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"The wall that once blocked our path has disappeared! It seems this is your era now!"
With emotionless eyes, he stared at the tall figure seated before him. There wasn't the slightest hint of a smile on Golden Lion Shiki's face. Defeated by Kojin, he was thrown into Impel Down. He later escaped, only to find that the world had changed beyond recognition and was now tinged with unfamiliarity.
His once-mighty fleet had been wiped out by the relentless pursuit and suppression of the Marines.
His grand ambitions of the past now seemed like a cruel joke.
He, once one of the Three Great Legends, had long since been forgotten and branded as nothing more than a stepping stone for that young man.
At that moment, fury filled his eyes. The flames of vengeance burned fiercely in his heart.
"If you've come here to spout nonsense, I can send you to the bottom of the sea right now, Shiki!" Whitebeard cast him a sideways glance and spoke calmly.
With a flick of his hand, he tossed a bottle of liquor toward Golden Lion.
Golden Lion Shiki caught it with one hand. He snapped his fingers, and the cork popped free. He tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls.
Only after steadying his breath did he exhale slowly.
"Haah! You really know how to piss someone off." Golden Lion sneered.
"State your purpose or get lost. I have no interest in idle chatter." Whitebeard replied indifferently.
"Whitebeard! Let's join forces! First, we kill Kojin, then we conquer the world! I can help you become Pirate King!" Golden Lion Shiki took a deep breath and suddenly shouted.
His abrupt proposal stunned everyone aboard the ship. Marco instinctively turned to look at his father.
Without question, Shiki's words were far beyond anyone's expectations. They clearly remembered the proud man who stood before them. For Roger's sake, he once dared to storm Marineford alone.
The entire ship fell silent. Everyone was shaken by Shiki's declaration.
Only Whitebeard remained seated, continuing to gulp down his drink. He drained the entire bottle in one go, then abruptly flung it forward.
Buzz!
The glass bottle shot straight toward Shiki.
Golden Lion Shiki didn't move at all. Just as the bottle reached his forehead, it shattered with a sharp crack, the shards scattering in all directions.
His eyes remained locked on the golden-haired man before him, waiting for an answer.
"Gulararara!"
A booming laugh rang out before an indescribable aura suddenly swept across the ship, causing the sea to tremble.
"Shiki! You underestimate me too much! Join forces with me?"
"Whether you're the Sky Admiral who once commanded a massive fleet or the current you, with your legs severed and your reputation in tatters after being gravely wounded by that brat, I won't be underestimated!"
Whitebeard's eyes suddenly turned ice-cold as he spoke.
"Neither of you is qualified! So get lost! Or I'll make you disappear from this world right now!"
Shiki's expression remained calm, as if he didn't care at all about the humiliation.
The next second, his body slowly began to float upward.
"What a disappointment! The legend who once ruled the seas alongside me... To have fallen so low. Frightened out of your wits by a mere young man!"
Whitebeard's words made Golden Lion Shiki's body tremble violently. He clenched his teeth.
Suddenly, he spun around and glared fiercely at Whitebeard.
"Whitebeard, your pride will destroy you! Even Roger never underestimated Kojin!" Shiki roared.
"Gulararara! If the opportunity arises, I'll test that brat's strength personally. But I know exactly what kind of man you are."
Mockery flickered in Whitebeard's eyes.
He had the ambition to dominate the world, but he lacked the power to stand shoulder to shoulder with Roger. Instead, he relied on a vast flying fleet.
After all,
Cattle and sheep gather in herds.
True beasts walk alone."
Shiki clenched his fists and turned away sharply.
"Even without you, I can still deal with that brat!"
Whitebeard laughed mockingly. "Then I'll sit back and await the good news!"
The two parted ways and never faced each other in direct conversation again.
After Golden Lion left, Marco approached.
"Old man, even someone as powerful as Golden Lion lost to Kojin. If you ever fight him, are you confident you'll win?"
At that, Whitebeard narrowed his eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke with a grin.
"Roger held that brat in very high regard. But I never concern myself with an opponent I haven't met. If we do cross paths someday..."
He paused. A fierce battle intent surfaced in his eyes.
"Then we'll see who is truly... The strongest man in this world, in this era!"
Marco understood. His old man meant that strength is decided in battle.
"Shiki... Hmph. Of the Three Great Legends, two are already gone!" Whitebeard snorted coldly.
What is most important for the strong? Is it unmatched power?
No.
It's the towering ambition to face any adversity with the resolve to die... and win!
Golden Lion Shiki's spirit had already been defeated. In Whitebeard's eyes, he was a complete loser. Such a person was unworthy of an alliance and unworthy of being mentioned at all.
