Inside the Sky Island prison.
"Sir! We really are just pirates who got lost along the Sky Route!"
"Sir, are you part of the Souta Kiryuu Pirates? That's incredible! We're huge fans of the Kiryuu Pirates! Please—please let us join you, we beg you!"
The captain, a man named Mosad, shouted desperately toward the Sky Island guards stationed outside the prison bars. Yet, inside, his heart was pounding in disbelief.
He hadn't expected that this Sky Island—hidden high above the clouds—would have so many native sky dwellers serving loyally under the banner of the Kiryuu Pirates. Nor did he imagine there would be so many of Souta Kiryuu's crew members stationed here.
Now, he knew for certain—this must be the main base of the Kiryuu Pirates.
At first, Mosad had assumed his death was certain. But when the Kiryuu Pirates didn't immediately execute them, and instead captured them alive, he realized there might still be a chance. If they played their roles well, they might continue their undercover mission a little longer.
Thankfully, before their expedition began, they had disguised themselves as an ordinary pirate crew. Had they revealed their true identities as World Government agents or Navy operatives, they would've been blasted out of the sky by flying warships the moment they appeared.
"Whether you're really fans of the Kiryuu Pirates or not," one of the Sky Island soldiers said coldly, "we'll know once Lord Kiryuu's officers begin the interrogation."
His tone was filled with suspicion. The prisoners' wrists were bound tightly with Seastone shackles, and no one was taking chances. Until their origins were fully verified, the guards wouldn't allow even the smallest oversight.
Inside the Golden Palace of Sky Island—
Nico Robin quietly summarized a stack of reports and intelligence updates before presenting them to Souta Kiryuu himself. The capture of these suspicious outsiders was highlighted among the updates.
After all, Kiryuu had already given orders to monitor any unexpected visitors who might land on the island.
"So someone really managed to reach Sky Island through the Sky Route?" Kiryuu murmured, brows tightening slightly.
Since Enel destroyed Birka, cutting off one of the main island nodes, almost no pirates had ever reached Angel Island through the aerial route. It was nearly as rare as those who survived the treacherous Knock-Up Stream from the Blue Sea.
"In that case," Kiryuu said calmly, "interrogate them carefully. Have Perona use her ability first—see what they're hiding. If anything seems off, let Bartholomew Kuma and Vegapunk handle the deeper investigation."
"Yes," Robin replied, already reaching for the transponder snail.
She contacted Perona, who had been lounging idly. The moment Perona heard there was "something interesting" going on, she perked up, dragging Jewelry Bonney along to interrogate the captives.
But before long, bad news reached Kiryuu's ears.
Under the influence of Perona's Negative Ghosts, Mosad's composure crumbled completely. He fell to his knees, sobbing in regret and blurting out the truth—that he was an agent of the World Government. Worse still, he admitted that he had smuggled in a hidden transponder snail, disguised within his hair accessory.
Furious, Perona and Bonney tore the snail from Mosad's hair and beat him senseless.
They were both furious—not merely because of the deception, but because they feared for the peace of their home. They didn't want this Sky Island, their newfound sanctuary, to become another battlefield.
They had come to love this place. To them, Sky Island was home now. And they would never allow the World Government to destroy it.
Within moments, the entire Kiryuu Pirates crew went on high alert.
The captured agents were immediately transferred under heavy guard to Vegapunk's laboratory for full memory extraction and analysis.
Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise, the World Government's headquarters was in chaos.
When the Five Elders learned that Mosad's transmission had been cut off, they erupted in anger.
"Damn it! He should've died before letting himself be caught!" one Elder roared, slamming his fist on the table.
"Now Souta Kiryuu knows that we know the location of his base!" another snarled.
"With this leak, how are we supposed to plan against him? If he finds out we're moving troops and decides to strike back at Mary Geoise, what then?"
"The protective barrier over Mary Geoise can only withstand the Kiryuu Pirates for a limited time—it won't hold forever."
"Hmph. Even a little time is enough," said the Elder with the long beard coolly. "As long as the teleportation array remains intact, we can evacuate instantly. Mary Geoise is still secure."
"That's true. Our teleportation system is faster than even Bartholomew Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit—it remains our greatest advantage."
"But if Souta Kiryuu decides to relocate Sky Island now that he knows it's exposed, we might lose the chance entirely. He's got the Float-Float Fruit's power, after all."
"Tch! That bastard's as slippery as Morgans' giant bird form!"
"So, do we still proceed with the operation? Or are we admitting we can't touch that damn Kiryuu?"
The Elders seethed in frustration. What had begun as a promising intelligence breakthrough had once again turned into a disaster.
They summoned Steelbone Kong, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Tsuru to join the emergency meeting, demanding ideas on how to deal with Souta Kiryuu—the most dangerous man alive.
Back on Sky Island—
Inside Vegapunk's laboratory, Souta Kiryuu stood silently, his gaze cold as he watched Vegapunk and Bartholomew Kuma extract and review the spies' memories through specialized devices.
The results confirmed the worst: the location of Sky Island and the Sky Route had been exposed.
"Kiryuu… what now?" Kuma asked gravely. "Should we abandon Angel Island?"
He hated the thought of leaving. Though God's Island—Apayado, the Golden City of Shandora, was already under the control of the Seraphim "Human Path" units and could be relocated at any time, Angel Island itself was made entirely of cloud.
And that cloud contained pyrobroin particles from seawater—immune to the Float-Float Fruit's power.
In short, Angel Island couldn't be moved.
Moreover, Bonney and the others loved Angel Island deeply. They refused to abandon it.
Vegapunk said nothing. His primary laboratories had already been transferred to the moon base, safe from the World Government's reach. But he couldn't ignore how relentless the Government's spies had become. They had even managed to locate this isolated Sky Island in the heavens.
"Don't panic," Kiryuu said at last, his voice calm yet commanding. "Yes, the World Government now knows our location. But the Five Elders also know that we've captured their agents. This is now an open board. Both sides know each other's moves."
He smiled faintly—a quiet, confident smile that immediately eased the tension in the room.
Even Vegapunk and Kuma, normally stoic, felt their unease melt away.
As long as Souta Kiryuu was calm, there was no reason for anyone else to fear.
That was his true power—not just his strength, but his unshakable presence.
When the sky itself threatened to fall, everyone knew—he would hold it up.
That was the charisma of Souta Kiryuu.
"Since our location's been exposed," Kiryuu said coldly, his eyes narrowing, "we'll make preparations in advance. Let's see if the Five Elders still think they can toy with us."
He raised his right hand slightly, index finger flicking through the air.
A razor-sharp wind blade materialized in an instant—
and with one swift motion, it sliced through Mosad and the other captured agents, cutting them down atop the memory extraction platform.
Their corpses fell silently, lifeless.
They had found Sky Island—but that was as far as they would ever go.
Even though Kiryuu had expected something like this might happen eventually, the fact that it had come this soon still kindled fury within him.
His expression hardened, his aura growing darker and heavier.
The storm was brewing once again.