Chrollo floated above the clouds, his expression cold.
His messy black hair danced wildly in the wind—
Rumble, rumble, rumble—
The waters surrounding Loguetown suddenly began to boil.
Dozens of uninhabited islands trembled violently, as if an invisible giant hand had reached deep into the seabed and grasped their very foundations.
Seawater rushed in frantically, and countless massive whirlpools split the ocean surface.
Then, amidst deafening rumbles, those dozens of islands were forcibly uprooted by a supreme power, breaking free from the sea's embrace and slowly rising into the sky!
The islands hovered beneath Chrollo's feet, completely blocking the moonlight above Loguetown.
Blotting out the sky and the sun—
"Eh? Why did it... suddenly get dark?"
In the center of Loguetown, on a brightly lit street, a drunken man was the first to stop, rubbing his eyes and mumbling.
Pedestrians looked up subconsciously.
"Yeah, it got dark so fast..."
"Something's wrong. What time is it?"
"Wait—what... what is that?!" A sharp-eyed woman's voice suddenly turned shrill. Her outstretched finger trembled violently, her pupils constricting in extreme terror.
Cold sweat instantly soaked her back.
"No... it's not night!" The man beside her was the first to realize the truth, roaring in fear:
"It's islands! In the sky... there are islands in the sky!!!"
Panic exploded like a plague, sweeping through the entire street instantly.
"Ah—!" Screams rose and fell.
Some people's legs went weak, and they collapsed directly to the ground, staring blankly.
Some people scurried like rats, searching like headless flies for cover that didn't exist.
The man who discovered the truth first stood frozen in the chaotic crowd as if his soul had been sucked out. He looked up, mumbling unconsciously:
"How is it possible... how can islands fly into the sky..."
The massive shadow swallowed the last trace of color on his face:
"Is the end of the world... here..."
Meanwhile, in the direction of the port.
"Run—! Run for your fucking lives!"
Buggy was scared out of his wits, his facial features twisted together, no longer caring about maintaining his "Great Captain" image.
As he sprinted wildly, flailing his arms and legs, he glanced back at the cluster of islands blocking the sky and felt his heart about to jump out of his throat.
"Lunatics! Those two up there are fucking lunatics—!"
---
As the light of the [Flash Master] faded, Kizaru looked up.
Massive islands filled his vision.
The habitual frivolity and mockery in Kizaru's eyes finally disappeared completely.
Replaced by a genuine gravity that appeared for the first time.
"Float-Float Fruit this time... Looks like it's just as Smoker said. Shiki the Golden Lion really was defeated by you."
Chrollo looked at him with an indifferent expression.
"I have a bad habit..."
"When I can't beat someone, I like to... flip the table."
Chrollo raised his hand slightly to adjust, and the sky-filling islands neatly covered the entire sky above Loguetown.
"I'll say it one last time. Give Bonney back to me, and we'll go our separate ways. How about it?!"
Chrollo wasn't as calm internally as he appeared on the surface, because...
If they kept fighting, his bluff would be called...
Chrollo's ten minutes as "Happy Superman" were about to run out.
Battles between top-tier pirates could last for days.
But once his ability faded and he returned to his normal state, he would have zero chance of winning against Kizaru. He wouldn't even have enough stamina to maneuver.
These islands, naturally, posed no threat to Kizaru.
Chrollo's real bargaining chip was the lives of thousands of innocent residents in the town below.
He was making a huge gamble, betting on a Navy Admiral's duty, betting that Kizaru wouldn't sit by and watch mass civilian casualties.
Of course, Chrollo wouldn't actually let the islands drop. He wasn't a butcher who treated human life like grass.
But Kizaru had no way of knowing that.
Given the madness and determination he had displayed so far, Kizaru wouldn't doubt it for a second.
Therefore, this move had no solution...
Kizaru was caught in a dilemma.
If he attacked, Chrollo might be defeated, but the uncontrolled islands would instantly destroy Loguetown.
If he didn't move, it meant compromising with this insane threat and watching Chrollo take Bonney away.
Just as Chrollo expected, facing this naked threat, Kizaru's figure froze in mid-air.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. His brain ran through thousands of tactical simulations in an instant, but he couldn't find a solution that satisfied both outcomes.
Even if he could shatter the islands one by one at light speed, the massive falling debris, like a meteor shower, would be enough to wipe the entire town off the map.
Kizaru raised his head and looked at Chrollo.
This was the first time Kizaru felt an emotion called "troublesome" from a young man.
"..."
Just as the two were in a stalemate, a figure shrouded in a dark green cloak approached from the distance, stepping through the air with Geppo at an astonishing speed.
The arrival was... Monkey D. Dragon!
---
"That's enough, you two."
Dragon looked calmly at Kizaru and Chrollo, who were facing off.
However, a storm was raging in his heart...
Kizaru's expressionless face showed that he hadn't gained the upper hand against Chrollo.
And those massive islands floating all over the sky... was that the effect of the Float-Float Fruit...
It turned out Mr. Chrollo possessed such martial prowess.
He had always thought Chrollo was just a junior with decent strength, whose true contribution lay in his profound understanding of revolution and theories that surpassed predecessors.
But the situation on the field right now forced him to re-evaluate this man named Chrollo.
Dragon looked up at the two of them:
"Give me some face. Let's end this here."
"If you keep fighting, the island Loguetown sits on probably won't survive your thrashing."
He turned to Kizaru. "You don't want Loguetown to disappear from the map either, do you? That doesn't fit your style."
Kizaru lowered his head in thought for a moment. When he looked up again, his face had returned to that slow, leisurely demeanor.
"Well~ Alright then~ If Loguetown gets destroyed, old man Garp will be furious..."
He then looked at Bonney in his hand with deep meaning. "You found a pretty good partner~"
Then, he slowly floated in front of Chrollo, looked at him, and a smile returned to his lips:
"Although I feel like you wouldn't really let the islands drop, but..."
Saying this, Kizaru slowly extended his left hand, which was dangling Bonney.
"Well~ I'll return your partner to you then~"
Phew—
Seeing Bonney about to be returned, Chrollo finally let out a sigh of relief in his heart.
In the next second... an accident occurred.
Kizaru's hand holding Bonney showed no intention of letting go. It paused slowly in mid-air.
"What do you mean?" Chrollo asked expressionlessly.
Light reflected off Kizaru's glasses. A look of inquiry appeared in his eyes as he spoke slowly:
"But, I have one more question...
Did you steal the Heavenly Tribute?"
The air... froze again!!!
...