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Dressrosa, in a dimly lit hall.
A man wearing a pink feather coat and unique sunglasses sat with an arrogant expression, one leg crossed over the other.
This was none other than Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, also known as the "Heavenly Yaksha"!
Since his setback on the Shadow Island, Doflamingo's actions had become much more subdued, staying in Dressrosa to play the role of the local tyrant.
However, a phone call suddenly enraged the previously relaxed Doflamingo.
"Young Master, the weapons sub-factory has been hit by a terrifying attack! The entire base has been destroyed!" The voice on the other end was filled with fear.
"What the hell are you saying?!"
Doflamingo shouted angrily, "What happened? Which damned bastard did this?!"
After the slave auction at the Sabaody Archipelago was shut down, this weapons sub-factory became a crucial part of the Donquixote Family's industry chain and distribution network.
For this reason, he had deliberately set it up on a secluded, resource-poor, uninhabited island.
Despite such careful precautions, problems still arose!
Back on the deserted island, a relieved Escanor no longer held back, deciding to follow Zyhark aboard the Endless Dream, which had already sailed far into the distance.
The island was in ruins, floods overflowing, and the molten lava flowing everywhere hissed and steamed as it interacted with the water.
The weapons factory, deep inside a cave, was buried under collapsing rocks, and most of the staff perished.
Only a few managed to escape by sheer luck.
"T-That strange-looking ship and the blue-haired woman who could summon tsunamis, it's definitely, definitely Zyhark's crew from the Baratie!"
A disheveled pirate holding a Den Den Mushi spoke, terrified, knowing well his Young Master's methods, "Young Master, we've tried our best to resist…"
Resist, my foot. In truth, they just cursed a bit in the direction where the Endless Dream disappeared.
"That evil thunder Zyhark?"
Doflamingo's beady eyes, hidden behind his glasses, darkened instantly.
Although he hadn't met him face-to-face, it was clear he was very familiar with Zyhark's name.
Whether at the previous Warlord meetings or in recent newspaper articles, it was almost always about this newly emerged guy!
"Fufufufu! So, the moment he entered the New World, he already set his sights on my territory? Indeed, he's an overconfident rookie..."
Doflamingo laughed out of anger.
Red lightning crackled as his Haoshoku Haki surged from within, startling his subordinates like Trebol, the snot-nosed man, and Pica, standing nearby.
Watching Doflamingo slowly stand and walk to the floor-to-ceiling window, Trebol sniffed and quickly asked, "Young Master, what are you going to do?"
"Of course, I'm going to personally teach the guy who dares challenge me a lesson!"
Ignoring the protests of his subordinates, Doflamingo leaped from the high ground, swiftly heading toward the factory island on his sturdy strings.
By the time he rushed to the scene, Zyhark and his crew had long disappeared without a trace.
High in the sky, the roar of the engine was endless.
The Endless Dream broke through layer after layer of clouds, arriving at the vast expanse of the White Sea.
Now, they didn't need to use the troublesome and dangerous upward sea current to reach Skypiea. As long as they set their course in advance, they could arrive in minutes.
As for why they were returning to Skypiea now, there were two reasons.
The first was that they had almost exhausted the gold they took earlier and needed to restock their funds at the City of Gold, their personal treasury.
After all, their next opponent would be the Emperor of the New World, and expenses would certainly not be low!
The second reason was to craft a weapon for Escanor, similar to the legendary one-handed axe Rhitta from the original story.
Through the battle on the deserted island, Zyhark had gained a detailed understanding of Escanor's combat abilities at various stages.
In the morning, his physique, strength, and speed were all excellent, making him a warrior capable of both offense and defense.
At noon, his power surged, and during the strongest minute, while he might not be "invincible," he could easily reach an Yonko level capable of island destruction!
The downside to such formidable power was that whenever the sun rose, Escanor would emit waves of heat energy from his body.
Though it didn't pose a threat to Zyhark and his crew, it was rather disruptive, seriously affecting the quality of their voyage and daily life.
Aqua's magic could suppress this heat, but having to repeat the same task every day was a hassle even for the lazy goddess herself, and Zyhark found the idea bothersome too!
Thus, crafting a handy weapon that could absorb and store Escanor's heat became quite necessary!
Kanna and Escanor, who had never been to such heights, stood at the bow, marveling at the endless White Sea.
