The air split with thunder as three forces clashed in the suspended fortress of the Sky Prison:
The Guardian, forged to keep Aetheria sealed.
The Herald, sent by Veyron to capture her.
The Straw Hats and Arkan, trapped in the middle.
The floating island shook with every blow. Chunks of sky-stone fell into the storm abyss below.
The First Collision
Caligo's spear met the Guardian's talons in an explosion of wind and light.Zoro and Sanji fought side by side, slashing at any opening they could find, but the combatants moved faster than eyes could follow.
Orren raised an ice wall to shield the Sunny from the shockwaves.Franky anchored the ship to a broken tower.Robin's hands bloomed across the chains, trying to read the glyphs etched into them.
"They're… verses," she realized. "If the wrong link breaks, the song will distort."
Arkan Reaches Aetheria
Amid the chaos, Arkan forced his way forward, leaping between crumbling pillars until he landed before Aetheria.
She didn't move.Her amber eyes glowed faintly, heat shimmering around her though she sat in stillness.
"If you free me now," she said, "the Serpent will awaken in its truest form. If you leave me chained, Veyron will come, and he will make me his."
Arkan's fists tightened.
"There's no right choice, then?"
"Only the one you can live with," she replied.
The Guardian Turns
The Guardian suddenly stopped attacking Caligo and turned toward Arkan.Its voice was like a collapsing mountain:
"Make your choice, Flamebearer. Break the chain or leave her to me."
The Herald's Gambit
Caligo seized the moment. His spear became a ribbon of light, wrapping around the nearest chain.
"Break it, and she's ours," he taunted.
Orren and Lyra rushed in.Orren froze the ribbon in place, Lyra's voice shattering it with a harmonic note.The chain trembled but held.
The Decision
Arkan stepped toward the largest shackle, placing his flaming hand on it.The crew shouted his name.The Guardian readied its strike.The Herald's spear gleamed at his back.
And then… Arkan pushed power into the chain, not to break it, but to strengthen it.
Light surged through the links, purging the creeping darkness of Veyron's influence.The Guardian paused. Caligo staggered back.
"I won't free her yet," Arkan said, voice steady. "But I won't let her be a tool, either."
The Sky Prison Reacts
The entire fortress shifted. The chains glowed with golden fire, and the storm vortex below began to calm.The Guardian knelt, lowering its head to Arkan.
"Then you are worthy to return when the song is ready."
Caligo's voice hissed through his mask.
"This isn't over."He stepped back into the rift, vanishing.
Final Scene
As the Sunny prepared to depart, Aetheria met Arkan's gaze.
"You've delayed the end. But that means you've also shortened the time to prepare."
Above them, a new constellation flared — the sign of the next Flameborne.
The Sky Prison faded into mist as the ship descended toward the sea.