The center of Merveille Island was now nothing but ruins.
The lush jungle was gone. In its place was a massive crater several kilometers wide. The bottom of the pit was charred black. The soil had turned to glass from the heat of the lightning, and the air smelled of sulfur.
Golden Lion Shiki's body lay quietly in the middle of the ruins.
This was the man who had once fought Roger and nearly ruled the sea. Now his eyes were shut. The burned hole in his chest was still smoking. His long golden hair lay in the dirt, having lost its shine.
A legend had come to an end.
Aiden stood beside the body and took a deep breath to calm his racing blood.
Right then.
"Ding—"
A familiar mechanical voice rang out in his mind.
[Judgment Successful!]
[Criminal: "Golden Lion" Shiki]
[Rank: SS5]
[Status: Executed]
[Sin Index: 190,000]
[Execution Participation: 100%]
Then a golden list appeared in Aiden's vision.
[Available Rewards]:
[Physical Improvement (Small Amount)]
Description: Improves Aiden's physical ability with a small portion of Golden Lion Shiki's peak physique. Current Level: Rank S.
[Skill Improvement: Lion-Style Swordsmanship]
Description: Improves Aiden's swordsmanship with the lifetime experience of a dual-sword great swordsman, including all of his secret techniques. Current Level: Rank SSS.
[Skill Improvement: Navigation]
Description: Improves Aiden's navigation skills with experience commanding a massive flying fleet and sailing through the New World. Current Level: Rank S.
[Haki Improvement: Observation Haki]
Description: Improves Aiden's Observation Haki with Shiki's Observation Haki. Current Level: Rank ???.
[Haki Improvement: Armament Haki]
Description: Improves Aiden's Armament Haki with Shiki's Armament Haki. It has extreme hardness and flow. Current Level: Rank SS.
[Haki Improvement: Conqueror's Haki]
Description: Improves Aiden's Conqueror's Haki with the Conqueror's Haki Shiki once used to try to rule the world. Current Level: Rank .
Conqueror's Haki!
Aiden's breathing suddenly grew heavier.
This was the one thing he was still missing. It was the final step toward truly reaching that level. In the fight just now, if he had Haki Infusion, he would not have needed to work so hard to force together a heat sword. He could have faced Shiki head-on with Haki alone.
With just one tap,
he would gain the quality of a king that only one person in a million could possess. He would even master the infusion method that many people never learned in their whole lives.
How great was that temptation?
Aiden raised his finger.
He held it over the option, and his hand trembled slightly.
However.
One second, two seconds, three seconds.
He did not press it.
The excitement in Aiden's eyes slowly cooled. In its place was a self-mocking look and a deep sense of pride.
"Taking this would feel great," he murmured. "If I were still the weak man I used to be, I'd probably take it without even thinking."
"But now..."
Aiden lowered his eyes to Shiki's body. The words he had said earlier echoed in his mind.
"Your era is over."
He had just defeated Shiki and mocked him for being a loser who had lost his ambition.
"Conqueror's Haki is the mark of someone meant to stand above others. It is ambition itself. If I need to inherit something like that from someone else, then that means my own limit ends here!"
Aiden clenched his fist until his knuckles cracked. "I'll awaken my own Conqueror's Haki."
"You can't conquer this sea with someone else's spirit!"
Snap!
Aiden waved his hand and closed the system panel without hesitation.
He made no choice.
The rewards this time were too good. He needed to go back, calm down, and think carefully about what fit his future plans best.
Only Conqueror's Haki already had its answer.
After dealing with the system, Aiden let out a long breath and turned around.
Gion was walking over from not far away. She stood beside a broken boulder.
Her coat was covered in dust. Her neat pink shirt was torn in several places, making her look a little messy. But her eyes were bright as she stared at Aiden with a very complicated look.
"You won?"
Gion's voice was a little dry.
"I won." Aiden shrugged. He sounded as casual as if he had just come back from shopping. "I got lucky. Shiki's legs were in bad shape. He couldn't hold steady during that last clash."
"Don't change the subject."
Gion ignored the joke. She crossed the ruins and stopped right in front of him.
