章節 74: Objective: Destroy SIQ and Capture Sanders!
After awakening the full power of the Float-Float Fruit, Sanders gained the ability to make dozens, or even hundreds, of islands float in the sky. With this newfound control, his vision of a floating kingdom could finally begin to take shape. Besides his current territories, such as the Kingdom of God above Jaya Island and the island beneath his feet, his plans were beginning to unfold.
As he stepped out of the warehouse, the pirates had already fled, and Sanders didn't bother chasing or recruiting them. His focus was on the residents of this island and those of his kingdom; there was no need to rely on the remnants of the Flying Pirates.
Using his Float-Float abilities alongside the speed of his Thunder-Thunder Fruit, Sanders quickly found Robin, Nami, and the others. They were helping free residents trapped in the collapsed ruins of their homes.
"Captain, you're back!" Nami said with a smile of relief. "Are your injuries serious?"
"It's nothing serious. I'll heal up on my own," Sanders reassured her. He then asked, "How are the residents? Any casualties?"
"Thankfully, very few," Robin replied quietly. "Just a few people were trapped under debris and needed help getting out."
Sanders nodded, content with the outcome. Then, Robin's curiosity got the better of her. "Captain, did you manage to obtain the Float-Float Fruit's power?"
"Yes," he replied with a grin. To demonstrate, he touched a rock at his feet, and it immediately began floating in the air as though it had lost all weight.
Robin's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched. "You really did it… It's incredible. Just how did you manage to obtain another Devil Fruit power?"
At that moment, Issho approached and asked, "Captain, what do you plan to do with the remaining pirates?"
"They're all gone. This place is ours now," Sanders said. "Even though some of the buildings were damaged, most of them are intact. We can live here just fine."
"Are you planning to make this place our base?" Robin asked. "It's far from the New World, though."
Based on what she knew of Sanders, she expected him to go head-to-head with the most powerful pirates, which would mean moving into the New World. Placing a base here didn't seem ideal. As for making the island float, she assumed it would take Sanders time to develop his powers before he could lift an entire island like Golden Lion did.
"No problem. We can bring the island with us to the Grand Line whenever we want," Sanders replied with a smirk.
"Already?" Robin was stunned. If he could do it now, why hadn't he lifted the island right away?
"Captain, what about the villagers?" Issho asked.
Sanders smiled. "They're your responsibility. Let them keep living as they always have. Just drive the beasts in the forest into one area and contain them with a barricade. That way, they won't cause trouble."
He had no interest in oppressing the island's residents; the treasure they had on the Thunder God was more than enough.
In the Golden Lion's treasure vault, a significant amount of resources remained. It was enough to sustain their pirate crew for decades.
"So, does that mean all of this now belongs to the Thunder God Pirates?" Nami asked excitedly.
"Yes, this place will be our base from now on!" Sanders replied. "There's a lot of treasure that the Golden Lion left behind. Would you like to take a look?"
"Treasure!!" Nami's eyes sparkled, showing her usual greedy expression. After a moment, she hesitated and looked at Sanders. "Aren't these treasures something the Golden Lion took from these villagers? Should we return them to them?"
Seeing the thin villagers before her, Nami remembered her own hometown.
"If you're willing to give it up, go ahead," Sanders laughed, ruffling Nami's orange hair. "But even if you give them the treasure, they won't have anywhere to spend it. It would be better to give them some of the supplies in the storage. But for that, you'll need to talk to Issho; it's his responsibility."
Sanders had already decided to take a hands-off approach, leaving all the management to Issho.
For the time being, the Thunder God Pirates stayed on this island while Issho handled the village's matters, and Sanders took some time to recover from his injuries. Issho first organized the distribution of the Golden Lion's abundant supplies among the villagers, ensuring their basic needs were met. Then, he led the able-bodied residents to begin rebuilding their homes, gradually shrinking the wild areas inhabited by dangerous animals. The Golden Lion's palace was connected to the village area, making it the Thunder God Pirates' initial base of operations.
