XX-level Hokage

But just a month after Noland and his group stayed, as they were preparing to sail away after completely eradicating the pathogen, their former friendship suddenly turned into intense murderous intent.

The friends who were chatting and laughing just the day before have returned to their initial state of rejecting everything after the tree fever pathogen was completely eradicated.

The initial lively conversation turned into a wary silence, and the plans to stay a few more days became a call to leave. Why on the very last night before departure? Was this how our friendship was destined to end?

Just before the sails set sail and dawn broke, the girl Rolando had rescued, Calgara's daughter, found one of the expedition members alone and told them the reason for her anger.

"For the Shandiya people, death does not mean the end of their duty to protect the island. On the contrary, the souls of the ancestors who died on this island will return to this sacred white forest under the guidance of the bells."

The ancestors who once protected this island, even after death, would rise again to rest in the trees and continue to protect the Shandya people.

Therefore, this forest, which symbolizes the lives of our ancestors, is more important than their own lives. Yet you and your group have cut it down completely. If it weren't for the gratitude you owed for saving the village that suppressed your anger, the village warriors might have already turned their swords against you.

You claim to be botanists, yet you wantonly destroy things under the guise of research. You know we regard our ancestors as our friends, yet you still stubbornly and contemptuously cut down trees.

If this is the sacrifice you make for progress, then you shouldn't have been accepted here in the first place. The crew member explained why they did it.

What I'm about to say may sound like a sophistry, but for the sake of the admiral's reputation, I have to say it.

The sacred forest you speak of has long since died. The so-called tree fever is not just a human disease; its truly terrifying aspect is that even plants cannot avoid being infected, until they die.

That's how it is. People pass it on to trees, and trees pass it back to people. Several islands have perished in this way in the past. The admiral knows the dangers of this, which is why he is so determined to persuade you.

The initial 100 deaths in the village were just the beginning of the tree fever; had he not intervened, the plague would have engulfed the entire island.

But don't worry, just yesterday, Christ and we finished investigating all the forests and found no more sources of infection. Although making excuses is rather unsightly,

I cannot gain your forgiveness, but I must tell you that as a botanist, Rolando would never destroy trees unjustly, and as an explorer...

Home, Rolando also absolutely respected the beliefs revered by various ethnic groups; he simply knew that there were truths more important than trees and faith.

When the sails of parting were untied along with the misunderstandings, besides the regretful steps, the beautiful bell finally rang out from the hands of the people of Shandiya.

Before the misunderstanding had completely separated the two sides, Rolando and his party were sincerely invited to come to the depths of this island, protected by generations of people, to a city where everything in sight was dazzling gold, a dreamlike realm that existed only in legends, the Golden Incense - Shandora.

In gratitude for Rolando and his party's rescue of the village, Calgara, representing the villagers, agreed that they could take all the gold, except for the central golden bell, back to their homeland.

Noland was indifferent to the generous repayment; his attention was focused on the magnificent bell in front of him and the majestic chimes he played.

This immediately reminded Noland that it was this very bell that had guided them through the storm. In the midst of the inaudible wind and rain, Noland had clearly heard its voice and come here. At that moment, Calgara also spoke of the meaning behind the Golden Bell.

"In order to show off the prosperity of Shandora to the world, so that people from all corners of the world can know of its existence."

To ensure that the souls of our great ancestors, now ascended to heaven, will not lose their way on the vast ocean and can always return here until the end of their lives, it was named the Light of Shandora. Its meaning is to constantly remind them, "We are here."

Before Rolando left, the two, having cleared up their misunderstanding, made a promise to meet again.

But what the two of them didn't expect was that they would never fulfill their promise to meet again, and the lights of Shandora were never lit again.

After Rolando parted ways with Calgara and returned to his own country, as an explorer, he naturally told the king about the existence of Shandora. The king, who was overjoyed to learn that the land was full of gold, immediately agreed to go to sea with Rolando.

But when they finally arrived at Jaya Island after braving the winds and waves and enduring countless hardships, the smiling faces of everyone changed naturally in the illusion of an empty island.

Shortly after Rolando left, the lights of Shandora rang out constantly, never ceasing, in accordance with the promise of their reunion.

On that very day, as Calgary was making his expectant preparations, the island suddenly trembled and the final lights of war were lit. A series of loud thuds echoed across the ground, and giant waves surged from the ground, tearing parts of the island in two and sending them soaring into the sky before finally landing on the giant vines of the floating island.

As the impact resounded the lights of Shandora, it also drew the attention of the Sky People. The invasion of the Sky God! Look, this vast and desolate land, this beautiful song, is a gift from heaven. We must drive out all the natives of this land.

