Astonishingly, Redfield never even drew the razor-sharp blade at his waist.
The sheer force of his overwhelming Haki descended like a physical blade, instantly bringing both the Marines' relentless bombardment and their desperate charges to a complete halt.
Every movement froze. Every shout died in its speaker's throat, as though time itself had submitted to his presence.
"Hmm…"
Redfield raised his head slightly and looked toward the distant southwest, the faintest smile touching his lips.
"There's a rather promising island in that direction."
His voice was soft, almost as though he were speaking to the empty air.
After a brief pause, he added,
"Shiki, you may begin."
Far away, Shiki immediately burst into laughter.
"Jihahahaha! You're still as efficient as ever, you old bat!"
His wild, confident laughter rolled across the entire sea.
Golden Lion Shiki stood proudly amid the roaring wind, his orange-gold hair whipping behind him like a lion's untamed mane, every strand seeming to overflow with power.
He raised both arms high and crossed Kogarashi and Oto toward the heavens, their blades gleaming with a freezing light.
"Jihahahaha! Rise—my floating island!"
At his command, the mysterious power of the Float-Float Fruit reached deep beneath the ocean like a pair of invisible hands.
The entire island began trembling violently.
Cracks spread across the ground like an enormous spiderweb, growing deeper and wider by the second.
Ancient trees were ripped out by their roots beneath the immense force, their trunks groaning and splintering. Massive boulders lost their footing and tumbled down the mountainsides, sending thick clouds of dust into the air.
A deep rumble rose from beneath the seabed, as though the earth itself were crying out in unbearable pain.
Murky bubbles poured from the widening fractures, racing toward the surface before bursting with faint pops like the island's final gasps.
Then Shiki brought both swords down.
A deafening crack split the air, sounding as though the world itself had been torn apart.
The colossal island was forcibly ripped free from the seabed.
Billions of tons of earth and stone, together with dense forests, winding streams, and towering mountains, slowly rose into the sky.
The freshly exposed rock beneath the ocean glistened wetly in the sunlight, reflecting faint colors while somehow making the empty seabed look even more desolate.
Cascades of loose soil and stone poured from the island's edges.
They crashed into the sea below and sent walls of water soaring dozens of meters into the air, creating a sight that was both magnificent and terrifying.
It looked like the end of the world.
Once the island stabilized a thousand meters above the sea, Shiki began sweeping his swords through the air with the commanding presence of a war god.
Every slash left behind a brilliant trail like a meteor crossing the night sky.
The countless rocks that had broken away suddenly reversed course, flying rapidly back toward the island's foundation as though drawn by some strange magic.
They fitted together and piled into place with deep, solid impacts, reinforcing the island until it appeared almost indestructible.
Meanwhile, Redfield descended gracefully above another unusually shaped island like a crimson leaf drifting on the wind.
His cloak and clothes fluttered around his slender figure, giving him an almost otherworldly elegance.
He tilted his head back and drew a slow breath, filling his lungs with the fresh, thin air of the high altitude.
A rare trace of pleasure flickered through his dark-red eyes, clearly satisfied by the sight before him.
"Well…"
He narrowed his eyes slightly and rested his long fingers against the cold, smooth hilt of Grimm.
His gaze settled on a magnificent waterfall in the distance.
"This island is quite pleasing."
After a moment, he added,
"The waterfall should remain."
His voice was quiet, but carried no room for argument.
Shiki immediately turned toward the waterfall.
After examining it closely, he burst into hearty laughter.
"Jihahahaha! You're still as particular as ever, you old bat! Even when we're stealing islands, you have to choose them for the scenery!"
Despite the teasing, he did not treat the request lightly.
Shiki raised both hands and carefully controlled the immense power of the Float-Float Fruit.
The invisible force wrapped around the entire island like a pair of gentle hands, deliberately avoiding the waterfall and everything around it.
Under his precise control, the island rose smoothly into the air without so much as a single drop of water spilling from the falls.
The entire process looked less like brute force and more like an exquisite work of art.
Gradually, the sun sank toward the horizon, bathing the sky in a magnificent tapestry of gold and crimson.
Against that dreamlike backdrop, more than a dozen islands of various shapes now floated above the East Blue.
They were arranged across the heavens like spirits guarding the sky.
Some were covered in dense primeval forests, their towering trees forming an endless green canopy while birds sang and beasts roared from within.
Others contained brilliant crystal deposits that shimmered with countless colors beneath the setting sun, resembling mysterious palaces filled with endless treasure.
Several islands were surrounded by rainbow-colored clouds that continuously shifted in shape and hue, adding a strange, romantic beauty to the scene.
Together, they looked like pearls and gemstones scattered carelessly across the sky by the gods, glowing with dreamlike brilliance beneath the dying sunlight.
Atop the highest peak, Redfield stood in silence like a proud and solitary god.
...
Redfield stood tall and unshaken, seemingly one with the terrifying emptiness stretching beneath his feet. Even the air around him trembled faintly beneath his presence.
The sunset blazed across the horizon like a raging sea of fire, spreading through the clouds in brilliant waves.
