Next Bonus, 100!!
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Shiki retreated, but he couldn't escape. He crossed the two famous swords that served as his legs and unleashed his own attack.
"Lion's Valley!"
The wind howled. The blade sliced through the air.
Blood sprayed. Shiki's pupils contracted. His own attack had hit the young man, but it was like striking steel.
And he... he had been cut.
He had been struck from the front, but the haori on his back had been sliced in two and was now fluttering to the ground.
The sword's energy had passed straight through his body.
In that instant, the howling wind, the dissipating Conqueror's Haki...
It all vanished.
"What a shame, Shiki," Jin said with a sigh. "Who can live forever? All legends must come to an end."
Shiki had endured for twenty years, all for the sake of his revenge. He had assembled a fleet of dozens of pirate ships, a force that was reminiscent of his glory days in the New World. He even had the "IQ" drug to enhance his beast soldiers.
But...
Deep down, Shiki knew.
This fleet was nothing compared to the one that had cornered Roger's crew in the Edd War.
This fleet didn't have a single truly powerful fighter.
Including himself.
So why had he come out of hiding?
Perhaps... it was the last act of a hero in his twilight years, unwilling to fade into obscurity, seeking one last, grand spectacle to mark the end of his life.
Shiki looked at the sky, at the islands, and then at Jin. "Your name," he said.
"Jin."
Shiki was surprised. He may have been in hiding, but he had kept up with the world through his subordinates. He had heard that name before.
"It's you," he said, a look of acceptance on his face.
He had not died at the hands of a nobody.
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With Shiki's control gone, the islands began to fall from the sky. If they weren't stopped, it would be a catastrophe for the entire sky island.
Jaya was able to float because it rested on the "shallows" of the island clouds.
Jin's eyes flashed. He "swallowed" Shiki's bisected corpse into the demonic carrier.
Then, he activated his Magnet-Magnet Fruit.
Countless pieces of iron and other metal quickly gathered together. Under his control, they were instantly smelted and formed into a series of magnetic pillars.
The pillars shot into the air and embedded themselves in the falling islands, merging with their natural magnetic fields.
In the midst of the panic, at the very last moment, the islands stopped their descent, suspended in the sea of clouds.
The sight was breathtaking.
Everyone was stunned.
So strong.
"They... they stopped!"
The inhabitants of the islands all breathed a sigh of relief.
"We're saved!"
The Skypieans cheered.
"It's God! He saved us!"
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After the demonic carrier had swallowed the Float-Float Fruit from Shiki's body, the rest of the corpse was given to Judge for research.
With the Float-Float Fruit, Jin could now better control the islands.
Shiki had brought a total of twelve islands with him, which would greatly expand the land area of Skypiea.
However, Jin only planned to leave half of them here. The other six would be swallowed by the demonic carrier to create new internal spaces.
But since he now had the last of the Biological Matter he needed for the next evolution, he didn't absorb them right away.
He had the Skypieans produce a massive amount of island clouds, which he then arranged around Jaya, forming a massive archipelago.
"It's a miracle!" the Skypieans said, looking up at the islands as Jin slowly lowered them onto the sea of clouds.
The immense weight of the islands pushed the island clouds down into the sea of clouds, forming a "seabed" that supported them, allowing them to float on the surface.
The six islands and Jaya were arranged in a "seven stars" formation.
The Shandians and the Skypieans had fought over Jaya for 400 years. That was how precious it was.
Jin named it: The Sky Palace.
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There was also the matter of the post-battle cleanup. A total of 5,867 pirates had been captured, along with tens of thousands of the original inhabitants of the islands.
The pirates were screened. The truly evil ones were executed. The rest were put to work as laborers.
The original inhabitants who wished to return to the Blue Sea were sent to Mock Town. Those who wished to stay were integrated into the Skypiean society.
And finally, there was the "IQ" plant research institute.
With Shiki's death, the institute was in chaos. The head of the project, Dr. Indigo, had tried to escape with the research data. He was discovered by Gan Fall, and the two of them fought. After realizing that Indigo was stronger than he'd expected, Gan Fall had called for Niji's assistance.
