Far above the blue sea
BOOM!
A heavy blast rolled across the sky.
A streak of red lightning split the clouds, vanishing almost as quickly as it had appeared.
Several seabirds scattered in panic.
High above them, Shiki flew toward Fish-Man Island with his cloak snapping behind him, while the surface of the sea stretched endlessly beneath his feet.
According to the Eternal Pose, he was already directly above the entrance leading into the deep sea.
Shiki suddenly stopped and glanced down.
"So it's here."
He remained motionless in the air for a moment before his body dropped like a meteor, plunging straight toward the ocean.
BOOOOM!
The sea erupted.
A towering column of water shot into the sky as he tore through the surface and continued downward without slowing.
A layer of distorted gravity wrapped tightly around his body, holding back the crushing water pressure and preventing the seawater from touching him directly.
Bubbles rushed past him.
The sunlight quickly disappeared.
Within seconds, the bright blue sea became a dark abyss.
Sea Kings moved through the darkness around him, their enormous eyes following the strange figure descending through their territory.
One of them opened its jaws, intending to devour the tiny-looking prey before it.
Shiki glanced sideways without the slightest concern.
A pulse of Conqueror's Haki swept through the water.
Red lightning flashed through the depths.
The Sea King froze.
Its eyes rolled back before its enormous body slowly sank into the darkness.
Shiki looked away and continued downward.
"Don't waste my time."
Far beneath him, a faint light finally appeared.
The enormous bubble surrounding Fish-Man Island came into view, glowing like a lantern at the bottom of the sea.
Shiki narrowed his eyes.
Several ships were gathered near the island's entrance.
...
At the harbor, the Neptune Army had already formed a defensive line.
Soldiers aimed their weapons at the approaching pirate ship while civilians fled into the streets behind them.
King Neptune stared at the vessel with a grim expression.
The rebellion had only just ended.
Wounded soldiers still lay throughout the district, and many members of the Neptune Army barely had enough strength left to stand.
Yet another enemy had already appeared.
Jinbe stepped forward.
"Everyone, remain calm."
The candy-covered ship stopped outside the harbor.
Several figures stood upon its deck.
At the front was a towering woman with long white hair, extraordinarily long legs, and a massive sword in her hand.
Charlotte Smoothie.
One of the Three Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates.
"So this is Fish-Man Island."
She looked over the island without the slightest concern and went straight to the point.
"The previous protector of this island is dead. From this day onward, Fish-Man Island belongs to Mama."
Before Neptune could even speak, Jinbe stepped forward and answered first.
"Fish-Man Island is not something you can simply claim."
Smoothie looked at him with a serious expression.
Of course, she knew Jinbe, the First Son of the Sea, but that did not matter to her.
"That decision has already been made."
Behind her, members of the Big Mom Pirates began unloading several large documents.
One of them unrolled a list.
"Ten tons of sweets will be delivered to Totto Land every month!"
Another pirate grinned.
"If you fail to meet the quota, Mama will burn this island to the ground!"
"You people really chose the worst possible time to show up."
Nami suddenly spoke as she stretched her body, eyeing the tall woman in front of them warily.
Her instincts were telling her that something about Smoothie was dangerous.
Smoothie's gaze shifted toward her.
"Nami of the Thunder."
She had already recognized the three women standing near the palace soldiers.
Nami.
Vivi.
Robin.
Members of Golden Lion Shiki's crew.
Smoothie rested her sword against her shoulder.
"Mama only ordered us to claim Fish-Man Island. You three have nothing to do with this. It would be better for you to stay out of it."
If possible, Smoothie did not want to come into conflict with them.
Only those who had witnessed the live broadcast of the war at Marineford truly understood just how dangerous Shiki was.
Robin smiled faintly while cupping her cheek.
"Ara... It seems we're rather popular. It's your call, Nami-chan. What will it be?"
Vivi said nothing, but determination filled her expression as she stood beside Nami.
Her intention was clear. She was waiting for Nami's decision.
Nami closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, a smile appeared on her face.
"Of course we'll fight. They just sided with us. If we turn our backs on them now, that would be far too shameless."
Although her words sounded proud and confident, inwardly, she wanted to slap herself.
Ahhh! Nami, what did you just do?! They were letting us leave! Why? Why did I have to say that?! Now we're finished! That tall woman looks terrifying! Shiki, where the hell are you?!
