As dawn broke, a few lights were already twinkling in the port area of Hachinosu.
The sentry on night duty yawned and rubbed his eyes, which were sore from staring at the sea all night.
He picked up his enamel mug and took a sip of his now-cold coffee. Just as he was about to greet his colleague who was taking over the shift, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small black dot on the horizon.
"Um?"
The sentry put down his cup and squinted in that direction.
The black dot slowly magnified in his field of vision.
At first it was only the size of a fingernail, but in a few breaths it grew to the size of a fist, and then—
He dropped his enamel mug with a clatter, not even noticing the coffee splashed all over his trouser leg.
"Island... Island!!!"
The sentry's scream shattered the morning's tranquility.
The port residents, merchants, and early-rising pirates all stopped what they were doing and looked up at the horizon.
Then everyone's expression froze at the same moment.
An island.
A massive island, at least fifty kilometers in diameter, is drifting from the horizon toward Hachinosu.
The rocky fault lines at the bottom of the island are still covered with seaweed and coral, and seawater flows continuously down from the fault lines.
A delicate waterfall formed in mid-air, shimmering with iridescent colors in the morning light.
The island's shadow covered a large part of the harbor, and the overwhelming sense of oppression made many people's legs go weak.
"Enemy attack--!!!"
"The island has fallen down!!!"
The port area was immediately thrown into chaos.
Some people ran away with their heads in their hands, some drew their weapons, and some simply collapsed to the ground and began chanting scriptures.
The new recruits, who had only recently joined the group, were deathly pale, their hands trembling like leaves as they gripped their knives.
Just as panic was about to spread, loudspeakers installed throughout the port simultaneously emitted a piercing electrical hum.
Attention, everyone.
Tesoro's voice came through the radio, his tone carrying a clear sense of helplessness.
This is not an enemy attack.
Repeat, this is not an enemy attack.
That island that's floating over from the sky belongs to us, don't panic.
The chaos in the port subsided somewhat.
Even knowing it wasn't an enemy attack, the oppressive feeling of the fifty-kilometer-diameter island slowly flying overhead still made everyone hold their breath.
"Is our captain addicted to 'island-moving'?"
A new recruit looked up at the giant island overhead, his voice trembling.
The veteran next to him lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
You'll get used to it.
I was on duty when the captain went to move the training islands last time; there were three of them that time.
Only one this time, nothing special.
Three?!
The veteran glanced at him, his eyes carrying a sense of superiority that came from someone who had been through it all.
"Kid, you're serving in the army on Hachinosu."
You need to learn one thing—don't judge the things our captain does by normal human standards.
On Egghead, Kyros pressed his hands to the ground, fully activating the power of the Float-Float Fruit.
Under his control, the entire island slowly adjusted its angle and landed precisely on the reserved open space next to the harbor.
Roy stood in mid-air, his Telekinesis Domain expanding outwards, using his mental power to lock onto every corner of the island.
His voice, transmitted directly to Kyros's ears through Telekinesis, said, "Turn three degrees to the left, then descend another fifty meters."
Kyros nodded, and the pale blue light on his palm adjusted slightly. The Egghead began to shift sideways at an extremely slow speed.
The colossal 50-kilometer-long machine was as obedient as a building block in his hands, without even the slightest unnecessary wobbling.
"Continue descending," Roy said calmly.
The moment the bottom of the island touches the sea surface, the displaced air pressure pushes out a ring of waves.
Waves crashed against the harbor breakwater, sending up white sprays several meters high.
The crowd in the port area instinctively took several steps back, but Kyros controlled the island's descent so slowly that it didn't even cause a large ripple on the water.
Meanwhile, Bar was already waiting on the ground below.
"Island-Island Integration!"
Bar gave a low shout, and the muscles in his arms suddenly bulged.
The ground around the experimental base surged upwards as if alive, the rock layers kneaded as if by an invisible giant hand, and countless thick rock tentacles extended from the foundation of Hachinosu.
The foundations of the two islands began to connect seamlessly, pulled together by the rocky tendrils.
A deep, long rumble emanated from between the rock strata, as cracks were continuously filled and faults were reconnected.
Some loose pebbles fell from the joint, splashing onto the sea and creating ripples of white water.
The whole process lasted about ten minutes.
Bar stood up, dusted off his hands, and looked at the perfectly fitted joint before him, a satisfied smile spreading across his rugged face.
"All done. From now on, this will be an auxiliary experimental area of Hachinosu."
The Egghead landed steadily next to the experimental base, and the two islands were completely connected.
Looking from the port, the newly added experimental zone resembles a huge auxiliary platform, covered with steel-framed buildings and pipelines.
It is completely different from the original architectural style of Hachinosu, yet it has a strange sense of harmony.
The crowd in the port area finally breathed a sigh of relief. Some people started clapping, and some started whistling. The panic they had felt earlier had long since vanished.
At that moment, on the newly built pier connecting the two islands, an elderly man in a white lab coat was walking towards Egghead.
Vegapunk surveyed the rows of buildings in the port of Hachinosu, the new recruits running in the training field, and the faint gray smoke rising from the chimneys of the weapons factory in the distance, and nodded in satisfaction.
At the end of the pier, Gracia, who had already received the news, was already waiting there.
When he saw Vegapunk, the renowned scientist, his eyes shone with an extremely bright light, the excitement that scientists have when they meet a colleague.
" Dr. Vegapunk."
" Dr. Gracia."
The two of them reached out almost simultaneously and shook hands firmly.
Then, as if a switch had been flipped, Gracia got straight to the point.
The two old men walked faster and faster, and their speech became increasingly rapid.
From Lineage Factor to genetic modification, from Devil Fruit replication to cloned organ transplantation, and from lunar technology to the energy cores of Ancient Weapon.
The assistants jogged after them, carrying thick folders in their hands, their faces bearing a helpless expression that said, "Here we go again."
On the pier, Roy, Kaido, and Bullet stood still, watching the two doctors' figures walk further and further away.
Bullet scratched his head, a rare look of confusion appearing on his rugged face:
What are they saying?
Kaido slammed the Hassaikai to the ground, and a rare hint of confusion appeared on his face, which was usually etched with the arrogance of "I'm the best in the world."
"I don't understand a single word."
Me too.
Roy had his hands in his pockets, looking quite relaxed.
"Anyway, it means that the two of them can get along well."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Bullet asked.
"That's a good thing," Roy said, "But have you noticed a problem?"
What's the problem?
Fifteen minutes have passed since they shook hands.
No one interrupted, not even with a single word.
If this trend continues, these two could chat until tomorrow morning.
Bullet glanced at Roy's expression, then at the backs of the two doctors who were almost disappearing into the lab entrance, and suddenly understood what he meant:
"Then what are you waiting for? Go interrupt them!"