Enies Lobby, Central Observation Station…
The specialized Visual Den Den Mushi, normally calm and observant, suddenly began emitting a chilling, high-pitched keening sound.
Its snail-like body writhed violently, as if stirred by an invisible, agonizing force.
Then, with a final shudder, frost began to rapidly crystallize across its shell, encasing it in a layer of shimmering ice.
The image it projected flickered, then stabilized, now viewed through a lens of pure, clear ice.
"This is Aokiji," the Den Den Mushi slowly spat out the icy command, the ice crystals glinting under the dim illumination.
"Transmitting live footage directly to Headquarters. All units, observe and report only. Do not engage."
Aokiji's voice, clear and cold, came through the frozen transmission, devoid of its usual laziness.
In front of the monitoring screen, Spandam had already collapsed back into his chair, all strength having left him.
His eyes were glued to the screen, his face etched with a mask of raw terror and utter despair.
What should have been the mundane, live feed of Long Ring Long Land, the third isle in the chain, had transformed into a heart-stopping nightmare.
The once peaceful and serene island was being ravaged by an unimaginably immense, chaotic force.
Countless thick, bronze chains, descending from the sky like furious pythons, thrashed wildly, wrapping around the entire landmass with unstoppable momentum.
Amidst deafening roars of grinding rock and splintering earth, the island began to shatter under the chains' powerful constriction.
Massive boulders were mercilessly torn apart, crushed into smaller fragments.
Then, under the influence of Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, the debris began to reassemble in a bizarre, unnatural manner.
Among the floating wreckage, a strange transformation was quietly taking place.
As if given life by an unseen sculptor, the fragments slowly moved and interlocked according to a specific, predatory pattern.
Gradually, the shape of a colossal lion's paw, complete with sharp, rocky claws, began to emerge from the chaos.
The golden radiance of Shiki's Haki infused the newly formed structure, emanating an aura of immense power.
At the island's center, where the famous hot springs once bubbled peacefully, chaos and strangeness now reigned.
With the entire island shattered and reassembled, the hot springs' delicate geothermal environment was completely overturned, instantly creating pockets of near-vacuum.
In this extreme condition, the water began to boil violently, erupting in massive geysers of scalding steam.
The steam mixed with the pulverized red earth of the island, forming a thick, crimson mist that permeated the central area, adding an even more intense, bloody hue to the already terrifying scene.
"The seventh isle is secured!" Dr. Indigo's high-pitched, triumphant roar somehow carried across the Den Den Mushi feed, shaking the frost from the receiver.
Shiki stood before the control panel on his flagship, his eyes blazing with a manic fervor.
He abruptly raised his right foot and slammed the main control lever forward with all his might.
In an instant, a powerful surge of raw energy erupted from the ship's core, its dazzling arcs like a furious silver serpent, piercing through the thick clouds below with overwhelming force.
Long Ring Long Land's largest, most fertile island, famous for its vast tangerine orchards, now seemed to face utter devastation.
The entire landmass, miles wide, began to slowly, impossibly flip over in midair.
As the island rotated, the deeply rooted systems of thousands of ancient tangerine trees gradually became exposed under the open sky.
And amid the tangled, earth-caked roots, strange, blue-green glimmers began to faintly emerge.
Upon closer inspection, magnified by the Den Den Mushi's lens, they turned out to be massive, century-old veins of raw, uncut Seastone, buried deep within the island's core!
"That's…" Spandam whispered, his eyes widening further, his face was a mask of shock and confusion.
"Shiki, sir! The geological scanners are picking up massive Kairoseki readings! Those are Seastone veins!!!" an assistant's voice shouted excitedly over the Den Den Mushi feed.
This unexpected discovery exploded like a bombshell.
Hearing this news, Shiki, visible on the feed, first froze momentarily, then burst into wild, uncontrollable joy.
"JIHAHAHAHA! I truly am heaven's favorite! This Seastone… it's incredibly precious! This is the supreme wealth bestowed upon me by the gods! Take it all! Rip it out! Take everything!!!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Understood!"
The crew on the feed seemed to go mad with excitement, their eyes gleaming as if they could already see countless neutralized Devil Fruit users begging for mercy.
They began maneuvering the gradually ascending island, using the massive chains to tightly secure it to their main fleet.
....
Meanwhile, at the southernmost tangerine orchard of Long Ring Long Land…
An invisible giant hand seemed to be slowly, gently plucking the entire grove away from the sea.
The once fragrant, peaceful orchard was now rising irresistibly toward the high sky, its thousands of tangerine trees hanging upside down, shedding ripe fruit like orange raindrops into the ocean below.
....
Not far away on the sea…
The Foxy Pirates' iconic pink, fox-headed flagship, the "Sexy Foxy," burst through the morning mist like a gaudy, ferocious beast emerging from its lair.
The crew was just settling down for breakfast.
Just as the flagship emerged from the fog, Hamburger's oversized roasting fork clattered loudly onto the deck.
His eyes widened in pure shock and disbelief as he witnessed their secret vacation base, their beloved spa island built around the hot springs they'd claimed three years ago, suffering unprecedented devastation high above them.
Golden chains, like massive pythons, extended from the sky, tightly coiling around their inverted island before slowly dragging it even higher, toward the boundless skies!
Amid the roaring sound of the island base being ripped from the seabed, their entire hot spring inn complex floated upside down like an impossible mountain.
"WHICH BASTARD DARES TO STEAL MY VACATION ISLAND?!" Foxy screamed, his face flushing a furious red, spittle flying from his sausage-like lips.
His pink cape flapped violently in the fierce wind, mirroring his inner turmoil and utter outrage.
This was his relaxation spot!
His private paradise!
Just then, the colorful pom-poms in Porche's hands suddenly accelerated their rotation, emitting a dazzling, hypnotic light.
Her clear voice cut through the chaos: "Captain! Look out! Something's eating the sky at seven o'clock!"
Following Porche's pointing finger, they saw it.
A golden fleet composed of twenty-nine floating islands tore through the clouds, charging rapidly toward them like a celestial stampede.
The magnificent, terrifying sight was enough to send chills down anyone's spine.
On the deck of the golden flagship stood a man with a stern expression and sharp, predatory eyes.
He calmly tapped the sea surface—no, the air—with the tip of his leather shoe, each step seemingly imbued with a mysterious power.
As he moved, the surrounding islands seemed to follow his command, rising and falling with his gestures, a scene as miraculous and terrifying as a divine spectacle from mythology.
At the oldest lighthouse on Long Ring Long Land, the updraft from the rising islands grew increasingly intense.
The immense force caused the ancient stone structure to groan, then crumble.
Sturdy stones began to break loose, hurtling downwards.
Some of the massive, dislodged stones hurtled directly toward the Sexy Foxy.
"FEHFEHFEHFEH! SLOW-SLOW BEAAAAAM!" Foxy roared, striking his signature pose.
Immediately after, a thick, viscous wave of pink Noro Noro energy erupted from his fingers, instantly striking the falling stones.
The massive boulders froze in mid-air as if motionless.
But upon closer inspection, they were still, ever so slowly, descending, their speed reduced to a near standstill by Foxy's bizarre power.
The Foxy Pirates had just run afoul of the Golden Lion Shiki.