"Oh?"
Smoothie's expression darkened.
"Just because I offered to let you leave doesn't mean you can speak to me however you please. Since this is your choice, I'll have to capture you as well. Don't think I'm afraid of your captain. We have Mama on our side."
Did they truly believe she was a pushover?
It no longer mattered. She would have to teach them a lesson.
"They have only just finished a battle. If the Big Mom Pirates wish to fight, I will be your opponent."
Moved by Nami's words, Jinbe stepped in front of them.
There was no longer any chance that he would allow harm to come to the friends of Fish-Man Island.
"You have no value here."
Smoothie swung her sword.
A vast flying slash tore through the harbor.
Jinbe crossed his arms and took the attack head-on.
BOOM!
The ground beneath him shattered.
He was pushed several meters backward before finally managing to stop the force of the attack.
Smoothie watched him without expression.
"Move."
Jinbe lowered his arms, blood running from a cut across his shoulder.
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
Smoothie reached toward one of her subordinates.
The pirate immediately stiffened.
"Lady Smoothie?"
She grabbed him and wrung the liquid from his body.
His body shriveled as the extracted fluid flowed into her arm.
Smoothie's body grew larger.
The Neptune soldiers stared upward as her height continued to increase.
"What is that ability?!"
"She drained her own subordinate!"
Smoothie released the dried-out pirate and raised her sword.
"Then I'll break your limbs first."
The enormous blade came down with enough force to tear through the entire island.
However, its target was not Jinbe.
It was Nami and the others.
"No!"
Jinbe's eyes widened.
He tried to gather water for his Fish-Man Karate, but it was already too late.
At that moment—
The ocean above Fish-Man Island exploded.
BOOOOM!
A black figure tore through the bubble and descended from the false sky.
Smoothie sensed something above her.
Trusting her instincts, she abandoned her attack on Nami and turned her weapon upward.
CRACK!
Smoothie's eyes widened.
Not only had she recognized the sudden attacker, but her sword had also shattered upon impact.
The broken pieces spun through the air.
Shiki's blade continued through her defense and struck her across the chest.
Black and red lightning erupted across the harbor.
BOOOOM!
"S-Shiki..."
That was all she managed to say before Smoothie was blasted from the ground.
Her enormous body crashed through the mast of the Big Mom Pirates' ship, tore across the deck, and smashed into the hull.
The entire vessel tipped sideways, throwing several pirates into the sea.
A deadly silence fell over the scene.
Smoothie lay buried inside the shattered hull, her eyes rolled back as blood ran from her mouth.
One of the Sweet Commanders of the Big Mom Pirates had been defeated just like that—in a single strike.
The members of the Big Mom Pirates stared at her collapsed form in horror.
"Lady Smoothie...?"
"A Sweet Commander..."
"He defeated her with one strike!"
Shiki descended and landed in front of Nami.
She immediately rushed forward and wrapped her arms tightly around his back.
"Captain!"
Shiki reached back and stroked her head before pointing his sword toward the remaining Big Mom Pirates.
"Go back and tell Big Mom."
A broad smile adorned his face, but there was no warmth behind it.
"This island is under my flag now."
...
After that brief clash with the Big Mom Pirates came to an end, the surviving crew members dragged Smoothie back aboard their damaged ship and fled from Fish-Man Island.
Shiki knew Big Mom would not let the matter rest.
One of her Sweet Commanders had been defeated, her ship had nearly been destroyed, and Fish-Man Island had been taken from beneath her nose before she could even claim it.
However, he did not care.
Charlotte Linlin was already among the names on his target list.
Whether she came after him first or waited for him to reach Totto Land made little difference.
For now, Shiki finally turned his attention away from the retreating ship.
Nami was still clinging tightly to his back.
Although they had not been separated for very long, he had strangely missed having his crew around him.
Shiki sheathed his sword.
"Are you planning to stay there all day?"
Nami remained pressed against his back for several moments before finally letting go.
The relief on her face quickly turned into embarrassment when she noticed the slightly teasing look in Robin's eyes and the faintly envious expression on Vivi's face.
Vivi finally clenched her fists and gathered her courage.
Under Shiki's slightly surprised gaze, she approached him next and quietly embraced him.
