Chapter 113: Seeds of Hope and the Lion's Plan

The jungle of Upper Yard was dense, suffocating, and terrifyingly silent. Under the thick, sprawling canopy of the ancient trees, the unified militia of Shandians and Skypieans was moving towards their destination, as quietly as they could. They had numbers and firepower now, but Jacob, Maria, and Peter had strictly ordered them to prioritize stealth. The goal was to secure the ruins of Shandora and fortify the Golden Bell.

Up ahead, Peter held up a closed fist. The entire column of over two hundred refugees froze instantly.

Peter closed his eyes, tapping the activation stud on his Ghost Touch harness. He didn’t fully phase his body, but allowed his sensory perception to detach from the physical plane. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and pointed toward a thick cluster of giant roots to their left.

“White Beret patrol moving south,” Peter whispered, his voice carrying back through the line. “They’re frantic. Running blind. Give them a wide berth.”

The militia adjusted their course, slipping silently through the foliage. The contrast was staggering, these were people who, just an hour ago, would have screamed in terror or charged recklessly at the sight of Enel’s forces. Now, armed with Flame Guns and magical cards, they moved with disciplined, quiet purpose.

Near the middle of the column, Koala walked with a light, even step. She glanced to her side. Isa and Aisa were walking close together, holding hands. The young girl’s eyes darted nervously at every snapping twig, while Isa maintained a stoic, defensive posture.

Koala could feel the lingering tension radiating off them. It was more than just the fear of the jungle, it was the heavy, unresolved awkwardness of what had happened back in the underground cavern.

Koala slowed her pace slightly, falling perfectly into step beside them.

“You’re doing great, Aisa,” Koala said softly, offering a warm smile. “We’re making good time.”

Aisa blinked, looking up at the tall woman with the silver horns. She squeezed her mother’s hand a little tighter but offered a tiny, hesitant nod.

Isa looked at Koala, her expression guarded. “That girl… Jasmine. Where is she?”

“She went ahead with Law’s team to scout the perimeter of the ruins,” Koala answered, keeping her voice low and conversational. She looked at Isa, seeing the deep confusion swimming in the Shandian woman’s eyes. “Listen, about what happened back in the caves… Jasmine coming on so strong, claiming you were family out of nowhere. I know that must have been terrifying.”

“It was confusing,” Isa admitted, her grip on her spear tightening. “My family has lived on this sky island for four hundred years. We have fought, bled, and died in this dirt. To have a Blue Sea dweller drop from the sky and tell me we share a bloodline… it doesn’t make sense.”

Koala nodded slowly, sidestepping a massive, moss-covered root. She didn’t dismiss the woman’s doubts. Instead, it was Maria who replies in her place.

“I completely understand why you feel that way,” Maria said, her tone shifting to something much more vulnerable. She looked down at her own hands, hands that belonged to the ancient Zoan Ulti, a body she had claimed through sheer soul compatibility rather than birth.

“When my brother Peter and I first joined this crew… we were completely lost,” Maria confessed quietly. “We woke up in bodies that weren’t originally ours for complicated reasons. We had these inherited memories flashing in our heads, but they were entirely blurred. A mess of instincts, faces, and places we didn’t recognize. We didn’t know who we were, and we didn’t know where we belonged. It took a long time before we were able to find Victor and Jasmine.”

Isa looked at her, surprised by the sheer vulnerability of the admission. “How did you survive that?”

“Family,” Maria said simply. “We always knew when we Victor and Jasmine… they wouldn’t care how broken or confused we were. That thought anchored us.” Koala looked and Isa and said “Jasmine has a habit of loving with everything she has. Add to the fact that she spent a better part of 2 years thinking she was the last member of her family that was still alive before Victor found her. She has spent her entire life looking for people to protect, looking for pieces of her family that were scattered across the world.”

Maria looked Isa gently in the eyes. “And we were told from a credible source that you also belong to our bloodline, that you are family, just distantly related. Put all that together and she saw you and Aisa in that cave, to her there weren’t any strangers. She just saw the end of a very long, very painful search. She was just… so relieved that you were alive. She overreacted because she was terrified of losing you before she even got to know you.”

Isa’s guarded expression faltered. The defense she had built up over a year of brutal warfare cracked just a fraction. She looked down at Aisa, who was listening intently, her wide eyes reflecting the dappled sunlight filtering through the canopy.

“I… I didn’t know,” Isa murmured, the hostility bleeding out of her voice, replaced by a profound, human empathy. “We have been so alone for so long, after her father’s death. The thought of having people out there who actually care…”

“You aren’t alone anymore,” Koala promised, giving Isa a reassuring nod. “We don’t expect you to just accept us overnight. But we are going to get you your home back. And after that… maybe we can just sit down and talk.”

Isa took a deep breath, the heavy burden on her shoulders seeming to lighten just a fraction. She looked at Maria and Koala, offering a small, genuine smile. “I think… I think I would like that.”

Aisa beamed, her Mantra sensing the absolute sincerity in Maria’s and Koala’s heart. For the first time since the war began, a genuine seed of hope had been planted in the dark jungle.

[General POV]

High above the western edge of Upper Yard, the floating fortress of the Golden Lion was a hive of furious activity.

