"Nami-swan! Are you all right?! Quick, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!"
"You're so noisy, curly-brow! Get your face away from me!"
On the deck of the Weatheria, Nami suddenly sprang upright with a whoosh, shoving away the enlarged, heart-eyed face right in front of her.
She shook her head hard, trying to fling that astronomical number, half the Golden City, out of her mind.
Clearly, she failed.
That golden glow had already been seared deep into her soul.
…
Three days later.
Skypiea, Upper Yard, the ruins of Shandora.
This place was no longer a battlefield. It had turned into a blazing-hot… gold mining site.
"Keep it up, lads!"
Gan Fall rode Pierre through the air, directing operations. Countless Shandian warriors and Skypieans worked together, hauling out the unimaginably heavy golden artifacts buried deep within the ruins,
Golden pillars, golden statues, even massive slabs of golden floor tiles, piling them up in the open.
On the other side of the clearing, Sanji and Rhen stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
"Fatty…"
Sanji's cigarette had burned down to the filter, scorching his lips without him noticing. "I… I'm not dreaming, am I?"
Rhen didn't answer.
Behind his lenses, his eyes gleamed with near-fanatical light.
What he saw wasn't gold. Not wealth.
What he saw were countless warships, endless weapons, military pay sufficient to recruit millions of elite troops, resources terrifying enough to expand the G-5 base a hundredfold!
The most solid, the most brilliant, the most indispensable first cornerstone of Lord Renzo's future grand ambition!
"Lord Renzo…"
Rhen murmured unconsciously. "Do you see this…? All of it… will become the steps that carry you to the summit of the world!"
His breathing quickened, not from greed, but from the overwhelming exhilaration of securing a supreme treasure for his master!
"No…"
Rhen clenched his fist. "This all must, must be delivered perfectly into Lord Renzo's hands! Not a single mistake!"
With a swish, he pulled out his notebook. Written on the cover was: "Feasibility Report on Ensuring the Safe Transport of Lord Renzo's First Strategic Reserve Funds."
"Total volume… estimated… sufficient to shake the economic lifeline of the World Government."
"Our available transport capacity… critically insufficient!"
"Transport cycle… unacceptable!"
Snap! Rhen closed the notebook. For the first time, cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
This was no longer an efficiency issue.
This was the ultimate test of his loyalty!
If he couldn't even bring back his lord's treasure, what kind of most loyal subordinate was he?!
How could he ever face his Lord again?!
"Heroes!"
Gan Fall flew over. "This is only the first batch we've extracted… probably about… one-thousandth of the total reserves?"
Thud.
Sanji collapsed backward without hesitation, a blissfully dazed smile on his face.
"Hey, fatty… give me a hand… my legs are jelly… I'm suffocating from happiness…"
Rhen took a deep breath, forcibly calming himself.
This was a trial!
A trial, sent by Lord Renzo from beyond, to test his capabilities!
"Lord Gan Fall."
Rhen spoke with a gravity never before heard in his voice. "We need ships, ships capable of transporting all of this!"
"Oh! As for that, we've already prepared something for you!" Gan Fall pointed into the distance.
At the Cloud Sea harbor lay five gigantic arks, each like a small island!
"These are the largest transport vessels Skypiea has, driven by Wind Dials, God's Arks! Consider these five ships a small token of gratitude to Skypiea's saviors!"
A sharp gleam burst from Rhen's eyes.
'Excellent!'
'People of Skypiea!'
'Your goodwill, will be reported faithfully to Lord Renzo!'
'You… have great potential!'
The next two days were spent loading the ships.
When the five colossal arks sank deep into the Cloud Sea under mountains of gold, Sanji and Rhen were once again overwhelmed by the sheer terror of this wealth.
"Th-This… this…"
Leaning against a gold brick taller than himself, Sanji shakily pulled out a cigarette. "Fatty… can we… just retire already and open a floating restaurant back in the East Blue?"
"Retire?"
Rhen whipped his head around, staring at Sanji as if he were a traitor.
"Sanji, what nonsense are you talking about?!"
His tone was deadly serious. "This little bit of 'startup capital' is nothing! Lord Renzo's journey leads to the end of the seas, to the stars and the abyss! Our mission has only just begun!"
"Ah… r-right… I see…" Sanji was startled by Rhen's fervor.