Rolando, can you hear me? What would you think if you returned one day and couldn't find us? I have so much to say to you. Don't worry, wait for me a little longer, I will definitely light the lamp of Shandora. "This is the prophecy of Calgara."

But the bell never rang again until the day the great warrior Calgara died in battle.

Later, a sailor from the North Sea came to the Sky Island and told the villagers everything that had happened there. Our great benefactor, Rolando, insisted until his execution that your homeland was real, but sadly, his dear friend could no longer respond.

This is Calgary's greatest regret, and Wapa's greatest regret. This is the story of the Golden Land, Rolando, and the Sky Island.

After Leona finished her story, she noticed Mashiro looking at her with a strange expression. "You're very good at telling stories," Mashiro said with a smile.

Leona lowered her head and said with a hint of sadness, "This is a story written by my mother. Her greatest wish in life was to exonerate Rolando, but the label of 'big liar' was so deeply ingrained that her books simply couldn't sell."

"Judging from her appearance, your mother must be from the Shandiya clan, right?" Mashiro asked softly.

"That's right. My mother is a descendant of the great warrior Calgara, and Wapa's cousin. She was forced to jump off Jaya Island by the Sky People."

What was originally a certain death situation unexpectedly landed on the nearby floating island of Visalia, where he miraculously survived, but lost one of his wings in the process.

Later, my mother stayed in the North Sea, where she unexpectedly fell in love with Rolando's descendant and gave birth to me. My father and mother were determined to clear Rolando's name and return to Skypiea.

They both perished as a result. Although I miraculously survived, I was captured by slave traders and sold to the Sabaody Archipelago. "Leona Goddess..."

He said sadly.

"Is that why you offered to take me to the Sky Island?" Mashiro asked in return.

Xuona nodded and said, "I grew up listening to the stories of Jaya Island and Sky Island. My father and mother both died because of this, and I also have the blood of Sky Island people."

Therefore, I desperately want to go to the Sky Island, even if it costs me my life.

"Do you want to hear the bells?" Mashiro suddenly asked with a smile. Leona was stunned.

"The lights of Shandora, the bells of the Golden Land, I can help you," Mashiro whispered. [Leona's approval rating +50]

“Well, thank you very much, Master,” Leona said with a smile, her smile no longer forced. [Name: Venbra Leona]

Gender: Female Age: 19

Faction: Civilians; Race: Sky Islanders

Tri-color Overpowering Aura: None Height: 168cm Luck Value: 15 Recognition Rate: 60%

Chapter 53: Shells and Clouds of the Sky Island

Sky Island, Hidden Cloud Village.

The War Demon Wapa is leading the remaining members of the Shandia clan in a standoff against the army of the Sky People.

Under the invasion and attack of the Sky People, the Shandia people had long since lost their homeland. Jaya Island was renamed Apayado and became part of the Kingdom of the Gods.

These surviving Shandiya people could only eke out a living in the Hidden Cloud Village.

Now they once again face the army of the Sky People. They dare not step out of Kumogakure; in the realm of the gods, divine punishment could descend at any moment.

Wapa led the members of the "guerrilla force" and stood guard against the Sky People's army, awaiting the start of the battle. "Wapa, what should we choose?" asked Braham, a warrior of the Shandya tribe.

The Sky People have come to persuade them to surrender. They promise that if they are willing to serve Enel, the God of Sky Island, they can save their lives and protect the remaining Shandea people.

Wapa remained silent, his heart aching terribly. The hatred of his race and the continuation of his race would both rest on his decision. "What have you thought about it, War Demon Wapa!" asked Shura, one of the four high priests and the Trial of Ropes priest.

Shura is a man wearing a flight cap and goggles, known as the Sky Knight. He fights using a heat shell that can ignite objects and a cloud of ropes as thin as silk. He is one of the four priests under Enel.

Just as Wapa was about to make a decision.

A huge shadow suddenly appeared, followed by a giant pink bird descending from the sky.

"What is this?!" Shura exclaimed in shock and anger. The giant bird landed on the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Looking at the two groups facing off, Mashiro muttered to himself, "Looks like it's not too late. The Shandya people haven't been completely wiped out yet."

Then, Mashiro came down with Leona, and Senbonzakura shrank to the size of a sparrow, landing on Mashiro's shoulder. "Who are you two?!" Shura demanded.

"Who? Just an outsider. However, I'll temporarily take over the Shandia clan. You may leave now," Mashiro said softly.

