"You seem quite different from previous Gods of Skypiea."

"I just... long for peace." Gan Fall shook his head, staring straight at Michael as he spoke.

"For me, Skypiea's peace outweighs everything... so-called generational feuds can all be cast aside."

Michael nodded in agreement.

Gan Fall was indeed a simple, kind-hearted man.

Otherwise, how could the "God" who had always been revered by the Skypieans become a beloved and respected ruler of his people in his generation?

However...

This matter coincidentally aligned with Michael's ultimate goal.

This trip to Skypiea, aside from Enel and the local specialties...

His ultimate target was naturally the legendary City of Gold.

"Where are the Shandians now? Still occupying Shandora?"

"They've left Shandora... but not entirely."

"Wait, did you say Shandora? The legendary City of Gold?" Hancock exclaimed in surprise.

Not just Michael, even children like them had heard of the City of Gold.

Only because...

They knew it from the story of "Norland the liar."

Most people considered Shandora, the City of Gold to be the dying fantasy of a liar.

Originally, Hancock thought the same.

After all, an entire city made of gold seemed too exaggerated.

But now, high above the clouds in Skypiea, she heard the name again.

And it sounded like... It actually existed!

Did that mean...

"An entire city of gold!?"

"We're rich, Michael!" Hancock's outburst didn't offend Gan Fall.

To the Skypieans, gold held no value.

At most, it was just a shiny yellow material.

And not even that durable—far less useful than their cloud-based products.

Michael looked at Hancock and smiled.

Truly a royal princess—so excited at the prospect of wealth.

"Your request... I accept it."

As he spoke, Michael picked up the two Devil Fruits on the counter.

"I'm an impatient man, so i have no time to waste. Let's set off now."

*****

"How much Skypiean merchandise did you buy this time?"

"Pretty much everything on the market." Crocodile glanced back at Michael as she surveyed the fully loaded Seraphim Ship.

"These things really are quite remarkable..."

"Once we return to Alabasta, we'll sort them properly." Michael nodded, then turned and announced,.

"All aboard! We set sail now!"

"Set sail? Where to next?" Smoker asked excitedly.

After all, at seventeen, he was still practically a kid brimming with restless energy.

"To the legendary City of Gold—Shandora."

With that, Michael stepped aside to reveal Gan Fall behind him and explained the situation.

Instantly, everyone on the ship froze.

Even Hawkeye and Crocodile couldn't help but gasp at the idea of an entire city built of gold.

Such wealth...

Not even the Celestial Dragons could claim to possess it, could they?

Gan Fall studied these Marines from the Blue Sea, then turned to Michael.

"So, how do you plan to resolve this?"

"Permanently, of course... by returning everything to its rightful place."

"Return... to their rightful place?" Gan Fall pondered for a moment before suddenly raising his head.

"You mean..."

"Exactly what you're thinking," Michael smiled without a trace of calculation.

"Since both Shandora and the Shandians were sent to Skypiea by the massive Knock up stream... if I take them all back, you Skypieans won't need to worry about coexisting peacefully with the Shandians anymore."

Gan Fall opened his mouth to speak but stop himself, he knew deep down...

Michael's solution was actually the optimal one.

He just didn't expect Michael to have the confidence to transport an entire city and the Shandians back to the Blue Sea.

"This... is excellent."

Seeing Gan Fall nod, Michael knew the matter was settled.

After all, the Shandians were outsiders, and their conflict with the natives had persisted for four hundred years...

Four hundred years of intermittent warfare.

For these two races, peaceful coexistence would be incredibly difficult.

In the original story, their reconciliation only came about because they were both oppressed by a third party—Enel's reign of terror fostering mutual sympathy.

Now, while they might not be at each other's throats...

They'd probably start fighting within five seconds of meeting.

For historical grievances, the best solution is to remove the root cause.

Issho, who had been listening nearby, stepped up beside Michael.

"So... you need me to use my ability to bring the entire City of Gold back?" Issho murmured.

"An entire golden city... If true, your plans would never lack funding again."

As one of the few who knew Michael's true plan, Issho understood just how crucial that much gold would be.

The Marine's post-independence military expenses required money.

The Revolutionary Army's recruitment and expansion required money.

Funding the Cross Guild required money.

Accelerating Doflamingo's unification of the underworld required money.

Even cultivating Alabasta scholars and spreading their influence worldwide required money.

And later, after returning to the Blue Sea and meeting Vegapunk, commissioning military and civilian technology research would still require money.

This had been giving Michael quite the headache—the 20% trade profits from Fish-Man Island only covered a fraction.

But unexpectedly, this trip to Skypiea...

Might make these problems disappear.

Even a gambler like him knew that war, at its core, was about spending money.

And revolution could also be advanced through greater financial investment.

After all, no one suffers hardship without cause.

"Exactly!" Michael nodded without hesitation.

Though the matter of liquidating the gold remained an issue.

Should he entrust it to the Revolutionary Army or the Cross Guild?

*****

"Achoo!" Rosinante sneezed violently.

Doflamingo frowned and turned back, though a hint of concern flickered in his expression.

"Did you catch a cold?"

"No, it was just a sudden sneeze."

Rosinante rubbed his nose, puzzled.

"Just now, I felt like a lifetime's worth of headaches materialized out of nowhere."

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