One Piece - I Am A Different Luffy! BOOK1!

Chapter 173 - Skypiea 09.

[Chapter Size: 1500 Words.]
Third Person POV

Skypiea, First Half of Grandline.

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The following day, under the clear sky of Skypiea, Luffy, now also known as the pirate who had ended Enel's regime, got up early from a bed filled with deeply sleeping women, determined to start the new day with his expanded crew and the newly integrated former members of Baroque Works.

The crew's ship was still in the middle of the city, Luffy gathered everyone on the deck of the Black Pearl, presenting himself with the posture of a born leader. "It's time to go to the Upper Yard, let's discover the City of Gold!" Luffy announced, exciting both the main crew and the fleet members. Luffy wanted to begin his grandest plan, which he had in mind as soon as his memories of his past life were reintroduced in that solitary barrel in the East Blue.

After the meeting, Luffy used his power to change the ship's gravity and weight, with Nami behind him using her wind, the ship started to fly towards another island of Skypiea. The group flew over the forest and the areas destroyed by the fight between Luffy and Enel, while Luffy asked Nami to head towards the City of Gold.

The city's inhabitants watched the ship flying away with wide eyes, leaving the square empty after a great party the previous day. They had become accustomed to the presence of this group and even made friends with some of them.

As they neared the City of Gold, anticipation grew. Luffy, standing at the ship's bow, pointed forward, where a dense mass of clouds hid their destination in the center of the island.

After crossing much of the Upper Yard, the Black Pearl arrived at the location where Shandora was supposed to be. They landed below the enormous fern-like tree reaching upwards.

"Nami stop here, I'm going to lower the ship." The ship landed on the ground, and the crew followed Luffy.

"Luffy, is this where the City of Gold is?" Robin asked.

"It's beneath us, the clouds are preventing us from seeing the city, and they are solid. Zoro, Kuina, and Hachi, can you cut through the clouds?"

The trio took out their swords and began cutting through the clouds beside the ferns. It didn't take long with their enhanced skills to reach the city, with the clouds falling like blocks, the city was finally revealed, Shandora appeared before everyone, made of gold and filled with ferns that had grown over time.

The city, lost amidst a lower elevation than the terrain above, was a spectacle of majestic and golden ruins. Covered by the passage of time, it still retained traces of its ancient glory.

"Let's go!" Luffy announced, jumping into the hole made by the swordsmen, and everyone followed him. The city was not just made of gold; there were sculptures and reliefs carved into the walls that told stories of gods, warriors, and ancient myths, while inscriptions in an ancient language decorated the entrances of temples. Temples and buildings, although in ruins, displayed a complex and refined architecture of a people from many eras. Stone walls and columns were adorned with gold ornaments, reflecting the sun's rays after so long without sunlight penetrating there.

In the center of the city, there was a fern-like tree reaching up to the sky. Luffy recognized it as the location of the golden bell.

The reaction of Luffy's crew upon seeing the City of Gold of Shandora was pure amazement and admiration. Nami, with her eyes shining with excitement and visible dollar signs, was clearly impressed by the incalculable wealth the city represented. "Look at all this gold!" she exclaimed, almost hypnotized by the amount of gold adorning the ruins. The idea of so much wealth in one place seemed to ignite a spark of ambition and excitement in her.