"Still, if this really is a cover-up, then it's the most extravagant one I've ever seen. That city alone costs a trillion Berries! I've been there myself—it's magnificent, a wonder to behold. Countless wealthy merchants are already lining up to invest in it. Many believe that once the City That Never Sleeps is completed, the Grey Nation will be swimming in profit," a vice admiral remarked after a long silence.
"Indeed," another added. "I think the same. That city is breathtaking—its architecture intricate and majestic. With the integration of sky technology and dials from Skypiea, it looks like something straight out of myth. Once it's built, and with Rosinante's three promises to attract merfolk and rare races, the City That Never Sleeps will become a gold mine beyond imagination."
"Report!" A sharp voice rang from outside.
"Enter!" Fleet Admiral Kong commanded sternly.
"Sir, urgent news from the Sabaody Archipelago!" the officer saluted. "Rosinante has vanished from Sabaody—along with Donquixote Doflamingo! The only ones still overseeing operations there are the former Donquixote executives, like Trebol and the others!"
The entire room went silent. The tension was so heavy it seemed to thicken the air itself.
"Report!" Another officer burst in.
"Speak," Kong ordered, his voice a low growl.
"All four divisions of the Grey Nation stationed across the seas have now fully assembled—but their destination is Sky Island!"
Everyone exhaled in relief. At least it wasn't the Navy or the World Government that Rosinante was targeting.
"They're gathering at Sky Island? Could something have gone wrong at his base?" Kuzan muttered in surprise.
"Heh, maybe someone dug up his precious little nest," Borsalino said with that infuriating grin of his.
"Hahahaha!" The other admirals laughed, the tension melting from their faces.
But Sengoku didn't share their laughter. His brows knitted together.
The mere mention of going to war with the Grey Nation had been enough to make the admirals nervous—that alone spoke volumes. At some point, Rosinante and his Grey Nation had grown into a power so formidable that even the Navy's upper echelon felt pressure. That was a dangerous sign.
"Do we know why?" Sengoku asked.
"According to World Government intelligence, the Grey Nation's Third Division Captain—Crazy Axe Burs—has been killed. Rosinante is gathering his forces to avenge him," the officer reported.
"That bastard!" Kong slammed a fist into the table. "All this chaos just for revenge? Any word on who killed Burs? For him to cause such a stir, his killer must be no ordinary man!"
"Not yet, sir. When the order was given, Rosinante only stated that Burs was dead—decapitated. The incident occurred somewhere in Sky Island territory, so we have no further intelligence."
"Damn troublesome..." Kong frowned deeply.
"Fleet Admiral, I believe this situation must be closely monitored," Sakazuki said, his tone hard as iron. "It might be an opportunity to suppress Rosinante's growing arrogance."
"Agreed," Sengoku added. "If another major power has emerged on Sky Island, it could be used to destabilize Rosinante's foundation."
"To use one threat to counter another, eh?" Kuzan murmured.
"Exactly. Sengoku, you'll take full charge of this matter. I'm authorizing you to handle it as you see fit—I have other concerns demanding my time," Kong said gravely.
"Understood, sir," Sengoku replied.
...
"Jihahahahaha!"
High above—roughly five thousand meters in the sky—floated a massive island fortress. In the grand hall of the Flying Sky Pirates' palace, the golden-maned legend himself, Shiki the Golden Lion, gathered his top officers.
One by one, figures entered the hall—each radiating a menacing aura, each worth hundreds of millions in bounty. As the last of them arrived, Shiki let out a booming laugh and tossed something across the marble floor.
It rolled to a stop with a sickening thud.
A head.
"Burs?"
"That's Burs's head!"
"The traitor—he actually killed him!" gasps echoed through the hall.
A wave of fear rippled among the officers. Some glanced nervously at each other, their faces pale, their bodies trembling slightly.
After Shiki's fateful battle against Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard, his Flying Fleet had been decimated. Half his elite captains were dead. Then came his mad assault on Marineford—his capture, his imprisonment in Impel Down.
When word spread that the Golden Lion had been captured, many within his ranks began to waver. Some fled. Among those deserters… was Burs.
But those who stood here today were the ones who had stayed—the ones who hadn't dared abandon their infamous captain.
Not all out of loyalty, of course. Some believed they could seize power for themselves—replace Shiki, command the fleet, and inherit the vast network he left behind.
But then the impossible happened—Shiki escaped Impel Down.
When he returned, his presence alone—his monstrous power, his overwhelming aura—was enough to crush all rebellion. The Flying Sky Pirates once again bent knee to the Golden Lion.
Yet even they hadn't expected what came next. Shiki had declared he would hide on this floating island for twenty years—to prepare for a "grand plan."
Twenty years. For pirates who lived by the moment, that might as well have been an eternity. They didn't want to waste their lives rotting in the clouds. Some began to dream of leaving.
But now, staring at Burs' severed head—one of their own who had dared betray Shiki—they felt a cold shiver crawl up their spines.
This was the fate of traitors.
He wasn't called Shiki the Lion Demon for nothing. He was ruthless to his enemies… and merciless to those who betrayed him.
As the blood pooled beneath Burs's lifeless gaze, every pirate who had once considered fleeing quietly buried that thought deep within their hearts.