OP: AMP Ch. 216

Everyone in the Straw Hat crew had gotten stronger.

Marcus had also acquired more Devil Fruits through the transmutation process, though technically they all belonged to his crewmates. This round of conversions alone had cost him nearly 400 million EMC.

Which meant he needed to manually grind out another massive batch. It felt uncomfortably similar to having a full-time job.

He sighed heavily, reluctantly setting up his AFK farming system again. The repetitive nature of resource generation was starting to wear on him, but there was no alternative if he wanted to keep upgrading his crew.

Five days of continuous operation later, his EMC reserves had climbed back above one billion. And that was with him frequently taking breaks to eat, chat with the crew, and play cards. He wasn't even optimizing his farming efficiency anymore.

Why bother? EMC could be generated anytime. A slightly slower rate didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

But in places Marcus hadn't been monitoring...

In the Nether, a group of zombified piglins had gathered at the edge of his farming zone. They stood watching their own kind mindlessly walking to their deaths. Strange spiral patterns had begun emerging on the bodies of the watching piglins, swirling across their skin like the visual effects of a potion. Their eyes showed awareness.

One particularly large piglin picked up a gold sword from the ground, studied it for a long moment, then set it back down. It made a sound, half-grunt and half-word, that none of its kind had ever produced before.

At the same time, similar spiral patterns were appearing on the body of a three-meter-tall enderman standing motionless in a distant corner of the Nether. Its eyes, which had always been blank purple voids, suddenly focused. It looked down at the netherrack beneath its feet, teleported a few meters away, then teleported back.

It picked up a block of netherrack, examined it closely, then set it down in a different location. Then it picked it up again and moved it back. Whatever was happening to these creatures, it was happening slowly. And Marcus had no idea it was occurring at all.

---

Nine days after Shiki had sent out his invitation, a new wave of pirates arrived at Skypiea.

This batch was different from the previous groups. They hadn't climbed the treacherous High-Speed Sky Route that wound up through the clouds. Instead, they'd flown directly up from various locations around the world using bubble coating technology. Any pirate who possessed that level of technology was, without exception, wealthy and powerful. These were major players, pirates who controlled entire regions, or mercenaries hired by kingdoms to serve as unofficial military forces.

Like the Happo Navy from the Kano Country, for instance. National governments hiring pirates wasn't unusual in this era. In fact, these pirates often served as a nation's primary defense force, handling threats the official military couldn't or wouldn't engage with. Sometimes it went even further. Pirates would conquer a country outright, install themselves as the new rulers, and continue paying the Heavenly Tribute to the World Government. The World Nobles didn't care who ran a country as long as the money kept flowing.

In this Great Pirate Era, such arrangements happened all the time.

Naturally, this group of bubble-coated pirates didn't pass through the White-White Sea where Marcus and the crew had been stationed. They came face-to-face with Shiki directly. However, there were still scattered pirates arriving via the traditional High-Speed Sky Route. But compared to the previous fleet of fifty-three ships, these new arrivals were pathetically small. Two or three ships arriving together at most, sometimes just a single battered vessel limping in alone.

They didn't even fly pirate flags anymore.

The reason was simple: word had spread about what happened to that first large fleet. Fifty-three ships destroyed, most crews killed, survivors fleeing to remote corners of Angel Island to lick their wounds.

Some of those survivors had tried contacting the outside world, planning to complain to Shiki about the "ambush" they'd suffered. Instead, their reports had leaked, and now anyone with decent intelligence channels knew there was a "god of death" stationed in the White-White Sea who would obliterate any pirate crew that caused trouble.

So the smart ones approached quietly, heads down, following the Skypieans residents' instructions without complaint. And without Marcus and his crew intervening, these humble pirates passed through safely despite some tense moments.

---

"Next batch should be the Marines, right?" Usopp said as he watched another damaged pirate ship limp through the river channel toward Angel Island.

The path ahead led to the cloud road that connected to the island proper. Without Skypieans summoning the Express Lobsters, climbing that road was nearly impossible. But clearly, some Skypieans had already chosen to submit to Shiki. They now controlled access to Heaven's Gate, summoning the giant shrimp whenever pirates approached.

Vivi gazed into the distance, her Whisper-Whisper Fruit picking up dozens of conversations simultaneously.

"Yeah... judging by the battle damage, they've definitely been through hell. The captain's name is... Vakart the Golden Hook, I think? Eighty-six million berry bounty."

"Never heard of him," Usopp muttered.

Over the past five days, every arriving pirate had carried a bounty exceeding eighty million berries. But their ships had gotten progressively more damaged with each passing day. This latest vessel had a massive hole torn through its main sail, and its hull showed scorch marks from cannon fire. The only reason it was still moving was some kind of steam-powered engine that wheezed and clanked with every rotation.

The ship looked ready to fall apart at any moment.

He felt no urge to destroy it. These pirates had clearly suffered enough just getting here. Instead, he watched quietly as the Express Lobsters clamped onto the vessel and carried it away toward the upper levels.