Whether it was the clouds that could support the weight of the ship or the giant sky fish occasionally emerging from the depths of the clouds, all of it captivated their attention.
Escanor was alright; his power might have waned in the afternoon, but his arrogance remained, ensuring he didn't react too strongly.
Childlike Kanna was much more excited. After getting a nod from Zyhark, she transformed into her true dragon form, flapping her white dragon wings and spinning and leaping through the White Sea.
Occasionally appearing sky creatures were conveniently treated as snacks and swallowed whole.
Unfortunately, despite their size, these sky creatures didn't offer much in terms of quality, tasting even less satisfying than small crabs.
After a few attempts, even the usually non-picky Kanna showed a disdainful expression and lost interest, fully immersing herself in her playful frolic.
Having been to the sky once before, Zyhark, Aqua, and the others calmly sat on the deck, sipping tea and chatting.
When it came to Skypiea, Zyhark felt more nostalgic than the others.
It was in this sky-sea that he had obtained the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, marking the first step in his rapid power increase.
It was also here that he had his first encounter in the world of pirates, where he was beaten into retreat.
Without the ability for "self-cardiac revival," he would likely have died under Kaido's club!
The time for his promised showdown with Kaido of the Beasts was fast approaching…
Zyhark felt a surge of emotions.
To be honest, even he hadn't anticipated that so many events would unfold in just a few months! The crew had grown from just a troublesome goddess to a fully-fledged team.
Surviving this long hadn't been easy…
Time slipped away in such relaxed and leisurely moments. Soon, at the end of the vast White Sea, an island with a giant beanstalk came into view.
The island in the sky, Angel Island, had arrived!
Their first stop was the independent port below Angel Island.
The port manager, still the tall Cobis, a member of the Skypiea God's Guard.
Her long blonde hair fluttered in the breeze as she stood at the port, her fair hand resting on the Cloud Sword at her waist.
As the manager of this important port, she had naturally noticed the Blue Sea ship approaching.
Even though Angel Island had undergone drastic changes, it was still her duty to ensure the safety of the island's residents.
Even if it meant ending up like a month ago when she was beaten to near death by those short-legged pirates from the Blue Sea!
However, as the Endless Dream approached and Cobis saw the familiar figure standing at the bow, her tense nerves immediately relaxed.
Tears of relief welled up uncontrollably in her eyes. It's Lord Zyhark and Lady Aqua!!
Without waiting for the Endless Dream to dock, Cobis jumped onto a Waver parked nearby, tightened the throttle, and sped toward them.
"Lord Zyhark, Lady Aqua, thank goodness, thank goodness you've finally returned!"
With a nimble leap, Cobis landed directly on the deck of the Endless Dream, appearing before Zyhark and the others.
"Hm? You look familiar; you're that, that… who was it again?"
Aqua blinked her wise eyes, frowning in deep thought.
"Right! You're that Skypiea resident, Gan Fall!"
She slapped her forehead, confidently giving her answer.
Zyhark, Meowth, King: "…"
"Um, Lady Aqua, I'm not Lord Gan Fall, I'm Cobis, the port manager,"
Cobis, already anxious, was left speechless by Aqua's unexpected comment.
"Oh! So you're Cobis. Why didn't you say so earlier?"
The useless goddess turned the blame on Cobis, trying to cover up her own face blindness and poor memory.
Seeing Cobis's upset expression, Zyhark was too tired to make fun of the foolish goddess and asked directly, "What happened?"
Upon hearing this, Cobis's thoughts, disturbed by Aqua, returned to normal.
"Lord Zyhark, while you were away, a group of pirates from the Blue Sea attacked Angel Island. Lord Gan Fall and Wiper of the Shandians fought desperately, but they were easily defeated by these terrifying pirates!"
Knowing the seriousness of the situation, she didn't hold back, recounting the dramatic changes that had occurred on Angel Island recently.
Just over a month ago, after Zyhark and his crew had just finished their Alabasta journey and became the new Seven Warlords of the Sea.
A large island from the Blue Sea had floated up and appeared out of nowhere. Upon learning that the island harbored a City of Gold, it immediately attacked and conquered Angel Island, forcibly incorporating it into its territory.
The island's defenders, including Gan Fall and Wiper, were almost instantly overwhelmed and became prisoners.
