subdue him.
At this point, Gawain waved to everyone.
"Does everyone understand now? Enel has lost, and there are no more gods on Sky Island!"
At this moment, the thoughts of the Skypieans were indescribable; they looked at each other in bewilderment.
On the one hand, they were afraid because they had lost the protection of the gods and could only be manipulated at will by the Blue Sea People, that is, Gawain and his group.
On the other hand, they were actually somewhat... relieved about Enel's defeat...
After all, Enel, this god, has absolutely nothing to do with mercy, and he has only ruled Sky Island for three years.
At this time, the Skypieans had not forgotten their previous god, the kind and benevolent Gan Fall...
Noticing the expressions on the crowd's faces, Gawain nodded knowingly, and then walked directly towards them.
As Gawain approached, the crowd shrank back in fear, but their retreat was no match for Gawain's advance.
The next moment, Gawain accelerated slightly, and he teleported directly to a group of children surrounded by people.
Seeing Gawain's action, Gion smiled knowingly.
"The adult has already learned the basics of shaving, and it looks like they're controlling it quite well~."
"Yes, although he missed a lot of time, he trained incredibly hard. And he learned things quite quickly."
Rayleigh picked up where Gion, a relieved smile on his face.
As for Gawain, the instant he flashed into the middle of the children, he immediately sat down on the ground beside them.
"I'm here!"
His shout terrified many of the children on the Sky Island, who scattered and screamed in all directions.
Looking at the children, Gawain laughed heartily and patted his leg.
"Hey kids, do I really look that scary? Why don't you take a closer look at me?"
Gion, do you have any candy in your pocket?
"Where did you get that...?"
Gion was stunned, and she helplessly lifted her coat.
"There are still three wine jugs hanging there, but how could I possibly carry sugar with me, sir..."
And so, at this moment, Shirahoshi and Uta finally stood up!
After exchanging glances, they both reached into their pockets.
A moment later, Uta proudly raised his palm.
"I still have more than thirty left, thankfully I didn't eat them all!"
Upon hearing Uta's words, Shirahoshi looked utterly dejected at the Verdun circuit.
"Wow, you have so much left, I only have a small handful..."
As she spoke, Shirahoshi wagged her big tail, wore a cute smile, and held up a small handful of more than three hundred candies in her big hand, showing them to the children.
Clearly, nothing is more appealing to children than a large, adorable Merfolk holding candy.
Half a minute later, the children of the Sky Island gathered around Shirahoshi and chatted with Shirahoshi happily.
Only Uta remained standing there, his face contorted in a dark expression...
As for the adults on the Sky Island, they were somewhat relieved when they discovered how gentle Gawain and his group were with the children.
Logically, at this point, the Skypieans should have been able to completely lower their guard.
But unexpectedly, the next moment, even more screams suddenly came from afar.
Just as people in the direction of Angel Beach were screaming in alarm, Lucci, carrying an old man dressed in full armor and a creature that was neither clearly a horse nor a bird, walked toward Gawain.
As they walked, Lucci spoke to Gawain.
"My lord, it's fortunate that you returned, otherwise I really wouldn't know how I would have handled the situation."
First Enel rushed onto the ship, and then an old man rode a horse that looked like a bird.
"I'm so sorry, sir, the Dark Bird Ship has suffered a little damage."
As he spoke, Lucci showed the unconscious old man in his hands to Gawain.
The moment Gawain saw the old man clearly, he laughed speechlessly.
Not far away, old man Rayleigh panicked.
"My God, isn't that Gandof?!"
"Lucci, you didn't kill him, did you? He's my old friend!!!"
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