She looked straight into Aiden's eyes and finally asked the question that had been stuck in her heart since the battle began.
"Gigantia Island."
"The stranded warship and those dozens of survivors from the Skull Crusher Pirates... You killed them, right?"
Aiden's smile stiffened a little. As usual, he tried to play dumb. "Huh? What Gigantia? Back then, wasn't I—"
"Stop lying to me!"
Gion suddenly raised her voice and cut him off. "The swordsmanship you used against Shiki just now... swordsmanship on that level... there is no way I could have taught you that!"
"Back then on that island, you were the only one there with that kind of strength!"
Gion bit her lower lip. Her face had turned red from embarrassment and anger. "So the mysterious swordsman I spent all this time looking for... was right next to me the whole time, pretending to be a rookie?!"
"You were clearly stronger than me from the start, but you still acted like you knew nothing. And when I offered to teach you extra sword lessons, you didn't even refuse—"
The more Gion spoke, the angrier she became, and her voice began to shake. "You must have been laughing at me in your head, watching me act all serious while teaching you how to swing a sword and use basic techniques!"
That was the thing she could not accept the most.
It was not that Aiden hid his strength.
It was the humiliation of trying to teach someone far stronger than her. Every time she remembered patting Aiden on the shoulder and saying, "You're very talented. You'll become a great swordsman," she wanted to find a hole and disappear into it.
Aiden looked at Gion's angry face and awkwardly rubbed his nose.
He knew he had really messed up this time.
"Uh... Gion, let me explain."
Aiden dropped the smile and spoke helplessly. "Back then, I didn't want to draw too much attention. And besides... you didn't exactly leave me room to say no."
He saw Gion's eyes starting to turn dangerous, so he quickly changed his tone. "Still, even if my swordsmanship is... a little special, I really did enjoy how serious you were when you taught me."
"Like hell you did!"
Gion raised her fist as if she wanted to hit him. But when she saw that Aiden did not dodge and instead stepped even closer, her fierce attitude weakened at once.
Aiden stopped right in front of her. They were so close he could smell the faint scent of her hair mixed with dust.
"Don't be angry, Instructor."
Aiden reached out and brushed the dust off her shoulder. His fingers did not move away right after. They lightly brushed against her collar, and that touch made Gion's body stiffen for a moment.
"You really did teach well, didn't you? Your student just beat Golden Lion."
Aiden lowered his head slightly. His black eyes had already calmed after the lightning, but there was still a sharper look in them than usual as he stared straight into Gion's eyes.
Gion's breathing caught.
Normally, if a man had done this, she would have kicked him away without hesitation.
But this time, she did not dodge. She did not draw her sword either.
She only felt her cheeks burning. The panic of having her thoughts exposed, mixed with the strange feeling of being this close to him, made her turn her face away. She did not dare look straight at Aiden anymore.
"...Bastard."
Gion muttered in a low voice, almost like a whisper. She glared at him, but there was no killing intent in it. It felt more like a pout. "I'll settle this with you after we get back! And if you ever hide anything from me again, I'll... I'll go tell Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Even though she was still acting tough, the corners of her mouth were already curling upward. The relief of surviving and the comfort of finally knowing the truth turned into a strange feeling she could not describe.
The distance between them had completely disappeared.
Aiden looked at the softer side Gion was showing and felt that the mood had become a little too romantic. If it went on like this, something might really happen.
He quickly changed the subject. This was still a battlefield, not a place for romance. "The sun's going down. Let's grab what we can and leave. I've got a bad feeling this island might sink soon."
"Hmph, greedy bastard." Gion rolled her eyes at him, but she steadied her emotions and started searching through the ruins.
Aiden walked over to Shiki's body and pulled the two famous swords out of the dirt without hesitation.
Oto and Kogarashi.
They were two meito, both among the fifty Ryo Wazamono. Even after such an intense battle, both blades were still cold and sharp, giving off a strong presence.
"Good swords," Aiden said in praise and hung them at his waist.
The system could provide great swords too, but free things always felt better.
"Ow!"
Suddenly, Gion cried out nearby.
