On Angel Island, Raleigh and Enel, who had collected large amounts of gold in Shandora, had already returned to their Marine warship.
Their mission here was essentially complete.
The journey to Angel Island had actually achieved all of Raleigh's objectives—both acquiring Enel himself and the Ark Maxim blueprints would keep him occupied for some time.
More importantly, Raleigh needed to travel to the Grand Line for a promotion ceremony, after which he would be free to cruise the seas at will.
Raleigh imagined following in Monkey D. Garp's footsteps, finding a target to pursue relentlessly.
Although the Ark Maxim represented the most advanced creation of the ancient Moon People, Raleigh still wanted to show its blueprints to Dr. Vegapunk.
With his intelligence, the scientist could fully optimize the Ark Maxim.
Particularly regarding weapons—Raleigh felt the Ark Maxim's armament wasn't powerful enough.
The smaller Ark Maxim model that Enel currently piloted also needed enhancements.
"Hurry up with loading the supplies! We're leaving this place!"
The warrant officer on the warship shouted loudly, conveying Raleigh's orders.
At the port, robust Marine soldiers carried multiple crates of supplies each toward the ship.
Raleigh held a detailed map of Angel Island, carefully studying the fastest route back to Headquarters.
Suddenly, a series of beautifully melodious bell tones resonated throughout Angel Island.
Just a few chimes brought a sense of inner peace to all who heard them.
DONG... DONG...
From Upper Yard to Angel Island and beyond, all islands within the domain of God's Land heard these graceful, lingering bell tones.
"Is that the Shandora Bell?"
"The Song of the Island!"
"Oh my god, the rumors my mother told me when I was a child is real—I thought they were fake!"
"Could it be that the war will end in our generation?!"
"Great, we finally don't have to live in fear anymore."
One by one, Marine soldiers looked at the gleeful Skypiean vendors around them with puzzled expressions.
Raleigh closed his eyes, carefully distinguishing the bell ringing throughout the Sky Islands, then opened them and looked toward the top of the Giant Jack on God's Island, Upper Yard.
"The Light of Shandora, symbolizing peace?"
In the cabin, Cricket, a crew member who claimed descent from Noland and had been resting due to fatigue, immediately jumped up upon hearing the bell.
He ran to the deck, tears streaming down his face as he gazed in the direction of Upper Yard.
"This is... this is the bell of the Shandora Light recorded by our ancestors. Yes, it must be its sound."
"Ancestor Noland, I have finally found the place you once visited. This is Shandora, the Land of Gold, where you once stayed."
...
In the seas of the year 1497 of the Sea Circle Calendar, various forces maintained restraint on the surface, but the undercurrents beneath grew increasingly turbulent.
Amid such circumstances, Raleigh and his party, having sailed for a month and a half after leaving Skypiea, arrived at the Marine Headquarters—Marineford.
At the port, Vice Admiral Borsalino, with his usual lewd expression and lazy demeanor, came to greet them.
"Ooh~ Raleigh, you brat, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for so long."
Raleigh raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you waiting for me to come to Headquarters for a promotion, or are you waiting for me to come and help you with work?"
Borsalino, unfazed by Raleigh seeing through his intentions, continued speaking without any shame.
"Both, both. You're my dear younger brother. I'm very happy you've come to Headquarters for a promotion, and I'm even happier that you can help me capture pirates."
Raleigh merely chuckled at Borsalino's words.
It had been a long time since he last saw Borsalino, and they were still bickering like children.
"Alright, I brought you some precious tea. You can ask Gion for it later. I'll head to the Fleet Admiral's office to report first."
After exchanging a few more brief words with Borsalino, Raleigh handed over the task of arranging the soldiers to him and left alone.
The Fleet Admiral's office was located at the top of the tallest building in Marine Headquarters.
Knock, knock, knock.
Raleigh gently knocked on the office door.
"Come in."
A firm voice came from inside the office. Raleigh pushed the door open and entered.
There was no one else in the room—only Fleet Admiral Kong, who was holding a document and about to sign it.
Upon seeing Raleigh, Kong let out a hearty laugh, put down the document in his hand, and said.
"I asked you to come to Headquarters for a promotion, but you ended up making a detour to Skypiea. I heard you even resolved the 400-year war between the Skypieans and the Shandia People."
"What happened? Tell me about it."
Raleigh looked at Kong with an awkward expression.
This matter wasn't exactly something to be proud of in a military context, as it had nothing to do with the duties of the Marines.
Scratching his head, Raleigh said, "Fleet Admiral Kong, to be honest, it didn't have much to do with me. At the time, the God of Skypiea asked me to relay a message to the Shandia People and offered me a few chests of gold in return. I thought, 'It's just one sentence,' so I agreed."
"As I had expected, it really did end with me just passing a few words to the Shandia People. But this matter truly had nothing to do with their reconciliation—they just insisted on pinning it on me."
Fleet Admiral Kong was both amused and exasperated.
He hadn't expected Raleigh to act so recklessly outside, yet behave like an innocent child trying to shirk responsibility in front of him.
"Enough, cut the act. Although this matter has nothing to do with our Marines, what's done is done. There's no need to cover it up."
Raleigh's eyes darted around as he glanced about, making sure no one could eavesdrop.
Then, he pulled out an exquisitely packaged box of cigars from his coat and stepped forward.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, when I was in Skypiea, the angels gifted me a box of their local specialty cigars. Since you're a connoisseur of fine cigars, how about we give them a try?"
Kong glanced at the cigar box in Raleigh's hand and couldn't help but laugh.
If these were really from Skypiea, that would be strange indeed.
Cigars were produced across all four seas, each with their own famous varieties.
The North Blue, in particular, was known for a highly exclusive cigar that never circulated publicly—it was reserved solely for the World Nobles and high-ranking government officials.
Although Kong rarely smoked such cigars, he had seen them around.
During his dealings with the World Nobles, he had smoked a few.
So, he recognized them at a glance.
Moreover, the box Raleigh brought was brand new, its outer packaging still unopened, indicating that Raleigh had specifically brought it for him.
Kong found himself growing more and more appreciative of Raleigh.
He was capable, perceptive, and knew how to flatter without being obsequious!
Though he had considerable ambition, for now, he still adhered to the duties of the Marines.
Someone like him, as long as he didn't meet an untimely end, was bound to climb to a high position in the Marines.
To be frank, Kong believed that even Sengoku fell short in some aspects compared to Raleigh—at the very least, Sengoku would never gift him such expensive cigars.
It was just a pity that Raleigh was still too young and lacked any notable military achievements to his name.
Pirates like Byrnndi World weren't considered particularly troublesome in the eyes of truly powerful individuals.
After all, both Sengoku and Garp had several such accomplishments under their belts.