Pure Gold Changes Hands

The World Government's information about Pure Gold was not kept secret for long; it was quickly exposed and spread among various factions, prompting them to take action.

The World Government was in turmoil and its people were not united. Although things have temporarily stabilized, during the crisis some time ago, many people within the World Government made close contact with other forces, each wanting to have a way out.

This resulted in the fact that even though only CP0 was involved and not many people knew about it, it was still exposed without anyone noticing.

And it spread rapidly among the world's top powers. Pure Gold, this legendary treasure that prolongs life, is something that even if they can't obtain themselves, they don't want others to have it, so they will actively leak the news to others, causing chaos in the situation.

Besides the World Government, many crews of Flying Pirates have come to this sea area. As a royal power, such a large-scale operation is very eye-catching.

After receiving information about Pure Gold, and combining the information, it became clear that the Flying Pirates had received the news before them and acted in advance. It could be said that the World Government and the Flying Pirates already held the initiative.

The appearance of Pure Gold has slightly complicated the situation, particularly concerning the nearby Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the Night Pirates, as well as other forces.

"Pure Gold has appeared?" Teach wasn't surprised. Although he had just received the news, the Night Pirates had known for several years that Pure Gold had reappeared on the sea.

They thought the Flying Pirates would be able to get their hands on the Pure Gold without anyone else knowing, but they didn't expect this turn of events, with the World Government also involved, and now they all know.

"Hehe, it's just news, we can't be sure if it's true, but it's probably pretty close. I really didn't expect this to get interesting. What should we do?" Rediat laughed from the side.

"Whatever, send Lafitte over there, we'll join in the fun." Teach said casually, not caring much. This wasn't a war, just a fight over something.

He knew that once one side got the Pure Gold, the incident would end. They were likely just there to make up the numbers, since these kinds of things depended on who acted first and who was faster.

Of course, there will definitely be more to come. After all, Pure Gold is something that can drive the world crazy. Kings, nobles, the wealthy, and powerful people who are unwilling to grow old will all set their sights on the forces that want to obtain Pure Gold.

"Alright, let's just watch the show."

While various factions sent people to investigate, Rhine, carrying Pure Gold, headed back to the Sky Kingdom. To be on the safe side and avoid encountering other forces, Rhine flew directly at an altitude of ten thousand meters and notified Captain Shiki to come and meet her.

To prevent other forces from attributing the clues about the Pure Gold to the Flying Pirates, he continued to have the Flying Pirates members he had previously sent to this area continue their reconnaissance.

Meanwhile, CP0 of the World Government had arrived at the original location of the island that had been swallowed by the giant lantern man.

"Sir, the girl's scent dissipated around here," an agent said respectfully to the Glutton Demon beside him, frowning.

He is Paramecia Devil Fruit User the Niffler Fruit, possessing an extraordinary sense of smell. He can locate others by their scent, and his incredibly sensitive sense of smell allows him to accurately detect even scents that have been there for many days.

Although Olga escaped, the intelligence agent who captured Olga earlier left behind some information.

Furthermore, relying on her lingering scent and the power of the Sniff-Sniff Fruit, the World Government personnel made their way here.

Hearing his words, the Glutton Demon frowned. He was well aware of the importance of this mission; both the Gorosei and the Celestial Dragons had given strict orders.

Even if they can't get the Pure Gold, they want to know who took Pure Gold. They simply cannot accept something like it mysteriously disappeared.

"There should have been an island here, but it has disappeared. This is exactly the same thing that happened more than two hundred years ago, when the Steel City also mysteriously disappeared." The Glutton Demon thought to himself. Since he was here to carry out this mission, he had naturally obtained some information about the inner workings of the World Government of Pure Gold.

"It's like being eaten."

"Why did this happen?" He never imagined that a colossal Sea King would devour the island.

"Sir, besides that girl's scent, I also detected another person's scent," the Devil Fruit User of the Sniff-Sniff Fruit said, completely ignoring the scent of the Sea King.

"Where is it? Point the way, we'll follow." These words made the Glutton Demon's eyes light up. It was clearly a deserted island. The girl's scent had disappeared, most likely because she had perished at sea.

As for the Pure Gold, it was surely taken by someone else who appeared here.

The Glutton Demon had already made this guess in his mind, and it was mostly correct.

The World Government sent a very well-equipped team, including not only Devil Fruit User for tracking, but also users with flying abilities for travel.

The group followed Rhine's movements.

