"Th-then… that?"
"Hey, hey… are my eyes playing tricks? Isn't there a ship flying in the sky?"
"It's really a ship that can fly—Devil Fruit power?"
"You're kidding! That ability, could it be…"
"The Float-Float Fruit, a Paramecia Float-Float user! The people on that ship must be Golden Lion Shiki, that legendary pirate!"
"Who's got an Image Den Den Mushi? Hurry and shoot this—I'm going to make a fortune!"
"......"
Yami and his group had been in the New World for less than half a day and already set an island abuzz.
Staring at the Pegasus flying across the sky, the islanders were first incredulous, then one after another pulled out Image Den Den Mushi and cameras to capture the scene.
Those with special channels faxed the photos to certain newspapers at once, and through them they reached the world's largest paper, the World Economy News Paper.
It was certain that tomorrow's World Economy News Paper would carry the photo on the front page—if not the front, then the second page.
"Hee-hee… Master, we're going to be famous again."
With top-tier Observation Haki eavesdropping on the chatter, Nami teased with a smile.
"Doesn't matter—suits me fine."
Yami smiled. "The New World isn't like Paradise—might makes right. Without a name that rings out, there'll be endless trouble knocking."
"Only by making our name echo across the world—by letting our reputation intimidate them so they fear us—will no one disturb us."
"That's why I deliberately flew over that island."
"So that's how it is."
Carina and the others nodded in dawning realization.
Yes—Yami had deliberately revealed the Paramecia Float-Float Fruit.
Now that he'd become a humanoid ancient weapon, Yami feared no faction's threats and had no need to hide.
If people discovered he was a multi-fruit user, Yami didn't care.
As said, in the New World if your name doesn't resound, no one fears you—and no one yields to you.
On the contrary, with several great beauties at his side and a custom luxury sailing ship, they would inevitably draw endless covetous eyes.
Especially since many Haki powerhouses in the New World don't fear Logias.
Even though Yami and Nami had set new records for first bounties, fools would still try to step on them to get famous, or big shots would fancy their potential and try to coerce them into service.
Afraid of being killed yet unwilling to bow? Then hit back—or strike first. Otherwise, get out of the New World!
The survival law of the strongest sea!
The next day, the World Economy News Paper's front-page headline shook the globe.
The headline blazed—"A Legend Ends: Who Is the New Float-Float Fruit User?"
Then six photos: the Golden Lion's wanted poster; a group shot of Yami's crew; individual shots of Robin, Carina, and Perona; and the Pegasus floating in the sky.
The article opened by announcing Shiki's death—another legendary pirate exited the stage of history.
Below the obituary it listed the legend's brilliant record: the Pirate King's strongest foe, the man once closest to the throne.
As for how the legend died—no one knew.
But one thing was certain: the legendary pirate was indeed dead.
Because a new Float-Float Fruit user had appeared.
This user was in the team of the super rookies Black Hole Yami and Railgun Nami. Like Nami, who ate the Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the new Float-Float user was also Yami's maid.
At Yami's side were three maids and a secretary.
According to the World Economy News Paper's investigation, the secretary was actually the girl who made her name worldwide over a decade ago—Nico Robin, with a 79,000,000 Berry bounty at age eight, a Paramecia Flower-Flower user.
Eliminating three of them, only the purple-haired maid or the pink-haired maid could be the Paramecia Float-Float user.
Which maid it was remained unknown for now, but the World Economy News Paper would continue to follow up.
As the news spread, the whole world shuddered.
The last time Shiki caused a worldwide sensation was the prison break over a decade ago—the first publicly known prisoner to escape Impel Down.
The uproar then was second only to the Pirate King's execution.
After the breakout, aside from showing himself once aboard Whitebeard's Moby Dick, Shiki vanished from the seas.
Everyone thought the great pirate was brewing a grand plan and would return to the seas sooner or later.
But no—a pirate as renowned as the Pirate King and the world's strongest man had died.
If not for the emergence of a new Float-Float user, no one would have known the great pirate had long perished somewhere on the sea.
The seas erupted.
The most affected were, without question, the New World—the strongest sea—as well as Marine Headquarters in the first half of the Grand Line and the World Government.
The Marines and the CP organization especially felt like clowns.
They'd sacrificed the reputation of an Admiral and of a Warlord, hyped Yami and Nami as the strongest rookies since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, spent huge manpower to stake out the coating area at the Sabaody Archipelago—all to ambush Yami's crew.
Yet while they squatted at Sabaody, the other side flew over the Red Line and reached the New World early.
If this got out, the entire world would laugh at Marine Headquarters and the World Government.
At the same time, in the eyes of the World Government and Marine Headquarters, Yami's small group became an even higher-level threat.
Besides two top-tier Logias, they had a Paramecia Float-Float user.
With a team like that, even without further growth, a mere wave of the hand could form a vast force.
Once all that potential was realized, the balance of the strongest sea would change, and Marines would find it even harder to intervene.
Thus the CP organization quietly dispatched many agents into the strongest sea to investigate Carina and Perona, seeking a chance for assassination—and above all to confirm which of them was the Paramecia Float-Float user.
In the World Government's eyes, the highest threat now was not Yami, the Logia Dark-Dark user, nor Nami, the Logia Rumble-Rumble user—it was the Paramecia Float-Float user!
They would never allow a second Golden Lion to appear upon the seas!
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