Chapter 14: The End of the Island (Ch 14)

The sunlight shines through the layers of clouds and spreads onto the majestic and solemn golden brick floor of the temple.

A meeting that could change the fate of Sky Island is being conducted in a tense and solemn manner.

Sitting on the main seat, Rogge was wearing a cloak, standing straight, and his military uniform was cold and solemn.

He stood with his hands behind his back, and there seemed to be an invisible aura around him, making the entire golden hall seem like his court of judgment.

Gan Fowle stood on one side, his silver-white knight armor reflecting the dazzling light, his expression solemn, like a spear unstained by rust.

Below the temple, the elders of Angel Island, representatives of Shandia warriors, and representatives of civilians from all walks of life on Sky Island gathered together.

Depressed, silent, tense.

It seemed as if as long as the black-haired officer in the main seat spoke, a huge wave would be set off that would overthrow the old order.

——And Roger spoke.

The voice was calm, but it was like a heavy hammer hitting a bell, shaking the whole place:

“I propose three reforms.”

He slowly raised his right hand, his fingertips seemed to touch the sky:

“One, repeal the [Bath Tax].”

“——From today on, any land on Sky Island no longer belongs to the so-called ‘Gods’, but to all the people who live here.”

boom–!

The temple was in an uproar in an instant!

The conservative nobles jumped up and roared:

“Blasphemy!”

“This is a betrayal of Sky Island’s traditions!”

An elder cried out in horror:

“Without the Bass Tax, how can Bay Energy be maintained?! Angel Island is going to collapse!”

Gan Forer’s face darkened and he shouted in a deep voice:

“Sky Island, there is no need to continue to use exploitation and lies to continue the hypocritical theocracy!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the silver-white knight’s spear pierced into the center of the temple with a “clang”!

The final word!

The conservatives looked dejected and trembling.

Rogge glanced at the audience indifferently and continued with the second sentence:

“Second, abolish the rule of ‘God’.”

“Angel Island and the Shandians establish a [Joint Autonomous Council].”

“Angel Islanders and Shandians rule together equally, without distinction of high or low.”

Wow——!

The Shandia representatives were trembling with excitement, and some even had tears in their eyes!

“Finally…finally someone heard the oath of our ancestors…”

Most of the Angel Island civilians bowed their heads, relief evident in their eyes.

Exploitation and misunderstanding have long become bitter fruits, and now we can finally tear apart this hypocritical cloak of divine punishment.

Rogge took one last look around and said the third sentence coldly:

“Three, look for the [Lamp of Shandora].”

His eyes were sharp:

“Rehabilitate the Shandian people’s name.”

“They are not invaders.”

“They are the guardians.”

“To protect history, civilization, and the last faith left by their ancestors.”

In dead silence.

Gan Fowle knelt on one knee, raised his knight’s lance above his head, and said in a steady and loud voice:

“I, Gan Fowle—”

“In the name of the former god of Angel Island, I acknowledge the justice of the Shandians.”

“And support all the reforms proposed by Mr. Roger!”

boom–!

The whole audience was boiling!

The Sandia representative shouted in tears, and many neutral parties on Angel Island also responded with their arms raised!

——The old era ends!

——A new era begins!

As enthusiastic applause broke out in the temple—

【Warship Observation Area】

Leiter leaned against the railing, rolled his eyes, clapped his hands and muttered:

“Tsk, tsk, tsk… The big mess in heaven and on earth has finally come to its senses.”

“But it doesn’t sound bad at all—at least we don’t have to waste time calling back and forth.”

And beside him——

Enelu crossed his arms, curled his lips in disdain, and his earrings jingled in the wind:

“Tsk, just some mortal affairs…”

“How can you understand the great pattern of this God——”

The words haven’t finished yet.

whoosh.

An extremely cold gaze seemed to pass by like a sharp blade.

Enel’s neck stiffened and he turned back stiffly.

Roger raised an eyebrow from afar, his eyes calm and meaningful.

Enelu felt a chill down his spine and cold sweat ran down his forehead.

The next second, Enel bowed deeply like a company animal, grinned and shouted stiffly:

“As you command! Boss, you are holy and wise! The Supreme Council of the God Realm should follow your example! Huhuhuhu…”

Lei Te almost fell down laughing while holding his stomach:

“Hahaha! Did you have to change your words so quickly?! As expected, the God of Thunder and Lightning has the quickest reactions!”

Enel gnashed his teeth, smoke coming out of his ears:

“You bastard! If you dare to laugh at me again, I will strike you with lightning—”

Bang!

Lei Te slapped him on the back of his head and said, “Shut up and listen to the boss’s instructions.”

Enelu was so angry that he jumped up and down, but he didn’t dare to do anything rash. He could only pinch his earrings and mutter to himself:

“…Sooner or later…I will become the deputy god!!!”

Lei Te held back his laughter and stretched out his hand to make a boastful gesture:

“Alright, ‘Vice-God’.”

The laughter and cheers on the warship floated slowly in the breeze of the White Sea.

[Sky Island·Arpaiado Ruins Core Area]

The setting sun shines obliquely, and the sea of ​​clouds turns golden red.

Deep in the ruined ancient city, Rogue led the scholars from Angel Island, the Shandia warriors, Rhett and Enelu, and carefully searched among the ruins.

Under Rogge’s encouragement, as the ruins were explored more deeply, a truth that had been buried for 400 years finally surfaced:

——The Shandians and the Sky Island Angels are descendants of the same origin from the [Great Migration] period hundreds of years ago!

