The strong liquor burned down Shiki's throat, bringing a faint flush to his face.
Then he dramatically collapsed back into his chair as though every bit of strength had left his body, though he continued grumbling without pause.
"This plan may be incredible, but it's damn near worked these old bones to pieces!"
He laboriously raised the slightly worn Kogarashi and began complaining with growing frustration.
"You bastards have no idea how hard it is to find a genuinely suitable island these days!"
The more he spoke, the more agitated he became. He suddenly sprang from his chair and waved both arms wildly, determined to vent every last bit of resentment.
"I spend half the day flying all over the ocean like some tireless delivery bird! I keep my eyes fixed on the sea until they're practically falling out of my skull, terrified I'll miss a possible target.
"And what do I find? Either jagged reefs sticking out of the water or barren islands that aren't worth a damn!"
Shiki swept Kogarashi through the air, using its tip to trace what looked like a detailed map of his search routes.
His voice carried obvious exhaustion and helplessness.
"I've already searched every stretch of sea within hundreds of miles. Anything worth moving has been taken. At this point, I can't even find a halfway decent little island!"
Whitebeard could no longer hold back his amusement and burst into another hearty laugh.
"Gurararara! No wonder the newspapers keep reporting 'mysteriously vanishing islands.' So you're the old troublemaker behind all of it!"
Kaido's thick dragon tail slapped the deck in a steady rhythm as he joined in with his strange laughter.
"Wororororo! So it was you causing all that trouble in secret!"
Shiki rolled his eyes, looking completely drained.
"What else did you think I was doing when I disappeared for ten days or two weeks at a time? I've been flying all over the damn world looking for islands!"
As he spoke, he waved his arms around to imitate how miserable his searches had become.
"I fly during the day, I fly at night, and I even fly in my dreams! I dragged back places as remote as Thundercloud Island, where even birds can't be bothered to land!"
Big Mom happily stuffed another piece of sweet cake into her enormous mouth as though nothing in the world could possibly taste better.
While chewing, she asked in a muffled yet playful voice,
"Mamamama~ Why don't you just move islands where people already live?"
Shiki had been slumped lazily against his chair, but the question instantly breathed new life into him.
He lowered his booming voice as though he were revealing some dangerous secret.
A cunning, eager light gleamed in his eyes, filled with ambition and calculation.
"Honestly, all Ron has to do is give the order, and I can move inhabited islands too!"
Every word overflowed with confidence.
To demonstrate, he raised both thick arms in a powerful lifting motion as if he were already carrying an entire island on his shoulders.
"I'll bring over the people, their houses, and everything else with them!"
His shout rolled across the deck like thunder.
He then strode closer to the other three and leaned toward them with a conspiratorial expression.
"You know, if Ron gave the command, I could lift the whole of Fish-Man Island up here right now! The reconstruction of the Eternal Divine Kingdom would've been finished ages ago!"
His eyes shone with excitement as though the completed kingdom had already appeared before him.
The more he spoke, the harder it became to contain himself.
"Then I could start building the eighth layer of Miracle Islands that much sooner!"
He looked as though those forty-nine islands were already within his grasp.
Just as his excitement reached its peak, a calm and familiar voice came from behind him.
"Shiki, are you plotting to steal Fish-Man Island again?"
Everyone turned to find that Ron and Reiju had quietly appeared nearby.
Reiju covered her mouth and let out a soft, clear laugh.
"Lord Golden Lion has started looking at every island like it's treasure."
Her bright smile lightened the atmosphere.
Shiki immediately straightened his back and puffed out his chest, answering with complete confidence.
"This is all for your grand plan! I'm even calculating in my dreams how long it'll take to collect all forty-nine islands!"
His utterly serious expression made him look like a loyal soldier devoted to completing some sacred mission.
Everyone burst into hearty laughter.
Amid the cheerful noise, Shiki's eyes suddenly lit up as a brilliant idea occurred to him.
"Wait! Aren't there more islands beneath Wano? Kaido, hurry up and—"
He stopped before finishing the sentence, realizing that what he was about to suggest might be going too far.
His expression turned strangely aggrieved, and he began muttering under his breath.
While Shiki was still grumbling, Ron smiled and gently patted him on the shoulder.
"Stop worrying about Wano. We've already moved those islands. They're currently on their way here."
Ron's calm words immediately settled Shiki's restless excitement.
Sunlight fell across the deck, casting broken patches of light and shadow.
Ron lifted one arm and pointed toward the vast blue sky in the distance, a mysterious yet confident look in his eyes.
"We simply returned ahead of them."
"What?!"
Shiki shot into the air like a powder keg that had just been ignited.
...
Chapter 727: Now We Can Finally Go All Out!
Shiki's already imposing frame seemed even more intimidating as his eyes widened like bells, filled with utter disbelief.
His voice trembled with excitement as he shouted,
"What did you just say?! The islands of Wano… have already been moved?! How is that even possible?!"
Before his cry had finished echoing, the wine barrel in his hand slipped free and struck the hard deck with a heavy thud.
Amber liquor poured from the opening like a spring, spreading freely across the planks, but Shiki did not notice. At that moment, the astonishing news had consumed his entire world.
Kogarashi and Oto also fell from his waist with a metallic clatter as his body went rigid, as though he had been struck by lightning.
For several seconds, his face remained frozen in complete shock.
Then wild delight suddenly spread across it.
"Ji… Jihahahaha!"
A moment later, he erupted into earth-shaking laughter so powerful it seemed capable of overturning the endless sea.
He began waving his arms wildly, his excitement making him look as though he were trying to seize something invisible from the air.
"You little bastard! You actually did it!"
Shiki thrust a thick thumb toward Ron, nearly poking him in the face.
Blazing joy filled his eyes like twin flames.
"I knew I hadn't chosen the wrong man!"
Overwhelmed by excitement, he began floating rapidly around Ron in circles. The Float-Float Fruit kept his body suspended in the air while his arms and legs flailed uncontrollably, making him look like a child who had just received the greatest toy imaginable.
"Which islands did you move? What about Onigashima? Did you bring the islands with the huge Seastone deposits? And that secret place said to contain an ancient weapons factory—did you bring that too?"
Ron sighed faintly and shook his head in resignation.
"Everything worth moving has been moved. They should be approaching the Divine Kingdom's waters soon."
Shiki could no longer contain himself.
Like a crazed beast, he lunged toward the railing and gripped it tightly with both hands.
Leaning far over the edge, he roared toward the distant horizon,
"My islands! Hurry up and get over here so I can see you!"
His voice rolled across the sea, overflowing with anticipation.
Whitebeard could not help laughing at the sight.
"Gurararara! The old madman has finally gotten what he wanted!"
His mustache trembled with his laughter, amusement filling his eyes.
Even Kaido's deep dragon eyes showed a trace of humor.
"Wororororo… This is the first time I've ever seen Shiki lose his mind like this."
He shook his head, clearly finding the rare spectacle entertaining.
Big Mom remained focused on stuffing cake into her mouth.
"Mamamama~ Does this mean we'll get to eat Wano mochi whenever we want?"
Her muffled voice and satisfied smile made it obvious that she was just as pleased by the news.