One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

The air seemed to be stirred by a giant hand, emitting a low, mournful sound.

An anomaly, a surprise attack!

Chapter 178 Sky Chosen

"This isn't natural wind!"

Data streams flashed rapidly in Nami's deep blue eyes.

Something's coming!

"Is it an enemy?" Zoro, who was training, had his hand on the hilt of his sword, and the white Wado Ichimonji emitted a slight hum.

Almost the instant his words fell—

Rumble! ...

In the sea ahead of the Merry, a small island suddenly rose from the ground and soared into the sky.

It's not a metaphor, but a literal "rising from the ground".

To the astonishment of the Straw Hat crew, the once calm sea was torn apart as if by an invisible giant hand, with the seawater surging wildly in all directions, revealing the bottomless darkness below.

Immediately afterwards, a small island covered with lush vegetation and rugged rocks broke free from the depths of the seabed, carrying tons of seawater and silt, and rose vertically at an illogical speed.

"The island... the island is flying!?" Usopp's jaw nearly dislocated, and the binoculars slipped from his hands, bouncing a few times on the deck.

Chopper clung tightly to Zoro's leg, trembling all over: "W-what's going on!? How can the island fly up by itself!? Is it... is it an upwelling current?"

Brook's soul fire surged wildly.

Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, his brow furrowed: "...Looks like I won't be able to take a proper vacation."

After he finished speaking, everyone's eyes turned to Luffy standing to the side.

As everyone expected, Luffy's eyes were already shining with excitement as he watched the island slowly rise.

"Interesting! This is so interesting!"

"Hey Nami, get the Going Merry going!"

"Move the boat closer!"

"I want to explore that island!"

"I knew it!"

Nami sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

But the next second, she was still rapidly issuing commands through the brain-computer interface.

"Merry, activate flight mode!"

Nami's command was instantly transmitted through the brain-computer interface.

In an instant, a coating suddenly appeared on the hull of the Merry, separating it from the seawater.

The twelve circular crystal devices on both sides of the ship suddenly lit up, bursting forth with a deep blue light, like twelve awakened stars. A low humming sound came from the bottom of the ship, a sign that the floating wind tunnel array had begun to operate.

With a slight hum, the water film between the hull and the sea surface was pushed apart by an invisible force, and the entire ship began to slowly lift off the water.

"Wow—!" Luffy shouted excitedly, his eyes wide open. "It really flies! The Going Merry is flying!"

Chopper clung tightly to the anchor ring on the deck, both frightened and excited: "Wow, that's amazing! But it's so high!"

Usopp was already sprawled on the deck, gripping the railing tightly with both hands: "I... I knew this day would come! But it's happening so fast! I wasn't mentally prepared at all!"

Robin stood at the stern, arms crossed, his gaze deep: "The way this island rose is very unnatural...it doesn't seem like geological activity, it's more like..."

"It's more like it was manipulated."

V picked up the conversation, adjusting his glasses.

His prosthetic eye was already set to the highest magnification scanning mode, with various data streams flashing across his field of vision: the island's ascent speed, mass estimation, energy fluctuation frequency, abnormal airflow...

Looking at this illogical scene before him, a name instantly flashed into V's mind—

"Is that you, Golden Lion?"

His voice was soft, yet it made Nami and Zoro turn their heads at the same time.

"Golden Lion?" Sanji raised an eyebrow. "You mean that legendary pirate who was on par with Roger and Whitebeard?"

“That’s right.” V nodded. “More than twenty years ago, he escaped from Impel Down by cutting off his own legs.”

"Then they disappeared without a trace, as if they had vanished from the face of the earth."

"But in fact, he never truly withdrew from the stage of history; instead, he secretly accumulated strength."

"If I'm not mistaken, this floating island in front of us must be his creation."

"What!?" Usopp exclaimed in shock. "Is it really possible for humans to lift such a large island into the air?"

“Of course!” V’s eyes flashed as he explained, “Shiki the Golden Lion, the user of the Float-Float Fruit, can free himself or any non-living thing he touches from the constraints of gravity and float freely.”

"This scene is exactly his style."

Nami's eyes widened slightly: "A legendary pirate... why would he suddenly appear here?"

“I don’t know.” V’s gaze was fixed on the island. “But since we’ve encountered it—”

"Then we can't pretend we didn't see it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the rising island reached the same height as the Merry.

On the edge of the island, amidst the dense forest, several unnatural red lights suddenly appeared.

