"Ahhhhhhh—!"
High above the clouds, the Flying Speedboat darted up and down. Gion sat cross-legged at the bow, smiling with amusement as she wiggled her slender finger, letting the three people and one dog scream together in unison.
"Ahhh—! Slow down, slow down, Sister Gion!"
Bell-mère, who had just scoffed at the idea of roller coasters at the amusement park, now clung tightly to the railing, tears almost flying from her eyes.
"So this is what you meant by 'exciting'? I was wrong!"
"My heart, my heart can't take it! Aaaahhh—!"
Shia and Sadaharu were also terrified.
Especially Sadaharu—he hadn't even gone to the amusement park. He had been lying lazily on the deck, guarding the ship while napping.
When he woke up in a daze only to find himself thousands of meters up in the clouds, he immediately began doubting the meaning of his dog life.
Of course, Nao was only pretending.
He shouted at the top of his lungs, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of weightlessness and the adrenaline rush that came with it. While screaming "ahhh," he even clicked his tongue against his palate to make a trilling "lalala" sound.
Gion looked at him, and it seemed like she had noticed this. A mischievous look appeared in her beautiful eyes. She suddenly snorted, and with a snap, she snapped her fingers again.
"Wait, you're not going to…"
Bell-mère noticed this. Her eyes widened, and her face was filled with despair. "Don't—do—it, Sister Gion!!!"
But it was already too late.
Whoosh!
The speedboat, which had been relieved of its state of weightlessness, suddenly plummeted from a height of ten thousand meters!
The surrounding scenery changed drastically. The wind was howling in their ears. The faces of the three people and one dog were flapping wildly in the wind. Their screams instantly doubled in pitch.
"Aaaahhh—!"
Five hundred meters, three hundred meters, one hundred meters… The sea below was getting closer and closer. Bell-mère's heart was pounding. She was almost hugging the railing like a koala. Then, she finally heard the crisp sound of a finger snap again.
Snap!
The feeling of falling suddenly disappeared. The speedboat entered a state of suspension just a few meters from the sea surface. Then, like a space fleet entering a base, it circled and slowly landed on the crest of a wave.
The three people and one dog finally let out a collective sigh of relief.
"That was too much, Sister Gion!"
Bell-mère wiped the tears from her eyes. She looked up and angrily waved her fist. "At least remove the gravity from us as well! It really hurts to keep bumping into the boat!"
"Ah-la~ that's something I can't do."
Gion floated down from midair. Nao caught her by the hips and placed her on the railing. She tucked her slightly messy hair behind her ear and said with a smile.
"Aside from the user themselves, the Float-Float Fruit can only control non-living things that have been touched. I can't make other living things float. Not to mention people, not even a little puppy can float."
"Eh? Really?" Belle-Mère and Shia looked doubtful in unison.
"Woof!"
The five-meter-tall, three-ton Sadaharu wagged his tail pitifully.
"Get lost, you don't count as a little puppy."
Nao gave him a light kick, then turned away, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"That makes sense. I fought Shiki for three days and nights, plenty of direct contact in battle, but he never managed to pull it off either."
Back then, although Shiki was already aged and far past his prime, his Devil Fruit mastery was still formidable.
His ability's range was vast—he could keep entire island chains floating for years, and he didn't even need direct contact. He could manipulate seas, clouds, mountains, even snow from afar…
That was undoubtedly the level of Devil Fruit Awakening.
Yet even so, Shiki could not manipulate even the smallest living creature. Clearly, this was an ironclad rule of the Float-Float Fruit—a limitation that no external force could overcome.
Fujitora's Gravity Fruit seemed to share the same restriction.
"I see…"
Belle-Mère gazed enviously at Gion, who hovered effortlessly a few centimeters above the deck.
What are you, Doraemon? Playing around so much you don't even want your feet to touch the ground?
Nao mischievously pinched Gion's smooth, snow-white thigh from behind, earning him a flustered, scolding glare in return.
...
Late at night, the bright full moon hung high, casting silver light across the sea.
On the deck under the moonlight, a mandarin-duck hotpot was set at the center. The spicy and tomato broths were bubbling at the same time. Nao and Sadaharu were eating and sweating profusely, shouting with satisfaction.
Beside the hot pot, someone with a twisted sense of humor had even carved the Haidilao logo.
The women, on the other hand, were much more restrained. They would occasionally blow on the broth, admire the moon, and talk and laugh. It was a peaceful and warm scene, a stark contrast to the man and dog across from them.
The ship's refrigerator was stocked with a lot of fresh ingredients, and there were plenty of seasonings. For at least the next few days after leaving Marineford, they wouldn't have to eat rations.
