Indigo and Shiki could now be certain that anyone bearing this mark was most likely under Ren's control. Previously, they had already dealt with a batch of spies found with the same mark.
Those spies were only discovered because their own strength was insufficient; they had revealed far too many clues.
"But how could the World Government's CP agencies have their spies?" Indigo was somewhat baffled. It was no easy task to plant spies within the World Government.
He had originally treated this mark merely as a symbol, but it seemed that might not be the case. "Gurgle gurgle, could it be a Devil Fruit ability that allows control over people?"
He couldn't help but speculate.
The thunder outside grew closer and closer, and Indigo didn't linger long, following Shiki as they walked outside.
Stepping out the door, they could see they weren't on a ship at all, but on a massive floating island. Shiki, of course, had a fleet, but the island beneath their feet was his true base of operations.
Normally, even when setting sail, he wouldn't bring his entire island along. It wasn't a matter of stamina, but who ever went to war carrying their own base to the front lines?
At this moment, Shiki was looking up at the approaching thunderclouds, and once again, he had the illusion that the incident from Pirate Island was repeating itself.
Though it couldn't be called 'recent' anymore; in fact, that had been last year.
The low thunderclouds surged up like a black tide, engulfing the city on this floating island. Besides pirates, Shiki's island was also home to ordinary civilians. For great pirates like them, it wasn't just about burning, killing, and plundering; they also maintained a form of rule.
The islands they controlled needed a normal flow of the economy.
However, due to recent preparations for war, he had already moved these people to another island. The town on the island was now filled almost exclusively with pirates who had gathered there.
His Observation Haki saw a purple lightning streaking through the thick clouds. This lightning was the elemental Ren.
"Annoying guy!" Shiki didn't hesitate for a second and immediately attacked. Dry Wood and Cherry Blossom's Slash Wave shot straight for the clouds, as if trying to cleave the sky's lightning!
"Crackle—crackle—"
The lightning tore frantically, the sound making one's eardrums feel as if they were being pierced. The sound was like constantly vibrating a thin sheet of metal, and the continuous thunderclap echoed through every corner of Shiki's island.
The miscellaneous pirates on the island stared with wide eyes, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground.
Shiki's two slashes were instantly swallowed by the cloud layer. That level of attack wasn't even worth calling a greeting; Shiki hadn't expected it to work.
After the lightning gathered once more, Ren's figure stood high in the sky again.
"A really unpleasant guy!" Shiki wore a look of disgust. This guy called Lightning always appeared with an arrogant stance high in the sky, which was infuriating.
"I'm not the kind of person you need to look up to!" Shiki roared, and he shot up like a rocket.
Some believed Shiki's ability was countered by the Gravity Fruit, but Ren thought the exact opposite. An ability that could make non-living things float was, by nature, one that defied gravity, wasn't it?
"Kid, you actually dared to come alone. You should be prepared to die, right?" A cruel smile appeared on Shiki's face. His twin blades were wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, and a single strike unleashed an incredibly powerful energy from a distance.
Behind Ren, the All-Seeing Wheel of a Hundred Wishes and the Eye of Lightning's Punishment opened. Each of his strikes carried a powerful current!
Inabikari and Shiki's Slash Wave clashed in mid-air, causing the surrounding air to begin to distort. The aftershocks of the powerful Haki spread out like a dark red spiderweb in all directions.
"You really do talk big. When will you ever fix your habit of bragging, you lion?" Ren retorted.
Given the gap in their strength, Shiki had no chance of killing him here. Even if Ren lost to him, there was no way Shiki could stop him from leaving.
It was just how the Marines, who couldn't fly, were helpless against Shiki. Shiki also found it difficult to pursue Ren, who could move as lightning. Besides, Ren wasn't necessarily going to lose.
"What should we do now, Lord Indigo?" Below them in the sky, the pirates on the island all looked troubled. The pirate who had attacked was entangled with Shiki, and they couldn't attack up close, nor did they want to attack from a distance for fear of interfering with Shiki. For the moment, they were in a difficult position.
In reality, their role in a high-level battle like this was limited. Shiki had only recruited them to deal with the enemy's lower-tier forces.
Fortunately, there were several thousand pirates here, and among them were some capable individuals.
Several high-ranking members rushed into the air. Some used Moon Walk, while a few others flew using their Fruit abilities. Ren noticed that these people's abilities didn't match any he had seen in the movies; they must have faded into history over these past thirty-plus years.
"Venomous Sting!"
This pirate was likely a user of some kind of Bee Fruit. After partial beastification, black stripes appeared all over his body, and his hands transformed into two huge, sharp venomous stingers. After coating them in Armament Haki, they looked truly deadly.
"Jet Rocket · Meteor Impact!"
A user of the Rocket Fruit, whose feet could turn into jet nozzles, allowing him to fly like a rocket. And there were those who used Moon Walk. These people might not go down in history, but in this era, they were still quite formidable.
"Thunder Dragon!"
"Thunder Bird!"
"Thunder Serpent!"
Ren first created some distance between himself and Shiki, then turned to unleash three powerful bolts of lightning. The currents reformed in the air into the shapes of fierce beasts—a leaping dragon, a crying bird, and a giant serpent that seemed ready to devour everything!
The three attacks directly cut off any thoughts of assistance. The Thunder Beasts remained active for a short time even after leaving Ren's body, continuing their rampage.
"Chemistry, chemistry, magic!"
Indigo released the spheres in his hands. A large amount of chemical spray converged, forming a particularly explosive gas. Under his control, it surged toward the Thunder Beasts.
The heat of the lightning instantly ignited the gas. Fire and lightning merged in an instant, triggering a massive explosion. The scorching shockwave and impact almost instantly leveled the town on the island.
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