Dr. Indigo and his entire research team of over 50 people were arrested.
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"So this is 'IQ'?"
Inside the research institute, the glass was shattered, the tables and chairs were overturned, and the bodies had been cleared away, leaving only bloodstains. The sounds of fighting could still be heard from outside. Niji was leading the Divine Soldiers, cleaning up the escaped, out-of-control beasts.
Jin held a tube of green liquid up to the light.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Dr. Indigo said.
He was Shiki's ship doctor and a combatant. He wore a full-face respirator mask, a white lab coat over a blue jumpsuit, and blue and black boots. He was overweight, with a large belly, and wore gloves.
After being captured, his resolve had quickly crumbled. He had been one of the researchers at MADS, specializing in pharmaceuticals, primarily enhancement drugs. It wasn't the same field as lineage factor, but there was some overlap.
"It can greatly enhance an animal's physical abilities, including its intelligence," he explained. "But it also enhances their savagery, their hunting instincts, making them more ferocious, more aggressive. In truth, its development is not yet complete. The drug is not stable. The ultimate goal was to use it on humans, an ultimate serum for him and his men. But... Shiki couldn't wait. His age, his injuries... although I never said anything, he must have sensed it. He was going to die within a couple of years. If Your Majesty gives me more time, I can develop a more perfect, more stable 'IQ' serum."
Dr. Indigo knew that his life was in the hands of the young man before him, and he was doing everything he could to win his support.
Jin glanced at him. "'IQ' stands for 'intelligence quotient,' doesn't it? Honestly, what are its prospects?"
"That's right," Indigo replied. "Its true power lies in the development of the brain. I've always been envious of Vegapunk's Brain-Brain Fruit, his ability to enhance his own brain and become a greater genius. After leaving MADS, I've been searching for a way to make people smarter. Then, by chance, I met Shiki. He came to me for treatment, and I learned about the situation on Merveille. I went with him and discovered that the plants on the island contained a special factor that could enhance an animal's potential. And so, I began my research."
Jin's eyes flashed. "Development of the brain, enhancement of potential... have you conducted human experiments?"
"Yes," Indigo admitted. "Unfortunately, the human body can't yet withstand its effects. The subjects become mindless brutes with only raw strength."
Anyone who would associate with Shiki was no saint. Of course he had conducted human experiments. To them, science was everything. Didn't Vegapunk convince Kuma to become his test subject?
"Go bring me a strong pirate, one who's been sentenced to death," Jin ordered.
"Sir!" A clone soldier left.
A short while later, a burly pirate captain was brought in.
As Jin watched, the serum was injected.
The effect was immediate.
The already large pirate captain's body swelled, growing even larger, tearing his clothes. His eyes turned blood red.
Power.
Unprecedented, unparalleled power. He was filled with a sense of invincibility. He glared at Jin and let out a savage laugh.
"You... you're dead!"
He threw a punch, and the air tore. His speed and strength had increased at least tenfold. He was at the level of a Warlord.
"Interesting," Jin said, and threw a punch of his own.
The enhanced pirate captain exploded. All that was left was his head, which rolled across the floor, an expression of disbelief on his face.
The Barrier-Barrier Fruit protected him from the gore.
But Indigo and the other researchers were terrified by the bloody scene, all of them trembling.
Someone even pissed himself.
This guy was a demon.
Jin glanced at them. "Organize the data. I'll fund your research. You are to continue."
He planned to swallow Shiki's main base, Merveille, into the demonic carrier, including the research institute.
"Y-yes, sir!" Indigo and the others didn't dare to object.
In Jin's eyes, this institute could not only research "IQ" and make inroads into the pharmaceutical industry, but it could also be a sharp weapon.
And pharmaceuticals were an even more profitable industry than arms.
With them, and the doctors on Drum Island, the Winter Blossom Kingdom could become a medical powerhouse.
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Jin stepped out of the research institute and looked out at his new domain.
"Shiki's legacy... not bad at all. Besides the research institute, these ordinary islands are also very useful."
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