The sun shone bright in a cloudless sky. Today marked yet another beautiful day on the Grand Line.
Several days had passed in the blink of an eye. August had arrived, though Vane didn't know the exact date. It probably wasn't the fifth—he never really kept track of ti.
Their next destination was the Golden City.
Compared to the endless sea, heading for Grand Tesoro felt like a vacation. On the open ocean, you could sail for days without spotting a single island or ship. The still waters and wide horizon gave an eerie sense of being stranded in ti.
The sea was usually calm, and winds mild. Outside the Calm Belt and a few rough patches, most routes were suitable for sailing. But when storms did hit, they were disastrous. A storm on land could be endured—on the sea, it beca a roaring nightmare, like a tsunami unleashed by the Gura Gura no Mi.
Just two days ago, they had narrowly avoided capsizing during one such storm. But with Esdeath on board.
Acting swiftly, she froze an entire stretch of the sea, halting the storm in its tracks.
"Looks like my powers are evolving on their own," she said, watching the frozen ocean glisten under the sun.
Kalifa stood at the bow of the ship. Monts earlier, a Sea King had erged from the depths, attempting to swallow them whole. This one was monstrous—far larger than their ship, which itself was over sixty ters long and twenty ters wide.
But Kalifa had responded without hesitation. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky, piercing the Sea King's skull. It collapsed instantly.
One hundred million volts.
"Disgusting! That thing hasn't brushed its teeth in decades," Esdeath said, pinching her nose. When the beast opened its mouth, a wave of foul stench spread across the deck. She had just eaten breakfast and nearly threw up.
"They can brush their teeth?" Kalifa raised an eyebrow, sparks dancing on her fingertips.
She smiled playfully, holding out her crackling hand. "My powers are leveling up too. One strike and that oversized guppy was fried. Pretty scary, huh?"
"Hmm? Impressive," Esdeath replied flatly.
Their banter had beco a daily ritual. Despite the teasing, there was no real hostility between them.
Kalifa grinned. "Twenty million volts could turn you to ashes."
"Ashes? How terrifying," Esdeath said with a smirk. "But do you know what my strongest move is?"
Kalifa blinked. "What?"
"Freezing ti and space."
Kalifa laughed. "You an freezing matter, right? Ti and space aren't physical. You can't just freeze abstract concepts."
"You'll see," Esdeath replied cryptically. "When I freeze ti and space, no matter how powerful you are, you're stuck. You can't resist it."
She spoke with pride. Lately, she'd sensed sothing strange—her ability to use Mahapadmamo, the technique that froze ti and space, had grown. Before, she could use it once per day. Now, maybe three or four tis. She hadn't tested it fully—after all, there hadn't been an opponent worthy of it lately.
Her abilities were evolving, even becoming more like elental transformations. It felt unnatural, but she welcod the power boost.
Kalifa crossed her arms. "I still don't buy it. Freezing ti and space... sounds like a fantasy."
"Hmph. My powers aren't like Aokiji's," Esdeath shot back. "And I can summon blizzards too."
"Well, I can unleash a thunderstorm. Let's see who gets scared first," Kalifa replied, her eyes sparkling.
Despite their constant squabbling, Vane enjoyed the peace. He lay on the deck, eyes on the sky. The sun was behind him, so the light didn't bother him.
Listening to Kalifa and Esdeath argue was oddly comforting.
The sky was vibrant and clear. In this world, the skies were always stunning. No pollution, no smog—just pure blue. If there was any industrial ruin in the world, it was probably Wano Country.
As he watched, sothing caught his eye.
Black dots in the sky.
Not just a few—dozens. They were clustered in a circular pattern, with larger ones at the center.
"What's that?" Vane asked, sitting up and narrowing his eyes.
The black spots grew larger.
And then, he saw them clearly—floating islands.
Suspended high above the sea.
"Floating islands?" he muttered.
Kalifa followed his gaze and gasped.
"Islands... floating in midair!"
Unlike Skypiea's sky islands, which rested on cloud beds, these were truly airborne. Dozens of them, moving in a slow, looming formation, descending toward their ship.
"Are those falling?" Esdeath asked, more curious than alard.
"The power of a Devil Fruit user," Vane said calmly.
Kalifa blinked. "What kind of power can do that?"
Vane's expression darkened slightly.
"There's only one person in the world who can make entire islands float..."
He clenched his fist.
"It's the Golden Lion."
Kalifa and Esdeath froze.
Vane stared up at the massive islands drifting closer. Their sheer size was overwhelming—a staggering show of force.
And unmistakable.
The Golden Lion, Shiki, had found them.
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