Having dealt with the local snakes of the temple, Lei En stretched lazily and jumped down from that rock-hard throne.
"All right, stop kneeling. Get up and get to work."
He turned to look at the area behind them, shrouded in dense clouds year-round and forbidden to all—the depths of God's Island, the Shandora Ruins.
"Come on. Let's dig up that startup capital buried underground."
The moment Enel heard there was work to do, he eagerly ran to the front to lead the way.
His current title was "Heavenly Court's Chief Apprentice Night Watchman," so he had to perform well in front of the boss.
Kuina and Dadi followed curiously as well, wanting to know just how much "startup capital" Lei En was talking about.
The group passed through the dense primeval forest, pushing aside layer upon layer of massive vines.
Then, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
"Gasp—!"
When Dadi saw the sight before him clearly, he sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Kuina covered her small mouth in surprise. Even Enel, a native-born Sky Islander, was left dumbfounded.
As far as the eye could see—
Amid the ruins scattered across the ground, an incomparably dazzling golden radiance shone bright enough to make one dizzy!
Massive golden pillars, exquisite golden statues, gold coins and jewels strewn everywhere...
This place was practically a lost city built entirely of pure gold!
And at the very center of the ruins stood an incomparably enormous golden bell, dozens of meters tall!
Under the sunlight, the bell gleamed with a sacred radiance that also reeked of money.
"Good heavens..."
Dadi swallowed hard, his heart pounding wildly. "Th-this could buy how many good guns?!"
After all his years as a bounty hunter, all the money he had ever seen combined was probably worth less than a single gold brick on the ground!
"Look at you, getting worked up over this little bit."
Lei En crossed his arms. Though he was thrilled inside, he maintained his aloof boss-like expression on the surface.
"What does this even count for? One day, even the toilets in our Heavenly Court will be made of pure gold."
He walked over to the enormous Golden Bell and touched its cold, hard metal surface.
"But with this much gold, moving it really will be troublesome." Enel rubbed his hands together beside him, looking troubled.
"Move it? That's way too inefficient."
A scheming smile curved Lei En's lips. His eyes instantly turned azure blue, and violent currents danced within his pupils.
"Who said I was going to move it by hand?"
"Rumble-Rumble Fruit: Super Electromagnetic Force!"
Lei En spread his arms, and the immense thunderous power within him began circulating at full force.
Physics magic modification, activated!
An incomparably terrifying, invisible magnetic field instantly spread outward from him, enveloping the entire Shandora Ruins!
"Rise!"
With Lei En's low shout, the gold blocks scattered across the ground, each weighing thousands of pounds, began to tremble violently.
The next second—
Before Dadi and Enel's utterly horrified eyes!
Hundreds of thousands of tons of golden objects, including that incomparably massive Golden Bell, forcibly tore free from the ground and floated in midair!
"Th-this is fucking magic, isn't it?!" Dadi shouted with a stutter.
Enel wore an equally incredulous expression.
He had thought the Rumble-Rumble Fruit could only be used to electrocute people. He never imagined it could be used like this! It was practically Magneto possessing someone!
Lei En ignored their shock and brought his hands together.
The mountain of gold that blotted out the sky rapidly compressed and gathered under the pull of electromagnetic force.
Then the system space opened, and an invisible vortex swallowed every last piece of gold.
In just a few minutes, the once resplendent Shandora Ruins had been stripped bare by Lei En like a swarm of locusts passing through, leaving behind not even a scrap of a gold coin!
Only the enormous Golden Bell remained, still floating above Lei En's head.
"Since we're here, we should at least let the people below hear something."
Lei En looked up at the bell, a trace of mischief flashing through his eyes.
He extended his right hand, condensed a bolt of lightning at his fingertip, and lightly flicked the face of the Golden Bell.
"Dong—!!!"
An incomparably crisp, melodious, and piercing chime exploded over Sky Island in an instant!
As though carrying some kind of magic, the bell's toll pierced through the thick clouds of the White-White Sea and through ten thousand meters of sky.
It traveled all the way to Jaya Island in the Blue Sea, reaching the ears of the descendants of Noland, the man known as the "King of Liars."
The myth of Sky Island's existence was proven at this moment by Lei En's own hand!
"Awesome!"
Lei En clapped his hands and stored the Golden Bell in the system space as well.
With this nation-rich wealth, he was now truly the richest pirate in the world!
"Enel, come here."
Lei En turned toward the still-dazed night watchman, pulled a battleship blueprint exchanged from the system store out of his pocket, and tossed it over.
"Go find me the best craftsmen on Sky Island."
"Tell them to use the sturdiest materials on this island to build me a flying ship."
Enel took the blueprint, and his eyes immediately lit up.
The battleship on the blueprint not only looked imposing, but its power system seemed practically custom-made for him!
"Grandpa Lei En, th-this is?"
"This is called the Ark Maxim. But from now on, it'll be renamed the Heavenly Court Thunder God."
Lei En put both hands in his pockets and looked over this kingdom of clouds he had conquered, a wild curve rising at the corner of his mouth.
"Once this ship is built, I'll take you all back to the Blue Sea and head to East Blue to collect protection money."
Before you continue