one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 257: The Fall of the Lion, The Rise of the Future

In the sky.

An island split open and began to plummet toward the sea below.

On the ocean surface, many pirates had been watching the events in the sky, fascinated by the strange movements. But now, as the sky turned darker and the winds picked up, a sense of dread filled the air. One pirate opened his eyes wide in shock. That shock soon twisted into raw fear.

The two landmasses—once a single massive floating island—were now descending rapidly from the clouds, like meteors tearing through the atmosphere.

It was an apocalyptic sight.

"Run! Run!! Get out of this sea area at top speed—immediately!!" a pirate captain screamed frantically. Even though he knew it might already be too late, he didn't hesitate—he jumped straight into the sea.

...

"Congratulations! You have acquired the 'Pirate (Piao Piao) Gene'!"

A crisp notification appeared before Mio.

He looked down at the island falling below and could vaguely make out the crumpled body of the once-mighty Golden Lion.

"As a pirate, being buried beneath the sea isn't such a bad ending. From now on, this will be your resting place." He muttered quietly.

Mio glanced around. With the death of the Golden Lion, the floating islands that had once defied gravity began to shake violently. Their stability was gone—they were falling.

At that moment—

A figure sped toward Mio through the sky.

It was Mashi.

"Brother, we found what you were looking for! Everything is on that island. There are a lot of plants on it containing IQ!" Mashi shouted, pointing to one of the still-falling islands.

Mio nodded. "Good. Clear out any remaining enemies on that island. Don't leave anyone alive. I'll stabilize it."

With that, Mio controlled the towering skeleton giant beneath him. The wings of demonic energy behind his back flared open and flapped once. Instantly, he descended beneath the island.

With a slight motion of his arms, he braced himself—and then lifted the massive landmass.

His full power erupted. The island's rapid descent slowed drastically.

However, the other islands continued to fall freely. Within moments, they crashed into the sea below, creating a deafening boom and stirring up massive waves in every direction.

A tsunami was born and surged across the sea.

On the Black Glory—

High above the ship, Lilith emerged in the sky. She flapped her wings, generating a terrifying storm. The gust tore through the incoming tsunami, redirecting the tidal wave away from the Black Glory and into another direction.

RUMBLE!

Mio carried the heavy island on his back while gliding through the air. Slowly, steadily, he moved the island to a remote sea area far from the Grand Line's major routes.

Once there, he finally lowered the landmass onto the water's surface with a huge splash.

By the time the island settled, Mio was drenched in sweat. Even more exhausting than a fierce battle, this act had drained him physically. If not for his body's exceptional recovery speed, he doubted even Dai Zhen could've pulled this off.

This island was rich in IQ, and Mio couldn't risk it being discovered. If it had landed near Reverse Mountain, then just about any pirate entering the Grand Line would be able to find it. That wouldn't do.

Which was why Mio personally relocated it here.

After taking a brief rest on the island, the Black Glory arrived.

Lilith and the others came ashore. Bai Feng stepped forward and handed Mio a folder. "This is the research data on IQ, obtained from the scientist who worked under Golden Lion."

Mio took the document and gave it a glance—then quickly tossed it aside. "Yeah, I don't understand a word of this."

Then he turned to Bai Feng. "Memorize this island's exact location. We'll return later."

"Yes." Bai Feng bowed his head respectfully.

With that, Mio made his way toward the castle situated on the island.

It had once been Golden Lion's residence. Because the island hadn't been heavily damaged during the descent, most of the structures remained intact.

Inside the castle, corpses littered the ground—Golden Lion's subordinates, dispatched by Mashi and his crew earlier.

At the heart of the castle stood a wide staircase draped with a red carpet. At the top sat a grand throne—Golden Lion's former seat of command.

"Relics of a bygone era..." Mio murmured softly.

A slight grin tugged at his lips. He climbed the stairs, sat in the throne, crossed his legs, and leaned his chin on one hand.

He belonged to the new era. The past? He didn't care much for it. Whether old or new, all eras must eventually come to an end—and be replaced by the one he would forge.

That was inevitable.

That was his ambition.

Now, Golden Lion was dead by his hand. By tomorrow, the world would tremble again.

Moreover, he had acquired the Float-Float Fruit's power. All that remained was to find a suitable host to nurture. In truth, this fruit's ability was extraordinarily powerful. If paired with the right user and cultivated correctly, another force like Golden Lion could rise under his command.

While pondering, Mio took out a Den Den Mushi and made a call.

Bulu Bulu Bulu... Click.

A calm voice came through. "What's the matter?"

"Do you know about something called 'IQ'?" Mio asked.

"IQ?" Vegapunk's voice rang out, puzzled. "I'm not familiar with it."

That wasn't surprising. IQ was a specialty of Vermeu, and Golden Lion had discovered it purely by accident.

Mio explained, "It's a compound found in certain plants on this island. It causes beasts to become stronger—but more violent and mindless. Still, I think it could be useful to you."

"Hah... That's a good find," Vegapunk chuckled. "But you're wrong—it's not useful to me. It's useful to you."

For the kinds of projects he'd helped Mio with, IQ was immensely valuable. That said, Vegapunk still added, "A beast that's lost its mind isn't easy to handle."

"That doesn't matter," Mio replied firmly. "As long as you develop what I need, I'll take care of the rest."

"Alright then. With IQ, I should be able to cultivate an entire island of the creatures you want. Give me two years."

That was fine. Mio didn't mind the timeline. He would be returning to the New World soon and had no plans to leave for a while. Two years also aligned with one of his future plans.

"I'll send you the coordinates of the IQ island later," Mio said. "You can collect it yourself. I'll also leave some research materials here. But you'd better act fast—things got loud around here. Others may come."

Vegapunk laughed lightly on the other end. "Understood. I'll be there soon."

To Vegapunk, the 'loud noise' was likely caused by his infamous friend.

Click.

The Den Den Mushi disconnected.

Vegapunk set the snail aside and shook his head with a sigh. The smile on his face vanished as he exited his lab. A man in black waited silently outside.

"Come with me. Time to stretch your legs," Vegapunk ordered.

"Yes, Mr. Vegapunk," the man in black replied respectfully.