Everyone was training harder.
Luffy was called the Fifth Emperor candidate. His crew could not fall behind.
Zoro and Sanji were pushing themselves. Sanji had learned Armament Haki. Second on the ship after Zoro.
Still too slow.
That was what everyone thought.
But Luffy trained every waking hour. He slept one hour a day. No one could keep up.
They needed time.
Wind over the deck.
Nami tucked hair behind her ear. She looked up.
They were in the clouds now. Birds passed sometimes. Otherwise, just white. Rolling like cotton.
Unless they reached another sky island, there would be nothing but clouds.
Then something changed.
A shadow. Large. Irregular. Moving behind the clouds.
Not one shadow. Several. Connected.
"What is that?"
Usopp raised his slingshot. Looked through the scope. His voice shook.
"Islands. Floating in the air."
They saw them. Lush green islands. Mountains. Forests. Hanging in the sky. Defying reason.
"A sky island?"
Luffy had been to Skypiea. But sky islands were made of cloud. Solid rock and trees, floating? Different.
"Not a sky island." Sanji lit a cigarette. "Someone's power. Who can lift islands like this? Keep them up?"
"One man can."
Robin watched the islands. Her face was tight.
She had collected stories in the underworld. Legends. One man could lift islands. Make them float forever.
"Golden Lion Shiki. His Fuwa Fuwa no Mi."
Shanks was mid-era. Gold Lion was older. Roger's era. Whitebeard's era. His era.
"Shiki?" Zoro's hand was on his sword.
He knew the name. A peak from before.
Nami. Usopp. Chopper. They knew it too.
Luffy did not. Robin had not taught this yet.
"Is he strong?"
He knew Shanks. Whitebeard. Roger he knew by name. This one was new.
Robin turned to him. "Captain of the Flying Pirates. Same era as Whitebeard. Same era as Roger."
She paused. "He escaped Impel Down. The only one. When Roger was captured, he came alone to Marine Headquarters. Fought Garp and Sengoku. Destroyed half of Marineford. Then they caught him."
Luffy's eyes lit up.
"Fought Grandpa? Tore up Marineford? Sounds strong."
On the largest island, a man stood on a slope. He watched the storm clouds fading.
Long gold hair. Like a lion's mane. It trailed the ground. A ship's wheel was stuck in his head. Ridiculous. He wore traditional robes. A thick cigar hung from his mouth.
Golden Lion Shiki.
"Almost caught in that storm."
He clicked his tongue. He turned to the men behind him. Scientists. Climatologists. They were shaking.
"I hired you to predict the weather! And you missed a storm! What am I paying you for?!"
His power was great. He could lift anything not alive. Make it float. But storms were trouble. Wind could break his islands. Make them crash.
"Lord Shiki. Weather prediction is probability."
"Probability? I don't want probability! I want accuracy! One hundred percent!"
He waved a hand. "Miss another storm. You're my test subjects."
The scientists were pale.
A man ran from the trees. Scrambling.
"Lord Shiki! A ship! Flying!"
"So? My ships—"
He stopped. His ships were docked. Hidden.
"Not ours?"
He rose into the air. Light. Effortless. He flew to the island's edge. Squinted.
Through the clouds, a ship. Two masts. Like a sunflower. Climbing higher.
Not his.
"Interesting."
His eyes gleamed. "What power is that? New Marine technology?"
Flying was not strange. He knew ways. Paramecia powers. Gravity. Attraction. The brat on Rocks' ship. The one who ate a Mythical Zoan. He could ride clouds.
Flying for a short time? Many could do it.
But to lift islands. Keep them up. Move them like fingers. Only he could do that.
He would see what this was. A flying ship. Whoever controlled it—if they were strong enough—he could use them. His crew was thin since Impel Down. They could help control the islands. Avoid storms.
On the Sunny, they saw the islands. The weight of them.
"This is his power," Nami breathed.
"I could lift an island with my wind." Vivi felt the currents. "For a moment. Not forever. Not like this. The control. The stamina."
"The only man to escape Impel Down." Franky's metal parts felt cold. "He fought Garp. Sengoku. Half of Marineford."
Zoro's hand was on his swords. "We're in his territory."
Robin's face was tight. "He should be in the New World. Running his empire. We don't need to fight him."
"Too late."
Luffy was looking ahead. "Someone's coming. Fast."
He sensed it first. Zoro and Sanji felt it after.
A streak of gold. Across the sky. Laughing.
He landed on the Sunny's deck. The ship rocked.
"Jihahahaha! Flying a ship! That's a good trick!"
Shiki's cigar was in his mouth. His eyes swept the crew. They stopped on the straw hat.
"Which one is your captain?"
He was not trying to be threatening. He did not need to try. His presence was enough. The weight of a legend. Decades of battle. The air thickened.
They had felt this before. Garp. The same weight. They were heavy. But they did not break.
***
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