Its vivid colors deepened the crimson of Redfield's cloak, every thread seeming to absorb the final glow of the dying sun and radiate a captivating charm.
Grimm slid a few inches from its sheath.
The cursed blade's surface was as smooth as a flawless mirror, reflecting the burning clouds overhead with perfect clarity. The colors drifted and shifted across the steel like a dreamlike dance.
Within that reflected light, one could also see the quiet appreciation in Redfield's eyes.
He was genuinely captivated by the beauty before him.
Redfield raised his head slightly and looked through the layers of cloud at the man-made wonder filling the sky.
After a long silence, his deep, magnetic voice finally sounded.
"Shiki, what do you imagine it will look like when every island from the Four Blues has gathered around the legendary Divine Kingdom like stars surrounding the moon?"
Not far away, Golden Lion Shiki hovered in midair, his wild presence spilling freely into the wind.
His gaze remained fixed on the growing chain of floating islands before him. Each landmass differed in size and shape, yet in his eyes, they were all priceless works of art.
The old pirate who had always lived with untamed arrogance now had tears glistening in his eyes.
His dream was finally beginning to take form.
His lips trembled faintly as he spoke, an almost imperceptible catch in his voice.
"It'll be… the most beautiful sight I've ever witnessed.
"More dazzling than a city overflowing with gold and treasure, and a thousand times more magnificent than the endless sea of clouds above Skypiea.
"That's the sight I've spent my entire life searching for."
...
Over the next several days, the skyline of the East Blue underwent a complete transformation, as though reshaped by an invisible pair of hands.
The sky above the once-peaceful sea became crowded with floating islands of every imaginable form.
Some were vast, others small. Some hovered high among the clouds, while others drifted closer to the waves.
Together, they formed a breathtaking landscape unlike anything the world had ever seen.
Throughout the enormous operation, Shiki and Redfield worked together with such flawless coordination that anyone who dared interfere quickly learned to fear them.
Shiki handled the creation.
Laughing wildly, he swept Kogarashi and Oto through the air, releasing the miraculous power of the Float-Float Fruit wherever his blades pointed.
One island after another tore free from the seabed with thunderous force.
They broke away from the earth and climbed toward the heavens, dragging violent winds and towering sprays of seawater behind them.
Redfield handled the cleanup.
He moved across the battlefield like a crimson ghost.
Marine fleets attempting to stop the operation, pirate crews drawn by rumors of treasure, and even powerful recluses who had remained hidden for decades all lost the will to resist the moment they entered the reach of his Haki.
And if that alone was not enough, Grimm awaited them.
Each elegant movement of the cursed blade carried lethal precision and chilling killing intent. Most enemies had already been defeated before they even understood that Redfield had attacked.
By the time he moved on, only wreckage and broken forces remained behind him.
At last, after countless obstacles, they were close to completing the relocation of the East Blue.
Then an unusual whistle tore through the sky.
A razor-sharp wave of sword energy descended from the horizon like lightning splitting the darkness.
Its edge was so keen that it left a thin scar through the air, producing a sharp hiss that sent a chill through everyone who heard it.
Far across the sea, a strange little vessel slowly approached.
Its design resembled an ancient coffin, giving it an eerie yet solemn presence.
It glided silently through the waves, seeming to merge with the surrounding ocean while carrying an undeniable force of its own.
Standing proudly at its bow was the man known as the World's Greatest Swordsman—
Dracule Mihawk.
His posture was straight and composed, while his black cloak snapped sharply in the sea wind.
The black blade Yoru was already drawn, its dark edge gleaming with a cold light like the most brilliant and dangerous star in the night sky.
His hawk-like eyes remained locked firmly on Redfield, filled with confidence and boundless fighting spirit.
"Redfield."
Mihawk's voice was calm and steady, yet every word carried enormous weight and reached everyone clearly.
"An opportunity to cross blades with a legend is far too rare to waste."
He lifted his head slightly, his gaze burning with quiet intensity.
To him, this battle was a feast he had been waiting his entire life to taste.
A faint trace of interest flashed through Redfield's dark-red eyes.
He gave a slight nod and rested one hand on the restless Grimm.
The cursed blade trembled inside its sheath, releasing a low hum as though it too had sensed the approaching duel.
"Dracule Mihawk," Redfield said slowly. "Time has sharpened your sword considerably since the last time I saw you."
He stepped forward with effortless elegance, moving like a nobleman beginning a dance.
Then he turned his head toward Shiki.
"Continue moving the islands according to plan. Leave everything here to me."
The instant his words fell, a clash between two supreme swordsmen erupted.
Their figures blurred across the surface of the sea like phantoms.
Sword shadows crossed again and again, throwing crystalline sprays of water into the air.
Every swing carried enough force to overturn the ocean, and every collision released dazzling sparks, as though the entire East Blue had become their stage.
The surrounding air seemed to ignite beneath the tension.
No one watching dared breathe too loudly.
Mihawk stood as straight as a pine, Yoru radiating a dark and freezing brilliance from his hands.
Then he swept one arm forward.
The black blade unleashed a terrifying slash powerful enough to tear through space itself.
Its edge carved the air apart with a piercing howl, like countless ghosts screaming across the sea.