While the Thunder God Pirates quietly developed, the Flying Pirates who had fled the Golden Lion's base spread the news of Sanders' battle with the Golden Lion, creating an uproar worldwide.
"Island falls from the sky—Golden Lion Shiki's base discovered!"
"Legendary Pirate Shiki the Golden Lion reappears at sea!"
"Thunder God Sanders battles Golden Lion Shiki, who is defeated!"
"Golden Lion Shiki's plan to destroy the world foiled; Flying Pirates flee in chaos!"
These shocking headlines appeared in newspapers, spreading rapidly across the seas.
"Whoa, are you kidding? The Golden Lion Shiki actually appeared!"
"Who's Shiki?"
"You don't know? He was a legendary pirate from Roger and Whitebeard's era, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user who once attacked Marine Headquarters and later escaped from Impel Down."
"Just like Thunder God Sanders, who also escaped from Impel Down. Scary!"
"But not as scary as Sanders, right? He defeated Shiki!"
"I only know that Sanders has started challenging legendary figures, and Shiki was only the first; he certainly won't be the last!"
"The Paramecia-type Devil Fruit is amazing, letting you make islands float. If I could get it, I'd become a great pirate and crush anyone in my way with islands!"
"In your dreams. If you ate the fruit, you'd be lucky to get a ship to float, let alone an island. Get real!"
"Shut up! How do you know I can't do it?"
…
At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku slammed the newspaper down on the meeting table, his face red with anger.
"Tell me, why are we learning these things from the press?!" he shouted. "Do we need to get our intel from the newspaper now?" Spittle flew as he berated the head of the Marine intelligence department, who stood with his head bowed in shame. Around the table, the Marine high command sat with mixed expressions.
Kizaru casually trimmed his nails as he lazily commented, "Oh, so not even the Golden Lion could beat him? How scary. He really lives up to being able to defeat Aokiji."
Aokiji lifted his eye mask, casting a glance at Kizaru. "You should be glad it was me who went after him."
"But that's mainly because Sanders and I didn't have much conflict; that battle only lasted a few hours, and we both held back. It wasn't a true life-and-death fight. If it had been Kizaru who went, Sanders would've fought to the death to keep him there, sparing nothing."
Kizaru raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"Don't be so angry, Sengoku. We can't really blame anyone here," said Vice Admiral Tsuru, trying to defuse the situation. "The Flying Pirates scattered everywhere, and it was only after we captured some members that we learned about the Golden Lion's reappearance."
She continued, "Now, what we need to discuss is how to deal with Sanders. According to the Flying Pirates we captured, Golden Lion Shiki had been studying a plant called SSIQ. This plant can induce a certain level of evolution in animals but also makes them irritable and highly aggressive. Shiki's original plan was to use these animals to destroy the world."
"Now that Sanders has taken over that place, there's a chance he might want to keep the plant for himself," Tsuru suggested. "He might continue Shiki's research and use it to exact revenge on the Marines or the World Government, carrying out the Golden Lion's plans."
"Would he want to destroy the world like Shiki?" Sengoku frowned, unsure.
"It's hard to say. After all, he's now a pirate," Tsuru replied, leaving the rest unsaid. But everyone understood her implication. Sanders had plenty of reason to retaliate after all he had endured from the Marines. Betrayed by the very institution that claimed justice, it wouldn't be unthinkable for him to want revenge on the world.
"What's the plan, then?" asked Vice Admiral Dalmatian. "Should we go after him?"
"I recommend activating the Buster Call and deploying an Admiral," said Doberman. "After his battle with the Golden Lion, Sanders must be injured, so this might be our best shot at capturing him. At the very least, we can destroy the SSIQ plant to prevent him from using it for any schemes."
"What do you think, Tsuru?" Sengoku asked for her opinion.
"This might be our only chance to catch Sanders," she said after some thought. "But sending just one Admiral wouldn't be enough. We'd need at least two, and Garp should go as well."
"Huh? Me too?" Garp muttered, half-awake.
