Somewhere in the New World.
Rumble…
Rumble…
Rumble…
The deep, rumbling of thunder echoed continuously. The sea was surging violently, like the prelude to a tsunami.
"Get up for me!"
A wild roar, shaking the air, sent ripples propagating outward.
The sea level was falling. No. An island was rising. A small island shook and wobbled as it lifted from the ocean, gradually climbing into the sky, swaying with every meter, as if it could drop at any moment.
"Hey! Hey! Captain, watch what you're doing! I'm still on the island, you bastard! Don't even think about calling me for this kind of thing next time!" On the small island, which was about three square kilometers in area, Oliver could not help but stamp his feet and curse as he watched the sea rapidly receding below.
However, when the small island slowly ascended to about five hundred meters, it stabilized, and its ascent speed became much faster than it was initially.
"Phew… That took a lot of stamina!" Aeridar, high in the sky, looked at the floating island beneath his feet and sighed with relief, wiping the sweat from his brow.
Recalling the magnificent sight of Shiki the Golden Lion's archipelago, then looking at this lone island beneath him, Aeridar contemplated the black glove on his right hand. He mused, "Using the glove to channel the power consumes my own stamina. Is this the limit because I haven't reached Awakenings?"
"No, the Float-Float Fruit's power should not be able to reach the Awakening state through the glove. But this is definitely not the limit. It's probably because this is my first time using it, and I'm unfamiliar with it. It's like a swordsman switching to a new katana; there's a break-in period where I need to figure out the correct way to use this new blade."
....
Alvis Island.
A shadow descended, blocking out the sun.
"W-What is that?"
"N-No way! A floating island?"
"That's ridiculous! How can an island float in the air? Am I seeing things?"
"Is it Shiki's power? No, wasn't the Golden Lion killed by the Captain?"
The hundreds of pirates stationed at the port stared at the moving island overhead, virtually dumbstruck, showing fear, curiosity, disbelief, and other emotions.
Soon, the island moved to the center of Alvis Island and stopped abruptly.
"Hey! Hey! That's too much!" Otto raised his head, shocked.
"The power of the Float-Float Fruit. They succeeded," Enrod gasped.
"Is this what the Captain often talks about, the power of technology? That scientists are the ones who truly hold the truth?" Galan was amazed, continuously praising them.
Standing outside the entrance of the research base, Dr. Dalt, clad in a white lab coat, looked at the small island in the sky, frowning in thought. "The channeling of the power was successful, but the island is quite small. Did something go wrong?"
At that moment, a rectangular rock flew down from the island. Two figures stood atop it: Aeridar and Oliver.
Thud.
The rock landed at the castle gate. Aeridar and Oliver jumped off.
"Captain, are there any issues?" Dalt asked immediately as he approached.
This glove was Dalt's creation, a technological extension developed using 'Lineage Factors,' successfully channeling the Float-Float Fruit's power.
"No, Dr. Dalt, your work is a great success. I just need to further explore the correct way to use 'it,'" Aeridar said with a smile, wiggling the black glove on his right hand. He added with a laugh, "I've given it a name: the Floating Glove, Aelry!"
At this time, Otto, Enrod, and Galan had also arrived.
"Captain, the powers of the Float-Float Fruit and the Animate-Animate Fruit's glove, plus your own Impact-Impact Fruit ability." Otto exclaimed, "An unprecedented tri-ability user!"
"'Aelry'! A good name. It's incredibly lucky for an ordinary person to get even one Devil Fruit. To get a powerful one is extremely good fortune. But for the Captain to have three powerful abilities, there is probably no one luckier in the world," Enrod said in awe. Although he was a swordsman, that didn't mean he was unaware of the convenience and power of Devil Fruits.
"The Animate-Animate Fruit for crowd control, the Float-Float Fruit for support, and the Impact-Impact Fruit for offense. I'd say the Captain is capable of contending with a Yonko now!" Galan narrowed his eyes, analyzing the situation. The conclusion he reached shocked everyone.
"No, I'm still a little short." Aeridar looked at the black gloves on his hands, his lips curled into a smirk. "I'm short of that one decisive factor… that one ultimate trump card! I'm short of that one final qualitative leap to truly ascend."
Compared to Big Mom's terrifying ability to harvest lifespan and souls, compared to Kaido's terrifying near-immortality, compared to Shanks' terrifying Haki, and compared to Whitebeard's terrifying power to shake everything apart, Aeridar still lacked that one power capable of dictating the outcome of a conflict...
However, if one were to name the strongest man beneath the Yonko, the one most qualified to take a Yonko's throne, Aeridar was undoubtedly it. Furthermore, Aeridar could definitely maintain a stalemate against any single Yonko.
If a Yonko were to fall right now, Aeridar would absolutely be the closest man to that throne.
But Aeridar didn't want to become a Yonko. Becoming a Yonko meant Aeridar would officially break with the World Government, truly siding with the pirates. His status as the World Neutral Zone and a World Government affiliated nation would inevitably be stripped away, which did not align with his overarching scheme.
When the oyster and the clam fight, the fisherman profits. Sitting comfortably on the fishing platform was his true plan.
"By the way, Captain, the Skypiea division under Enel called. The call was from a man named Wyper," Otto suddenly mentioned.
"Wyper, huh? What did he say?" Aeridar raised an eyebrow. Wyper was now the captain of the Skypiea Defense Force, responsible for the island's safety. His strength was much greater than it was originally.
"He said the Straw Hat Pirates, with a new bounty of 100 million Berries, arrived at Skypiea. But they refused to pay the entry fee and entered illegally. They later caused a lot of trouble up there and stole some gold. Since Enel and the Four Priests were absent, their combat power was somewhat lacking, and the group managed to escape," Otto recounted the events.
"Straw Hat kid, hehe. Quite the brave soul, aren't you." Aeridar chuckled softly, not overly concerned. These reckless newcomers hadn't witnessed true power, so naturally, they were fearless.
"Should I send someone to pursue them?" Otto asked.
"Hmm… Send Backan to go. Just teach them a lesson, that's enough," Aeridar commanded with a smile. It would be a favor to Dragon. Even if he didn't kill them, a beating was acceptable.
"Understood." Otto looked at Aeridar strangely, but nodded in agreement.
"It seems a rookie named Trafalgar Law has emerged recently. I think I have a guess about the ability he demonstrated. Could you possibly capture him?" Dalt suddenly spoke after a brief moment of contemplation. "If we could isolate his Devil Fruit, I believe it would be an excellent match for Dr. Jason."