Their main purpose here wasn't to terrorize every pirate who passed through. It was to monitor the Skypieans who'd betrayed their own people, making sure conflicts between the surrender faction and the resistance didn't escalate into violence.

Too much had already happened over the past five days.

Pirates sailing to Upper Yard was a minor concern compared to what was happening within Angel Island itself. The community had fractured internally. Those residents who'd left with the "pirate ambassadors" had returned, bringing news: Shiki had agreed to accept their allegiance and was even willing to take in all the Skypieans refugees.

The returnees now used Shiki's name as their authority, strutting around like they controlled everyone's fate. As if a single word from them could determine who lived and who died.

In just five days, the surrender faction had grown to over three thousand people. And the number kept climbing.

The fundamental problem remained unsolved. Tens of thousands of Skypieans refugees were crammed into temporary camps with limited food, water, and shelter. Below in the White-White Sea, McKinley and the White Berets were maintaining order as best they could, but what about people with nothing to eat or drink?

There were some aquatic resources in the White-White Sea, and a few residents had personal property there, but it wasn't nearly enough to feed tens of thousands.

If this continued, something terrible would happen. Starvation, disease, violence between factions.

Marcus could solve the water problem easily enough. But food for tens of thousands of people every day? If Shiki wasn't watching so closely, he could've set up massive automated farms, planted potatoes and wheat, and fed everyone indefinitely. But he couldn't risk revealing that capability. So instead, he provided small batches of food as emergency rations, barely enough to keep people alive.

"We're running out of time," Vivi said quietly. Her fruit was picking up increasingly desperate conversations from the refugee camps.

The two of them left their observation post and returned to the Straw Hats' temporary base camp.

Inside, the entire crew was geared up and ready to move.

"Everyone set?" Usopp asked, looking around at his crewmates.

Most of them had received significant power boosts over the past five days. Of course, Luffy, Alvida, Kira, and the fruitless Zoro and Sanji were exceptions to the Devil Fruit upgrades. But those five were already monsters in their own right.

"Let's move out!" Luffy stood up, cracking his knuckles.

A smart person might have waited for the Marines to arrive, then coordinated a joint assault on Shiki's forces. Combine their strength, minimize casualties, maximize success probability.

But the Straw Hat crew had never been what anyone would call "smart people." At least not in that way.

---

As the Straw Hats began their march toward Upper Yard, Shiki received the news.

"Admiral, they're on the move!"

"Shihahaha! They actually decided not to wait for the Marines." Shiki lounged in his throne-like chair.

Standing beside him was Indigo, sporting dark circles under his eyes that made him look like he hadn't slept in days. Because he hadn't. His plan to control the IQ-enhanced animals had ultimately failed. The Goatmen simply couldn't be manipulated through his normal methods. Containing them and transporting them to the White-White Sea would require enormous manpower and resources.

The easiest solution would've been to bring Shiki directly into the process. With his Float-Float Fruit, controlling the animals would be trivial. But when Indigo had been about to implement that approach, Shiki had discovered what he was doing, and the whole plan fell apart.

That's why Indigo had been researching day and night ever since, desperately trying to find an alternative method. The dark circles were proof of his exhaustion. There had been some progress, though. He was close to a breakthrough on controlling the Goatmen and making them follow orders. Unfortunately, he'd hit another obstacle: the wheat stored on the Going Merry was gone.

Could he reproduce it through normal botanical methods? He wasn't a plant geneticist, but he had basic knowledge. When he'd studied the wheat samples under magnification, he'd made a horrifying discovery: it was a sterile variety. The wheat heads couldn't be induced to sprout and grow into mature plants.

He'd reported this finding to Shiki, hoping the admiral would capture Marcus and force him to produce more. After all, Marcus might have that strange ability to vanish, but if all his companions were captured, could he really abandon them?

Shiki's response had been ambiguous.

Now, watching the Straw Hats march toward a confrontation, Indigo understood the standard pirate protocol. First, they'd try to crush the upstarts. Then, if the targets proved strong enough, they'd extend an invitation to join instead.

That's how the Four Emperors absorbed fresh blood. Break them, then recruit them.

Shiki already carried the unofficial title of "Fifth Emperor" in recent news reports. And there were hints he might stand above even the traditional Four Emperors. The reason was simple: unlike the emperors confined to the New World, Shiki could go anywhere he wanted. The Marines might not confront the Four Emperors directly in their territories, but they'd built an encirclement strategy that kept those emperors bottled up.

But Shiki? The initiative was entirely in his hands. If he wanted to leave the Grand Line and attack any of the Four Blues, who could stop him? That's why his threat to destroy the East Blue carried so much weight.

After days of building public pressure, even with World Government propaganda trying to downplay the threat, nobody doubted whether Shiki would actually do it. The reputation of his beasts had also attracted considerable attention. Several underworld organizations had already placed advance orders for the creatures.

