"What does he mean by this?"

The Marines stared at the cloak fluttering onto their deck, confusion rippling through even Sengoku himself. Only Kizaru, capable of striking from fifty meters away in the blink of an eye, readied an attack.

Vice-Admiral Tsuru caught the garment. A faint perfume lingered on the admiral-grade cloak.

"Gion's scent," she whispered, blood draining from her face. Peach Rabbit—her adopted sister—was missing, and Chaton's late-night report had offered no clues.

"So Peach Rabbit is in his hands?" Garp's fists tightened while Kizaru lowered his glowing leg; an attack now risked Gion's safety.

Vane hovered in front of them on Vimana, arms folded. Only thirty meters separated pirate and fleet.

"Didn't you guess already? Peach Rabbit belongs to me," he called, voice calm and clear.

Tsuru bristled. "What have you done to her?"

"Relax. You'll find out later."

Sengoku stepped forward. "State your terms."

"Terms? I came only to inform you. Gion is already mine." Vane's smile sharpened.

Kizaru flickered, unable to bear the taunt, and loosed a Yasakani no Magatama. Light bullets hurtled toward Vane, yet he slipped aside as if strolling across the air.

Akainu's rage finally boiled over. He strode to the bow, magma wreathing his arms. "I will end you here, Vane!"

Scarlet fists rose, vaporizing seawater beneath them.

"Meteor Volcano!"

Molten meteors punched through the clouds, raining toward Vane and the war-ships alike. Marines scrambled for cover as the sky blazed red.

"Too slow," Vane muttered. A triple-ringed array of golden portals bloomed behind him—he had opened the King's Treasure. A storm of gleaming weapons erupted, intercepting every magma meteor in mid-descent. Steel met lava in a barrage of sparks and hissing steam.

Sengoku's jaw clenched. "Another ability… how many Devil Fruits can one body hold?"

Akainu snarled, "What power is this?" His ultimate attack, thwarted in seconds, left only simmering slag that spattered uselessly into the sea.

Vane clenched both fists. Tremors, reminiscent of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, rippled along his arms. "Ready for round two? Try to keep up."

Akainu's eyes widened. "Everyone, brace yourselves. He is about to unleash Shock-waves!"

A hush fell across the fleet. Overhead, Vane's golden throne gleamed like a second sun, and the balance of power felt as though it had tilted toward a single man.

Tsuru's voice broke the silence. "Vane, release Gion. Now."

Vane's answer was a quiet chuckle. "You will see her again—once you understand the new order of this sea."

The tension coiled tighter than the clouds of steam between them, and the next move would decide whether the Grand Line shook or fell silent.