Upon hearing this, Shura was instantly enraged and said, "Who do you think you are?!" With that, he pulled on the cloud thread in his hand and launched an attack on Mashiro.

Seeing this, Mashiro raised one hand. "Shinra Tensei"

In an instant, Shura and his army were all flung away and disappeared without a trace.

Seeing the surprised looks on Wapa's and the others' faces, Mashiro looked at Wapa and asked softly, "Are you Wapa?" Wapa nodded.

“Leona, why don’t you talk to him?” Mashiro said softly. “Yes, Master.”

Leona walked up to Wapa, and looking at Wapa and the Shandians behind him with their eager eyes, her feelings became incredibly complicated. She asked, "Do you remember Zoe?"

"Zoe?! Could it be..." Looking at Leona's face and red hair, Wapa's expression instantly turned into disbelief.

“Zoe, she is my mother,” Leona said. In the Hidden Cloud Village.

Wapa is recounting what happened on Skypiea after Zoe left.

"After Zoe disappeared, the Shandians and the Sky People fought several more great wars until the new god of the Sky Islands, Gan Fall, appeared. He was a god who loved his people and treated us Shandians with a policy of peaceful coexistence. During that time, we reclaimed a portion of..."

The land of Funjaya Island was given a rare period of rest and recuperation.

But this period did not last long.

Five years ago, God Enel appeared with his priests and soldiers, and forcibly seized the divine position that belonged to Gan Fall.

Enel possessed the power of lightning and the all-seeing psychic ability of the Mind Network. Under the might of him and his four priests, Shandiya once again lost Jaya Island and many of its people died, leaving them only to eke out a living in a corner of the Sky Island. "Wapa said bitterly.

“God? That’s a familiar title. I have a friend who went through a similar period,” Mashiro said softly.

“Since you are the reinforcements Leona found, although I don’t know why she trusts you so much, I still have to remind you that Enel’s power makes him almost an omniscient being, like a true god,” Wapa said seriously.

"Alright, let's talk about the old news later. I need someone to guide me. I think the Sky Island issue will be resolved soon," Mashiro said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Wapa and the other Shandiya warriors exchanged glances; they clearly couldn't believe Mashiro's words.

“Master’s power is also incredibly strong at sea.” Leona said, noticing Wapa’s concerns.

“Even if I fail, you won’t lose anything, will you?” Mashiro said with a light laugh. After a moment’s thought, Wapa made up his mind and said, “I understand, I’ll take you there!” As soon as Wapa finished speaking, he was met with opposition from the other Shandia warriors.

"No! You are a great warrior of Shandiya, you will definitely not be harmed!" "That's right, let me go."

"Kamachili, you can't do it either, I should go!"

"Forget it, stop arguing. Let's go with her. I still prefer being with other women," Mashiro said, pointing to a Shandian female warrior. "I understand, Wapa. Since she's chosen me, I'll go with her," Rachi said earnestly.

After hesitating for a moment, Wapa nodded emphatically and said, "Then be careful, Rachi." Not long after, Rachi left Kumogakure with Mashiro.

The two rode in a special small boat, traveling above the sea of ​​clouds like a sea motorcycle. "What a peculiar mode of transportation," Mashiro murmured, looking down at the sea of ​​clouds below.

"This is the Wiba, a vehicle only found on Sky Island. It is powered by Wind Shells or Jet Shells and can travel on the sea of ​​clouds, just like a sea motorcycle. To operate it, you need to understand the wind direction and the flow of the sea, so it is very difficult to operate skillfully," Lachi explained.

"Wind Shell? Wind-Spitting Shell? Is this a specialty of Sky Island?" Mashiro asked with a light laugh.

"That's right. Shells are a specialty of Sky Island. Sky Island doesn't have a seabed, but the shallows of Cloud Sea have fish reefs, where shells usually live."

The main function of shellfish is to store a certain substance and then release it again. Different shellfish have different uses depending on the substance they store.

A sound recorder is a device that can record and play audio, serving as a tool for transmitting information or for entertainment.

The light-emitting shell can emit light for a period of time and is also self-luminous, serving as an indoor lighting tool. The water-retaining shell can store water and is used as a fire-fighting tool.

Flavor Shells can store scents and be used as aromatherapy devices, or for pranks. Cloud Shells can spray out clouds unique to Skypiea.

Wind Shells can store wind and then release it. Apart from the civilian-use Wiba, almost all the warriors of the Sky People use them to equip skateboards and skates for rapid movement. They can also be detonated after storing gas. The Vapa's incendiary cannon is made with wind shells.