In just five days, Shiki had expanded his funding, prestige, and connections enormously. He'd accepted allegiance from at least ten nations and absorbed more than thirty powerful pirate crews. The captains' bounties started at seventy million berries minimum. The highest reached three hundred million, a notorious North Blue pirate who controlled an entire World Government member nation.

Sure, some harbored ulterior motives and hidden agendas. But so what? With sufficient strength, schemes and plots would crumble on their own.

"Call the summit," Shiki said. "No more recruitment. It's time."

There was no need to continue gathering pirates. The truly powerful players had already arrived. Anyone showing up now would be insignificant. The momentum had been established.

Besides, it was time to give the Straw Hat crew a proper demonstration of his power.

Indigo perked up immediately and hurried off to make arrangements. Once he started moving, the ripple effects spread quickly. Before long, the news reached Marine headquarters.

---

"So soon?" Tsuru, currently serving as operational commander, frowned deeply.

By her calculations, the third wave of capable pirates was only just beginning to head for Skypiea, something the Marines had deliberately allowed. They'd been stalling for time, gathering forces in preparation for a massive coordinated assault.

The strategic projection had indicated at least two more weeks were needed. That would've given Shiki maximum opportunity to absorb pirates, making the eventual purge more effective and comprehensive.

But why was he suddenly rushing things?

Had something happened? Was there a traitor leaking information?

That possibility wasn't surprising. The Marines' movements were massive and involved thousands of personnel. Complete operational security was nearly impossible. But according to their behavioral analysis team, Shiki's personality meant he'd never back down because of leaked intelligence. If anything, he'd openly deploy his forces and crush any opposition head-on.

Or he might ignore the Marines entirely and head straight for the East Blue.

That's why two Admirals were currently deployed: one preparing to intercept any East Blue assault, the other stationed in the first half of the Grand Line.

No matter which option Shiki chose, they'd have sufficient response time. The ideal scenario was for Shiki to ignore them and target the East Blue. That way, the Grand Line forces could use the High-Speed Sky Route to rush to the East Blue, forming a pincer attack from two directions.

If he chose direct confrontation instead, Kizaru's speed meant he could quickly return from the East Blue as backup.

Crunch...

Garp sat munching on senbei crackers, speaking casually. "Don't worry about it. Leave that guy to me. It's been too many years since we last fought. About time I warmed up properly."

Why wasn't Sengoku in command of this operation?

The answer was simple: the World Government feared Shiki might pull a feint. Draw away all Marine forces, then launch a surprise attack on Mary Geoise itself.

After all, for an ambitious man like Shiki, wouldn't destroying the Holy Land be even more impactful than destroying the East Blue? A more meaningful statement to the world?

Sengoku and Akainu had already deployed to Mary Geoise as a precautionary measure. So operational command naturally fell to Tsuru.

Let an Admiral command instead? The perpetually lazy Aokiji? The constantly slacking Kizaru? As for Garp, despite his prestige and ability to command respect, his temperament and certain unspoken factors made him unsuitable for the role.

The title "Hero of the Marines" already represented the pinnacle of reputation within the organization. Any further elevation would border on something the World Government couldn't tolerate.

"Move up the timeline," Tsuru ordered. "No need to spare those pirates gathering near the High-Speed Sky Route. Eliminate them all."

The prepared Marine forces began a purge of pirate crews.

Leading the operation was Aokiji, who handled the newly gathered pirates. His method was elegantly simple: Ice Age.

The sea froze solid in a massive radius, trapping pirate ships in place. Those who wanted to flee couldn't. They were forced to either fight or surrender. What awaited them was an Admiral plus countless elite Marines. The outcome was predictable: total annihilation.

The usual principle of taking prisoners when possible? In a situation like this, nobody cared about that.

Pirates who'd gathered after hearing Shiki's call were destroyed, one crew after another. Among them were even two Supernovas with bounties exceeding one hundred million berries.

Their Supernova journeys ended there, in the frozen waters of the Grand Line, their futures erased in an afternoon of one-sided combat.

Because the Straw Hat crew had chosen to move now rather than wait, both pirates and Marines were being drawn into the aftermath of that decision.

---

Inside Shiki's fortress, the meeting room was sparse but imposing, floored entirely with simple woven mats. One pirate captain after another had gathered, seated in careful order according to their bounties. The highest-ranked closest to the head of the room, the weakest toward the back.

At the main position, Shiki sat cross-legged. Indigo went around pouring drinks for each captain. The room was eerily quiet despite being packed with dozens of notorious criminals. Nobody spoke. Everyone waited.

This was a moment that would be remembered. The birth of a Fifth Emperor who didn't operate from the New World like the others. Perhaps even the moment when, after the destruction of the East Blue, the sole king of all seas would emerge.

And every pirate in this room would be able to claim they'd been there from the beginning, that they'd joined before the legend became inevitable.

Shiki picked up his drink and raised it slightly.

"Shihahaha... let's begin."