It had been several weeks since Miguel's titanic battle against the legendary Golden Lion Shiki.
Now, he was enjoying the slow, lazy drift of his floating ship across the vast blue sea. Speed no longer mattered. After all, he had no destination — only freedom. A freedom he'd never known in his previous life, where he was what many would call a corporate slave. Shackled by deadlines, overwork, and a monotony that dulled his soul.
But now? Now, he could sunbathe on a floating island ship without a care in the world.
"Ahhh, this is life," Miguel thought, stretching his body across the sun-warmed wood, eyes closed, arms behind his head. The sunlight hit just right. The wind was gentle. For the first time in both of his lives, he was truly at peace.
After a few hours of blissful sunbathing, Miguel's stomach finally growled. He lazily stood up and wandered to what was left of the ship's supply stores. Most of the food was gone or spoiled — except for a stockpile of fruits. As he dug deeper into the pile, something strange caught his eye:
A Devil Fruit.
He blinked in surprise. That shouldn't have been here. Shiki had kept his valuable treasures — including Devil Fruits — in a sealed vault below the captain's quarters. Miguel had last checked it weeks ago, and at that time, there had only been three Devil Fruits inside.
So why was there a fourth — and more importantly, why was it stored with basic provisions?
Intrigued, Miguel took the Devil Fruit and made his way to the captain's quarters, a place he had never actually explored until now. He always preferred sleeping outside, beneath the stars, far away from the stale luxury of a pirate captain's room.
Inside the quarters, after a few hours of rummaging through cabinets and drawers, he finally found what he was looking for:
A Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
He brought the book down into the vault and, one by one, began identifying the fruits.
1st Devil Fruit: Tsuchi Tsuchi no Mi (Earth-Earth Fruit) A Logia Devil Fruit that grants the user the ability to create, manipulate, and become earth in its many forms: dirt, sand, hardened soil, even mud, metal, and lava. The user could alter the properties of soil, making it fertile or toxic, manipulate terrain on a massive scale, and essentially become a force of nature. It reminded Miguel of Earthbending from Avatar — but dialed up to eleven.
2nd Devil Fruit: Oto Oto no Mi (Sound-Sound Fruit) A Paramecia Devil Fruit that granted absolute control over sound and all of its properties — frequency, volume, direction. The user could weaponize sound waves, manipulate enemy perception, enhance communication and movement, and even gain superhuman hearing capable of picking up sounds from tens of thousands of miles away.
"So basically Zebra from Toriko, huh? Neat," Miguel thought as he flipped to the next entry.
3rd Devil Fruit: Chi Chi no Mi, A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows its user to generate, manipulate, animate, solidify, and otherwise control excessive amounts of blood, making the user a Blood Human
Miguel then turned to the fourth fruit — the one he had found among the food.
His eyes widened.
It was... the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi — the exact same Devil Fruit Shiki had consumed.
He stared at it in disbelief. If Shiki had died and his powers were now imbued in Miguel's sword, how could the Devil Fruit have respawned already?
Then, it clicked.
"So the sword copies abilities... but doesn't interrupt the reincarnation of the Devil Fruit itself," Miguel realized. That would mean, just like when he killed Sommers and inherited his power, the Iba Iba no Mi must've also been reborn somewhere in God Valley the moment the original host died.
"I didn't expect that," Miguel muttered aloud. He had assumed he'd consume the power entirely. But in truth, his sword was more like a mirror, copying and embedding abilities into him without interfering with the natural Devil Fruit cycle.
To test a theory, Miguel jumped off the side of the island and dove into the ocean, not caring for a second that most Devil Fruit users would drown.
Beneath the waves, he summoned his sword and focused.
With a sharp slash through the water, thorns burst from the blade, forming into a massive net of spiked vines. He grinned as several Sea Kings, drawn by the sudden movement, swam toward him and decided to fish them out all for his food.
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Another week passed, and Miguel continued his relaxed routine, choosing not to rush his journey. The sea was quiet, and Miguel allowed himself time to rest — not from physical exhaustion, but from the lingering mental fatigue of his three-day battle with Shiki.
Then, from the distance, something caught his eye — an island.
Excitement sparked in his chest.
Without hesitation, Miguel made the entire floating island-ship rise higher into the sky, obscured well above the clouds. He wasn't about to risk thieves sneaking aboard while he was away exploring. Once everything was secure, he dove into the sea below, cutting through the water like a living bullet.
After only a few minutes of swimming, Miguel stepped onto the shoreline of the island. The sand was warm, the breeze soft. He took a deep breath, then activated his Observation Haki to scan the island's layout.
His brows raised slightly.
There was a large settlement inland — a bustling port, full of life and movement, located on the opposite side of the island from where he stood. He could sense the activity even from here: laughter, footsteps, commerce, voices blending in the distance.
'Seems I lucked out not arriving at the main port. I'm not in the mood for a crowd.'
But then, Miguel noticed something else — or rather, someone else.
Not far from where he stood, near the rocky edges of the beach, there was a solitary presence. Calm. Relaxed. At ease. Out of curiosity, Miguel followed the signal, walking slowly over the sand and rocks.
A few minutes later, he found the source.
There, lying back on the sand with a straw hat tilted over his face, was a man who looked to be taking an afternoon nap. A fishing pole was stuck in the sand beside him, line stretching out into the surf. The whole image radiated tranquility — yet something about the man felt... off. Strong. Dangerously strong.
Then Miguel's eyes widened slightly.
He recognized him.
One of the most recognizable faces in the One Piece world — a man whose power was feared across the seas. To see him here, now, casually fishing as if he weren't one of the deadliest men alive…
Miguel stared, a mix of curiosity and disbelief in his expression.
Sensing the stare, the man lazily opened one eye and turned his head toward Miguel. His voice was relaxed, casual — almost bored.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked.
Miguel blinked, shaken slightly from his trance. He quickly pointed toward the fishing pole, which had started twitching violently.
"A fish is biting your line," Miguel said simply.
The man turned his head slowly toward the pole. It was shaking hard — something massive had taken the bait.
He sighed, stood up in a sluggish, unhurried motion, and grabbed the fishing pole. With a single heave, he yanked it skyward — and out of the water came a massive sea beast, snarling and thrashing in the air.
"Oh ho ho ho… Scary," the man chuckled.
Then, in a flash faster than most eyes could see, a beam of golden light fired from his finger, piercing straight through the beast's skull.
It dropped lifeless into the sea with a thunderous splash.
Miguel didn't even flinch. He had seen enough death and power not to be startled. Still, seeing Borsalino— a man who would one day be an Admiral of the Marines — kill a sea monster with a bored expression was a reminder.
This world was still full of dangerous forces.
And now, two of them stood side by side on a quiet beach.