On the outer rim of the floating island cluster, one of the smaller islands suddenly lost control and began plummeting toward the sea.
"Stop! Stop it, now!!"
The body of Golden Lion Shiki, currently under Pekin's control, flailed as Pekin screamed in panic.
But it was too late. The island plunged into the ocean below, erupting into a colossal pillar of seawater shaped like a mushroom cloud. The impact triggered a massive tsunami that rolled across the sea's surface.
The force of the crash shattered the island into countless fragments, which were quickly swallowed by the ocean.
"Lord Kiryuu, I didn't mean to do that!" Pekin stammered anxiously. He had only been trying to lower the island slowly, but somehow lost control entirely—causing the disaster.
"Try another one," Souta Kiryuu said, his tone calm and unreadable. He didn't blame Pekin. His only goal was to bring the beast-breeding islands down safely to sea level.
If Pekin couldn't handle Shiki's body properly, then Kiryuu would have to do it himself.
After all, his own "Island-Carrying Flame Clouds" weren't just for show.
The Seraphim known as Path of Humanity had already secured Melville Island—home of the Winged Folk and IQ Plants—as well as another major island where numerous beasts were being transported.
Most of the rare, high-value beasts bred on other islands had already been gathered onto Shiki's main island. But with Path of Humanity's limited strength, there was no way to move all ten-plus islands back to their home base.
The crew had no choice but to abandon the lesser islands, taking only the main ones and their most valuable spoils.
Before long, after Pekin accidentally sank another island, Souta Kiryuu sighed and stepped in personally.
Using his own flame clouds to bear the islands' weight, Kiryuu directed Pekin—still inside Shiki's body—to release the Float-Float Fruit's power.
One by one, the abandoned islands descended from ten thousand meters in the sky, gently settling on the ocean's surface under Kiryuu's control.
By the end, only Melville Island and the Flying Pirates' main base remained floating in the sky.
…
"Kiryuu, you bastard! You've destroyed twenty years of my life's work!!"
Shiki's voice, roaring from Pekin's mouth, trembled with fury as he watched the islands he had painstakingly gathered and raised fall back into the sea.
The beasts he'd bred for decades, the luxury ships he'd stolen from the Celestial Dragons—all of it was now in Souta Kiryuu's hands as spoils of war.
Everything he had schemed for was now being worn like a crown by his conqueror.
"You really think any of this junk is impressive? To us, it's just ordinary material," Souta replied coldly.
He gestured to Trafalgar Law. "Switch their souls back."
As Law prepared the operation, Kiryuu smirked at the old lion before him. "You once thought you could give the world a 'surprise' after your escape from Impel Down, didn't you? Boarding Whitebeard's Moby Dick, pretending to lie low… And this was the result of your grand plan? A few oversized beasts?"
He let out a small, mocking laugh. "You would've been better off recruiting a few strong new-world pirate crews."
"You…!"
Golden Lion Shiki's eyes burned with rage and humiliation. He had poured twenty years of effort into this project, only for Kiryuu to belittle it like nothing. He wanted nothing more than to tear this arrogant brat to pieces.
"Don't say I never gave you a chance," Kiryuu said, gripping Shiki's collar and lifting him effortlessly. The Sea Prism Stone cuffs and collar glimmered faintly. "If you can't meet my standards, you'll lose your only value."
The mocking smile on Kiryuu's face sent a chill down the old lion's spine.
"Law! Give him new legs, and take out that damn rudder from his head. If your Ope Ope no Mi can't fix his brain after that, let Teach put him down."
He tossed Shiki to the ground beside Trafalgar Law. The humiliation burned deeper than any wound.
If not for the Sea Prism restraints suppressing his strength, Shiki might've ripped off his own hands in desperation to escape.
"Yes, Lord Kiryuu," Law said simply.
He dragged over a captain from one of the Flying Pirates' allied crews and, without hesitation, sliced off the man's legs. Then, he severed Shiki's own bladed legs.
Within the space of Law's Room, the operation began. Under the power of the Ope Ope no Mi, Shiki was soon fitted with a pair of new, healthy legs.
But that wasn't the end.
In front of the horrified Shiki, Law calmly sliced off the upper half of his skull—just above the nose—and split it open. There, embedded deep in his brain, was the ship's rudder that had impaled him decades ago.
Even Law, accustomed to the grotesque, paused in astonishment.
That Shiki had survived all this time with such a wound was almost unnatural—his strength and sheer willpower beyond belief.
The blood vessels of his brain were fused tightly to the rudder's edges. Any ordinary doctor attempting this surgery would have caused instant fatal hemorrhaging.
Even with the Ope Ope no Mi, Law had to work with painstaking precision, carefully separating the fragile vessels from the jagged metal.
The worst part was the bone fragments from the rudder's impact—many were still pressing on Shiki's nerves and arteries. No wonder his Haki had been unstable for years.
Finally, after hours of meticulous work, Law removed the rudder and repaired the skull. But the section of brain tissue that had been crushed could not be restored.
That meant Golden Lion Shiki would never fully recover.
Any intense battle could cause a fatal brain hemorrhage at any time.
"Lord Kiryuu," Law said at last, wiping the sweat from his brow, "his body has other issues too. His organs, his muscles—they've all deteriorated with age. Even if we fix his legs and head, he'll never regain his peak strength."
Kiryuu nodded slowly, deep in thought.
Even restored, Shiki couldn't hope to fight on the same level as the Admirals or the Five Elders. That wasn't good enough for his plans.
Souta Kiryuu's ambitions were far greater—he wanted warriors capable of slaying gods.
"…"
"We'll observe him for a while," Kiryuu finally said. "If he still can't meet expectations, transfer the Float-Float Fruit's ability to Teach. For now, take him back to base. Alter his memories—make him a pacifist under the Kiryuu Pirates."
Listening to Law's professional report, Kiryuu had already made up his mind.
He didn't need an old relic who couldn't even stand against the Five Elders. He needed monsters—men who could change the balance of the world.
It was clear now: the Float-Float Fruit would likely end up in Blackbeard Teach's hands. Combined with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit from Whitebeard, the Kiryuu Pirates would soon have another Emperor-level powerhouse.
Teach was already pushing his limits, training relentlessly in both Haki and physical combat, preparing for the moment he would ascend to that rank.
Under Kiryuu's command, the Seraphim Path of Humanity and Path of Heaven carried Melville Island and the Flying Pirates' main island back toward the Sky Sea region.
Meanwhile, the members of Bart's Club, El Drago's Pirates, and the trio of Doc Q, Van Augur, and Burgess were practically trembling with excitement.
They were now part of the Kiryuu Pirates—had fought beside them—and had even helped seize Golden Lion Shiki's legendary base.
And now, they were headed to the Kiryuu Pirates' mysterious stronghold.
Everyone was dying to know: where exactly was this base hidden?
How had they managed to evade the World Government and Marine Headquarters' global searches time and time again?
The answers awaited them among the clouds.