“That’s…” Usopp raised his binoculars, his voice suddenly rising, “A fortress!? There’s a fortress on the island!”

Almost the instant he shouted, several blazing lines of fire shot out from the dense forest at the edge of the island, tearing through the sky and heading straight for the Merry, which was suspended in mid-air!

"Thirty degrees to port, deploy energy shield!" Nami gave the command almost instinctively.

The crystal devices on both sides of the Merry's hull shone brightly, and a translucent pale blue light film covered the entire port side of the ship at the critical moment.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The shells struck the energy shield, bursting into blinding flashes of light, but the shield only rippled slightly before completely absorbing the impact.

"A counterattack?" Zoro's hand was already gripping the hilt of his sword, a glint of fighting spirit flashing in his eyes.

"Wait." V raised his hand to stop him. "The real enemy is not here."

V looked up at the sky again.

A gust of wind swept through, and the thick clouds that had covered the sky seemed to be torn apart by an invisible giant hand, suddenly scattering to both sides.

The sunlight poured down without any obstruction, illuminating the breathtaking and magnificent scene before us.

In an instant, a vast cluster of floating islands, consisting of multiple islands, appeared suspended high in the sky.

These islands are not naturally connected, but rather seem to have been forcibly "stitched" together by some force.

The islands vary in size and shape, floating silently in the azure sky, defying all common sense.

"That is..." The Straw Hat crew involuntarily held their breath, looking up in amazement at this unprecedentedly magnificent yet eerie and domineering scene.

If a single flying island was already incredibly astonishing, then this entire sky island group left the Straw Hat Pirates utterly speechless with surprise.

V fixed his gaze on his companions.

“It’s completely confirmed…” He pushed up his glasses, a knowing smile curving his lips, his voice calm yet carrying an unwavering certainty, “We have indeed encountered the Golden Lion.”

"Get ready. It's a rare opportunity to meet such a senior, so don't leave a bad impression."

As soon as he finished speaking, a thoughtful look flashed across V's eyes.

Speaking of which...

It seems quite fitting to have the legendary pirate Shiki the Golden Lion serve as one of the Straw Hat Pirates' eight great demons, the Sky Demon.

Chapter 179 Golden Lion Shiki

at the same time.

At the heart of the Sky Island Cluster, on the largest and most precipitous main island, heavy metal doors slid slowly open to both sides with a low rumble.

The sound of the door hinges turning carried a cold, mechanical quality that echoed in the empty entrance hall, as if it were an undeniable declaration—the absolute ruler of this sky has returned.

Shiki the Golden Lion stepped across the threshold with steady, slow steps.

The two famous swords "Kumo" and "Sakura-ju" that replaced his feet made a clear and solitary "clang, clang" sound every time he stepped on the smooth, mirror-like metal floor, like bells tolling for his return.

"Thank you for your hard work, Lord Shiki."

A subordinate dressed in a dark blue uniform and with a respectful expression immediately stepped forward.

He held a silver tray in both hands, on which sat an antique-looking glass filled with amber liquid, with ice cubes gently clinking together.

Golden Lion grunted in agreement, reached out and took the wine glass, and drank it all in one gulp.

The next second, a hearty smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he continued walking deeper into the base.

"Indigo, Base 8 has been recovered. The experimental equipment on it can be retrieved now."

“Yes, Lord Shiki, I’ll arrange it right away,” a strange figure emerged from the shadows on the side replied.

The figure was dressed in an exaggerated clown costume with blue and white stripes, and wore a top hat of the same style.

What's most eye-catching are the enormous shoes on his feet, which make a strange "plop plop" sound with every step, making his entire gait look unusually bizarre and amusing.

The visitor was none other than Dr. Indigo, the scientist and right-hand man of the Golden Lion.

“Lord Shiki,” Indigo approached the Golden Lion and said in a comical tone, “According to the data feedback just received from Base 8, it seems that something has activated Base 8’s automatic attack system.”

"Probably some kind of large bird of prey, it doesn't matter," the Golden Lion said nonchalantly.

Base 8 was not an important place to them; it was just an uninhabited island used to collect experimental subjects.

After all, while the Sky Islands have their own ecosystem, it is difficult to support their animal experiments.

Therefore, every once in a while, the Flying Pirates would search for a suitable island, send people to collect plants and animals in the surrounding waters, transport them to the island, and finally Shiki would bring everything from the island to Skypiea.

As for whether there are pirates or people temporarily staying on this island?