Having observed 'Golden Lion' Shiki intimately for years, Dr. Indigo understood his psychology with painful clarity. The destruction of the East Blue—Roger's homeland—before the world's eyes had become virtually inevitable in Shiki's mind.
For beyond this act of vengeance, Shiki possessed no more potent method to demonstrate his superiority over his deceased rival.
"An inconsequential sea—its loss will hardly be mourned," Shiki remarked dismissively when Indigo inquired about the East Blue defectors' ultimate fate. "If they accept this reality, all the better. If not—" he shrugged with callous indifference, "by then I'll have extracted everything of value from the East Blue and will have no further use for them."
Indigo chuckled softly before moving to examine the ship's rudder protruding from Shiki's skull. "If East Blue resources can accelerate our research timeline, that would indeed be fortuitous. This rudder has been embedded in your cranium for over a decade now; the wood has begun to deteriorate significantly."
Hearing this assessment, Shiki reached up reflexively to touch his now-smooth scalp.
Indigo's voice dropped to a somber register, heavy with genuine concern. "These past two years, your cognitive lapses have increased in frequency. If this progression continues, you risk either severe bacterial infection or neurological damage from the rudder's degradation. Your mortality hangs by an increasingly tenuous thread. Age has diminished you—that lion-like vitality of your youth has waned considerably."
The ship's physician had delivered this same prognosis years earlier. The rudder had penetrated deeply into Shiki's brain, and forcible extraction would almost certainly prove fatal. In truth, only Shiki's extraordinary constitution had prevented his death thus far.
But that diagnosis came eighteen years ago, before the Great Pirate Era had even dawned. Now, Shiki's advancing age and deteriorating physical condition bore little resemblance to his former prowess, particularly after enduring two years of systematic torture within the confines of Impel Down—an ordeal that had accelerated his physical decline dramatically.
Though Shiki remained vigilant in protecting the embedded rudder, the inexorable decay of wood exposed to bodily fluids for decades could not be forestalled indefinitely.
As one of Shiki's oldest companions, Indigo harbored profound concern for his friend's health, fearing that Shiki might be forced into premature retirement from this tumultuous era before realizing his grand ambitions.
"I shall not perish before defeating Roger's legacy and obliterating his homeland," Shiki muttered with fierce determination. "I categorically refuse to die bearing the stigma of defeat by an East Blue pirate!"
Kuro departed from the laboratory, proceeding directly toward his assigned quarters.
The expedition's defectors had been collectively housed by Shiki, who exhibited no apparent concern regarding potential conspiracies among them—or more accurately, remained indifferent to whether their allegiance was genuine or their potential for collusion.
Merveille and the islands under Shiki's dominion floated high above the ocean's surface, surrounded by beasts whose aggression and evolutionary acceleration had been dramatically enhanced by IQ. Even contemplating escape under such conditions represented a nearly insurmountable challenge.
In the courtyard, other expedition members engaged in hushed conversation. Upon Kuro's return, they abruptly fell silent, regarding him with unmistakable wariness.
These individuals lacked both the courage to defy Shiki and the conviction to face William's potential retribution. Thus, despite their nominal defection to Shiki's forces, they maintained a calculated distance from Kuro, who had seemingly betrayed William's intelligence network without reservation.
Under their collective scrutiny, Kuro maintained an expressionless facade, proceeding to his quarters without acknowledging their presence, while inwardly contemptuous of their transparent calculation.
These fence-sitters evidently believed that with Kuro positioned as the primary traitor, even should the worst-case scenario materialize—William defeating Shiki—their own culpability would appear comparatively minor.
They failed to recognize that history reserves its deepest contempt precisely for such opportunistic vacillators.
Shortly after Kuro retired to his quarters, a knock sounded at his door. Krieg entered immediately after Kuro granted access.
"What game are you playing? Why deliberately guide Shiki toward the East Blue?" Krieg demanded upon entering, deliberately closing the door and lowering his voice to establish an atmosphere of conspiratorial intimacy.
Krieg's demeanor suggested that with Harden's imprisonment, he and Kuro should naturally establish mutual trust and strategic alignment.
Kuro merely adjusted his spectacles, assessed Krieg with a measured glance, and maintained deliberate silence.
His distrust extended not only to those gathered outside but equally to Krieg himself—otherwise, he would scarcely have initiated defection to Shiki's camp.
From the outset, Kuro's engagement with Shiki had been characterized by calculated deception, his every interaction concealed behind a carefully constructed persona.
Unlike the straightforward and impulsive Harden, Kuro would never demonstrate loyalty to William through such overt defiance. Possessing both superior intellect and pragmatic wisdom, Kuro had abandoned any notion of direct resistance the moment Shiki first demonstrated his overwhelming power.
In Kuro's assessment, Harden's actions and those of his like-minded compatriots amounted to little more than futile self-sacrifice, as he recognized that their deaths—whether Harden's or indeed his own—would effect no meaningful change in the strategic reality.
The expedition vessel had carried nearly one hundred personnel, not all of whom maintained unwavering loyalty to William. Krieg and those now gathered in the courtyard—Kuro had anticipated from Shiki's initial recruitment overture that many would inevitably surrender, particularly Krieg, who possessed considerable knowledge regarding William's high-level operations.
Given these circumstances, Kuro had determined that preemptive defection represented the optimal strategy for securing Shiki's confidence.
Now, it appeared his calculation had proven accurate—he had indeed gained Shiki's trust and successfully persuaded the Golden Lion to consider establishing operations within the East Blue.
In this precarious position, Kuro would certainly not reveal his true intentions to Krieg. His trust extended to no one within the compound.
Kuro's elaborate machinations to lure Shiki toward the East Blue stemmed from his recognition that within that region, William's strategic advantages would be maximized.
Shiki, in his desperate pursuit of advanced steam-powered vessels, had made no effort to conceal his objectives from Kuro and the other defectors. Kuro recognized Shiki's profound vulnerability to severe weather conditions.
Unlike the Grand Line with its unpredictable meteorological patterns, the East Blue's climate followed comprehensible and predictable cycles. William's Cartography Bureau, established in the East Blue years earlier, specialized precisely in maritime navigation and meteorological analysis. Through years of systematic research utilizing hot-air balloons and specialized vessels, they had developed unparalleled familiarity with the East Blue's climatic patterns.
Most critically, with access to the East Blue's largest textile industrial complex, William possessed the capacity to mobilize substantial fleets of hot-air balloons and airships capable of transporting military forces to engage Shiki's sky-bound islands directly—thus avoiding the strategic disadvantage of a purely defensive posture.
If Shiki wished to preserve his years of painstaking effort, he would be forced to confront this threat directly, unable to utilize his Devil Fruit abilities to simply flee the battlefield. As one of William's three principal strategists, Kuro had immediately recognized upon learning of Shiki's abilities that this particular Devil Fruit represented an extraordinary threat—if Shiki could not be neutralized in a single, decisive engagement, he would become an enduring and potentially insurmountable problem.
Of course, Kuro's meticulous planning and willingness to risk his life by resuming his former role as a double agent did not stem exclusively from loyalty to William.
His ultimate choice between William and Shiki derived from a more fundamental truth: Kuro harbored profound contempt for Shiki himself.
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