Shiki had Rhine's Vivre Card, and after receiving the message from Rhine, Shiki immediately took action, never expecting that Rhine would bring him such a surprise.

Even Shiki couldn't help but feel excited. For someone who had already reached his peak, this was the perfect time to use a treasure that could extend lifespan —Pure Gold.

John, Silver Axe, and Ochoku— their fates were eroded by time and ended due to declining strength. He didn't want to suffer the same fate.

The two met high in the sky. "Admiral, this is Pure Gold." Rhine handed the Pure Gold to Shiki.

Shiki looked curiously at the gold in the container in his hand, then gently squeezed it, shattering the glass container. The fragments, along with the liquid, fell from the sky.

Both of their gazes were drawn to the Pure Gold's brilliance, the dazzling and beautiful light held tightly in Shiki's hands.

"It's so beautiful! This light is more beautiful than any treasure I've ever seen before!" Shiki exclaimed with a hearty laugh.

A fist-sized ball of Pure Gold shone like the sun in the sky.

"Yes, Admiral, only you deserve such brilliance. The future belongs to you." Rhine nodded respectfully.

"Hahahaha! Rhine, how can you say such a thing? You're supposed to live forever with me!" Shiki laughed loudly, gripping the Pure Gold tightly. Bathed in the Pure Gold's light, he could already feel a slight change in his body.

Shiki knew that wearing Pure Gold didn't require that much; just a small piece would suffice, which meant that this piece of Pure Gold could be divided into several parts.

What's the point of living alone? Shiki had never doubted Rhine's loyalty.

"Admiral..." Rhine was somewhat moved, and this was also Shiki's charm.

"You and Chronos are the people I trust most. You must stay with me until the very end!"

Both Rhine and Chronos started following Shiki at a young age. During the Rocks era, before Shiki rose to prominence, they became Shiki's right-hand men, helping him develop the Flying Pirates to this day.

Shiki had complete trust and confidence in Rhine and Chronos.

Moreover, Shiki didn't want to end up alone; that would be extremely painful.

Suddenly, Rhine frowned, turned his head slightly to look behind him, and said, "Admiral, someone is following us."

"A few little Nezumi? Then let's get rid of them." Shiki's eyes narrowed, and a domineering and angry expression appeared on his face.

Now that the Pure Gold is in his hands, he can't possibly give it up. Besides, the exposure of the Pure Gold would also cause them some trouble.

Both Shiki and Rhine exuded a strong murderous intent.

No matter who they are or which faction they belong to, they must all die!

The troops led by the Glutton Demon were at an altitude of 10,000 meters, rapidly advancing in the direction indicated by the Sniff- Devil Fruit User.

During their flight, Rhine instinctively changed course repeatedly, and with the vast expanse of white light, they became disoriented and had no idea where they were.

Suddenly, they saw a dazzling golden light ahead, which even tinged the nearby clouds with a faint gold hue.

"Speed up!" The Glutton Demon was excited. He knew he was getting close, and that light was very likely Pure Gold.

However, not long afterward, the airflow in the high altitude suddenly became extremely fast, which felt strange.

How could such a change occur at an altitude of 10,000 meters?

However, the airflow accelerated, and the clouds gradually materialized. In an instant, the space changed abruptly, and terrifying air currents, like long dragons, meandered and enveloped them.

"It's Rhine, the Uranus of the Flying Pirates! He took the Pure Gold. Is he trying to hold us back? Keep chasing him! Don't let him get away! Get the Pure Gold back!" The Glutton Demon's eyes lit up with excitement.

He wasn't confident he could defeat Rhine, but he was very confident he could snatch the Pure Gold —a confidence stemming from his own abilities.

However, his joy was premature. They were already surrounded by a wall of air currents, and the terrifying air currents made their figures bob up and down, making it difficult for them to even fly steadily in the air.

Furthermore, the airflow wall is compressed, narrowing its range and continuously applying greater pressure.

Suddenly, terrifying golden slashes descended from the sky, breaking through the airflow barrier and heading straight for them.

The deadly sword strike caused the Glutton Demon's expression to change, and he immediately used Geppo to dodge. However, the other agents did not dodge these slashes, especially given the restriction imposed by the powerful airflow.

One by one, the figures were cleaved in two by these terrifying slashes and died instantly. In a short moment, only the Glutton Demon remained in their team.

A figure exuding boundless terror appeared before him, causing the Glutton Demon's pupils to shrink. Glutton Demon was going on when he saw those sword lights.

