If caught off guard by Golden Lion Shiki, Ren would indeed struggle to deal with the falling island fragments. After all, there were simply too many of them—both the fragments and his own fleet's ships.
However, Golden Lion Shiki clearly didn't understand physics. He only knew that the Rumble-Rumble Fruit possessed immense destructive power and speed, but he didn't realize it could function as a radar by emitting electromagnetic waves.
The island fragments hidden in the dense clouds couldn't escape Ren's eyes.
He silently extended his hand, releasing electromagnetic force toward the clouds.
Electricity and magnetism worked in harmony, and Ren's Rumble-Rumble Fruit abilities had awakened. Altering the magnetic field of objects wasn't difficult. Especially since the soil in those cloud fragments contained various metallic elements.
Under Ren's electromagnetic control, even if Golden Lion Shiki suddenly canceled the Float-Float Fruit's effects, the island fragments wouldn't crash down violently.
Keeping them completely suspended in midair wasn't realistic, as soil wasn't metal. But slowing their descent speed would be enough. His crew weren't incompetent either—with enough reaction time, they could handle the falling fragments themselves.
...
"Mother, the livestream is starting, Perospero." Perospero stuck out his long tongue, holding a Den Den Mushi in his palm as he ran across the ship's deck.
Upon closer inspection, the Den Den Mushi's eyes were still glowing.
"Hmm?" Big Mom hummed, looking over curiously. At her age, her mind was still quite clear, her craving for food wasn't severe, and she was mostly normal most of the time. But she couldn't recall anything about this livestream.
"Mother, it's that sake flask from Wano... that Shutenmaru," Katakuri mentioned casually.
"Mama mama mama, so it's about that guy, Shiki. Finally decided to make his move, huh?" Big Mom laughed, telling Perospero to set up the visual Den Den Mushi. Its eyes projected light like a projector.
A winter island appeared before their eyes. In fact, it wasn't just them—many pirates in the New World also had such a Den Den Mushi.
"Inazuma mentioned they were showcasing a new weapon, but I didn't expect Shiki to seize the initiative. Mama mama mama, what will happen to Inazuma now?" Big Mom gloated. She had conflicts with Ren, but if she were being honest, she didn't want Shiki to win.
If Shiki truly conquered Inazuma, his influence would expand once again.
The most crucial aspect was weapon production and sales. The weapons sold by Inazuma were almost irresistible to anyone. Capturing Inazuma would mean dominating the entire New World's weapon market, and even the Marines could be manipulated by him.
Big Mom didn't want to see this happen, so despite her conflicts with Ren, she had long indicated she could help him in secret—of course, she thought it reasonable to ask for some benefits in return.
However, Inazuma rejected Big Mom's request. Since that was the case, she couldn't be bothered to interfere.
After all, she was just a pirate and couldn't concern herself with so many future matters. If Golden Lion Shiki's forces wanted to grow, let them grow. She just wanted to build a kingdom that could accommodate all races.
Rocks had failed. To be honest, Charlotte Linlin didn't have much ambition these days. After all, the concept of a Pirate King didn't exist yet in this era.
...
"They've entered the bay. Isn't it time to act, John?" John urged impatiently.
"Don't rush me, John!" Golden Lion Shiki said, but still raised his hand, making a palm-over action toward the sky.
The two of them stared expectantly at the sky, imagining countless giant rocks falling like a natural disaster, burying Ren's fleet beneath the sea!
These were fragments of an entire island—not scattered pebbles, not just a mountain. Many fragments were as large as mountains themselves.
But...
"Hey, what are you doing, Shiki? Why isn't anything happening?" John roared.
A sudden ominous feeling washed over Shiki, but he stubbornly retorted, "Shut up! Now isn't the best time. Haven't you seen they haven't fully entered the port yet?"
He stubbornly claimed he was just waiting for the right moment, but in reality, he had already canceled his Fruit's effect on the island fragments. Worried about making a mistake, he kept flipping his palms from a distance, which from afar looked like he was doing some kind of hand dance!
John's gaze turned dangerous. He stared fixedly at Golden Lion Shiki, fearing this guy might pull a fast one and secretly try to escape with his hand-flipping trick. His expression turned ferocious as he roared, "Shiki, you'd better not be playing tricks on me!"
Shiki was still angry himself, so how could he give John a good face? He now suspected John was deliberately sabotaging him. Who didn't know what this guy, who couldn't walk away from money, was thinking?
Just as Golden Lion Shiki was about to turn on John first, the clouds in the sky finally began to churn.
Shiki breathed a sigh of relief. He saw the thick clouds break apart as countless giant rocks slowly pushed through the gray mist, plummeting toward the sea!
Strips of flowing clouds even coiled around the giant rocks, looking like leaden dragons!
With such momentum, who could possibly stop it!
Shiki's heart settled, and he immediately grew smug again. It seemed he had been overthinking earlier.
"Hahahaha, how about that, John? Now is the right time!" Golden Lion Shiki made no mention of his momentary panic moments ago, instead acting as if everything was under control. "What about Inazuma? Just let them be smashed into the sea by these island fragments!"
John also smiled. These giant rocks would fall at maximum speed, and perhaps the enemy still hadn't recovered from the shock!
The two of them laughed aloud, waiting for the sound of waves rising as the rocks crashed into the sea.
But what puzzled them was that this pleasant sound never came.
The two glanced into the distance, and their smiles vanished.
"Shiki, you bastard! You're playing with me, aren't you!" John's veins bulged on his forehead. He angrily grabbed Shiki's collar and roared, his expression as if he wanted to swallow Shiki whole!
"Are you kidding me, Shiki? What's with this falling speed? At this rate, before the islands even hit the water, their fleet will have passed through the port!"
"Cancel your ability right now, Shiki!"
Shiki darkly slapped his hand away and glared at him with a menacing gaze: "Don't get out of line with me, John!"
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