Super Card System - Chapter 454

Chapter 454: Nami, the Skilled Navigator

Not long after Gan Fall’s departure, Ian and the others arrived at the so-called “Heaven’s Gate,” located in front of the waterfall.

Guarding the Gate of Heaven was an elderly wrinkled Skypiean woman. As soon as she opened her mouth, she demanded a fee of 1 billion Extol from each of them.

Berries, the universal currency, held little value in this isolated realm. Skypiea boasted its own currency, known as “Extol,” much like the Gor used on Amazon Lily. Generally, islands that are relatively closed off and have limited contact with the outside world tend to use unique currencies like this.

Ian understood that the proclaimed 1 billion Extol merely amounted to a meager 100,000 Beli, or so. However, the dilemma lay in the fact that Luffy and his comrades were oblivious to this conversion.

Thus, they were immediately dumbfounded by the exorbitant entrance fee.

Ian stepped forward with a smiling face and asked, “What will happen if I refuse to pay this fee, old lady?”

“If you don’t pay, you can still enter!” the elderly woman calmly replied.

“Well then, I won’t pay!” Ian straightforwardly declared.

Nami clasped her hands together, gazing at Ian with admiration. “Big brother Ian, so cool! Your audacity knows no bounds!”

For Nami, a lover of wealth, any attempt to take money from her pocket was an unforgivable sin. And for Ian to boldly evade paying, it made him even more handsome in Nami’s eyes.

Upon confirming that Ian and the others had no intention of paying, the elderly woman didn’t say anything further. At that moment, a gigantic shrimp-like creature suddenly appeared beneath their ship, the Merry Go. Its pincers clamped onto it.

After seeing this creature known as the “Express Shrimp” by the Skypieans…

The shrimp carried the Merry Go and swiftly passed through the magnificent Gate of Heaven. It ascended along the waterfall. It was only at this point that Zoro leaned against the ship’s railings, crossing his arms, and asked Ian, “Hey, Ian, is it really okay to do this?”

“How many times do I have to say it? You should address me as ‘Big Brother’!” Ian casually replied, ignoring Zoro’s concerns. “It’s alright; it’s just a matter of being treated as an illegal entry. At most, they’ll send someone to catch us.”

Upon hearing this, Usopp and the others were left dumbfounded. Chopper timidly suggested, “Ian, Big Brother, maybe we should just go back and pay the fee…”

“Forget about the money… considering that we even have that much money!” Ian pointed his finger at Nami and said with a wry smile, “If you want to pay, ask your Minister of Finance first!”

Nami immediately grew furious and yelled at Chopper and Usopp, “There isn’t even a gate to begin with!”

Ian smirked, shrugging his shoulders. “See?”

Robin and Reiju couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight. They realized that Ian truly understood Nami’s personality.

Sanji, with a firm and righteous demeanor, stepped forward and declared, “Absolutely! I fully support Miss Nami’s decision! If that moss-head fool has a problem, he can dig into his own pockets!”

Zoro’s temper flared instantly. “When did I ever say we should pay? Are you looking for a fight?”

And so, the two of them started bickering again…

Meanwhile, their captain, Luffy, was completely enthralled by the unique sights of Skypiea. Sitting atop the sheep figurehead at the bow of the ship, his eyes gleamed as he surveyed the surroundings, paying no attention to the affairs on the ship.

However, when it came to money… Ian couldn’t resist opening the interface of his System and checking his balance.

To his surprise, his diamond currency seemed to be dwindling.

A hundred thousand Beli was a fortune that had once brought boundless joy and frivolous spending. He could freely draw and purchase whatever he wanted. But as time passed, Ian realized that he was gradually depleting his reserves!

No wonder why they say that these pay-to-win games are money sinks. Sometimes, it’s not a matter of budgeting, and now Ian had only a little over 1.4 million diamonds left. He hadn’t even reached level 60 yet, and there was still an empty card slot waiting to be unlocked. Not to mention the costs of drawing cards and developing them into red cards, obtaining exclusive treasures, and unlocking their ultimate.

Clearly, he needed to devise a plan to amass a substantial fortune…

With this in mind, Ian couldn’t help but think of the fabled Golden City of Shandora (also known as Jaya), and the massive golden bell. If he could bring back all that gold and exchange it for money, it should amount to a significant sum, right?

Back when he was in the treasure trove of the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois, Ian had indeed seen numerous gold artifacts. However, at that time, he couldn’t take them with him. Gold is dense and even slightly larger pieces can be incredibly heavy. So, back then, Ian could only regretfully abandon them. But now…

Ian looked at Doroni, who was constantly stuffing his mouth with food. As his friend, Matthew doted on Doroni, always keeping him supplied with food. Doroni had transformed into a plump, he was very chubby. Ian thought it was time for him to exercise and lose some weight.