"Where should we go next?"
Gion took a small sip of watermelon juice and unfolded the sea chart. "Spring Queen's City—St. Poplar? Or Clockwork Island? They're on different routes, but both are nearby. We could reach either one within a week."
Nao had a strong impression of St. Poplar, the Spring Queen's City.
If he recalled correctly, after the Enies Lobby incident, when CP-9 was defeated in the desperate battle against Luffy, they were betrayed by Spandam, blamed by the World Government, and became wanted fugitives.
They had ended up escaping to St. Poplar, performing on the streets to earn money for Rob Lucci's medical treatment.
Clockwork Island, on the other hand, was unfamiliar to him. But the chart they had was an internal version used by the Marine Headquarters itself.
Not only was it drawn with great detail and accuracy, but it also contained notes describing the culture and customs of various islands along the first half of the Grand Line.
According to the notes:
On this "Clockwork Island," all living creatures, whether they were humans, cats, dogs, or birds, had a clockwork mechanism on their backs that had been slowly rotating since birth.
When the clockwork stopped rotating, it meant that their life had come to an end.
Was it a natural phenomenon? A magical creation of nature?
Or was it because of some other reason… The women all had their own guesses and argued endlessly. But they were all clearly more interested in Clockwork Island.
"Then let's head to Clockwork Island first."
Nao didn't care either way. He just wanted his wives to be happy.
He stuffed the last piece of beef tripe into his mouth, patted his stomach contentedly, and let out a loud, satisfied burp.
"That's what you get for not sticking to the tomato broth. You knew you can't handle spicy food."
Belle-Mère rolled her eyes at him and tossed over a packet of tissues.
"Your eyes are bloodshot, you're drenched in sweat—here, wipe yourself down already. You're such a handful…"
"No need."
Nao threw the tissues back. He ripped open his shirt and threw it on the ground. He stretched. "I'm hot and sweaty anyway. I'll go for a few laps. It'll help with digestion after dinner!"
With a flip over the railing, he dove into the sea like a fish. Ripples spread out, waves splashing like scattered silver under the moonlight.
The seawater under the moonlight was especially cold and clear. After only a few laps, the heat and the feeling of being hot from the hotpot had completely disappeared.
When he paddled back to the front of the deck, he looked up and saw the three women all leaning against the railing, propping their chins in their hands, looking at him with resentment and envy…
"Ha! Three landlubbers."
Nao couldn't help but laugh. He waved his arms. "Hey, there are life rings on the boat. Come down and join me. Even if you can't swim, it's summer, so just treat it as a bath~"
"That's too embarrassing."
"No way."
"It'd feel awful."
The three answered in perfect unison, unanimously rejecting the idea.
Maybe he was pushing them too hard. Nao coughed, then turned to Gion with a sly look.
"Maybe you could give it a try, Rear Admiral."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"The Float-Float Fruit, of course!"
Nao spread his arms wide, sketching the outline of a person across the sea's surface.
"You can control the air now, right? If you wrapped a thin layer of air around yourself like a swimsuit to keep out the seawater, wouldn't that let you swim freely in the sea?"
This idea came to him in a flash of inspiration from Vander Decken IX.
This fishman pervert, who would harass Shirahoshi in the future, had lost his prideful ability to swim as a fishman after eating the Mark-Mark Fruit.
But after applying a swimming coating to his body, he could still swim freely near Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters underwater.
"My, is that even considered swimming?"
Gion pouted. She propped her delicate chin and pondered for a moment. "But that's an interesting direction to develop the ability. I can actually try it."
As always, the little rabbit was decisive—once she said she'd try, she immediately set to it.
Closing her eyes, she focused her mind. Bit by bit, she peeled off a layer of air around her body, compressing it, then pressing it tightly back against her figure like a second skin…
When she opened her eyes again, there was no change in her body, but Nao saw the eagerness in her eyes and knew that she was ready.
"Go on, jump!" Nao clapped his hands, encouraging her. "I'll be right here to pull you out if anything goes wrong. Come on, Rear Admiral—good luck, jump~!"
"It's just a dive, stop acting like you're hyping up a kid with all this cheerleading."
Gion rolled her eyes, leaned forward, let her balance tip, and fell toward the sea.
Splash! Water splashed everywhere. Nao watched as Gion paddled out of the sea. She was still dry, without a single drop of water on her. His eyes immediately lit up.
"Success on the first try. As expected of—"
He was about to clap his hands to cheer her on, but he saw that her chest suddenly became wet, and the water quickly spread along the surface of her shirt…
"…" The hands that were about to come together immediately went back down.