Inside the cavernous throne room, Shiki paced the stone floor. The steering wheel embedded in his skull caught the dim light as he barked orders. The ambient gravity in the room was fluctuating wildly with his temper, causing weapons, tables, and terrified grunts to occasionally float inches off the ground.

“I want the entire armada airborne!” Shiki roared, taking a harsh drag from his cigar. “Load the heavy cannons! Bring out the gargantuans! That arrogant brat on the galleon thinks he can mock the Golden Lion? I’ll tear his ship to splinters and drop the wreckage on his head!”

Dr. Indigo squeaked into the room, his lab coat stained with green chemicals. “Boss! The fleet is prepping, but…..”

“No ‘buts’, Indigo!” Shiki snapped, pointing a sword-leg at the scientist. “We swarm them! Pure, overwhelming force! I want his head on a pike by sunset!”

“Boss, wait!” Another subordinate sprinted into the room, his face pale, clutching a gilded Den Den Mushi that was ringing incessantly. “It’s a call from the Underworld Broker! He says it’s the info regarding the Warlord!”

Shiki stopped pacing. He narrowed his eyes, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. He snatched the Den Den Mushi from the terrified grunt.

“This better be good, Jake,” Shiki growled. “I’m in the middle of preparing a slaughter.”

“I would highly advise against a frontal assault, Shiki,” the voice on the other end crackled, laced with an unsettling amusement. “Unless you’re eager to join Roger in the afterlife a bit early.”

“Watch your tongue,” Shiki threatened, the gravity in the room spiking. “He’s just a rookie who got lucky with the World Government.”

“He is the captain of the Verdant Abyss,” the broker corrected smoothly. “And you have been out of the loop for too long. Let me read you the verified intelligence reports.”

The Den Den Mushi’s eyes narrowed into a serious glare.

“About a year ago, he engaged Marine Hero Monkey D. Garp in a fistfight in which he created and then subsequently destroyed an island made out of ice. He survived that fight without any major injuries. Shortly after, he fought Admiral Aokiji to a standstill, dismantling and surviving a buster call level response, forcing a full Marine retreat. Which ended up earning him his Warlord status. His crew completely annihilated the pirate haven of Mock Town in an afternoon, recently. Oh, and his archaeologist? Nico Robin, the Demon Child. She’s confirmed to be on his crew.”

Shiki’s cigar hung loosely from his lips. Garp? Aokiji?

“But that isn’t the reason you need to hold your fleet,” the broker continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. “The most recent verified report… Victor crossed paths with Kaido of the Beasts in the New World. They clashed. The sky split. And Victor walked away breathing. After injuring him.”

The cigar slipped from Shiki’s mouth, hitting the stone floor in dead silence.

He fought Kaido? And lived?

“The rumors surrounding him are even worse,” the broker added, a hint of genuine disbelief in his tone. “Unverified reports claim he can breathe fire that burns on water. They say he commands massive jade dragons that can shatter mountains with a roar. There are even whispers that he can move islands with a single thought. Most of it is impossible myth-making, of course. But the clashes with Kaido and Garp? Those are hard facts. World Economy News Paper has verified those fights and also has photographic evidence of them.”

” So, whatever you are planning to do, make sure you have an escape plan if it doesn’t succeed.” Click. The broker hung up.

The throne room was utterly silent. Dr. Indigo swallowed hard, his squeaking shoes completely still.

Shiki stared at the Den Den Mushi in his hand. He was a legend. He had stood at the pinnacle of piracy alongside Roger and Whitebeard. But he was also a pragmatist. He was older now. He had lost his legs, and a steering wheel was lodged in his brain.

If this Warlord was a monster capable of brawling with Kaido of the Beasts to a standstill, sending a fleet of wooden ships and mutated gorillas at him was going to be a mass suicide.

Shiki threw his head back and began to laugh. It started as a low chuckle and evolved into a manic, echoing roar.

“Jihahahaha! Kaido! He fought that indestructible freak!” Shiki wiped a tear from his eye. He turned to Dr. Indigo, all trace of blind rage replaced by a cold, calculating malice.

“Cancel the aerial assault,” Shiki ordered, his voice suddenly terrifyingly calm.

Indigo blinked. “Boss? We’re standing down?”

“We aren’t going in blind anymore, Indigo,” Shiki said, floating up to his throne and sitting down. “If he is a monster of pure strength, then we don’t fight him with brawn. We fight him with science. We rot him from the inside out.”

Shiki leaned forward, steepling his fingers. “The ‘IQ’ chemical reserves. You told me that in its unrefined form, it’s highly unstable. A biological hazard.”

“Y-yes,” Indigo stammered. “If exposed to the air without a host, it mutates aggressively. It acts like an airborne pathogen, the absorption rate of it decreases to a few mins, but after it takes effect the subject starts breaking down cellular structures and causing rampant, fatal mutations in minutes.”

“Perfect,” Shiki grinned, a wicked, golden glint in his eye. “Load the pure IQ chemical into the heavy artillery shells. We aren’t going to fight the Warlord. We are going to gas the entire center of the island. Let’s see if the man who fought Kaido can punch a plague.”