Meanwhile, high above the East Blue, over the floating island of Vilmerieu.
Inside the ruined palace—its dome still shattered from the collision caused by the Golden Lion—Dr. Indigo paced back and forth in mounting anxiety.
Captain Shiki had been gone for quite some time now, and there was still no sign of his return.
The more Indigo thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. The reason Shiki had gone out alone was likely tied to a powerful warrior's unique Haki perception—he must have sensed some kind of threat and chosen to confront it personally…
That realization filled Indigo's chest with an ominous premonition.
"Captain Shiki… please… please don't let anything happen to you…"
He kept muttering to himself, desperately trying to calm his nerves, forcing himself to believe that a man who had once dominated the seas so completely could not possibly fall so easily—
When suddenly—
"RUMMMMMBLE—!!!"
Without any warning, the entire island of Vilmerieu began to shake violently.
It was as if the very force sustaining its flight was rapidly fading away!
"What—what's going on?! Shyuu?!" Indigo cried out shrilly, struggling to steady himself.
And then, through the shattered dome, he saw a sight that made his heart stop.
The enormous islands that had once hovered steadily above the clouds… were tilting.
Tilting—and in a slow yet utterly irreversible motion, beginning to fall…
Falling straight toward the vast blue sea below.
"No… no, that's impossible! Shyuu!!!"
Indigo's eyes went wide, his face frozen in sheer disbelief and terror.
What did the descent of the island mean?
In all the twenty years he had followed the Golden Lion—through everything Shiki had emphasized, reiterated, and drilled into him—
Vilmerieu's ability to float depended entirely on Captain Shiki's unparalleled Float-Float Fruit power.
As long as Captain Shiki was alive—so long as he still had consciousness—the island would never fall!
Then by that same logic…
The island's descent could only mean one thing.
"Captain Shiki… he… his power… it's failed!"
And for a legendary pirate's ability to completely fail in such a short time, there was only one possibility—
Death.
That conclusion struck Indigo's heart like an ice-cold arrow, piercing straight through it.
In an instant, memories flooded his mind.
The image of Captain Shiki over the past twenty years—often short-tempered, sometimes ridiculous, yet always unwavering in his support of Indigo's "IQ" research.
The way the captain would sometimes show fleeting loneliness… but far more often would drag him along into grandiose dreams of conquering the world with enhanced creatures.
The man he had followed for twenty years—a captain, a mentor, a friend…
Could he really be… gone?
"Shi—Shiki—CAPTAIN SHIKIIIIII!!!"
Dr. Indigo could no longer restrain himself.
He rushed to the edge of the palace, staring at the island as it fell faster and faster, drawing closer and closer to the sea—
And let out a heart-rending scream filled with boundless grief and despair!
The cry was so piercing, so mournful, like the howl of a lone wolf that had lost its alpha, echoing endlessly across the falling island.
Tears blurred his vision—eyes already warped and strange from years of chemical exposure.
In his heart, he was certain.
The legend known as "Golden Lion" Shiki, on this very day, in the skies above the East Blue…
Had fallen forever.
And with him—
The "IQ" project that had consumed twenty years of Indigo's life.
The ambition to revive the Flying Pirates.
All of it sank together with the descending island, disappearing into the cold depths of the sea, reduced to nothing but bubbles and illusion.
...
Several days later.
On a small boat sailing through the air, Gern suddenly seemed to remember something. With a hint of curiosity—and even more of a this-is-getting-interesting tone—he glanced at the Golden Lion floating beside him.
"Hey, Shiki. You sure you don't want to head back first and explain things to your Dr. Indigo?"
He smirked slightly.
"Just letting Vilmerieu drop like that—aren't you worried your crew might think you're dead, set up a memorial for you, and then scatter the moment the tree falls?"
"GYAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Golden Lion Shiki burst into booming laughter, confidence overflowing as he brushed back his long golden mane and spoke with absolute certainty.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"Indigo might've fried his brain doing research, but anyone who's followed me this far—how could he be an idiot?!"
As he spoke, Shiki raised a finger and pointed up at the sky, his expression screaming you're underestimating my men—and my genius.
"I only told Vilmerieu to slowly descend! Slowly! Smoothly! Safely land on the sea!"
"I didn't make it collapse, didn't have it break apart, didn't drop it like a meteor going shyuu straight down!"
"That kind of difference? Anyone with a brain can see it at a glance!"
"It's obvious this was something I controlled myself!"
The more he spoke, the more flawless his plan sounded in his own head.
"This just means I've got a new plan—or that I don't need the island floating anymore for now!"
"Indigo's followed me for twenty years. He's got enough judgment to handle that much!"
"He'll definitely stabilize things and wait for me to come back!"
Shiki had blind, absolute confidence in his subordinate's intelligence and loyalty—and in the "clear message" he believed his actions conveyed.
Gern looked at Shiki's expression—pure everything-is-under-control, my men understand me perfectly energy—and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
Wisely, he chose to say nothing.
"…Alright. As long as you're happy."
"Let's just hope your Dr. Indigo really is as 'smart' as you think…"
And a few days later—
In some remote sea, at the landing point of Vilmerieu Island—
Dr. Indigo, tears streaming down his face, directed the surviving—and equally grief-stricken—crew members.
At the center of the island, in the open space that once lay before the palace…
They used the finest timber and the clothes Captain Shiki often wore to construct a solemn, unbearably sorrowful—
Cenotaph.
Before the grave stood a rough wooden plaque, its crooked carving filled with deep emotion:
Admiral of the Flying Pirates,Legendary Great Pirate,Captain Golden Lion Shiki—Immortal Forever!
—Erected by your loyal subordinate, Dr. Indigo, and all crew members.
Yes.
The Flying Pirates had completely immersed themselves in the tragic atmosphere of—
"The captain is dead. We shall inherit his will."
And had perfectly, thoroughly…
Misinterpreted the "obvious" signal of the island's "slow descent."
Wiping away his tears, Indigo bowed deeply before the cenotaph and choked out a vow:
"Captain Shiki… please rest in peace… shyuu…"
"Even in your final moments, you used everything you had to protect us… so… we understand."
"I will definitely inherit the will you prepared all along—take the treasure, properly hide our identities, and withdraw from the seas…"
"Wuu… even if the 'IQ' plan might… but your spirit… shyuu… we will never forget~~~"
"…Uh, Indigo, stop crying for a second—are we splitting the treasure three-seven or—?"
"Do you people have no conscience?!" Dr. Indigo roared. "Captain Shiki hasn't even been gone that long yet!"
"Then…?"
"…Two-eight."
"I take eight, you take two."
"Don't ask why."
"Because I, Dr. Indigo, am the one Captain Shiki loved the most!"