"Shi, Shiki." The Glutton Demon's mouth tasted bitter.

Shiki had already used his own abilities, manipulating the airflow to form an airflow wall, coordinating with Rhine's abilities to allow Rhine's airflow to drive the airflow he was controlling, and even combining the two.

Shiki has his eye on him and has already laid a trap; it will be very difficult for him to escape.

"Another World Government scum? To avoid the information being leaked, you'd better die here!" Shiki guessed their identities just by looking at the Glutton Demon's attire.

He made his move the instant he finished speaking.

Rhine didn't make a move; he watched from the sidelines to prevent the World Government personnel from suddenly escaping.

His fate was sealed the moment Shiki made his move; even if he ran, where could he run to?

The sky is their home ground, where they can maximize their advantages in all aspects.

His presence was merely for safety's sake, since he didn't know if this CP0 member was a Devil Fruit user or had any special abilities.

In his eyes, this CP0 member was already a dead man.

"Run!" That was the only thought in the Glutton Demon's mind. He couldn't possibly be a match for Shiki, especially with Rhine watching him from the side.

He shifted his gaze to the side, using Geppo to rush towards the airflow barrier, attempting to break through it.

However, a powerful gust of air, under Rhine's control, rushed straight towards him, slamming into him and forcing him back.

Condensed wind has a cutting force, while condensed airflow has an effect more akin to impact.

The damage wasn't significant for Glutton Demon with Armament Haki defense, but the objective had been achieved.

A wildly flowing golden hair came into view, Shiki appeared in front of him in an instant, his sharp, ultimate sword strike aimed directly at him.

The Glutton Demon had no way to avoid it and immediately unleashed its power— the Suck-Suck Fruit's ability. The Glutton Demon's entire body erupted with a terrifying attraction, not gravity, but the power of absorption.

Shiki's longsword was passively attracted, sensing an external force, and the pulling force came from the Glutton Demon. Shiki guessed that this was the Glutton Demon's ability.

This sword strike was something the Glutton Demon couldn't dodge. It was aimed at the Glutton Demon, but the direction of its impact changed, shifting from the Glutton Demon's body to his hand.

The Glutton Demon's hand is key to his ability.

"Clang!" The hand, wreathed in Armament Haki, gripped Shiki's falling sword tightly, a bloody gash appearing at the base of his thumb, and the Glutton Demon's arm trembled.

Knowing there's no escape, the only option is to resist, even though it's futile.

But at the very least, he had to get the message out; he couldn't let his death be meaningless.

He actually had this determination when he met Shiki; his previous escape was just an illusion he created.

The strange power surprised Shiki. He felt his own Haki slowly draining away, being absorbed, and flowing into the body of this CP0 member along his longsword.

With such abilities, the Glutton Demon has a significant advantage in battle. After all, in battles between strong individuals, Haki is fundamental and an important means of both offense and defense.

It's very difficult to die before Haki is exhausted.

However, that's all there is to it. Shiki intends to finish this quickly; if it drags on for too long, it will be easy for others to notice something is wrong.

When Shiki unleashed his full power, the Glutton Demon could hardly withstand it. Moreover, if he couldn't get close, he couldn't absorb Shiki's Haki at all. For example, although he could absorb Shiki's Sword Qi, it was useless and would only cause him great damage.

After a struggle, the Glutton Demon died, killed by Shiki's sword. However, before dying, the Glutton Demon activated the Den Den Mushi and successfully transmitted the five words "Golden Lion Shiki".

Rhine and Shiki looked rather grim; the news had ultimately been leaked.

"Let them deny it to the death. The World Government can't produce any evidence, so it's best to muddy the waters," Rhine thought for a moment. "Even if people find out in the end, it's fine. Just say that Pure Gold can only affect one person."

Rhine also knew that Pure Gold could be shared. If only Shiki possessed Pure Gold, that would be better. Although it would be a bit troublesome for the Flying Pirates, it would also increase the entire crew's confidence in Shiki.

Because Shiki is strong enough, he has the strength to protect this thing.

If the information that could be shared were to be exposed, it would not benefit the Flying Pirates.

Ultimately, Rhine believed that many of the other crew members were not trustworthy and were merely subservient to Shiki's power and authority.

At the same time, their strength is not strong enough. If the Pure Gold were really given to them, it would only bring trouble and make them the target of other forces, and then the Pure Gold would be taken away.

This will also be a huge blow to the Flying Pirates.