Chapter 118: Leaving Sky Island, News of the King of the Near Seas [First Update]

With Angel Island destroyed, all the inhabitants of the Sky Islands, Shandians included, had gathered in the sacred land of Upper Yard. Both peoples were now homeless. In the past, God Enel had occupied such a vast territory that none of them had dared entertain any other ideas.

But Enel was dead now, and Upper Yard was clearly without an owner. As a result, both sides stared at the solid land beneath their feet with burning eyes. Their quarrel grew increasingly heated, and it seemed that the slightest disagreement would send them into open conflict.

Rubbing his temples, Shu Mingyuan found the scene extremely tiresome. He allowed the faintest trace of his Conqueror’s Haki to leak out. In an instant, it felt to everyone present as though a giant hammer had crashed down upon their minds, and they immediately became quiet.

“What are you arguing about? Whether you’re Shandians or Sky Islanders, haven’t you noticed that you all have wings? Doesn’t that mean that, countless years ago, you were originally one race? Later, by some twist of fate, one branch—the Shandians—reached the Blue Sea and settled there, while the other came to the Sky Islands. After the upheaval four hundred years ago, the two branches met once again.”

“You fought one another without end for four hundred years, only to discover that you were fighting your own people. Aren’t you ashamed? Aren’t you tired? What is there to argue about? Upper Yard is vast enough that neither side could possibly swallow it whole. If nothing else, divide the territory and govern your own portions. Honestly, I’m embarrassed for you. The Shandians want that golden bell, don’t they? It’s hanging from the enormous vine near the shrine. Go ring it yourselves. And the people of Angel Island want land, don’t they? Choose any place you like and settle there.”

“If you keep making trouble and anger me, I’ll wipe out one of your two peoples. Then all your problems will be solved.”

Shu Mingyuan’s casual words radiated overwhelming authority. Both sides instantly became meek and obedient. Facing a man who had dared to kill even a god, they truly feared provoking him and bringing an unbearable disaster upon their people.

…

Seven thousand meters above the White Sea, at the Edge of the Clouds.

A gigantic skyship sailed along the Cloud Current. Standing at the bow, Shu Mingyuan looked at the two groups who had come to see him off and spoke calmly.

“All right, this is far enough. After I leave, don’t try any tricks between your two peoples. I have the Ark Maxim now, so I can come up here whenever I want. If I discover that you’re still harboring hatred toward one another, don’t blame me for turning against you. The Sky Islands are a wonderful place, so take good care of them. The environment here is quite pleasant, and I like it very much. From now on, the Sky Islands are my backyard.”

The Ark Maxim passed through the gate at the Edge of the Clouds and sped onward, finally plunging from a waterfall. It dropped through layer after layer of white clouds from an altitude of seven thousand meters. Standing at the bow, Shu Mingyuan gazed indifferently at the rare spectacle, entirely unconcerned that the Ark Maxim might fall straight into the sea and be smashed to pieces.

A colossal octopus burst from the Cloudfall at high speed. All of its tentacles wrapped around the Ark, and like a giant hot-air balloon, it instantly halted the ship’s furious descent.

Although the strange fish of the Sky Islands were small in size, they could enlarge their bodies at will, making it easier for them to survive at such tremendous heights.

With a faint smile on his face, Shu Mingyuan lay on the deck and watched the Sky Islands grow farther and farther away. Given the chance, he would certainly return someday.

When the ship was only a hundred zhang above the Blue Sea, the air stored inside the octopus had been completely depleted. The Ark Maxim once again accelerated toward the sea below. At that moment, an extremely powerful current suddenly coursed through the entire vessel, and the enormous oars on either side of the Ark began rowing in unison. Borrowing the resulting lift, the Ark Maxim finally descended gently into the ocean.

According to the original course of events, this sea should have been near the Navarone Fortress. Yet as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless ocean. Not even a trace of the fortress could be found.

He had strayed from the established route and was now in an unknown sea, which left Shu Mingyuan deeply annoyed.

“Forget it… Even if I’m off course, I can’t be too far away.”

A News Coo flew overhead. It opened its beak and dropped a newspaper onto the deck. Shu Mingyuan picked it up with interest, but his expression changed at once.

At the very center of the paper was the image of a gigantic sea beast locked inside a massive steel cage. Its body was covered in wounds, and it looked utterly miserable.

The headline stretched across the entire width of the newspaper:

THE GREAT DEMON HUNTER’S PET SEA KING TO BE EXECUTED IN THREE DAYS AT THE UNDERSEA PRISON—GLOBAL BROADCAST!

Shu Mingyuan was intimately familiar with the outline of that sea beast. It was none other than the Lord of the Coast, who had followed him for so long. Nearly half a month earlier, Tina had told him that Impel Down might attempt to capture the Lord of the Coast. He had not expected them to actually succeed.

“That idiot… Couldn’t he have run a little farther away?”

The ocean was the domain of the Sea Kings, and the Calm Belt was the nesting ground of the great Sea Kings. If the Lord of the Coast had not been waiting for Shu Mingyuan’s return and constantly loitering near Impel Down, the Marines would have found it almost impossible to capture him.

Shu Mingyuan looked at the date printed on the newspaper: October 22. Today was October 23, which meant that only two days remained before the Lord of the Coast’s execution.

His face was expressionless—one might even call it calm. But the turmoil within him betrayed the truth. Chakra surged wildly through his body, and the newspaper was crushed into a useless ball in his hand. As though sensing his anger, the powerful lightning enveloping the Ark Maxim spread across the surface of the sea all at once.

Dozens of towering columns of water exploded around the Ark. Under the tremendous voltage, a vast expanse of dead marine life floated to the surface.

After mastering the mysteries of Lightning Release, Shu Mingyuan was also able to control the lightning produced by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit through his own power. In other words, he had gradually begun to touch the Law of Thunder.

“Impel Down… Very well. In that case, there’s no longer any need for this undersea prison to exist.”

A faint, chilling smile appeared on his face. His dark, profound eyes seemed like a pair of black holes capable of swallowing everything in the world.

Using the life of the Lord of the Coast to threaten Shu Mingyuan and lure him into a rescue attempt, then laying an inescapable trap in advance to capture and kill him—this was a trick the World Government knew all too well. In the original story, they had used Ace’s life to threaten the entire Whitebeard Pirates, deploying the full strength of the Marines at Marineford and dealing the Whitebeard Pirates a devastating blow.

“Heh heh, the World Government, is it? You’ve certainly made a fine plan. Too bad you chose the wrong opponent.”

Shu Mingyuan spoke coldly. He then seized the helm, while the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit erupted in a burst of mighty lightning, propelling the Ark Maxim rapidly toward Impel Down.

P.S. The people from the telephone company came to fix the network today, so this chapter was posted a little late. Sorry about that. There will be another update tonight, so please look forward to it.

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