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  Coby sighed, exhausted and covered in blood, his body ag from the fierce battle with Enel. He checked the system s one more time, shaking his head. "Still not even close to Lightning Geio alone Mantra oro's full abilities." The numbers weren’t adding up as fast as he’d hoped, and that was frustrating. He had all these skills within reach but not enough points to grab them.

  He forced himself to stand, ign the sharp pain in his side. The fight had taken a toll on him. Despite the victory, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed more—more power, more skills, more everything if he was going to survive what was i.

  Coby sed the area, making sure the battlefield was clear. He had sent Nami and the others away before the fight, instrug them to search the isnd fold, specifically the mihat led to Maxim. They should have found something by now. He had inally po use Enel’s Lightning Geion to power Maxim and fly it down to the Blue Sea, but without that ability, his pn was shot. He cursed under his breath, frustrated by the setback.

  Grimag, he bent down and grabbed Enel's lifeless body. The weight wasn’t the issue—it was the pain shooting through his side that made it difficult. He gritted his teeth and pushed through, knowing he o get this over with.

  Just as he was about to make his way back to the others, the sound of footsteps filled the square. Coby looked up to see Wiper and the other Shandians arriving, their expressions full of shod disbelief as they took in the se. Gan Fall also desded from the sky, his bird cirg above before nding beside him.

  Wiper’s eyes narrowed as he approached Coby, his gaze flig to Enel’s body. "Is that real? Did you really kill Enel?" he asked, his voice tense.

  Coby nodded. "Yeah, it’s over. Enel’s dead." He held up the lifeless form of the self-procimed god as proof. The sight of their fallen enemy sent a ripple of emotions through the Shandians, some of them visibly rexing for the first time in years.

  Gan Fall stepped forward, his expression one of relief. "You’ve done more than just defeat Enel," he said, his voice heavy with gratitude. "You’ve freed this isnd from his tyranny."

  Coby was in no mood for pleasantries. "What’s the fug point?" he sossing Enel's lifeless body onto the ground with a thud. "You’ll just start killing each other soon anyway." His voice was ft, filled with frustration as he watched the Shandians and Gan Fall’s group exge hostile gres.

  Wiper’s eyes bzed with anger. "What the fuck does an outsider like you know?" he howled, stepping forward as if to challenge Coby. His muscles were tehe years of battle and hatred for the Skypieans still fresh in his mind.

  Coby grinned, wiping the blood from his hands. He met Wiper’s gaze without fling. "I know that your aor, Calgara, wa that golden bell for his best friend, Mont Bnd," Coby began, his words cutting through the tension in the air. "So that Nond would know Shandia flew into the sky. So that Nond wouldn't worry. He wanted Nond to know that you were alive."

  The weight of Coby’s words hit Wiper like a punch. His eyes widened, surprise momentarily overtaking his anger. But before he could respond, Coby tinued.

  "I know this nd is your aral home, stolen from you by the Skypieans." His gaze shifted to Gan Fall, who flinched slightly uhe iy of Coby’s words. "And I know that the same bell that started this war will end it when it rings once again."

  Coby’s voice was unwavering as he went on, "I also know Nond died g, branded a liar by thousands of people when he procimed the City of Gold existed." His eyes flicked back to Wiper, watg the realization dawn on his face. "I fug know that if my crew and I hadn’t e here, you all be dead in a couple of days. Enel was ready to destroy everything."

  Wiper’s fists ched, his jaw tightening as he processed what Coby was saying. The truth was a bitter pill to swallow, and it showed in the way his shoulders sagged, the fight draining out of him. But Coby wasn’t do.

  "And here’s the st thing I know," Coby said, his tone sharp. "Nond’s desdant is much like you. He’s been searg for the City of Gold to prove that his aor wasn’t a liar. To prove that all those people were wrong."

  Wiper, now visibly shaken, opened his mouth to speak but found no words. The Shandians behind him shifted unfortably, gng between their leader and Coby, unsure of how to react. Gan Fall, too, seemed lost in thought, his eyes fixed on the ground as if repying the events of turies past.

  Coby stood amidst the tense silence, his sharp gaze cutting through the uneasy stares of the Shandians and Gan Fall’s group. "So, do I fug know enough as an outsider?" he snapped, his tone daring ao challenge him.

  Before anyone could ahe chief of the Shandians, a wise ahered old man, stepped forward. "You’ve said enough," he decred, his voice carrying a weight of authority that silenced any murmurings.

  The Shandians turo him in surprise. "Chief, what are you doing here?" one of the warriors asked, evident in his voice.

  The chief raised a hand, signaling for them not to worry. "Asia informed me that Enel's breath has disappeared," he said calmly, his eyes shifting to the lifeless body of their fallen oppressor. "It seems the battle is truly over."

  He then turned his gaze back to Coby, his expression softening. "Just knowing that our aor’s wish still be met, that a desdant of Nond waits below, is enough," the chief tinued. "We just want t the bell once more. Aral nds be cursed."

  Wiper looked back at the chief in disbelief. "Chief, what are you saying?" he asked, his voice ced with fusion and frustration.

  The chief stepped forward, his presenanding. "War for survival is just, Wiper," he said, his words firm yet gentle. "But sacrifig the lives of your tribe for a piece of dirt is the biggest sin you it. Remember this." His eyes bore into Wiper’s, the wisdom of his years evident in every word.

  Wiper ched his fists, the rage and hatred that had fueled him for so long now g with the chief’s words. His chest heaved as he struggled to find a response, but the weight of the chief’s message was undeniable. The Shandians around him murmured among themselves, some nodding in agreement, others still unsure.

  Coby didn’t bother to interrupt the moment, knowing this wasn’t his battle to resolve. He simply watched, his blood-stained hands resting at his sides, waiting to see how things would unfold.

  Gan Fall, sensing the shift imosphere, stepped forward as well. "The bell is a symbol of peace," he said, addressing both the Shandians and his own people that arrived at some time. "Let us work together t it once more, in honor of both our aors."

  The chief nodded in agreement. "For too long, we’ve fought over what once beloo us. But perhaps it's time to let go of the past and focus oure." His words hung in the air, heavy with the implications of ge.

  Wiper's expression softened slightly, the tension in his posture easing as he sidered the chief’s words. Finally, after what felt like ay, he nodded. "If ringing the bell bring peace, the’s do it," he said, his voice low but resolute.

  The Shandians exged gnces, some still hesitant, but the chief’s authority and Wiper’s acceptance seemed to quell any further objes. Gan Fall’s people, who arrived a while ago, too, looked relieved, the prospect of ao the flict bringing a sense of hope to the weary fighters.

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