A nearby island disintegrated at Golden Lion Shiki's furious command, its fragments hurtling toward William with overwhelming force.
A massive boulder—tens of meters tall—plummeted directly toward William's head. With a single slash, he cleaved it in two. Yet against an entire collapsing island, William appeared impossibly small. After cutting through several nearby fragments, he prepared to employ Moonwalk to escape the avalanche of debris.
In that brief moment, Shiki had already created considerable distance between them. With arms spread wide as if embracing the heavens themselves, he assumed a commanding stance.
CRACK!
Like an overstretched string suddenly snapping, a thunderous sound reverberated through the air. The mysterious force maintaining the surrounding islands' suspension abruptly failed. Only then did both combatants realize they had descended beneath the floating archipelago during their pursuit.
William continued his charge toward Shiki, but the path between them became increasingly obstructed by plummeting islands. The crumbling debris formed an ever-expanding barrier, blocking his advance.
Shiki's face flushed crimson, his expression contorted with exertion. The Float-Float Fruit—an extraordinarily powerful Devil Fruit—had been under his mastery for decades. The connection between user and ability had become nearly inseparable, with Shiki pushing its capabilities to their absolute limits.
To reshape heaven and earth, to move mountains and redirect seas—for Shiki, these weren't mere fantasies. Merveille and its surrounding floating archipelago stood as testament to his mastery. His arrogance and pride, while excessive, weren't entirely unfounded.
William found himself increasingly constrained, like a protagonist in a flight combat game navigating ever-narrowing spaces. For every fragment he shattered, larger and more numerous boulders followed, until he found himself blocked just short of reaching Shiki.
"You've developed your Devil Fruit abilities impressively," Shiki sneered, bloodshot eyes gleaming with malice. "Too bad you encountered me!"
Veterans like Shiki weren't like inexperienced rookies who trembled at the mere mention of Logia-type Devil Fruits. His extensive knowledge allowed him to recognize that certain fruits surpassed even Logia in rarity, and that significant power variations existed even within the Logia classification.
From Kuro and Don Krieg's reports, Shiki had learned of William's Steam-Steam Fruit abilities. Initially, he had dismissed steam as a trivial power incapable of posing significant threat. He hadn't anticipated William's ingenuity—his ability to integrate techniques like Six Powers and Life Return with his fruit's abilities, developing its potential to extraordinary heights and forcing Shiki into this desperate situation.
Those who rely solely on inherently powerful Devil Fruits might achieve notoriety, but their strength remains questionable. True power belongs to those who maximize seemingly modest abilities through innovation and strategic thinking. Their strength lies not in the Devil Fruit itself, but in their intellect, awareness, and combat wisdom.
"I'll transform you into an island," Shiki declared, extending his right hand toward William's position before gradually closing his fist. The fragmented debris responded to his gesture, converging with increasing speed. Layer upon layer of rubble surrounded William until his figure disappeared entirely. "And I'll name it after you!"
Meanwhile, William ceased his evasive maneuvers. Standing motionless, his body glowed increasingly red, his eyes becoming bloodshot until they shone crimson. The collapsing debris encased him, gradually forming a cohesive structure.
In Shiki's hands, islands were mere playthings. The fragments of several smaller landmasses coalesced into a new formation comparable in size to Merveille. At its core, William remained trapped.
With Devil Fruit mastery at Shiki's level, eliminating a Logia user required no Armament Haki.
"Slash Wave!"
Shiki delivered a powerful kick toward the upper atmosphere, unleashing a blade of compressed air. The seawater surrounding Merveille parted before this attack, creating a massive displacement. Under the Float-Float Fruit's influence, this water surged like a dragon toward the newly forming island. Even in this critical moment, Shiki maintained enough composure to consider the environmental features of his creation.
"Eye of Horus..."
From the island's center came a barely perceptible whisper.
Before Shiki could comprehend its significance, a earth-shattering explosion erupted from within the forming landmass. The structure disintegrated instantly, with white vapor billowing from every fissure. The seawater Shiki had summoned made contact with this superheated steam, producing a deafening hiss as it instantly vaporized, filling the sky with dense fog.
The explosion occurred perilously close to Shiki. Its shockwave—carrying soil fragments and stone shrapnel—struck him directly. Enveloped in scalding vapor, he was propelled backward through the air, trailing wisps of white smoke.
The island vanished, leaving only billowing clouds in its wake.
When Shiki finally stabilized himself and lowered his arms from shielding his face, he was covered in blood. His exposed skin displayed angry red burns, and the sword previously attached to his left foot had been blasted away.
Raising his gaze toward the misty heavens, Shiki witnessed a blinding flash illuminate the sky. For an instant, everything turned brilliant white. Within this radiance, the swirling mist formed the unmistakable silhouette of a colossal eye—cold, indifferent, like a deity observing mortal struggles from above. As the light faded, this apparition vanished, as though it had been merely an illusion.
After the lightning flash, rolling thunder reached Shiki's ears, draining color from his face.
His pallor stemmed not from the eye-like apparition or his injuries, but from confusion and mounting dread.
Without his notice, dense storm clouds had gathered overhead, silver lightning dancing within their depths.
"Where is my navigation team?" he demanded. "Why wasn't I warned about this weather pattern?!"
Such dramatic meteorological changes should have been predictable in the East Blue, unlike the notoriously capricious Grand Line.
While William and Shiki battled across the sky, a fleet of airships emerged through the cloud layer near Shiki's palace.
Edmond gazed coldly at the opulent structure through a glass viewport. The vessels Shiki had plundered included those Edmond himself had once commanded.
"You presumed to rule the East Blue with such arrogance?" he murmured contemptuously.
Beside him, Aramis, Selkirk, and other officers observed the palace with varying expressions—some with calculated amusement, others with cold smiles, still others with barely contained excitement.
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