"What should we do?"
"What else? Let's go together."
Jack and Maria exchanged a glance and also jumped off the Mammoth.
They have a distinction from the previous generation of officials: now most of the Hundred Beasts' high-level officials have their own flying abilities, with only a few unable to fly alone.
However, as the new generation of Hundred Beasts, there are still very few who possess flying abilities.
Hovering for short distances is not difficult, but for long-term flight, they still need external support.
The Gigantamaxed Corviknight became a means of transportation, as Jack and Maria are too large for regular Pokemon to carry them.
These two Corviknights are also leaders within their flocks, as they exhibit Gigantamax, rather than standard Dynamax.
This is also a traditional way to judge the strength of a group: those capable of Gigantamaxing are usually stronger than those who can only Dynamax and gain more special abilities.
"Bladewings"
At this moment, soaring in the sky are not only Corviknights but also special "Bladewings" accompanying them. These are special weapons evolved from their feathers after Gigantamaxing.
The armor on the body of the Gigantamaxed Corviknight is strengthened, and its wings become extremely large.
Influenced by the power of Gigantamax, the steel armor covering their wings separates from the main body and transforms into flying "Bladewings." During Gigantamax, these Bladewings function like battle AI, possessing their own combat thought processes to assist the main body in attacking enemies.
For the Gigantamaxed Corviknight, they are equivalent to the carrier-based aircraft of an air and space carrier, akin to the floating cannon beside Gundams.
Each Corviknight can control eight Bladewings, totaling sixteen "Bladewings" forming an escort squadron, bringing them towards the floating island in the sky.
"Admiral! There's an unidentified cyclone approaching, it seems something's flying over!"
On the Golden Lion's Sky Island, previously due to a problem with a locator, Indigo was reporting the situation to Shiki, but before they could approach the signal's location, the Golden Lion's team reported a special situation via Radio Snail.
Some pirate groups have special elite teams, just like how the BIG MOM Pirates have a top-notch sweets team.
Due to Golden Lion's own abilities, his team's research capabilities aren't top-notch, but they do have an excellent meteorological team.
Since the Flying Sky Pirates often appear in the sky, the sea's weather greatly affects them, and they must avoid those dangerous cloud clusters to ensure their navigational safety.
"Unidentified cyclone?"
"Yes, and it's getting closer! In at most two minutes, we'll collide, Admiral, shall we evade?... No, that's not right, that thing suddenly changed direction!"
According to their calculations, the cyclone ahead is gradually approaching the island, although a cyclone arising from the sea is an absurd occurrence, but in the Grand Line, such things are not out of the question.
However, just now, the cyclone changed its direction, heading to a higher place.
It wasn't a naturally ascending cyclone, but the updraft created when the Corviknight Gigantamaxed.
The Corviknight utilized its massive wings to catch the updraft created by Gigantamax energy, allowing its heavier body to freely soar through the sky.
Birds' muscles are naturally developed, and under the influence of Gigantamax, Corviknight is even more so.
As long as it flaps its wings, it can generate strong winds comparable to hurricanes.
"Admiral, we..."
"Hmm? Engage the enemy, have you forgotten who I am over these ten years? I am... the Golden Lion!"
Saying this, the Golden Lion started walking towards the door, but the grandeur lasted less than three seconds before he reached the doorway, looked at the reflection on the glass, and suddenly shouted, "Why is there a chicken here!"
The one he referred to as a chicken was himself; ever since a ship's helm got stuck in his head, his thinking has become abnormal, often making such remarks.
His puzzled expression was more like that of a comedian, hardly hinting at one of the great sea lords from over a decade ago.
"Isn't that you! You idiot!"
Indigo unceremoniously slapped him on the head, seeming very practiced. The Golden Lion didn't get angry; instead, he calmly continued outside.
Meanwhile, outside, the Corviknights were already preparing to land.
In just a few short minutes, they reached the designated location, and the defensive beast line on the outskirts had no effect on them. Those berserk beasts posed no threat to the Corviknights in the sky.
"These bastards... this thing must be destroyed. If this thing starts spreading, it'll be a real nuisance for the Pokemon on The Sea."
"We need to take out the one behind this, but this island is different from a Sky Island."
Even though Maria rarely leaves Wano Kuni, she's seen the Little Sky Islands surrounding Wano Kuni.
She knows that the foundation of Sky Islands is Island Cloud; seeing such a rocky structure of an island flying in the air made her feel a bit surprised.
"Let's find them first, shall we? They should be in that palace, right? Corviknight, why don't you give a greeting."
Patting the head of the Corviknight she was on, Yamato pointed towards the palace built by the Golden Lion. Not knowing which one to target, they opted for the largest one, which is a common logic on The Sea.
Even if it doesn't hold much strategic value, destroying a big structure would still hurt the opponent's feelings for a long time.
The Corviknight was charging up its attack when, suddenly, a lion composed of water rushed towards them from both sides.
This was originally the water suspended around the island. Due to Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit ability, a large amount of water gathered around the island and was now transformed into a weapon of the Golden Lion.
"Lion's Might·Heaven Water and Earth Scroll!"
"Muji Hyoga!"
Ice spewed from Yamato's mouth, instantly freezing the lion created by the Golden Lion, but even as an ice lion, the Golden Lion's attack didn't stop.
He is a Float-Float Fruit user, and the non-living things he has touched remain under his control, and the exact limits are still a mystery.
So even if Yamato has frozen the water, it remains under Golden Lion's control. Yamato's Ice Seal instead made it more powerful.
Only after they used brute force to smash the ice lion did the Golden Lion's attack come to a halt. Reorganizing the shattered ice shards was less complicated for him than preparing a new attack.
"Interesting little ones, who gave you the courage to come to Golden Lion's territory?"
Looking at the floating golden-haired old man in front of them, Jack, Yamato, and the others fell into silence. Just as Golden Lion was basking in this long-lost feeling, the words that reached his ears made him bristle with anger.
"Jack, who is the Golden Lion?"
"Can't remember, I think I heard of him a long time ago, probably some loser?"
After disappearing for fourteen years and deliberately hiding his whereabouts, Golden Lion achieved his goal, albeit a bit too well, to the point where even he couldn't quite accept it.