"A storm! It's a storm!"
"A once-in-a-century superstorm! Run—hurry, run!"
Before a natural disaster, all living things seemed insignificant.
No matter if one was Admiral-level, or a world-famous Marine Admiral, there was no such thing as confronting a catastrophe like this head-on.
The sea nurtured billions of lives with mercy—
And just as easily became a merciless executioner.
Ambitious men liked to curse nature as some unreasonable brute, forever provoking and tormenting them. Tragically, they had no power to resist it.
"The wind's here…"
The hurricane roared. Roldy's hair whipped wildly in the gale as he narrowed his eyes at the massive waterspout connecting sea and sky.
An extreme sense of danger stabbed at his instincts.
Even someone as powerful as him felt fragile before this storm.
But—
"Shiki-san!"
Roldy roared.
Golden Lion Shiki immediately understood.
With a single slash, he forced back his opponent. Suspended in midair, he took a deep drag from his cigar, the ember visibly burning down.
Then an astonishing scene unfolded.
The Golden Lion Pirates' flying fleet suddenly dove toward the ocean under Shiki's control.
The first to make contact with the sea was Shiki's flagship.
Calling it a "ship" was almost inaccurate—he had transformed an entire small island into a vessel. Ninety percent of it was island mass. Under his control, it descended steadily into the sea.
Its colossal weight ensured it stood as immovable as a mountain.
"What are they doing?"
Rayleigh shook seawater from his hair, his expression grave. Roger had already returned to the ship.
The Roger Pirates could feel the storm's destructive aura. They had a trump card of their own. With an experienced navigator's early warning and a crew that had survived countless miracles, they were well prepared.
But why did the Golden Lion Pirates look equally composed?
They had overlooked one crucial fact.
Roldy was known for overwhelming force—but few remembered that during his time at Marine Headquarters, he had been one of Vice Admiral Tsuru's most prized protégés.
He had studied navigation extensively under her guidance.
It would not be an exaggeration to call him a seasoned navigator himself.
If the Roger Pirates' navigator could foresee the storm, how could Roldy fail to anticipate it?
The current Golden Lion Pirates were far stronger than in the original timeline. Their wealth was staggering—but their liquid assets were relatively low.
The reason?
Roldy had poured nearly all of it into building the fleet.
It was outrageously expensive.
But it was also outrageously powerful.
The ships were outfitted with the most advanced weapons available on the black market—still inferior to Marine armaments, perhaps, but vastly superior to those of any other pirate crew.
If they couldn't surpass the Marines in weaponry, then they would focus on defense.
Rare, high-grade timber had been used to construct what could be called an invincible flying fleet.
And their headquarters island had been converted into Shiki's main vessel—
A mobile fortress.
The surrounding ships rapidly docked against the island flagship, locking themselves tightly into position. With hulls reinforced and shielded by the island mass against the wind, they could endure the storm safely.
But Roldy wasn't finished.
The Golden Lion flagship stood firm upon the sea. Though only a small island, it was sufficient to weather the storm. The other ships clung tightly to it.
As the Roger Pirates watched in shock—
One of the Golden Lion division commanders stepped forward.
"What are they doing now?"
Roger peered through his telescope, confused.
"Roger, forget about them. We need to retreat immediately. If the Oro Jackson tries to endure this storm head-on, even if she survives, the damage will be catastrophic! Prepare for launch!"
As vice captain, Rayleigh issued orders in rapid succession.
But moments later, he heard Roger shout behind him.
"What the hell?! What's going on with Shiki's ships? Are we even living in the same world?!"
Roger rarely showed such visible astonishment.
Rayleigh turned.
Even he widened his eyes.
On one of the Golden Lion ships, a division commander knelt with both hands pressed to the ground. From beneath him, countless streams of viscous sludge spread outward, binding the ships together.
Nearby, another commander—built like a mountain—mirrored the stance. The earth churned beneath him, soil surging outward from the island's edge, further securing the vessels.
In an instant—
The vast pirate fleet had transformed into a single maritime fortress.
"A Paramecia-type Sticky-Sticky Fruit… and a Logia-type Earth-Earth Fruit…"
Rayleigh knew the Golden Lion's commanders well—but this combination was new even to him.
Two entirely different Devil Fruits, cooperating to such a degree?
And this…
Was surely that brat's strategy again.
Rayleigh felt his heart sink.
The storm was nearly upon them. There was no more time to think.
At the stern of the Oro Jackson, a burst of light ignited—
The ship lifted into the air.
The Golden Lion Pirates stared as if they had seen a ghost.
The Oro Jackson soared rapidly upward, disappearing from their field of vision—escaping the very heart of the storm.
Clearly—
Both sides had revealed trump cards.
And both were equally stunned by what the other had prepared.
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