"Everyone keeps talking about Kojin..." After a moment, he shook his head and chuckled.
"I'm curious about the power you possess." Whitebeard muttered softly.
——
West Blue.
A month passed quickly.
Finally, Kojin laid eyes on the airship he had been thinking about day and night during this time.
Perhaps calling it an Ark would be more appropriate. As it slowly sailed out of Troia Port, its overall silhouette resembled a sleek, artistic whale in the sea. Massive propellers were positioned at the bow, along the sides, and at the stern.
"It combines wind and electric dual power systems. It can sail on the sea and fly into the sky. In theory, it's a perfect work of art. I wonder where you obtained the blueprints." Capone Bege exclaimed in admiration.
When he first saw the design drawings, he didn't think much of them. But now that the real ship stood before him, he was shocked beyond words.
In this era, what did a flying ship represent?
Remember that the Golden Lion Pirates earned their world-famous name precisely because of such ships.
"One ship isn't enough. At the very least, we need ten," Kojin sighed.
Having seen it in person, he knew that, given the ship's size, transporting the vast amount of gold from Skypiea would be impossible.
Even with ten ships, it might require more than one trip.
"The shipbuilding yard is working around the clock. I believe that within a month, we'll have ten airships and a flying fleet of five hundred men!" Capone Bege said excitedly.
He truly loved this kind of ship. Just imagining it made his whole body tremble with excitement.
'How many people dreamed of soaring through the skies, commanding a fleet?'
Kojin smiled faintly. In an instant, he was standing on the deck of the Ark.
He placed his right hand against the metal control panel.
Crackle!
Arcs of electricity burst forth.
In an instant, streams of electricity coursed throughout the entire ship.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
About two seconds later, the propellers began spinning faster and faster.
Five seconds later, the Ark lifted off the sea's surface and soared into the sky.
Kojin experimented with the controls. By adjusting the propellers' positions, he could fine-tune the ship's direction. This feature showcased the extraordinary brilliance of the world's greatest brain, Vegapunk, and was indeed extremely convenient.
"Scientists change the world. It's hard to imagine just how far his research on the Lineage Factor theory has progressed. In the original story, didn't he create several clones of himself in the future?" Kojin muttered thoughtfully.
'Wait.'
His expression suddenly changed.
"He wouldn't use me as a template and create a clone of me in the future, would he?"
After thinking carefully about it, he realized that possibility was disturbingly high.
"No, I have to warn him."
The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt.
Just imagine, a clone that looked almost identical to him yet obeyed Vegapunk's every command.
What a terrifying image.
After circling Troia Island to test the Ark's performance, Kojin piloted it back to the shipbuilding yard.
"Not bad! Mass-produce this kind of Ark as much as possible. I'll create a thundercloud above the shipyard for charging purposes."
With a flash of lightning, Kojin appeared beside Capone Bege, speaking with satisfaction.
"Yes!" Capone Bege responded excitedly.
Then, he saw Kojin point toward the distance.
Rumble!
A thundercloud with a diameter of three hundred meters formed rapidly, floating roughly three hundred meters above the ground.
Lightning cascaded down from it, making an awe-inspiring sight.
"Insert a metal conduit into the thundercloud, and you can charge the ships," Kojin explained.
Capone Bege silently memorized it.
Meanwhile, his heart roared wildly.
"I don't want to conquer the sea anymore! I want to conquer the sky!"
How romantic and exhilarating it would be to command a flying fleet!
Soon after, Kojin transformed into lightning and left. Moments later, he appeared above Ohara and gazed down.
"Hm?"
A trace of surprise appeared in his eyes. In a flash, he descended to the center of the island, beside the Tree of Knowledge.
Amid the charred earth and blackened ruins, a tender green sapling had sprouted from the Tree of Knowledge's twisted roots.
Reviving from desolation, reborn among the ruins.
Kojin stood there in a daze.
For the first time, he felt the greatness of life.
Suddenly, a bolt of inspiration flashed through his mind.
"This is the most suitable place for the scholars of Ohara."
If fresh green shoots could grow from scorched ruins reduced to ashes, then what was impossible? Of course, openly allowing the scholars to rebuild Ohara was unrealistic.
"But what if I were to lift this island into the sky?"
Kojin raised his head and looked toward the heavens. At that moment, he felt an intense desire for the powers of the Float-Float Fruit.
Not for the destructive strength it could display, but simply for its ability to make things float.
What could be more wonderful, or more suitable for establishing a hidden base, than a floating Skypiea?
"Shiki! Where are you now?"
(End of Chapter)