Mike gave Kuzan and the others the quick version of the story, explaining the deal with Sky Island and the old legends about the lost city of Shandora.
Kuzan's eyes narrowed as he processed everything Mike had just said.
He took a moment, then spoke slowly, "Hang on a second, kid..."
"Are you telling me that whole fairy tale about 'Noland the Liar'... is actually real?"
The story of Noland was something every kid in the North Blue grew up with.
Kuzan himself had heard the legend of the City of Gold a hundred times.
But that's all it ever was—a legend.
A fun, ridiculous story that everyone knew was fake.
No one actually believed the Golden Land was a real place.
But now, Mike was standing here telling him straight-faced that Shandora was real, the City of Gold was real, and their next plan was to go up there and grab all that treasure.
"Yep. It all really happened about 400 years ago," Mike confirmed.
"The fairy tale is true."
"..."
Kuzan went quiet for a moment, his gaze drifting out towards the endless horizon.
After a long pause, he slowly looked back as a strange new light flickering in his eyes.
Suddenly, whether the fairy tale was true or not didn't matter anymore.
The real point was the gold.
And what was gold?
It was money.
It was military funding.
It was resources.
It was the fuel that kept wars going and the lifeline that allowed a massive organization to grow and stay stable.
More importantly, for ambitious people, it was the startup capital you needed to break away from the World Government and build something new.
Kuzan could feel his own heartbeat start to pick up speed as the possibilities raced through his mind.
The Navy wasn't one big happy family.
The corruption and darkness of the World Government had made countless good Marines lose faith a long time ago.
If, one day, a New Navy could rise up and completely break free from those chains, they would need a mountain of cash to make it happen.
An organization like that could never have too much gold.
The faster they could build up their treasury, the sooner they could stand on their own two feet, completely independent from the World Government.
This was something he could definitely help with.
He could make sure things went even more smoothly.
"So," Kuzan said, a sly grin spreading across his face, his eyes gleaming with a newfound eagerness.
"When do we leave for this Sky Island? I can come along, you know."
Smoker, who was standing nearby with a cigar clamped between his teeth, shot a helpless look at his superior.
'Is this really the same Kuzan I know?' he grumbled to himself.
'The guy whose main hobbies are sunbathing and napping?'
'All of a sudden you're all fired up and ready for an adventure. You're making me look like a total slacker here! Damn it!'
Mike easily spotted the fire igniting in Kuzan's eyes and couldn't help but smirk.
'Looks like Kuzan has got his fighting spirit back.'
Going to Shandora for the gold was also part of his plan to help Alabasta and Fish-Man Island grow.
Making progress costs money after all.
The one billion Belly he'd won gambling was a good start, but it wouldn't last forever.
'Just how much gold is up there on Skypiea, anyway?' Mike wondered.
He remembered that the little bit of gold Luffy had found inside that giant snake was worth three hundred million Belly alone.
The total amount of gold on the whole island, converted to cash, would probably be in the tens of billions, easy.
Of course, that was just a rough guess.
They wouldn't know the real number until they got there.
But hoarding money was pointless.
It was just a dead pile of metal if you didn't use it.
Mike thought about it for a moment.
The gold was important, but what really mattered was figuring out how to turn that wealth into a force that could actually push the world forward.
So many places in this world were still poor, underdeveloped, and just plain inconvenient.
If he could use this gold to build better roads, better ships, better everything... it would make life easier for countless people.
And more importantly, it would make his own life in this world way more enjoyable.
He couldn't help but think about Alabasta.
The hot springs and casinos were cool, but beyond that, the entertainment options were pretty boring.
There wasn't even a decent karaoke bar, let alone a nice cocktail lounge, a nightclub, or a movie theater.
Even the Red-Light District could use a major upgrade!
The whole entertainment industry in this world had a long, long way to go.
It needed variety, it needed to be developed!
"And I am willing to be the pioneer of that change!" he muttered to himself with a faint smile.
He pictured it.
Every time he would step foot in a new place, it would be a thriving, amazing city he helped build.
Every time, he'd see cheering crowds lining the streets to welcome him.
Every time, he'd see rows of beautiful women waiting to greet him.
That feeling of accomplishment was something gold could never buy.
'The future,' Mike chuckled to himself.
'Everywhere I go, I'll be a top-tier VIP.'
'And paying for things? Forget it.'
'I'm the guy who invested in building the entire country—what kind of business owner would dare ask me to open my wallet?'
'But, eh, that's a problem for tomorrow's me. Today's me has already worked hard enough!'
"Don't get ahead of yourself, old man," Mike said, glancing over at the Admiral, his voice lazy and relaxed.
"Let's finish up today's work first. Don't you have a meeting with King Cobra?"
"We'll head out for Skypiea tomorrow."
Hearing that, Kuzan immediately calmed down and nodded.
"You're right. I'll go to Alubarna first to finalize all the arrangements for Alabasta."
"Go on, then," Mike said with a dismissive wave.
Kuzan shot up into the air, his figure quickly disappearing on the sea breeze as he flew towards the capital city.
He needed to have a long chat with the king to lock in Crocodile's new role.
"Phew—"
Crocodile, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward with a smile and held out a cigar.
"Captain, would you care to try one of Alabasta's finest local cigars?"
"Sure, why not," Mike said, accepting it with a relaxed smile.
He lit it, took a long drag, and let the rich smoke fill his lungs.
His eyes softened with contentment. "Not bad. This stuff has a real kick!"
Seeing his chance, Crocodile decided to probe for a little information.
"Captain," he began, "that guardian of Fish-Man Island you were discussing with Admiral Aokiji... is he also a Logia-type fruit user?"
Mike tilted his head, giving Crocodile a knowing look.
He hadn't bothered to keep his conversation with Kuzan a secret.
At this point, Crocodile was basically one of them.
Besides, as a Warlord, he was already halfway in the system anyway.
As for whether the Warlord system would be abolished like in the original story?
Mike chuckled inwardly.
'With King Cobra seeing how well Alabasta is doing? Not a chance.'
"Yeah. The guy on Skypiea is named Enel," Mike said casually.
"He likes to call himself 'God.' He ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. Crocodile, you seem pretty interested. You want to come to Skypiea with us?"
"No, no," Crocodile said, shaking his head with a confident smile.
"How could I leave Alabasta? This is the perfect place for me."
He was just curious after overhearing their conversation.
Both Logia users, both "guardians" of a kingdom.
In a weird way, they were kind of like colleagues.
'But that guy actually dares to call himself 'God'?' Crocodile thought, amused.
'Enel, was it? Guhahaha! I just hope you can keep that arrogant look on your face when you finally meet Mike and Aokiji.'
'I'll be looking forward to hearing all about it!'
"Alright then, Crocodile. Keep up the good work here in Alabasta," Mike said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Skypiea's gold will have a share for you to use here. Make sure you use it well."
Crocodile paused for a second, then nodded, a new fire of determination in his eyes.
"Understood!"
With that settled, Mike stretched his arms out, leaning back to feel the cool evening breeze.
As he loosened up, his gaze drifted back towards the crowd of bikini-clad girls who were all waiting eagerly for him.
He gave them a wave.
"Alright," he said with a grin.
"Time for another tough battle!"
[Ding!]
[Host continues to enjoy himself~]