"You mentioned that Sanders has a swordsman, Issho, who might be formidable. It's unclear if a single Admiral would be enough to capture Sanders," Tsuru explained. "Plus, with his ship's ability to fly, even if we deploy all these forces, there's still a high chance he'll slip away."
Hearing this, Sengoku took off his glasses, rubbing his temples in frustration. After a long pause, he finally said, "Alright. I agree with Doberman's suggestion to launch the Buster Call and send Garp along with Aokiji. Ideally, they can capture the wounded Sanders. If that's not possible, they should at least destroy the SSIQ and those mutated animals to prevent any potential threat from Sanders using SSIQ to endanger the world. And start searching for any leads on the Float-Float Fruit's whereabouts. We can't let it fall into pirate hands again."
Sengoku had ultimately decided against sending three Admiral-level fighters. With the world's current instability, committing so much of their elite force could be too costly. He would first send Garp and Aokiji, hoping they would succeed or, at the very least, be able to eliminate the SSIQ threat.
"And if possible, try to gauge the true strength of that blind swordsman," Sengoku added.
The news Garp brought back from the East Blue weighed on Sengoku's mind, making it hard for him to rest. If the Thunder Pirates truly possessed two top-tier powerhouses, the balance of power would shift, turning the current four emperors into five.
"Alright," Aokiji shrugged, accepting the mission with a hint of reluctance. He had only just recovered, and now he had to face Sanders again.
"Hahaha, Kuzan, let's team up again!" Garp laughed, clapping Aokiji on the shoulder. "That brat Sanders really riled me up back in the East Blue. Let's join forces and teach him a lesson!"
The sharp sound of alarm bells echoed through Marine Headquarters. Led by Garp, Aokiji, and a formidable fleet including Vice Admirals Momonga, Dalmatian, Doberman, and Strawberry, they set out toward the island where Sanders was located.
Meanwhile, on the Moby Dick in the New World, Marco rushed over to Whitebeard with a newspaper in hand.
"Pops! Pops! The Golden Lion, Shiki, appeared again!"
Setting down his enormous jug of sake, Whitebeard laughed, "Gurararara! That old man's still kicking?"
"Actually, Pops… he's probably dead now," Marco replied.
"Oh? Dead? How?" Whitebeard was surprised. Shiki was no pushover; even without his legs, he retained a great deal of power. Combined with the Float-Float Fruit, he could evade the Marines easily.
"Sanders killed him. Shiki and Sanders clashed in a fierce battle, and Shiki was completely defeated. He's likely dead now." Marco handed Whitebeard the newspaper.
"Sanders… the Thunder Kid?" Whitebeard mused, a mix of emotions crossing his face as he watched the end of his contemporary, Golden Lion Shiki. The tides of history kept moving, leaving behind the giants of the previous era.
"Gurararara! It won't be long before Sanders comes to the New World. I wonder who he'll challenge first?" Whitebeard laughed, already sensing the disruption coming to the New World.
"Who cares who he challenges first! He won't go after Pops, the world's strongest!" Marco said optimistically. "Besides, the Whitebeard Pirates aren't afraid of any challenger!" The rest of the crew nodded in agreement.
Whitebeard simply smiled, thinking to himself. He could protect his sons for now, but the future was uncertain.
Elsewhere, on Whole Cake Island, Big Mom cursed Shiki, calling him a useless fool for not handling a young upstart like Sanders. Meanwhile, on Onigashima, Kaido didn't react at all. He had no real connection to Shiki. Back when they were both in the Rocks Pirates, he had just been a low-ranking member. Now, that former small fry had become a sea emperor, while the old Rocks cadre, Shiki, was dead, crushed beneath the wheels of the new era.
On a certain sea route along the Grand Line, Crocodile stood on the deck of his ship, now heading toward the New World. His failed attempt to obtain Pluton had left him burning with resentment toward Sanders, reigniting his ambitions for conquest.
"Sanders… just wait for me!" he muttered, gritting his teeth, cigar clenched between his lips as he crumbled the newspaper into sand, scattering it to the winds.
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