Yes, there was a ready-made labor force right here. With Doroni’s ability to convert unique food from the Glutton-Glutton Fruit into strength, he should be able to easily carry several tons of gold, right?

Bringing him along this time seems to be the right decision…

The huge shrimp below the ship was incredibly fast. Carrying the Merry Go, it raced on a twisting and spiraling path of could in the sky. It didn’t take long for them to reach the exit.

There was a sign there, with the slogan “God’s Land, Skypiea.”

Just as they read the sign clearly, the shrimp had already rushed out of the exit, and suddenly the scenery changed. A majestic island city appeared before everyone’s eyes.

This city was built on the clouds, and the clouds were like an ocean. Some lush trees grew in this city, making the visitors wonder how they could grow there.

Upon seeing such a charming view, Luffy and the others shouted and rushed toward the beach. Nami also dragged Robin and Reiju into the cabin. After changing into bikini tops, the three of them jumped off the ship and started playing on the beach.

Sanji, together with Matthew, excitedly searched for strange plants on the beach, looking for possible new ingredients.

Ian, accompanied by Zoro, disembarked onto the newfound haven. It was then, during their descent, that Ian’s discerning eyes fell upon an unexpected sight—the hilt and scabbard, elegantly adorning Zoro’s waist.

If he judged solely by its appearance, this sword looked somewhat like Kuina’s Wado Ichimonji, but Ian keenly noticed that this sword was slightly longer than Wado Ichimonji.

“Hey, Zoro, did you get a new sword?” Ian couldn’t help but ask.

“Yeah, thanks to you!” Zoro replied grumpily, “It was a gift from Princess Vivi before we left!”

“Let me have a look!” Ian extended his hand, eagerly requesting to examine the sword.

Zoro didn’t say anything and handed the sword over. Ian took it and immediately drew the blade, causing its bright gleam to momentarily dazzle his eyes.

“What an exceptional blade!” Ian observed the blade and noticed faint beads of mist on it. It seemed that due to its extremely cold blade, it condensed the moisture in the air. In Ian’s eyes, this sword was probably even better than the Wado Ichimonji!

“This is one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades!” Hearing Ian’s praise, Zoro couldn’t help but show off.

“Is that so?” Ian, seeing the smug expression on Zoro’s face, couldn’t resist teasing him. “If, by any chance, this blade were to break, I assume you would be quite heartbroken, wouldn’t you?”

“Hey, hey! What are you planning to do!?” As soon as he heard that, Zoro’s expression instantly changed, and he quickly tried to take the sword back.

However, Ian was just messing with him. The Wazamono in his hand turned pitch black the next moment. Ian casually swung the blade twice and said to Zoro, “See that? If you want to protect your beloved sword from any harm, you should at least learn this type of Haki, the Armament Hardening.”

“Oh… Oh!” Zoro looked foolishly at the now pitch-black blade and nodded.

Ian returned the sword to him, and then the two of them walked toward the beach.

When they reached the edge of the beach, Luffy and Nami came over excitedly with a Skypiean. Luffy introduced her to Ian, saying, “Big brother Ian, this is Conis. She invited us to her home!”

Conis was holding an adorable cloud fox in her arms and shyly greeted Ian, “Welcome to Angel Island…”

Ian nodded silently, choosing not to say anything. To be honest, he wasn’t particularly keen on going. His thoughts were consumed by the Golden City of Shandora…

However, at that moment, Conis’ father appeared. Riding a “Waver,” a vehicle made from Jet Dial, he arrived before everyone.

To Ian, this mode of transportation was simply a motorboat, but it caught the attention of Luffy and the others.

Luffy decided to give it a try but ended up capsizing the moment he hopped on. Sanji had to dive into the water to rescue him.

Then it was Nami’s turn to ride. Surprisingly, she quickly adapted to it and effortlessly controlled the Waver.

Witnessing this, Ian’s interest was piqued. He waved at Nami and called out, “Hey, Nami, let me try!”

Nami turned the Waver around, elegantly maneuvering on the water’s surface, and stopped beside Ian. With a cool gesture, she gestured, “Hop on!”

Without further ado, Ian took a seat behind Nami. She activated the Waver, and with a roaring sound, they zoomed away.

“If that guy does something inappropriate to Miss Nami halfway, I would kill him!” Sanji couldn’t help but speculate with a resentful tone as he watched the scene. However, before he could finish his sentence, Reiju smashed him on the head…

“Let’s go, we should head back. They’ll return once they’ve had their fun,” Zoro said to the group.

Thus, the group followed Conis and her father, embarking on the long staircase-like path toward the Angel City.

Only Robin seemed to sense something and couldn’t help but glance back in the direction Nami and Ian had departed…