An unfinished, half-built Ark hovered in the sky, about three to four thousand meters above the Holy Land.

Enel, the Ark's owner, lay lazily on a tatami mat, idly picking his ear.

Meanwhile, the golden-haired Shiki stood at the bow of the Ark, letting his robes flutter wildly in the wind.

"Shiki, what exactly are you afraid of?"

At that moment, Enel sat up, frowning as he continued.

"Didn't you say you were going to attack the World Government and become the King of the Blue Sea? Tell me the target, and I'll show you the power of a god!"

"Don't be so impatient, Enel."

Shiki tilted his head, cigar in mouth, and looked at Enel with a serious expression.

"The enemies we're facing are far stronger than you can imagine. With just the two of us, it'll be hard to crush them in one strike. We need a meticulous plan!"

"So your plan is to just hover here in the Ark and do nothing?"

Enel flashed to Shiki's side in an instant, looking down at the towering Red Line below with a grave expression.

"From the moment we appeared, the people on this continent below have noticed us. They've been making deployments against us since last night until now. This so-called Holy Land is already on high alert. Is this what you call a plan?"

At this point, Enel withdrew his gaze and fixed it on Shiki.

"Shiki, don't forget our agreement. If you're just using me for help and break your promise, I'll show you what true cruelty means!"

"Jihahaha! I never break my word to my comrades!" Shiki removed his cigar and flicked the ashes.

"Haven't you already witnessed my Devil Fruit powers? No propulsion needed to fly from Sky Island above the Blue Sea, and the same goes for reaching the Endless Vearth. A trivial matter!"

Hearing this, Enel fell silent.

When Shiki had appeared on Sky Island several days ago, Enel had already witnessed his Devil Fruit abilities, which would be immensely helpful in his search for the Endless Vearth.

It was precisely because he recognized the utility of Shiki's powers that he hadn't fought him to the death, ultimately choosing instead to form an alliance.

After a brief silence, Enel habitually dug at his ear and asked.

"Tell me your plan. Just now, I covered your so-called Holy Land with my Mantra and heard many of their thoughts. Especially some interesting conversations from the so-called Five Elders!"

"Oh, right, there was also a commander of the God's Knights. They've already completed their deployments, just waiting for us to make a move!"

"Any other voices?" Shiki probed cautiously. "I want to know if the Fleet Admiral is in the Holy Land. He's our greatest enemy!"

"How would I know who's who!" Enel glared at Shiki, then suddenly grinned in realization.

"Shiki, so it's this Fleet Admiral you fear! Is he strong? Stronger than me, a god?"

"You're not even in the same league as him!" Shiki waved his hand dismissively.

Hearing that the Fleet Admiral wasn't in his league, Enel burst into delighted laughter.

"Yahahaha! Isn't that obvious? I am a god, after all!"

??

Shiki stared at Enel, two huge question marks appearing above his head.

He wanted to explain that the "not in the same league" comment meant Enel wasn't even close to Orion, but realizing this would only provoke the lightning man's pride, he swallowed his words and forced a laugh instead.

"Jihahaha! Then I'll leave this Fleet Admiral to you. Please help me settle this old score!"

"So your plan is to have me deal with the Fleet Admiral?"

"No," Shiki shook his head, shifting his gaze from the Holy Land to Marine Headquarters at Mary Geoise, not far below the Red Line.

"My plan is to use our presence above the Holy Land to draw out the World Government's forces. When they've all gathered at the Holy Land, you'll strike Marine Headquarters beneath the Red Line!"

Here, Shiki suddenly changed his tone.

"You can handle Marine Headquarters alone, right?"

"Why should I attack Marine Headquarters?" Enel followed Shiki's gaze toward Marineford and said indifferently.

"Don't forget, I am a god. A single island is nothing—one Raigo is enough to wipe it off the map!"

"Has your Devil Fruit power developed to this extent already?"

Hope flared in Shiki's eyes as he exclaimed excitedly, "If you can truly erase Marineford from the map, our battle plan will proceed smoothly!"

"In short, as long as you can keep Marine Headquarters occupied, this old man can gather more forces to help us crush the World Government completely!"

"More forces?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Enel's eyes.

"Do you see that black dot near Marine Headquarters, in the Calm Belt waters?" Shiki, looking down from above, pointed to a distant speck before continuing.

