A sudden weightlessness hit as the island beneath Sora plummeted toward the sea.
He knew Golden Lion Shiki was truly gone.
Incredible, nearly shattering my domain.
Had he not reinforced the spatial layers, Shiki's final slash might've breached his domain.
It wouldn't have mattered if it did, but after boasting, he had to maintain his invincible aura, right?
Gazing at Shiki's corpse, still standing tall in death, Sora's eyes flickered with complex emotions—admiration, respect.
The man's spirit was undeniable, even as an enemy.
A true villainous titan, worthy of reverence.
Ignoring the falling island, Sora drew Zankuu, carving a deep pit beside Shiki.
His spatial domain enveloped the body, gently lowering Shiki—and his swords, Sakura Ten and Kogarashi—into the pit.
The surrounding earth closed partially, leaving the grave visible.
He didn't seal it fully, intending the Navy to find it.
If they couldn't locate Shiki, they'd dig up the island. By leaving clues, he ensured they wouldn't desecrate a dead man's tomb.
Hovering in the air, Sora let the island fall.
He wasn't worried about the other island's villagers—its size and seawater barrier would keep it afloat.
The beasts and pirates up there? The Navy's problem.
Sipping from his wine gourd, Sora watched the sunrise, lost in thought.
This battle's gains were immense. Without Shiki, it might've taken years to grasp these advanced techniques through fleeting epiphanies.
Shaking his head, he dismissed the thought.
His gaze turned to the distant horizon.
Two days had passed—Navy Headquarters' elites were likely en route.
Should I stick around for a fight?
He rubbed his chin, pondering.
Nah. The fastest to arrive would likely be the yellow-skinned monkey, "Kizaru."
That guy mostly spammed his Devil Fruit.
Fighting the Navy wouldn't push to life-or-death stakes, so Kizaru wouldn't bother with Haki clashes.
No benefit, just exhaustion. Better to nap in the sun.
"Hm! I'll raid Shiki's palace for treasure and Devil Fruits before the Navy shows!"
The old man had drifted the world for 20 years—his hoard must be massive, maybe even Fruits.
As Shiki's de facto disciple, inheriting his master's wealth wasn't too much, right?
"Nope… not excessive at all."
Gazing at the white tidal waves surging skyward, Sora's eyes sparkled with awe.
Awe at the sea's grandeur, and at this man-made spectacle—only possible in the One Piece world, where titans wielded such power.
Laughing heartily, Sora gulped his rum and glanced at the calming island below. He soared toward Shiki's main island.
Morning sunlight bathed him, casting a godlike glow—carefree, elegant, and utterly cocky.
Ignoring the panicked pirates below, he sank every ship in the port as he passed.
Any foolhardy pirate crossing his path? Their bad luck.
His eyes flashed red, locking onto Dr. Indigo, Shiki's deputy, inside the palace—the strongest pirate left, easy to find.
In the palace's corridor to the main exit, amidst poof-poof fart-like sounds, Dr. Indigo and a gaggle of no-name pirate captains scrambled outward.
Running frantically, Indigo's body jiggled, arms flailing comically side to side.
Don't let his goofy looks, moves, or waddle fool you. Beneath the clownish exterior lay a ruthless streak and a mad chemist's mind.
He specialized in crafting chemical agents and fighting with elemental reactions, dubbing it "chemical magic."
Really, it was explosive juggling—call it "circus magic."
When Shiki unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, Indigo knew something was wrong.
As Shiki's deputy and doctor, he understood how the rudder wrecked Shiki's mental state.
Without it, and with age, would a proud Shiki have bothered with "IQ" serums?
No—his strength had waned post-Impel Down, misaligned with his ambitions, forcing such choices.
Indigo knew Shiki's pride. Facing a junior like Silver-Hair, Shiki would never flee, even if outmatched.
Unleashing Conqueror's Haki meant he'd yanked the rudder.
No rudder? Shiki was at death's door.
Indigo couldn't fathom how that silver-haired kid had pushed Shiki this far, torching their 20-year plan.
Initially, he waited in the infirmary, expecting Shiki's return.
With the rudder gone, who could defeat him?
But as time dragged on with no sign of Shiki, panic crept in.
That panic surged when the island began to fall—Shiki hadn't just lost; he was dead.
Panic turned to terror.
Indigo rallied the palace's minor captains, rushing for the exit.
If Silver-Hair came now, they were doomed.
He could only pray: Don't come, don't come, don't come…
But fate loves a cruel twist. The more you wish, the worse it gets.
Sure enough, his prayers summoned the man himself.
(End of Chapter)