"Hey! My sword, you took my sword with you!"
"Cheapskate!" Gion turned back and gave Ryuuzaki a glare but had no intention of returning the sword. Even if it was just a plain one.
Ryuuzaki scratched his head. Was that a bit too sneaky of me?
Just earlier, he had deactivated one of his [Mark Gates], then created a new one, on the blade of Gion's sword.
Sometimes he really felt like an idiot.
He should've realized long ago that placing a mark on a moving object was totally doable.
'She's probably heading back to Marine HQ... If she happens to pass by Jaya Island, that would be perfect!'
Rather than making the long journey himself, using a mobile target to carry his mark was far more efficient. After all, Skypiea floated right above Jaya. If Gion passed by it, he could piggyback right into the sky.
Yes, despite studying forging techniques during the day, Ryuuzaki's mind had been fixated on the Thunder-Thunder Fruit.
Because... that fruit was just that overpowered.
He wasn't sure of Gion's exact route, but if he recalled right, pirates often had to sail in loops while the Marines had exclusive sea routes.
Luckily, after passing the Sea Restaurant, Gion boarded a Marine warship, crossed the Calm Belt, entered the Grand Line, and soon arrived at Alabasta, then Jaya Island.
Ryuuzaki was ecstatic.
His [Mark Gate] allowed him to perceive the surroundings of the marked location. After confirming again and again that Gion's current location was indeed Jaya, he made his move one quiet night.
Using the mark embedded on her sword, he opened a gate, directly entering Gion's room while she was fast asleep.
From there, he activated [Air Door: Stair Gate], aiming straight upward. His destination, Skypiea.
The power of the Door-Door Fruit was absurd. The air door didn't just work horizontally, it worked vertically too.
For example: a Stair Gate pointed upward would create an ascending path through the air; point it down, and you'd descend into the depths.
All Ryuuzaki had to do now was climb.
Skypiea floated 10,000 meters above sea level. That height… wasn't exactly impossible, but it sure was tiring to climb.
Still, Ryuuzaki gritted his teeth. He was determined to place a mark on Skypiea tonight.
If he could just get a mark set up there, everything else would be a breeze. He could travel back and forth every night, searching for the Thunder-Thunder Fruit.
After several exhausting hours of vertical ascent, he finally and quietly arrived on Skypiea.
But dawn was nearing, he didn't have much time. He darted into a dense forest and marked a large boulder, choosing it as the most stable anchor point.
If the object holding the mark was destroyed, the gate would vanish too. That's why he used a massive stone.
Mark set, Ryuuzaki immediately returned to Windmill Village.
During the day, he studied blacksmithing. At night, he teleported back to Skypiea to continue his fruit hunt.
This continued for several days, until finally, he located Birka.
That was Enel's hometown.
It was a broad area, so he still had to narrow things down. Eventually, he pinpointed where Enel lived.
At the moment, Enel was still just a child!
To Ryuuzaki's immense relief, Enel had not yet eaten the Thunder-Thunder Fruit.
He was sure of it, because he saw the future "god" of Skypiea being pinned to the ground and bullied by a group of village brats.
Apparently, the villagers didn't like him much either.
Maybe it was this childhood trauma that led Enel to one day destroy Birka entirely?
But Ryuuzaki wasn't concerned with the kid's trauma. What mattered was locating the fruit.
He started combing the area around Enel's home.
Unfortunately, nighttime visibility wasn't great, making the search difficult.
So he shifted his exploration to daylight hours. The old blacksmith Samos barely came by during the day anyway, he was usually off lounging at the tavern.
Ryuuzaki closed the smithy's doors, pretending to be busy reading. In reality, he was off in Skypiea.
One day, two days, three days…
Nearly half a month passed before something happened.
He had been shadowing Enel when the boy, stomach growling with hunger, discovered a strange spiral-patterned fruit in the bushes.
Just as Enel was about to take a bite...
Ryuuzaki sprang out of the [Alternate Dimension] and slammed his fist into the back of Enel's head.
Poor kid. He just wanted a snack. He didn't do anything to deserve that.
But there he lay, unconscious on the ground.
Ryuuzaki picked up the fruit with trembling hands, his heart pounding with excitement.
"There's no mistake. This has to be the Thunder-Thunder Fruit."
Glancing down at the KO'd Enel, he scratched his head awkwardly.
Then he fished out a crumpled 1,000 Beli note from his pocket and gently placed it beside the boy.
Consider this… compensation.
With the fruit secured, he quietly returned to Windmill Village.
Now came the real dilemma,
Who should eat the Thunder-Thunder Fruit?
Should he give it to someone in CP9? Maybe Lucci? Kaku? Kalifa? Or… perhaps Kuina? Maybe even Gion?
He thought. And thought. And thought…
For over a month, he remained stuck in this fruit-giving limbo.
Damn it, finding the fruit wasn't this hard, but choosing who gets it? This is torture!
"Hey, Ryuuzaki, are you there?"
"Huh? That voice... Gion again? She's back?"
He opened the smithy's door, and sure enough, there stood Gion.
"Hehe~ I'm here for another rematch!" she beamed.
"I'm busy. No time."
"Busy, my butt! I came all this way, and you're telling me you're too busy?" She barged in without a second thought.
"Hurry up! Let's go into your weird dimension and spar. This time, I'm gonna win for sure."
"Gion-sis, can't you spar with someone in the Marines? Why always me?"
Ryuuzaki was genuinely getting frustrated. With her constantly coming and going, the villagers were starting to notice.
He had been working so hard to keep a low profile, and she was wrecking it all with every visit!
"Don't worry so much. I know you're worried about exposing your cover," she waved off. "If things go south with the government, you can always join the Marines. I'll back you up."
"You? You need someone backing you up." Ryuuzaki rolled his eyes.
"Hmph!"
"You'd really cover for me?"
"What, you don't believe me?"
"No, no, I'm just... a little moved. Gion-sis, why are you so good to me?"
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150 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter