Eightfold Island

"You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Shiki spoke, his tone lower than usual, as though even a man like him instinctively lowered his voice in this overly vast hall.

"The time I came to Hachinosu to ask you to work with me. You turned me down, but I'm back!"

Annus did not respond. Seeing him remain silent, Shiki continued on his own.

"Well? Rocks is already down. Isn't it time you considered me? That bastard Newgate only wants to collect sons, and don't even mention that idiot Roger—his head is full of sailing around the world. On this sea, who else besides me, Shiki, can stand at your side? Jihahahaha!"

After hearing him out, Annus was silent for two or three breaths. In that brief moment, countless thoughts had already twisted through his mind.

The Float-Float Fruit. Shiki may be arrogant, but the Float-Float Fruit's power is undeniably real.

The Heavenly Kingdom's territory stretches nearly four thousand li westward from God's Island. The island clouds are connected by Cloud Rivers, but their routes are constrained by air pressure and temperature. They wind endlessly, and traveling one way from Brian to the Western Extreme Cloud Plains takes nearly a month.

Cloud Rails can solve part of the problem, but they are too expensive to build. Sintering Glaze Cloud requires high heat and pressure. Even with craftsmen working day and night, they can lay less than a hundred li in three months.

And what Sky Island lacks most is land.

As that thought flashed through his mind, Shiki was still sitting on the low Glaze Cloud bench that forced his knees high into the air, waiting for his answer.

Annus's gaze refocused and settled on Shiki's face.

"It can be done. But what do I get out of it?"

At those words, the