"That's the entrance to Impel Down—the World Government's underwater prison for criminals, with six levels in total. My target is the former inmates on the sixth level. Don't underestimate them. Before you were even born, those prisoners were already infamous pirates who terrorized the Grand Line! Once I free them, even if they don't join us, they'll still divert some of the Marines' and the World Government's forces!"

Enel, picking his ear, couldn't be bothered with these convoluted plans and cut straight to the point.

"Just tell me when we start."

"Tonight!"

A hint of madness flashed in Shiki's eyes.

"We move at nightfall!"

******

Meanwhile.

At Holy Land Mary Geoise, in Pangaea Plaza.

Sengoku and Zephyr stood side by side, their expressions grave as they stared up at the Ark hovering thousands of meters in the sky.

Saturn, Warcury, and Ethanbaron stood a few steps behind them, also frowning at the motionless Ark suspended high above.

"This is insane! How dare they flaunt their power over the Holy Land? Unforgivable!"

Suddenly, the hot-tempered Ethanbaron stepped forward, glaring at the distant Ark with murderous intensity.

"Mars, bring that Ark down immediately!"

The moment he spoke, Saturn and Warcury both turned their heads slightly, their faces twitching.

"Uh," Ethanbaron blinked awkwardly, "Apologies. I forgot Marcus Mars is no longer with us."

Without missing a beat, he turned to Sengoku and Zephyr and demanded.

"Sengoku, Zephyr, tell me—how do we bring it down?"

Sengoku shook his head. "Unless they make a move, all we can do is wait and observe."

Ethanbaron flared up in anger.

"This is the mess you and Garp left behind! You must clean it up!"

"What do you mean, 'the mess we left behind'?" Sengoku took a confrontational step forward.

"Haven't you left plenty of messes yourselves over the years? Don't act so high and mighty. Remember, I'm one of the Five Elders now—the Warrior God of Environment!"

"You—"

Ethanbaron also stepped forward, his face red with fury as he glared at Sengoku.

Seeing that the two were on the verge of a fight, Saturn, Warcury, and Zephyr exchanged a glance and wordlessly turned to walk away.

Saturn and Warcury headed to the Chamber of Power, while Zephyr, as if the sky falling had nothing to do with him, walked straight toward the farmland by the square.

"Can't you go a day without arguing several times?"

At that moment, Figarland Garling, a candidate for the Five Elders with his crescent moon hairstyle, strode over quickly.

Seeing Sengoku and Ethanbaron on the verge of a head-butting showdown, he couldn't help but chuckle before adding.

"Both of you should take a step back. It's just Golden Lion after all. If he dares to attack the Holy Land, there's no need for you to worry—the God's Knights can handle him!"

"You said it yourself!"

Almost simultaneously, Sengoku and Ethanbaron turned their heads towards Garling.

Realizing they had spoken nearly identical words, the two immediately snorted coldly and turned away, leaving Garling, who had just arrived, standing there in growing bewilderment.

"Father!"

Shamrock, who had been following closely behind Garling, spoke up promptly.

"It's not just Golden Lion—there's another powerful energy fluctuation coming from that Ark!"

"Just some brat still wet behind the ears!"

Garling narrowed his eyes slightly and said calmly, "He's using Observation Haki to eavesdrop on the Holy Land. Let's teach him a lesson."

"Yes!"

Without hesitation, Shamrock decisively drew his sword.

As the blade left its sheath, a howl like that of a wolf rang out, followed by three ferocious hounds manifesting from the tip of the sword, snarling and baring their fangs toward the Ark high above.

Just as Shamrock was about to slash from a distance, a flash of red light suddenly flickered before Garling's eyes.

Catching a glimpse of the future through Observation Haki, Garling's pupils contracted slightly as he quickly called out.

"Wait."

In the fleeting vision of the future, Shamrock's attack had provoked the powerful figure aboard the Ark, causing a massive thundercloud to envelop the Holy Land before condensing into a colossal dark sphere brimming with apocalyptic energy.

"A Rumble-Rumble Fruit user!"

Garling looked up at the Ark, his expression grave.

"If we can't defeat them in a single strike, the Holy Land will suffer unprecedented destruction!"