Rhen turned back toward the still-bottomless Golden City, his gaze unshakably firm.
"We… will definitely come back!"
"Not a single coin of Lord Renzo's property… may be left behind!"
…....
"So… you're really leaving?"
On the Weatheria's deck, Nami stared at the utterly ridiculous Golden Fleet before her, feeling as if she were living inside a Beri-fueled dream.
Rhen and Sanji stood on the deck of their own G-5 medium armed ship.
Behind them were five gigantic arks, all but collapsing under the weight of gold.
On their ship's main mast, Enel was still bound like an "art installation," swaying in the wind.
The former "god" was now nothing more than one of Lord Renzo's spoils of war.
"Yes, Miss Nami."
Sanji straightened his bowtie and flashed his most charming smile. "We must quickly escort this 'serious criminal' and these 'cornerstones' for Lord Renzo back to the G-5 base."
"I see…" Nami said distantly.
She looked down at the Weatheria.
Two months of training had skyrocketed her understanding of meteorology.
Then she looked up at the five ships again.
That golden light… that blinding golden light…
"Gulp."
Nami swallowed hard.
"I can't move…"
Her legs felt as if they were firmly pinned to the deck by the gravity of gold.
"So jealous… so envious… why… why isn't the one getting rich me…"
A dark aura of resentment and jealousy began to radiate from her.
"Miss Nami!"
Seeing her lost and hollow look, Sanji's gentlemanly soul burst into flames.
He mistakenly thought she was sad about parting.
He suddenly dropped to one knee, extending a hand to her across the railing.
"Beautiful Miss Nami! Since your training is complete, why not… come with us?"
"Huh?" Nami blinked.
"G-5 is Lord Renzo's territory! The safest environment, the most delicious food!"
Sanji's eyes turned into hearts. "Please, come visit G-5! I promise I'll make sure you have the most wonderful time!"
"V-Visit?"
Nami blinked again.
She looked at Sanji's sincere, love-struck, face.
Then at Rhen's expressionless face, apparently thinking about something.
Finally, her gaze locked firmly onto those five, no, six, gold-laden ships!
"Hmph…" Nami crossed her arms, striking a what can you do? pose.
"Well, since you're inviting me so sincerely…"
She cleared her throat. "My training here really has reached a stopping point. Before the two-year aggrement, settling somewhere 'safe' isn't a bad choice."
"And besides!"
Her tone suddenly shifted, a flash of gold-crazed light in her eyes only she understood.
"With such a massive treasure sailing the seas, what if you run into a storm, or take a wrong route? That'd be such a waste."
She flipped her orange hair dramatically and declared confidently:
"As a top-tier navigator, I'll graciously escort you for a while! It's just along the way, purely along the way!"
"Miss Nami!!! You're too kind!!!" Sanji soared into bliss.
Rhen pushed up his glasses and glanced at Nami.
He did not object.
"Sanji," Rhen said coolly, "this 'guest' is entirely your responsibility. Don't cause trouble for Lord Renzo's G-5."
"Don't worry! I'll take perfect care of Miss Nami!"
Rhen nodded and said no more. He quietly took out his notebook and wrote in the "Visitor Registration" section:
[Visitor: Nami (Navigator of the Straw Hat crew, companion of Luffy).
Purpose: Visiting (invited by Sanji).
Notes: Extremely strong sensitivity and obsession with gold. No immediate threat. To be received at the level of 'ally-of-an-ally.']
"Mr. Haredas! Everyone! I'm going to 'visit' G-5! See you at Sabaody in two years!!"
Nami grabbed her luggage and Clima-Tact, leapt, and landed precisely on Rhen's ship, deliberately choosing the spot closest to the gold piles.
"Ah? Miss Nami?! So suddenly?!" Haredas and the old men were stunned.
"Set sail!"
Nami patted a gold brick beside her with satisfaction, the cold, solid touch making her smile blissfully.
"Destination, G-5!!"
"Aye aye! Nami-swan~~~!" Sanji rushed to the helm.
And so, amid Gan Fall and all the Skypieans' tearful send-off,
A six-ship fleet, an absurd moving vault, set off under the leadership of Sanji, Rhen, and the enthusiastically visiting Nami, carrying the captive Enel and enough gold to found a future overlord's domain, slowly sailing toward Skypiea's exit.
Their next destination, the New World, Marine G-5 Base!