"…It leaked."
Gion frowned in annoyance, tapping her temple with a finger.
"I'm still not familiar with the ability. I couldn't perfectly attach the air, and seawater leaked in…"
"Want to try again?"
"Mm."
Gion nodded and sighed. She swam to the side of the boat, grabbed the rope, and went back to the deck in a few steps.
Just as she was about to close her eyes and try again, she suddenly saw Nao below her, looking at her with a face full of shock.
"What's wrong?" She didn't understand.
"The air swimsuit just now… failed, right?" Nao said with his mouth open. "Vice Admiral, you were in the seawater just now, but you swam so far without any problems…"all…"
"!"
Gion suddenly turned her head to look at the sea, and only then did she realize.
From the time it "leaked" until now, she had been in the seawater for so long, and not only was she not weak enough to not be able to swim, but she didn't even feel the slightest bit of discomfort.
What was going on?
Her common sense and understanding were instantly turned upside down. Gion frowned, her gaze fixed on the sea, full of confusion.
"Could it be..."
Nao, on the other hand, suddenly realized something. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately used Moonwalk to flash to the deck. He ran into the cabin.
A moment later, when he came out again, he was holding a pair of Seastone handcuffs.
"…"
When Shia saw the familiar handcuffs, she seemed to remember some past events. Her gaze floated away, and her cheeks turned slightly red.
"Put your hands out, Rear Admiral."
Nao snapped the handcuffs onto Gion's fair, white wrists and said seriously, "Try your ability again."
"Alright."
Gion nodded lightly. She slightly bent her restrained right hand and snapped her fingers.
In the next instant, the leftovers on the table began to shake slightly. Nao went to the railing and watched as the sea got further and further away from his feet, while the bright moon in the sky got closer and closer...
After floating up a hundred meters, the speedboat stopped in midair.
There was no need to test further.
Silence fell over the deck. Nao and the three women glanced at one another, each understanding perfectly what this scene meant.
—The curse of the Devil Fruit, once stripped away and reborn through Nao's hands, had been completely erased…
Only the essence remained—the fruit's ability, without any side effects.
If word of this ever spread—
One could imagine how many jaws would drop, how much the world would be shaken by such a reality-shattering revelation.
It took a full thirty seconds before Gion snapped out of her daze. Staring at her dripping wet right hand, she then looked up at Nao and suddenly burst into laughter.
"What…?" Nao's face darkened with exasperation. "What's so funny?"
"This is a Float-Float Fruit without the curse, you know."
Gion used a key to unlock the Sea Prism Stone handcuffs. She smiled and said:
"You once said when you first got it, you hesitated about whether to eat it yourself—only giving up because of the curse. Now that you've given it to me, aren't you kicking yourself with regret?"
"Regret?"
Nao blinked innocently. "Not at all. If my wife eats it and gets stronger, isn't that way better than me eating it?"
"Tell me the truth, you dummy."
Gion gently flicked his forehead with her finger and said with a smile:
"You said your ability can be used once every three months, right? Since enough time has passed now, why don't you strip my ability out, wait three months for the fruit to reincarnate, and then eat it yourself?"
She was being earnest, but Nao just waved a hand carelessly, laughing heartily as he looked into her peach-colored eyes.
"Nope, I really don't regret it, Rear Admiral. I'm not just saving face—relax. There are plenty of fruits in this world I'd love to have. The Float-Float Fruit is just one of the more ideal ones, that's all."
And he meant it.
Compared to Paramecia, Nao had always preferred Logia abilities.
Is it because of the deep impression the invincible Logia types left in the early days of the manga in his childhood?
Or… would the ability to freely transform into an element be more terrifying and difficult to deal with when combined with his monstrous physique? And is it cool to casually use large-scale destructive techniques with a Logia type?
All of these seemed to be reasons, but they weren't the main point.
"The coolest guy should have the coolest fruit…"
Standing over the sea chart, Nao grinned, flashing his clean white teeth.
"Actually, among the Logia types, the Glint-Glint Fruit is my favorite, but I can't just take my old superior's thing, that would be too embarrassing…"
You see, even a middle-aged man with a face like Kizaru can look inexplicably cool once a golden flash appears on his feet, along with lines like "Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"But there are other options. The Flame-Flame Fruit, the Snow-Snow Fruit… But they're all a step below in my heart. Since the Devil Fruit has no curse, the one I want the most is this one…"
He stretched out his right hand and slammed it down onto the map, right over the location of Jaya Island, grinning.
"Here— the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."