Robin watched them with her usual calm smile before joining the embrace as well.
Shiki looked over the three of them in return.
Blood was running from Nami's forehead.
Vivi, on the other hand, appeared unharmed, which was likely thanks to her Devil Fruit.
Robin's arms were covered in several cuts.
The damage throughout the harbor made it clear that Fish-Man Island had faced far more trouble than he had expected.
His gaze soon fell upon Hody Jones, whose burned body remained unconscious inside a crater.
After learning what had happened, Shiki nearly killed him on the spot.
However, Jinbe and King Neptune intended to make Hody answer for his crimes against Fish-Man Island, so Shiki allowed the Neptune Army to take him away in Seastone restraints.
The officers and surviving members of the New Fish-Man Pirates were arrested alongside him.
With the rebellion crushed and the Big Mom Pirates driven away, the danger surrounding Ryugu Palace finally came to an end.
Shiki then formally placed Fish-Man Island under his protection.
Whitebeard's flag had guarded the island for years, preventing countless pirates and slavers from acting freely.
With his death, that protection had disappeared almost overnight.
Shiki simply replaced it with his own.
King Neptune accepted the offer after consulting Jinbe and the ministers of the Ryugu Kingdom.
The Neptune Army soon raised Shiki's flag above the harbor, marking Fish-Man Island as his territory.
The surviving citizens celebrated the end of the rebellion while preparations began for a banquet inside Ryugu Palace.
Amid the noise and activity, Robin quietly approached Shiki and leaned close enough to speak without anyone else overhearing.
She informed him that she had finished reading the Poneglyph.
Her eyes then shifted toward a distant section of Ryugu Palace.
The inscription had confirmed what Shiki had told her earlier, though even Robin had been surprised to discover that one of the Ancient Weapons was not an object, but a living person.
However, the girl appeared to be facing some kind of trouble.
Robin and the others had already attempted to help her, but the man responsible was extremely skilled at concealing his presence.
No matter how thoroughly they searched, they had been unable to locate him.
Shiki shook his head.
"That can be dealt with later."
He had no intention of stepping in simply because he knew what was happening.
Helping Shirahoshi without being asked would earn him little beyond Neptune's gratitude.
It would be far more useful if the king came to him personally and requested his aid.
That would properly establish the relationship between them.
After all, Fish-Man Island was not merely another territory whose flag Shiki had chosen to raise.
It was one of the forces he intended to place under his command in the future.
There was no reason to rush.
If Neptune wanted his protection, then the king would eventually have to understand how their arrangement worked.
...
The banquet at Ryugu Palace continued late into the night.
Once the festivities finally began to settle down, Shiki called Nami, Vivi, and Robin into a private room.
After closing the door, he placed several strange fruits on the table before them.
The room immediately fell silent.
Nami, Vivi, and Robin stared fixedly at the Devil Fruits.
They knew exactly who those powers had once belonged to.
The Hie Hie no Mi.
The Magu Magu no Mi.
And the Gura Gura no Mi.
They were the powers Shiki had extracted during the war at Marineford.
Nami and Vivi had already eaten Devil Fruits of their own, and both possessed Logia abilities.
Nami possessed the power of lightning, while Vivi wielded the power of the forest.
Neither of them had any reason to replace the abilities they already possessed.
Robin was different.
The Hana Hana no Mi was useful, and she had developed it far beyond what most people could ever have achieved.
However, no matter how skillfully she used it, the fruit itself had limits.
Against the enemies Shiki intended to face, those limits would eventually hold her back.
Shiki therefore gave Robin a choice.
She could keep the Hana Hana no Mi, or she could abandon it and choose one of the stronger Devil Fruits on the table.
Nami looked between Robin and the fruits.
"But she already ate one. How is she supposed to eat another?"
Vivi nodded.
Even Blackbeard's ability to wield more than one Devil Fruit remained an unexplained anomaly.
For an ordinary person, consuming a second Devil Fruit meant death.
Shiki answered without much concern.
He could sever the connection between a Devil Fruit and its user, destroying the power rooted within the person's body without killing them.
It was something he would not have attempted in the past.
However, after obtaining the Yami Yami no Mi and combining its power with the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, separating a Devil Fruit from its host had become a simple matter.
Robin quietly studied the fruits.