Aiden turned at once and saw her standing beside a huge uprooted tree. One hand was pressed to her forehead, and she looked annoyed and confused.
"What happened?" Aiden quickly walked over.
"Something hit me... it hurts."
Gion rubbed her forehead. The fallen tree had not been completely stripped bare. There were still a few wild fruits hanging from the branches. Maybe the wind had shaken one loose, and it had landed directly on her head.
"Just my luck..."
Gion muttered as she looked down to find the guilty fruit.
But the moment she saw the fruit at her feet, she froze.
The annoyed look on her face instantly turned into shock.
"This... this is..."
Gion's voice trembled.
Aiden followed her gaze, and his pupils narrowed slightly.
Lying among the broken stones was no ordinary fruit.
It was a strange fruit. Its color was a grayish white like the sky itself, and weird spiral patterns covered its skin.
"A Devil Fruit?!"
Gion gasped. As an elite Marine, she recognized this treasure of the sea at once.
This fruit had appeared without warning. Even Aiden, who had spread his Observation Haki over the whole island, had not sensed any Devil Fruit aura until now.
If that fruit had been here from the start, there was no way it would have escaped his senses.
Unless...
it had only just become one.
Aiden looked at the fruit, then at Shiki's body not far away. He understood immediately.
"Devil Fruit rebirth."
There was a trace of surprise in Aiden's voice, followed by a smile. "When a Devil Fruit user dies, the power leaves the body. Then there's a chance it will attach itself to a nearby ordinary fruit and be reborn."
He pointed at the fallen tree. "That tree probably had normal fruit on it. The moment Shiki died, the power of the Float-Float Fruit found one of them and completed its rebirth."
"And you..."
Aiden looked at Gion and could not help but laugh. "You just happened to be standing under the tree when it fell."
"This kind of luck is ridiculous."
"The Float-Float Fruit?!" Gion picked up the fruit, and a warm feeling spread through her palm.
This was the legendary Float-Float Fruit. It was the very power that had let Shiki rule the sea for decades.
"That's right."
Aiden nodded and spoke as casually as if he were handing her an apple. "Eat it."
"What?" Gion was stunned. "Give it to me? This is Shiki's power!"
"You know I already have the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. I can't eat a second one," Aiden cut in. "And besides, you're a swordswoman. The Float-Float Fruit and your swordsmanship fit each other perfectly."
He looked at Gion, and his eyes reflected the plans he had for the future. "Think about it. A swordswoman who can move freely through the air. A swordswoman who can drop islands on people... Gion, in the future, you might become just as terrifying as Shiki."
Gion looked at the fruit in her hand, then looked at the trust in Aiden's eyes.
She was a decisive woman. Since Aiden had already said this much, it would be petty to keep refusing.
"Fine."
Gion took a deep breath, and her eyes grew firm.
"If you're not afraid of me bullying you after I get stronger, then I won't be polite."
She stopped hesitating, lifted the Float-Float Fruit, and bit down hard.
"Blegh!!!"
A second later, Gion's beautiful face twisted in disgust. She nearly threw up on the spot.
"This taste... it's like a smelly sock soaked in rotten fish guts—"
"You have to eat the whole thing," Aiden said with a laugh, still giving terrible advice.
Gion forced herself to swallow it all.
A moment later,
a strange feeling spread through her whole body. It felt as if all of her weight had vanished. She felt as light as a feather, as if she had become one with the wind.
Hum—
She instinctively reached toward her sword, Konpira, which was stuck in the ground.
The heavy famous blade rose against gravity and slowly floated up until it stopped beside her hand.
Then Gion gave a command in her mind.
Her feet slowly left the ground. She did not use Moonwalk. She did not kick the air.
She simply floated upward.
Her Justice Coat fluttered in the still air.
"So this... is what flying feels like?"
Gion looked down at the ruins below, her eyes full of wonder.
Aiden looked at Gion floating in the air and nodded in satisfaction.
"Feels good, right?"
Aiden turned into a flash of lightning and floated up beside her. "Let's go. Time to head back. Smoker is probably starting to worry."
To Be Continued
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