Super Card System - Chapter 476

Chapter 476: Robin’s Suggestion

Robin and the others knew that Ian’s speculation was based on a lot of information he had gathered, but the problem was, Enel didn’t know!

A complete stranger, in just a short moment, could roughly deduce his background, and he’d surely think this person was profound and unfathomable.

Initially, Ian had inflicted a severe psychological trauma on Enel after beating him up, and now, in Ian’s presence, Enel felt as if he was inferior.

Ian’s words were not only meant for Enel to hear but also for Gan Fall. This could help all the Sky Island people understand their common origins, thus fostering unity between them.

Ian didn’t want this Angel Island to continue in chaos, and he planned to do some trading with this Sky Island in the future. After all, the Sky Island’s culture and seastone were things Ian desired.

“Hahaha! Big Brother Ian, look what we’ve found!”

At that moment, Ian suddenly heard Luffy, Nami, and the others yelling from the front. Turning around, he saw each of them rushing back with big bundles on their backs.

With a loud crash, Luffy threw his bundle in front of Ian, and it burst open, revealing a pile of glittering gold.

Gold! It was all gold!

There were gold crowns adorned with gemstones, lifelike gold sculptures, delicate little gold horns, large golden water bottles, gold crosses with inscriptions, and even a completely golden sword. As these items fell out, they dazzled everyone’s eyes.

“There’s more!” Nami and Usopp shouted while dropping their own bundles, causing another big pile of gold to spill out.

Nami really had it tough; the weight of this gold was extraordinary. Ian couldn’t believe that she had carried a bundle as big as Luffy’s all the way back.

Chopper, now in his human form, was struggling to drag back a large sack, which seemed to contain more gold as well.

“So much gold!?” Ian was also quite surprised.

“Not only that!” Nami said excitedly, “These are not all of it. There’s even more inside, but we couldn’t carry it all, so we came back first.”

Ian couldn’t help but rub his hands together in anticipation. “Excellent! Let’s go then. We’ll follow you and venture deeper into the belly of the serpent.”

From that moment on, Ian and his crew trailed behind Nami’s group, delving deeper into the great serpent’s stomach, looting every last bit of gold within.

The serpent’s size was truly colossal, rivaling that of the massive vines they had encountered earlier. One could only imagine the treasures it had swallowed, and this time, Ian and his crew were not merely pilfering a few bundles like Luffy’s original group; they were thoroughly looting everything in sight.

As time passed, the amount of gold they collected surpassed their expectations.

The pile of gold amassed before them resembled a small mountain, standing two or three people tall.

Inside the ruins of the golden city, Shandora, they hadn’t discovered any additional gold. Therefore, the gold within the serpent’s belly likely constituted a significant portion of Shandora’s wealth.

“This… This must be over ten tons of gold, right!?” Zoro wiped the sweat off his forehead, gazing at the amassed treasure with disbelief.

They toiled for over two hours before finally collecting all the gold. By that point, many of them were exhausted. Nami, Usopp, and Chopper lay panting on the heap of gold, although fatigue weighed on them, their eyes were brimming with excitement.

Nami, in particular, had a radiant smile as she beheld the massive pile of gold before her.

Ian himself was taken aback; he hadn’t expected to collect such an immense amount of gold. It felt as though they had emptied Shandora’s wealth entirely.

The density of gold was substantial, as Zoro had estimated. Ian believed there must be at least tens of tons of gold in their possession.

Most of the gold remained in its original form, but there were also small portions that had dissolved into golden spheres. Technically, stomach acid couldn’t achieve such an effect, but Ian surmised that the prolonged exposure within the serpent’s belly might have caused some of the non-pure gold items to dissolve.

“Now, how do we carry all this gold?” Robin pondered, gazing at the mountain-like heap of gold, her chin resting on her hand, appearing somewhat perplexed.

Indeed, they couldn’t sell the gold on the Sky Island to exchange for currency since the local currency wasn’t in the form of berries. They would have to take it back to the Blue Sea to handle the transaction. However, transporting over ten tons of weight was no small feat. Placing such a heavy load on the Merry Go might cause it to sink lower in the waterline, posing a risk to the ship’s stability during their return journey. It was a matter that required careful consideration.

