High-Altitude Floating Islands, the Golden Lion's Lair!

After Blamenco and his three companions were taken away by his men, the hall returned to silence.

Indigo leaned closer to Golden Lion and lowered his voice. "Boss... are you Headliners to take over Whitebeard's territory?"

The Golden Lion did not answer immediately, but slowly exhaled a puff of Cigar smoke, a deep glint flashing in his eyes.

He grinned, revealing a set of yellowed fangs, and laughed wildly:

"Hahaha—why wouldn't I want something given away for free?"

"Whitebeard is dead, and those brats can't protect his inheritance, so they have no choice but to come to me, this 'madman,' for help..."

"How could I possibly let go of such an opportunity that fell from the sky?"

But then his tone shifted abruptly, his expression turning icy, and his eyes flashing with cold light.

"But--"

"Whitebeard's legacy isn't something just any lousy person can touch!!"

"Those Pirates lurking in the gutter, bounty hunters dreaming of striking it rich, and the remnants of the rebel army that seem impossible to eradicate like cockroaches..."

As the cloak moved without wind, the entire castle foundation began to emit a low hum.

"It's time to remind the scum of the New Era-- "

His grin stretched into a ferocious arc, like the fangs of Golden Lion...

"But it's incredibly sharp!!"

East Blue Sea - On Warship

"Splash--!"

The deep blue sea was violently cleaved open, and a naval Warship sped forward like an arrow, with waves several meters high rising from both sides of the hull.

On the deck, Sanji leaned against the railing, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his eyes wide as he watched the seascape rush by.

"... This speed is more than three times faster than the speedboat of the sea restaurant, isn't it?"

Usopp gripped the edge of the deck tightly with both hands, the wind whipping his face so hard it was almost blurry. "Whoaaaah... I'm going to be blown off!"

He gritted his teeth and held on before finally letting out an exclamation. "Are all naval Warships this fast?! That's so cool!!"

Not far away, Zoro leaned against the mast with his arms crossed, and sneered, "What's the big deal? You bunch of bumpkins."

"Who are you calling a country bumpkin?!" Sanji immediately snapped and turned around, "Shut up, you directionally challenged idiot!"

"Who are you calling directionally challenged? Say it again!" Zoro glared.

"You Moss Head challenged monster!"

The two immediately started wrestling and rolled around in a ball.

Usopp shouted "Calm down! Calm down!" while trying to pull the two apart, but he couldn't budge them at all.

Kuina shook her head helplessly, while the marines practicing on the deck were already used to the daily routine of these "future monsters".

At the bow of the ship, Roy and Smoker stood by the railing, gazing at the endless horizon, their cloaks billowing in the sea breeze.

Smoker's gaze was steady, but he lowered his voice and asked, "Hey, Roy... is this all the people we're taking this time?"

"That's Golden Lion..."

Roy gazed calmly at the sky. "The Golden Lion's 'Float-Float Fruit' allows him to manipulate islands and ships into the air, creating aerial Battlefields."

"Sending a group of ordinary soldiers who lack air combat capabilities would be suicide."

"Don't worry, from the moment he chose the East Blue as his testing ground... he had already lost this hunt."

Because—I'm right here.

His words were calm, yet they carried a captivating air of composure and Haki.

Smoker paused for a moment, looked at the figure standing beside him against the wind, and suddenly smiled.

This guy... he's still so reassuring.

But the unease that had been weighing on my heart for days miraculously dissipated at that moment.

"You... you're still as arrogant as ever."

"Very well," he said, lighting Cigar, taking a deep drag, and a long-lost sharpness resurfaced in his eyes.

"Then let's go and meet this old monster together."

The sea was calm and the sun shone brightly, with only seabirds soaring through the air.

"Creak--"

The specially designed naval Warship slowly came to a stop on the sea surface, stirring up ripples.

On the deck, Sanji and Usopp looked around in confusion.

"Why did it suddenly stop?" Usopp looked around, his voice tinged with nervousness.

"Weren't we supposed to be looking for Golden Lion? There's nothing here." Sanji, a cigarette dangling from his lips, frowned slightly as he warily scanned the sea.

Zoro leaned against the railing, a familiar smile playing on his lips.

Kuina had already gripped the ship's armrest tightly with one hand and was about to speak up to remind him, but Zoro stopped her with a gentle look.

She sighed softly, a mixture of helplessness and amusement in her eyes. "Are you a child...?"

Smoker gripped the deck support firmly, his gaze fixed on the bow of the ship.

"Here we go again..."

At the bow of the ship, Roy stood at the very front, his back straight, facing the wind.

His gaze calmly drifted to the distant horizon, and he slowly spoke, "So it fell from the sky above this sea area...?"

The voice was as soft as a whisper, yet it seemed to resonate in everyone's hearts.

The next moment--

"Whoosh!!"

The entire Warship shuddered violently, and was immediately swallowed up by an invisible yet incredibly powerful spatial force!

Immediately afterwards, the world spun around, and everything turned upside down!

"We... we flew?!"

"I'm not playing anymore!!"

Sanji and Usopp were terrified by the sudden and violent lift-off, their faces turning pale. They clung tightly to the mast and railing, screaming repeatedly. Sanji's cigarette had already fallen onto the deck.

Zoro, standing unharmed on the side of the ship with his arms crossed, couldn't help but burst into laughter at the two's disheveled appearance. "Haha! You curly-haired rascal, you look like you've been punched ten times!"

"You still have the nerve to laugh?!" Sanji roared through gritted teeth, his whole body trembling.

Kuina walked over and gently patted his shoulder. "Next time, hold on tighter to the railing, and you won't be so embarrassed."

Just then, the two finally realized—

The area around them was no longer the familiar horizon where the sea met the sky.

What came into view was a sight that could shock the world: more than a dozen enormous islands were suspended tens of thousands of meters in the air!

They come in all shapes and sizes; some are covered with ancient ruins, some are entwined with giant Vines and steel structures, and some exude an eerie aura, as if they were alive, slowly rotating in the air.

These floating islands are interconnected and layered, forming a magnificent and vast "Sky Island Group"!

Sunlight pierced through the clouds and between the islands, like the light of judgment descended by the gods, falling upon them.

"This... this is the Golden Lion's headquarters?!"

Usopp's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Someone can actually lift an island into the sky?!"

"The power of the Float-Float Fruit... is it really that strong?" Sanji wiped away a cold sweat, his expression gradually becoming serious.

Smoker narrowed his eyes, staring at a distant island. "I see it, a Rampaging Behemoth is active..."

Just as everyone was in shock, a soft laugh came from the sky.

"Heh... Let me say hello to that old guy."

Before he could finish speaking, Roy's figure vanished from the bow of the ship and reappeared high in the sky, his right fist poised to strike, his energy swirling around him like a tornado!

Where his fist pointed, on the floating palace, on the Throne, the Golden Lion slowly lifted its eyelids.

--In those scarlet vertical pupils surged a murderous intent powerful enough to drown an entire era.