Her gaze first moved toward the Magu Magu no Mi.
She could not deny its destructive power, but magma did not suit her at all.
The fierce heat and violent nature of the ability were far removed from the way she preferred to fight.
Her eyes then settled upon the Hie Hie no Mi.
Ice was different.
Its freezing temperature, vast range, and ability to control the battlefield suited her far better.
Robin did not consider the Gura Gura no Mi for long.
Shiki had already informed them that he had someone else in mind for Whitebeard's former power.
After several moments, Robin took a slow breath and reached for the Hie Hie no Mi.
She had made her choice.
Upon seeing her decision, Shiki drew his sword without hesitation, causing Nami and Vivi to tense immediately.
Even Robin could not completely hide the nervousness in her eyes as Shiki approached her with the blade in his hand.
He activated the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.
Thin lines appeared across Robin's body, invisible to everyone except him.
Among them was a line that did not belong to Robin herself.
It belonged to the Hana Hana no Mi.
Shiki raised his sword and cut through it.
Although nothing appeared to happen, Robin's body trembled as though something deeply rooted inside her had suddenly vanished.
She instinctively raised one hand and attempted to sprout another arm from the table.
Nothing happened.
Robin stared at the empty surface.
The Hana Hana no Mi no longer responded to her.
For the first time since childhood, its power was completely gone.
A rare look of astonishment appeared on her face.
She had always known that her captain possessed many secrets, but even she had not expected him to be capable of removing a Devil Fruit ability from someone's body without harming them.
Shiki sheathed his sword as though what he had done was nothing unusual.
Robin looked down at the Hie Hie no Mi in her hands.
Then, without further hesitation, she took a bite.
The taste was as horrible as expected.
Robin's calm expression immediately twisted.
She covered her mouth with one hand and forced herself to swallow, though the faint trembling of her shoulders made it clear how much effort it took.
Nami leaned forward with open curiosity.
"Well?"
Robin remained silent for several seconds.
Then a thin layer of frost spread beneath her feet.
It raced across the floor, climbed the legs of the table, and covered its entire surface in ice within an instant.
The temperature inside the room dropped sharply.
Nami and Vivi both shivered.
Robin raised one hand.
Cold mist gathered around her fingers before her arm transformed into pale-blue ice.
Crystalline fragments broke away from it, floated briefly through the air, and then reformed without leaving so much as a scratch.
Robin stared at her frozen arm with quiet fascination.
The power felt completely different from the Hana Hana no Mi.
Rather than creating additional limbs, she could now become ice itself.
With a slight movement of her hand, several frozen flowers bloomed across the table.
Nami's eyes widened.
"Whoa!"
Vivi stepped closer and stared at the icy flowers.
"They're beautiful."
Robin gave them a small smile.
She then transformed her entire body into ice.
Her form shattered into countless frozen fragments that scattered across the room before gathering together on the opposite side.
A moment later, Robin reappeared completely unharmed.
Nami and Vivi stared at her.
Robin calmly brushed a few pieces of frost from her shoulder.
"It appears to be working."
That was all it took.
Nami suddenly rushed forward and threw both arms around her.
Vivi followed a second later, hugging Robin from the other side.
Robin blinked as she found herself trapped between them.
Nami proudly pointed toward herself.
"Lightning!"
Vivi raised one hand.
"Forest!"
Both of them then looked toward Robin.
"Ice!"
The two spoke at the same time.
Nami's grin grew even wider.
"We're the Logia trio now!"
Vivi nodded enthusiastically.
"The three great natural disasters!"
Shiki watched the three of them fooling around, and a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
Their noise was troublesome, but after traveling alone for a while, he found that he had missed it more than expected.
As for the Gura Gura no Mi, he had not lied when he said he already had someone else in mind.
That person was Tsunade.
With her monstrous strength, extraordinary vitality, and natural talent, Whitebeard's former power would suit her remarkably well.
In her hands, the ability to create earthquakes would become even more terrifying.
Just imagining her combining it with one of her punches was enough to make the result obvious.
His thoughts drifted toward the people he had left behind in that other world.
It had been longer than he had intended.
Shiki leaned back slightly, his eyes becoming distant for a moment.
He missed them.
Perhaps, once he had finished dealing with the matters in this world, it would be time to pay them a visit.
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