Squatting down, Ian casually picked up a golden cross and turned to Nami, asking, “Nami, how much do you think all this gold is worth?”

“I’m not sure!” Nami flopped onto the gold, her expression adorable. “But it’s definitely worth no less than ten billion berries! My goodness, ten billion berries! What on earth am I going to do with so much money?”

Ian chuckled at Nami’s intoxicated expression and replied, “Your estimate probably takes into account the historical and artistic value of these golden artifacts. However, don’t forget that such a massive influx of gold into the market could lead to depreciation.”

Nami’s face suddenly tensed. “Then what should we do?”

“Perhaps we’ll have to find a way to sell it in smaller quantities,” Ian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Though, that means it will take longer.”

At that moment, Reiju chimed in, “I might be able to introduce you to a big buyer who could purchase all this gold in one go.”

Ian turned to look at Reiju, somewhat puzzled, “Who would that be? You’re not suggesting selling it to the World Government, are you? Apart from them, there aren’t many who could come up with such a vast sum of money at once.”

Ian’s estimation of the gold’s worth ranged between 10 billion to 15 billion berries. Such a significant amount was no trivial matter. When he had coerced 10 billion from the Celestial Dragons, it was said that even the wealthy Rosward’s Family, responsible for the finances, had taken some time to gather the funds.

“The buyer’s name is Gild Tesoro! Golden Emperor! I wonder if you’ve heard of him…” Reiju replied.

“Tesoro? The ‘Gold Emperor’ Tesoro!?” Ian’s eyes widened in astonishment upon hearing the name.

Reiju smiled and nodded. “Seems like you’ve heard of him as well. Since you know him, there’s no need for me to explain further. I believe he’ll be able to take all this gold off our hands.”

“Who is he?” Luffy and the others looked puzzled. “We don’t know him, tell us!”

Ian interjected on Reiju’s behalf, explaining directly, “That guy is probably the wealthiest man in the world, right?”

Honestly, Ian hadn’t expected to hear this name from Reiju, so he couldn’t help but ask her, “How do you know about him?”

“That goes without saying!” Reiju giggled. “Someone hired our Jerma Group to attack Tesoro’s Golden City!”

Upon hearing the words “Jerma Group” again, Sanji was taken aback, and the cigarette he held in his mouth fell to the ground.

As the third son of the Vinsmoke family, Sanji was well aware of the Jerma Group’s notorious reputation as a war-oriented, mercenary organization. Those words were synonymous with war, evil mercenaries, and all things nefarious.

“So, did you accept the offer?” Ian couldn’t help but inquire further.

“No, we didn’t accept the offer,” Reiju replied with a shake of her head. “My father didn’t want to antagonize Tesoro, knowing the extent of his influence. However, as a token of gratitude for not accepting the business, Tesoro invited the Vinsmoke family to his ship for a visit. Thanks to that occasion, I roughly know the route of his ship.”

“I see,” Ian nodded, comprehending the situation.

The name “Gold Emperor” Tesoro had been well-known to Ian since his time in the New World. Old K or better known as king the Trickster, a member of Ian’s crew, with his penchant for gambling, often dreamed of visiting the Gold City and regaled his shipmates with tales of it. (T/N: Who remembers him!? Be honest and tell me in the comments.)

However, Ian was aware that reaching Tesoro’s Golden City was no easy feat.

In truth, Tesoro’s so-called Gold City was a massive ship floating on the sea, not an actual island. Without magnetic fields, it was nearly impossible for ordinary people to navigate on the Grand Line using Log Poses. Finding the ship’s location was a game of chance, relying purely on luck.

Moreover, Tesoro’s Golden City extended invitations to select dignitaries and aristocrats along their route. They sent out invitations and followed specific routes to pick up the guests.

Though these routes were not fixed, some were more established, and since Reiju had been on the ship once, it was only natural that she knew its approximate path.

However, if it was Tesoro they were dealing with, then him accepting this batch of gold would be a walk in the park.

“Alright, then you’ll specify the route when the time comes!” Ian said to Reiju.

Reiju nodded and fell silent.

Turning to Nami, Ian declared, “Alright, next step is the division of profits!”