Under the brutal rule of these pirates, the residents were all forced into intense labor, going to the ruins to mine gold.
Even the entrance fee of 1 billion Extol (100,000 Berries) had been increased to 100 billion!
"What?! Which bastard is so bold as to oppress and bully the goddess's cute followers like this?!"
After understanding the situation, Aqua's usually fiery temper flared up, declaring she would throw those brazen Blue Sea pirates into the sea to feed the fish.
As she rolled up her sleeves, ready to rush into a fight, Zyhark, looking serious, reached out to stop her.
"Zyhark, they've bullied us to this point, and you can still endure?" Aqua's face was full of disbelief.
"Exactly! All that glittering gold, it's our treasure, meow!"
For once, Meowth sided with the foolish goddess, waving his cat paws in indignation.
"We will definitely settle this, but this time, our opponent is different from any we've faced before, so we need to prepare."
As he spoke, Zyhark felt more puzzled.
A floating island, a blonde pirate with short legs and dual blades...
Based on Cobis's description, it could be inferred that the culprit behind the attack on Angel Island was none other than Golden Lion Shiki, one of the three legendary pirates alongside Roger and Whitebeard!
However, in the original story, after escaping from Impel Down by cutting off his legs, wasn't Shiki supposed to be hiding in the East Blue with his floating island, waiting for the right moment to strike? Why would he appear on Angel Island at this point in time?
Was it a deviation in their route, passing by this island by chance, or was it due to the butterfly effect brought about by them, who originally didn't belong in the world of pirates?
Zyhark had no way of knowing, nor was he interested in digging into the details.
Since they had crossed paths, whether to protect his treasury or to uphold the outward dignity of the foolish goddess, this battle was inevitable!
Crackle, crackle.
Electric arcs danced in Zyhark's eyes as his Kenbunshoku Haki spread toward Angel Island above.
Angel Island wasn't that big, nor was it that small.
After a search, Zyhark finally detected the presence of the Golden Lion Pirates in the vicinity of the god's palace in the upper middle area of the giant vine.
There, the island that housed various mutated beasts was suspended in mid-air, and within the unfinished palace in the middle, a group of pirates was drinking and cheering wildly.
"Kehahahaha! I heard there are quite a few people here on Skypiea who believe in a so-called Water Goddess. Out of curiosity, I came to take a look, and what a haul I've found!"
Golden Lion Shiki laughed loudly from the main seat, his famous swords Kaku and Sakura flashing with a chilling light.
Having escaped from the deep-sea prison a few years ago, he decided to plan an event that would shock the world after discovering the peculiar island of Merveille.
When all the preparations were completed, he used his fruit ability to take the entire island to the East Blue.
News that the Super Rookie Evil Thunder Zyhark had become a Warlord spread worldwide.
After learning that Zyhark's crew had killed a Celestial Dragon, Shiki became intrigued by this new arrival.
Along with him, the Water Goddess Aqua, Emperor Engine King, and the evil scientist Meowth also came to his attention.
Initially, the rebellious Golden Lion didn't take these upstart kids seriously.
However, while floating through the White Sea, the Flying Pirates had either actively or passively heard numerous stories of the "Thunder God" and "Water Goddess."
With nothing else to do, Shiki made a side trip to the nearest Angel Island.
And there, he found a huge treasure—a whole town of gold!
"By the way, Captain, isn't this supposed to be Zyhark's territory? By occupying it like this, could we…"
One of the officers expressed concern.
In response, Shiki grinned, his aura brimming with domineering Haki.
"Kehahahaha! Are you suggesting that I, the great Golden Lion, should be afraid of some wet-behind-the-ears rookie?"
"No, there's no way they would dare."
Feeling the terrifying Haoshoku Haki from their captain, the officer shook his head repeatedly and slapped himself. "You're the Golden Lion, after all! What on earth was I thinking?!"
"Hahahahaha!"
The other pirates burst into laughter.
Indeed, their captain was Golden Lion Shiki, who had fought Roger and Whitebeard for supremacy and had stormed Marineford alone.
No one would believe that a rookie just making his mark on the seas would have the courage to confront such a "legend" head-on!
While everyone thought this was only natural.
Boom!!!
A violent thunderclap echoed through the hall, and the door outside collapsed with a crash.
Amid the billowing smoke and dust, six figures in stylish cloaks slowly walked in.
(End of Chapter)