Next Bonus, 100!!
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The Sea Calendar year 1522. March.
Sky Island.
The sun shone brightly.
Kamakiri, one of the Four Priests, piloted his fighter jet, circling the sea of clouds as he escorted a massive airship.
The airship was a new cargo vessel Jin had developed, inspired by the existence of Sky Islands. Unlike a simple hot air balloon, it was equipped with propulsion and flight control systems. This escort mission was its maiden voyage—a crucial test.
The vessel was composed of a colossal, streamlined hull, a gondola slung beneath, stabilizing tail fins, and a propulsion unit. It had ascended from the surface in the West Blue, climbing ten thousand meters to the White Sea, and was now en route to Upper Yard before continuing to other sea regions.
It was a complex route, but its advantage was speed. In a matter of one or two days, cargo could be transported from the West Blue to the East Blue—a feat that would be impossible even if Reverse Mountain were demolished and the Four Blues united.
Of course, air and sea transport each had their own strengths.
Jin's grand design was coming to fruition: a comprehensive "land, sea, and air" transportation network with Sky Island at its core. All that remained was for this airship test to succeed.
"Kamakiri, be advised," the voice of a base controller crackled over the radio. "Radar shows something emerging from the cloud bank behind you."
In the Blue Sea, the twisted and chaotic magnetic fields had stunted the development of radio technology. Here on Sky Island, however, it was a different story. Last year, during his period of quiet development, Jin had a communications science team install the necessary equipment. As more immigrants arrived, the pool of scientists Jin had gathered expanded to cover various fields, each assigned their own tasks. The communications team had been one of the first, arriving in the same group as Law's grandfather, Wolfe.
"Something?" Kamakiri said, his eyes scanning the clouds through the cockpit's glass. "What kind of—"
He froze.
Emerging from the clouds was... an island.
An island??
He was stunned. How is that possible??
A colossal island, much like Upper Yard, was suspended ten thousand meters in the sky—and it was drifting rapidly toward him.
An island... floating?
Am I seeing things?
He soon had his answer.
The massive island drew closer, revealing forests, buildings... and giant, monstrous beasts soaring through the air.
And a person.
A man, floating in the sky.
Stranger still, a ship's helm was embedded in his head.
As Kamakiri stared in disbelief, Shiki the Golden Lion was staring right back at the fighter jet, equally bewildered. What the hell is that thing? A flying machine?
"I'll find out once I bring it down," Shiki sneered.
With a wave of his hand, a monstrous bird detached itself from the island and charged toward the jet, letting out a piercing shriek as it unleashed a gale-force wind from its beak.
Kamakiri's pupils contracted. Without a moment's hesitation, he slammed the throttle forward, reporting the situation to base and requesting permission to engage.
Permission granted.
He yanked back on the controls, pulling the jet into a sharp, climbing turn that put him right on the creature's tail.
DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA-DAKKA!
The four 30mm cannons roared to life. A hail of cannon fire ripped through the monstrous bird, and it fell from the sky in a bloody spray.
"Hm??" Shiki's eyes widened, then lit up with a greedy glint. In that single instant, he had recognized the immense value of this aerial war machine.
No one understood the advantages of air superiority better than he did.
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"We have an emergency situation from Sky Island."
Robin entered the room, holding a fax from a Den Den Mushi. Her belly was now noticeably round.
Following Hancock, she too was pregnant.
"You shouldn't be straining yourself delivering documents like this," Jin said, his voice laced with concern. "Let one of the others handle it."
"I know," Robin replied. "But this is urgent."
"What is it?" Jin asked, his brow furrowed.
"An hour ago, the airship research team was conducting a test flight from the Sky Island base when they encountered a floating island. Kamakiri was piloting the fighter escort. We've lost contact with both of them. This is the last communication we received from Kamakiri before he went dark."
Jin took the report.
A floating island had appeared out of nowhere.
Kamakiri had been attacked by a monstrous bird.
He had also seen a strange, floating man.
Golden hair.
A ship's helm embedded in his head...
The fight had lasted only a minute. After the enemy had closed the distance, Kamakiri had lost control of the jet.
Niji had led a team to the last known coordinates.
The island, the airship, the fighter jet, Kamakiri, and the research team—all of them had vanished.
"It has to be a Devil Fruit user," Robin concluded.
Jin's eyes narrowed. "The Paramecia Float-Float Fruit."
"Shiki the Golden Lion."
Robin froze, her mind racing. "Him? The legendary pirate who was the first to ever escape from Impel Down?"
"The same," Jin said. "During the Battle of Edd War, his fight with Roger for the title of Pirate King, he took a ship's anchor to the head."
"And that's why he has the helm stuck in his head," Robin finished.
A slow grin spread across Jin's face. "That bastard... he's been hiding for too long. I had the Bounty Hunter's Guild searching everywhere for him, and they came up with nothing. And now... he's delivered himself right to my doorstep."
He set the fax down. "I'm going to Sky Island."
After Kid had delivered the Magnet-Magnet Fruit, the carrier was just one Devil Fruit away from its fourth evolution. The other, he had acquired last year at an auction on Gran Tesoro.
The Paramecia Memo-Memo Fruit.
The extraordinary power to manipulate memories. It should have belonged to Charlotte Pudding.
He had intercepted it.
And now, if he could just take the Float-Float Fruit, the demonic carrier would be ready for its next upgrade.
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