The branches simply split due to geographical changes and resource constraints.

What really caused the war to continue for hundreds of years was not racial hatred, but resources, land and misunderstanding!

Theocracy, Bath tax, high-pressure system – these are just disguises to cover up contradictions.

This discovery shocked the entire Sky Island!

【Temple Hall·Provisional Parliament】

Gan Fowle knelt on one knee in front of the elders of Shandia and the representatives of Angel Island, put down his knight’s spear, and said in a sad voice:

“…The loss of Sky Island is due to our arrogance.”

“For centuries, we have misunderstood you.”

“Today, in the name of the ‘God’ I once was, I apologize to all the warriors and descendants of Shandia!”

The whole audience was silent!

The eyes of the old Shandia warriors were red.

Lei Te stood behind the crowd, scratched the back of his head, and whispered:

“Tsk… I’ve been beaten so badly this whole time that I even remembered the source wrong… How stupid of you.”

Enel crossed his arms and snorted, “Mortals have always been stupid.”

After being glanced at by Rogge, he immediately fell silent and pretended to listen carefully.

[Deep in the Xiangdora Ruins, Golden Bell Square]

Rogge led the team further into the ruins of Arpaiado.

Finally, under the deepest fault of the ruins, a thick golden boulder slowly emerged.

[Lamp of Shandora – Golden Bell]

The bell tower that witnessed the oath between Nolando and Kalgara finally saw the light of day again after being silent for four hundred years!

Under the setting sun, the golden bell reflects a magnificent and sacred light!

Rogge stood under the golden bell with his hands behind his back, his cape fluttering. His voice was calm and powerful, echoing throughout the ruins:

“Four hundred years of war, just because we all forgot—”

“This land has never belonged to any one person.”

“——It belongs to everyone who looks up at the same sky.”

After a dead silence.

Rhett grinned and walked aside.

He raised his fist covered in jet-black armament color and smashed the [ancient boulder with a dividing line engraved on it] next to the bell tower!

Boom——!

The stones shattered!

The boundary marker that separated the Sky Island people and the Shandia people completely collapsed!

Immediately following.

The golden bell trembled slightly in the wind, emitting a majestic and solemn sound.

Boom——!!!

Boom——!!!

The sound of the bell pierces through the sea of ​​clouds and resounds throughout the entire white sea world!

Both the residents of Angel Island and the Shandia warriors spontaneously raised their weapons, no longer pointing them at each other, but raising them high to the sky!

Oath:

“From today on—”

“Let’s protect our new home together!”

“Jointly inherit the oath of Nolandu and Kalgara!!”

The White Sea wind blows up the flag!

The two tribes were in tears, and they held each other’s hands again as the bells rang.

——The blood and hatred end here.

——Peace and hope finally bloom over the White Sea!

A few days later.

Under the chairmanship of Rogge, Sky Island held the first [Sky Island Joint Festival] in its history.

Traditional musicians from Angel Island work side by side with Shandia warriors to weave a unique new movement using wind shells, sound shells, and war drums!

The Shandia girls danced gracefully in feathered war skirts;

The Angel Island teenagers played trombones and bass instruments, creating melodious tunes.

Fire, dancing, singing, laughter.

Sky Island has truly become a common home.

Lei Te held the wine jar and smiled broadly:

“This is the normal world! Fighting each other is boring!”

Enelu turned his head away with disdain and pouted narcissistically:

“Of course this God knows that mortal celebrations are extremely boring, so I am only participating reluctantly.”

However, when a Shandia child ran over and took his hand, Enel couldn’t help but curl up the corners of his mouth again, and carefully made a small firework with lightning and gave it to the other party.

Lei Te looked at it and laughed so hard that he couldn’t straighten his back:

“Master Deputy God, all right, have you expanded your business to kindergartens?”

Enel’s earlobes were twitching wildly and he almost went berserk.

After the celebration, night fell over the temple.

Rogge leaned on the railing at the top of the tower, looking at the huge black shadow looming in the sea of ​​clouds in the distance, with a slight smile on his face.

“Hey, Enelu.”

He said lazily, “You didn’t make that thing secretly, did you?”

Enel crossed his arms, his golden earrings swaying in the moonlight, with a smug look on his face: “Hmph, you have a good eye. That is ‘Ark·Proverbs’ – a masterpiece made by this god himself.”

Roger raised his eyebrows: “Oh? So are you planning to drive it away, or are you planning to use it to flatten the Sky Island?”

Enel’s forehead jumped: “… Stop speculating on God’s will with that frivolous tone!”

Roger laughed and patted his shoulder.

“Don’t be nervous, I’m not going to steal your toys.”

He narrowed his eyes, and said in a relaxed but unquestionable tone, “It’s just that, from today on, it has to be renamed.”

Enelu frowned: “What do you mean?”

“‘Ark·Proverbs’ is now the mobile fortress of the [Sky Island Federation] and the [Navy Liaison Base].”

Rogge shrugged. “Don’t worry, you’re still the pilot, but I’ll be the one to decide the route.”

The corners of Enel’s mouth twitched, and his golden pupils were filled with dissatisfaction.

But after a few seconds of silence, he turned his face away and snorted:

“……as you like.”

Roger grinned: “That’s right.”

The night wind blows and the sea of ​​clouds rolls.

——Ark Proverbs is officially incorporated into Rogge’s army!

And the Sky Island chapter has come to a successful conclusion!

——Next stop, the Grand Line, where blood and fire truly begin to burn!