With the death of the Golden Lion, the power of the Float-Float Fruit that kept the entire island suspended in the air vanished in an instant.
The massive island began to plummet toward the ground at terrifying speed. Boulders, trees, and debris all rained down like a storm of destruction, crashing straight toward the Donquixote Family's fortress below.
Amid the chaos of the island's fall, Shiro remained utterly calm.
He raised a hand, and in an instant, a shimmering field of white light enveloped Shiki's body — a translucent sphere of compressed space.
It was his technique — "Spatial Bind."
A thunderous BOOM! echoed across the sky as the floating island slammed into the fortress below. The once-proud castle was obliterated in seconds; its roof shattered, walls collapsed, and rubble flew in every direction.
Inside, Doflamingo and his subordinates had no time to react. The entire structure came crashing down upon them, burying them under mountains of stone and dust.
It took nearly three minutes before Doflamingo finally crawled out from the wreckage, coughing violently. His trademark pink-feathered coat was torn and caked in dust, his face smeared with grime — the very picture of defeat.
One by one, his men also emerged, battered and filthy.
But when their eyes landed on the bisected corpse of the Golden Lion lying not far away, every trace of humiliation vanished — replaced by a mix of awe and disbelief.
"T-That… that's the Golden Lion Shiki! The legendary pirate who once stood alongside Roger and Whitebeard… cut clean in half!"
Vergo couldn't help but shout in shock.
In that moment, Doflamingo stood frozen, staring at Shiro's back — his entire understanding of the man's power overturned.
The ambitious Heavenly Dragon who once dreamed of controlling the underworld suddenly realized how absurd those dreams had been. For the first time, fear crept into his heart.
He had fantasized countless times about one day overthrowing Shiro — taking his place at the top of the world.
But after witnessing Shiro single-handedly slay the Golden Lion, that ambition withered like ash.
Meanwhile, Shiro paid no mind to Doflamingo's turmoil.
His focus was entirely on Shiki's corpse, still suspended inside the Spatial Bind. He was waiting patiently for the Float-Float Fruit to reappear.
According to the rules of Devil Fruits, when a user dies, their fruit reincarnates somewhere in the world — its location completely random and nearly impossible to trace.
But Shiro's technique could form a sealed dimensional field, trapping the reborn fruit within and preventing it from escaping.
A few minutes later, a faint golden light flickered beside Shiki's remains. From it emerged a fruit shaped like a lion's head, covered in golden swirls — the legendary Float-Float Fruit (Fuwa Fuwa no Mi) itself.
Shiro's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. He stepped forward and gently picked it up. The fruit was still faintly warm.
From a distance, Mihawk, Doflamingo, and his men looked on, their faces filled with awe.
"So that's how you can capture a Devil Fruit after its user dies…"
"Unbelievable. To think he can even control where it reappears…"
Holding the Float-Float Fruit in his palm, Shiro turned toward Dracule Mihawk with a smile.
"Mihawk, how about this? Why don't you eat it? With its power, your swordsmanship could reach even greater heights."
Mihawk glanced down at the fruit, its golden surface gleaming faintly. After a moment of silence, he shook his head.
"No. My pursuit is pure swordsmanship. I won't rely on the power of a fruit — nor will I risk losing my place on the sea."
Shiro wasn't surprised. He'd expected that answer. A swordsman as devoted as Mihawk would never accept anything that might dull his edge.
He nodded slightly and tucked the fruit safely inside his coat.
Then he turned to Doflamingo, who was still covered in dust.
"Doffy," Shiro said casually, "sorry about your castle. Things got a little… messy."
"N-No, Godfather! Please don't apologize!"
Doflamingo bowed deeply, his voice filled with genuine reverence.
"It's thanks to you that we survived at all! A mere castle means nothing — I'll rebuild it a hundred times if I must!"
Shiro chuckled, clapping him lightly on the shoulder.
"In that case, here's what you'll do — contact Morgans. Tell him you were the one who killed the Golden Lion. Have him print it on the front page of the World Economy News."
Doflamingo's eyes widened.
"That'll keep the vultures circling you at bay for a while," Shiro continued. "Make them think twice before moving against you."
Tears of gratitude almost welled in Doflamingo's eyes.
"Thank you, Godfather! You've thought of everything!"
Shiro waved him off.
"No need. If you ever run into an enemy you can't handle, call me on the Den Den Mushi — I'll come."
With that, Shiro turned, gesturing for Mihawk to follow as they left the ruins.
"Yes, Godfather! Safe travels!"
Doflamingo stood there, bowing until the two figures vanished from sight. Behind him, his men were silent — their hearts filled with awe and submission. Whatever rebellious thoughts they might once have had were gone for good.
Later, aboard the Virtue — Shiro's ship — he sat on the couch in his cabin, the Float-Float Fruit resting in his palm.
Its swirling golden patterns gleamed softly under the lamplight.
"Now… who should eat this?" he murmured, deep in thought.
He began mentally running through the crew list:
Issho, Crocodile, Moria, and Brook — all already possessed Devil Fruits. A person could not survive after eating a second.
Mihawk had already refused, of course.
Jinbe and Hachi were both Fishmen — the ocean was their home, their strength drawn from the sea. To take a Devil Fruit would strip them of that completely.
That ruled them out as well.
Which meant… after eliminating everyone else, there was only one candidate left —
Zeff, the ship's cook.
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