"Yes! After all this timeāour training is finally over!"
On the deck of the Pegasus, El and the four girls lounged lazily after lunch.
Some lay back in rocking chairs, others sat on swings, while a few simply leaned against the railing, enjoying the sea breeze.
At the helm, Nami stretched her waist and glanced back at the desolate island they had utterly destroyed over the past three years.
"Goodbye, uninhabited island," she waved cheerfully.
"We'll come back and visit when we have the chance."
With a light press of a button, the anchor retracted automatically.
As the sails unfurled, the Pegasus slowly departed from the island it had been moored to for three long yearsā
and a brand-new adventure officially began.
"Nii-san, where are we going next?"
Carina, her now-curvaceous body moving with casual familiarity, hopped straight into El's arms. She raised her head with a bright smile.
"Next stopāwe roam the seas, challenge heroes from every corner of the world, and become the strongest, right?"
El's reply, however, caught her completely off guard.
"Three years ago," El said calmly, "I was still too weak. I didn't even dare take you to Sabaody Archipelago."
"I was afraid we'd walk straight into an ambush planned by Mary Geoise or Marine Headquarters."
He paused, then smiled faintly.
"But now⦠after three years, our progress speaks for itself."
"Any schemes or ambushes they might prepare no longer matter."
"So nextā"
"I want to see just how far I can go."
His gaze sharpened.
"And it's also time⦠to take my favorite Devil Fruit."
Yes.
El was finally about to complete the most crucial step of his "Supreme Plan 1.0."
To be precise, the reason he never led the crew to Sabaody Archipelago, never coated the ship, never passed through Fish-Man Island, and never entered the New Worldā
was because his favorite Devil Fruit was not in the New World.
It existed in the first half of the Grand Line.
And more importantlyā
three years ago, that Devil Fruit already had an owner.
An opponent El back then had no chance of defeating.
But now?
After three years of closed-door cultivationāand after mastering Armament Haki Emissionā
El finally had the confidence to challenge that person.
"Your⦠favorite Devil Fruit?"
The four girls froze for a moment.
Kuina was the first to react.
"You mentioned once in Cocoyasi Village," she said slowly, "that if your favorite Devil Fruit ever appeared before you, you'd eat it without hesitation."
"But you never told meāwhat fruit is it?"
Carina nodded, then quickly began analyzing.
"First, we can rule out Logia-types. You didn't even want the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and gave it to Kuina."
"And when I ate the Munch-Munch Fruit, you said my ability was related to one of your speculations."
"That speculation⦠was whether Munch-Munch Space could capture Devil Fruits."
She looked up sharply.
"Now that we've confirmed it worksāif I'm not mistakenā
your favorite Devil Fruit must be either Paramecia or Zoan, and it already has a user."
El blinked, then burst out laughing.
"As expected of you."
He reached out and pinched her cheek lightly.
"Yes. Just like you guessedāit's a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit."
"And its name isāthe Float-Float Fruit."
"The⦠Float-Float Fruit?"
None of the four had read the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
They tilted their heads in confusion.
"Float⦠as in flying?" Carina asked hesitantly.
"A Devil Fruit that lets you fly?"
"Correct."
El nodded slowly.
"The Float-Float Fruit is a top-tier Parameciaāone qualified to compete for the title of strongest Paramecia-type Devil Fruit."
"It allows the user not only to float themselvesā"
"But to make anything they touch float as well."
"A chopstick. A battleship. A mountain."
"Even an entire island."
"The terrifying part," El continued,
"is that lifting objects consumes stamina based on their weightābut once an object is successfully floatedā¦"
"That floating state can last almost forever."
"Unless the user cancels it⦠or loses consciousness."
The deck fell silent.
"ā¦That's insane," Kuina muttered.
Carina felt her breath hitch.
"So that meansā¦"
"A Float-Float Fruit user could lift islandsāmultiple islandsāand smash them down on their enemies?"
hissā
The others sucked in a sharp breath.
"Then⦠if Nii-san eats this fruitā"
Nami's voice trembled, her eyes shining.
"Wouldn't you be completely invincible?"
El laughed and gave Carina a thumbs-up.
"Exactly."
"If I gain the Float-Float Fruitāand Kuina has the Rumble-Rumble Fruitā"
"We'll be unstoppable."
"That's incredible!" Nami shouted excitedly.
"Where is it? Let's go get it now!"
"With a Devil Fruit that strong," Carina said seriously,
"its user must be terrifying."
"Yes."
El nodded.
"The current owner of the Float-Float Fruit is one of the four legendary pirates of the previous era."
"He stood on equal footing with the Pirate King, Gol D. Rogerā"
"With the world's strongest man, Edward Newgateā"
"And with 'Red the Aloof,' Patrick Redfield."
His voice lowered.
"The man known asāThe Golden Lion, Shiki."
Silence.
Even if the girls didn't recognize every nameā
they understood one thing clearly.
Anyone who stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger and Whitebeard
was a monster beyond imagination.
"ā¦Can we really beat him?" Carina asked wryly.
"I don't know," El admitted honestly.
"I'll only know once I try."
Then he grinned.
"And if I loseāit's fine."
"You eat Kuina, then eat me."
"We use the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's speed to escape."
"And when I'm strong enoughā"
"We challenge him again."
Carina's eyes lit up instantly.
"That's brilliant!"
"But," Nami frowned, "if he can float islands, his base must be in the sky. How do we even find him?"
El smiled meaningfully.
"I already know how."
"We just need to go back to Little Garden."
"And catch another pterosaur."
As El, Carina, and Kuina began mapping out their plan to seize the Float-Float Fruitā
the outline of El's long-term vision became clearer than ever.
Among all strategic-level Devil Fruits El knew, there were four he valued above all others:
Munch-Munch Fruit
Rumble-Rumble Fruit
Float-Float Fruit
More-More Fruit
The Float-Float Fruit's power was already obvious.
As for the More-More Fruitā
It could amplify the speed, strength, volume, and weight of objects up to one hundred times.
If paired with a specially built giant cannonā
a single shot could obliterate an island.
A power rivaling even Pluton.
Its userā
Byrnndi World, known as the "World Destroyer",
currently rotted on Level 6 of Impel Down.
The hunt for the Float-Float Fruitā
had officially begun.
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