One Piece: Investing In Whitebeard At The Start.

The distance closed, and at last the Whitebeard Pirates aboard the Moby Dick glimpsed them—dozens of floating islands suspended in the sky.

Not merely islands—floating strongholds carried by Sky Pirates.

At their center stood a figure no one else could command to lift an island: the legendary Golden Lion Shiki.

Shiki looked down from his island citadel as Whitebeard's crew stared in mixed shock and awe. Apart from Whitebeard, who remained serenely composed, every other pirate's jaws dropped in disbelief.

They had faced countless threats, yet none compared to witnessing a pirate king literally above them.

"Newgate—I never expected you'd still be alive," Shiki called out, voice carrying across the sea breeze. His mane and clothing billowed in the night air, radiating the gravitas of a great pirate.

"Shiki," Whitebeard replied calmly, "as long as I draw breath, you're not the only one who refuses to die. Gurararara..."

Their banter echoed an old rivalry—a friendship forged in fierce competition. According to history, both should have perished in the same year. Shiki was supposedly defeated and captured, and Whitebeard declared dead in the war. Their survival meant the old era had yet to fade...

Shiki's laughter abruptly fell silent. In that moment, a terrifying aura erupted around him: Conqueror's Haki.

"Shiki you bastard, how bold of you," Whitebeard bellowed, responding in kind with his own Conqueror's Haki.

The two energies clashed with cataclysmic force. Black clouds roared overhead, a yawning chasm sliced through the void, and crimson lightning flickered in the air beneath. Waves churned violently, dozens of ships rocked on the ocean's waves, and countless pirates fainted under the pressure.

Only captains and elite fighters managed to remain standing—though even they looked rattled.

No one else on the planet could bear the might of two legends wielding Top tier Conqueror's Haki.

"It's overwhelming!" proclaimed Teach quietly, awestruck.

"Pops and Shiki's presence... is terrifying," whispered Ace.

They watched as the aura subsided. Two minutes later, Whitebeard returned to his usual seat, and Shiki perched on a railing plank about three meters to his left. Marco and several division commanders stood nearby, tension still thick in the air.

Silence reigned until Whitebeard broke it. "Shiki, it's been many years. You said you'd isolate yourself for some time... twenty years, was it?"

Shiki nodded and accepted a jar of New World wine offered by a crewmate.

"You never struck me as a man who could quietly rest. Let me pour you something rare," Whitebeard offered gently, lifting the jar himself.

The pouring vessels were refilled by Shiki's Float-Float Fruit power. Each man drank deeply—an unspoken bond founded on rivalry and mutual respect.

"I heard you once vowed revenge in East Blue. Afraid of Garp?" Whitebeard asked with a wry grin.

Shiki snorted fiercely: "If it had been one‑on‑one, no, Garp wouldn't have beaten me. Sengoku joined him—that's why I lost."

He paused. "These days I'm not looking to clash in East Blue—I want vengeance on the World Government itself."

"Tempted by that boy Vane?" Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.

Shiki sighed: "More or less. That kid is insane—he seemed to conquer Kaido himself."

"Conquer Kaido?" Whitebeard's surprise cracked his voice. "Am I hearing that right?"

"Yes," said Shiki. "He scored several grievous wounds across Kaido's abdomen. Want to know how it played out? Two weeks ago, Kaido was defeated in Wano. Completely reset and bloody."

"Two weeks ago? I knew Wano belonged to Oden's family... Did something happen there?"

Whitebeard's face darkened. Shiki nodded. "Now Wano is Vane's territory. Kaido was forced into hiding on Onigashima. Communication's cut—no one else knows. But yes, Kaido was broken by Vane."

Whitebeard fell silent.

Shiki continued quietly: "Newspapers only reported ten Celestial Dragon deaths—but actually, over a hundred perished. And distressingly, one of the Gorosei was killed by Vane himself."

Whitebeard's color drained. "A Gorosei? That ancient puppet?"

Shiki let that simmer before revealing more: "Even more shocking, the puppet-master is a woman. She wields Overlord's Domain and is the true form of an ancient weapon—Uranus."

"A woman... with both Overlord's Territory and the King of Heaven's power?" Whitebeard whispered, struggling to comprehend.

Shiki leaned forward. "Yes. That's why the Celestial Dragons have ruled unchallenged for centuries. Until now."

Because of Vane. Because of that woman.

The Moby Dick crew absorbed the implications: they were witnessing the dawning of a new era—one that made the Great Pirate Age seem like child's play.

Whitebeard breathed out, pain and awe knotting together in his lungs. "So today's pirates are children playing in the mud, compared to those we fought..."

Stillness claimed the night. In Cloudy Harbor, age and legend coincided in silence. Only pirates whispered quietly—finally realizing how small their world truly was.

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Sick... could only manage to upload a chapter each on all my fanfictions.

Can you please send Power stones.