One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

Chapter 697 Burial

Roy placed the apple on Shiki's chest.

The psychic barrier opened silently, completely isolating Shiki's body from the outside world.

Inside this barrier, the air stopped flowing, and time seemed to slow down by half a beat.

Roy could sense that the power within Shiki was losing its host.

The power of the Float-Float Fruit, dormant within Shiki's body for decades, is now flowing erratically through his remains like water that has lost its container.

Before long, this force will break free from the shackles of the body and return to some corner of the sea, where it will be reborn on an ordinary fruit.

But Roy wouldn't let that happen.

The psychic barrier sealed off all the surrounding space.

The power surged within Shiki's body for a while, but finding no way out, it began to seep into the nearest organic matter—which happened to be the ordinary apple on Shiki's chest.

The fruit's skin begins to change.

First, there's the color.

The originally rosy apple peel began to darken, as if covered by a faint shadow.

Then there's the pattern—deep blue spirals that start from the stem and spread outwards, winding around the fruit and extending downwards.

The shape of the pattern is very similar to the airflow trajectory when Shiki used the Float-Float Fruit power, with a certain regular spiral.

Next is the bottom.

A dense pattern of cracks appears at the bottom of the fruit; these cracks are very fine, as fine as hair, but arranged in an extremely regular pattern.

It was as if a small storm, compressed to its extreme, had been sealed inside the fruit.

Finally, the shape of the fruit twisted slightly—the originally rounded outline became slightly irregular, and the surface had several bumps and depressions, like a floating island that had been miniaturized countless times.

Floating fruit.

Roy took the newly formed Devil Fruit from Shiki's chest and examined it in his palm for a few seconds.

The surface of the fruit still retained a faint warmth—that was Shiki's last body temperature.

"I will make good use of your abilities."

Roy whispered something and carefully placed the Float Fruit into his storage bag.

Then he crouched down and picked up the two famous swords beside Shiki.

Cherry blossoms and withered trees.

These two swords have been with Shiki for decades, ever since he was a young pirate.

Having witnessed the era of the Rocks Pirates and the glory of the Flying Pirates,

Having experienced the devastating defeat at Etwol, the escape from Impel Down, and the two years of hiding and running away.

The sword was covered with fine scratches and nicks—marks left by countless battles.

But the blade remained sharp, and the leather wrapped around the hilt had been worn smooth and shiny. Holding it in your hand, you could feel a solid weight.

Roy wiped the two swords clean and put them into his storage bag.

After doing all this, he stood up again and looked down at Shiki's body.

Shiki still had that smile on his face.

His lips were slightly upturned, his eyes were half-closed, and the blood had congealed, forming dark red lines on his face.

Roy remained silent for a moment.

Then he raised his right hand and activated his telekinesis.

The ground beneath my feet began to shake.

The soil and rocks beneath Shiki's body parted to the sides as if they were alive, forming a rectangular tomb.

The tomb was not deep, just deep enough to hold one person's body.

Roy used his telekinesis to lift Shiki's body and gently lower it into the grave.

At the moment of burial, he deliberately adjusted Shiki's posture—he placed his hands folded in front of his chest, as if he were holding a sword.

Then the soil and rocks were put back together.

There is no tombstone, no epitaph.

There was only a small mound of earth, and the surrounding deserted island surface was completely destroyed by the battle.

No one could tell that a person was buried here.

It's even more unbelievable that this person buried on the nameless desert island was once Shiki the Golden Lion, one of the three legendary pirates alongside Roger and Whitebeard.

"The path you chose."

Roy looked at the small mound of earth.

"At least you left with a bang."

He dusted off his hands and took one last look at the nameless, deserted island.

The sea breeze blew from afar, making the hem of his clothes flutter.

The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the sky was gradually changing from orange-red to deep blue.

Roy turned around, pushed off with his feet, and transformed into a streak of light, flying towards Beehive Island.

In the distance, the spaceship from Beehive Island is waiting in mid-air.

On the deck of the Ark of Truth, Barrett, Tesoro, Enel, Crocodile, and others were already waiting.

They saw Roy flying over from afar, and Barrett was the first to speak.

"Did you take them down?"

"Taken down." Roy landed on the deck.

Barrett remained silent for a few seconds, unusually not saying anything.

Phrases like, "Why didn't you invite me?"

He glanced at the desolate island in the distance, now devoid of the golden lion's aura, then turned away, leaning against the ship's railing and remaining silent.

Tesoro walked over to Roy.

"Is the body disposed of?"

"Bury it."

Tezzolo nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

He's a smart man; he knows some things don't need to be said too explicitly.

People like the Golden Lion don't care about others' opinions while they're alive, and they don't need a stone to prove they ever existed after they die.

Crocodile walked over, a cigar dangling from his lips, and looked at Roy.

"Did you get the Float-Float Fruit?"

"Got it."

"Who are you planning to give it to?"

Roy glanced at him, but instead of answering directly, he said:

Who do you think could use it well?

Crocodile thought for a moment:

"The Float-Float Fruit has a very high potential; the Golden Lion can use it to roam the seas, which shows how powerful this fruit is."

If someone could awaken it to its full potential, it would be a huge boost to the development of Beehive Island.

"Therefore, we need to find a reliable person."

Tesoro continued,

"They are not combat-oriented talents, but logistics-oriented talents."

Ideally, they'd be someone who doesn't need to fight on the front lines, but can manage the entire rear area of Beehive Island perfectly.

Both of them looked at Roy at the same time.

Roy's lips curled up slightly:

"You're right, but we'll talk about the selection later. Let's go back first."

The engines of Ark Proverbs have been restarted.

Golden lightning crackled around the ship as it slowly turned and headed toward Beehive Island.

On the deck, Roy stood at the stern, watching the nameless deserted island grow smaller and smaller on the horizon until it became a tiny black dot and disappeared into the night.

The story of Shiki the Golden Lion has come to an end.

It did not alert anyone, nor did it leave any trace.

Only a few people on Beehive Island knew that the once-powerful Flying Pirate, who dominated Roger's era, was ultimately buried on a deserted island without even a name.

Tezzolo walked over to Roy and leaned against the gunwale.

"What are you thinking about?"

Roy did not answer directly.

He looked at the distant sea, where moonlight shone and shattered into silvery-white fragments.

"Ski said his luck ran out after Etwol."

"I don't know what fortune is."

But what he said is true—on this vast ocean, some people are just lucky, and some people are just unlucky.

Tezzolo nodded.

"Maybe."

He paused.

"But one thing I'm sure of—you're luckier than Shiki."

"Because you have us."