The Electrician Fruit.
Of course, that was just a joke.
The accurate name should be the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
It wasn't something he had been dreaming of, but because the majestic scenes of lightning and thunder in the early manga had left such a deep impression on Nao, he still longed for it.
His body exploding with electricity, like a god of thunder descending. Just thinking about it was already pretty awesome…
Come to think of it, this Fruit had long been recorded in the Marine Headquarters' Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. Throughout the history of the Sea Circle Calendar, there had been a few powerful users of this ability.
However, the last time it had appeared was a hundred years ago. Since then, no one had seen it.
Even Nao himself wasn't sure where the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was at this point in time.
Enel?
Unlikely. That arrogant fool wouldn't defeat Gan Fall and proclaim himself "god" of Skypiea for another eleven years. For now, he was still just a nineteen-year-old brat.
And Enel had never been to the Blue Sea. The fruit was, with high probability, still up on Skypiea, destined to fall into his hands at some point in the future.
So Nao decided he'd just try his luck there.
After all, Skypiea was already one of the honeymoon trip's destinations. If he just allowed more time to search around when they got there, maybe—being the lucky man he was—he might actually stumble on it himself.
...
Skypiea was on the list, but that didn't mean their honeymoon route had to change.
Five days later, the speedboat arrived at Clockwork Island.
After two days of playing in this rather peculiar and cozy town and experiencing the wonders of the various clockwork creatures, the group set off again, heading toward the next island in their plan.
—St. Poplar Island.
The world-famous tourist destination, the Spring Queen's City, was located on this island.
The twilight was hazy.
The sky blazed with fiery clouds, the sunset painting the ocean in golden silk, making everything appear dreamlike and surreal.
Creaaak.
The cabin door of the speedboat suddenly opened. Bellemere, with a flushed face, stumbled out with one hand on her waist and the other on the wall.
Following closely behind was a pale and exhausted Shiya. The nine fluffy tails behind her hips were gradually shrinking and disappearing.
The last to come out was Gion, who looked unbothered and calm, but was actually breathing heavily...
The three women rested on the deck under a sun umbrella for a while before they finally recovered.
After a brief discussion, they began to divide the work and prepare for a big dinner.
Meanwhile, in the cabin bedroom.
A certain person was glowing and didn't look tired at all. After tidying up the messy room, he had nothing else to do, so he simply sat down cross-legged on the carpet, closed his eyes, and meditated.
Although this trip was a honeymoon and there were no proper training rooms on the boat.
But since he was a training maniac who basically didn't need to sleep, Nao's training hadn't fallen behind during his free time on this trip.
He was surprised to find that in this state of a selfless sage, he could enter a meditative state faster and deeper. His understanding of swordsmanship was even more efficient than usual.
"I've read Elder Suma's swordsmanship notes a few times, and I know them by heart…"
Looking at the two Yone swords placed crisscross in front of him, Nao mumbled to himself, "After incorporating them into my swordsmanship, it's been a great help. When it comes to Wind Swordsmanship, I've already grasped the true essence…"
He didn't make any moves. He just had a thought in his mind, and his aura condensed.
In an instant, the sound of howling wind rose around his ears, as if a faint breeze was circling and swirling around his body, wandering around.
On the ground, both the Azakana Blade and the Wind Sword began to lightly tremble, as if answering to some unseen call…
The Azakana Sword and the Wind Sword on the ground also seemed to have received a response from somewhere and suddenly began to tremble gently…
This was a sign that he had already surpassed the level of a master swordsman and had begun to have his own unique sword style.
The world of One Piece did not have a strict hierarchical system for swordsmanship. Great Swordsman and Swordsman were just vague titles, and the boundaries were hard to define.
But the system had corresponding evaluation criteria.
Nao looked at his stat panel. The Two-Sword Style Swordsmanship still showed "Advanced," but he was sure that his progress bar for "Advanced" was almost full.
Although it seemed like he was only one step away from reaching the highest level, "Master," he still had a long way to go and needed to be tempered and refined by time.
Seventeen years later, the peak Mihawk during the Summit War was revered as the World's Strongest Swordsman, but in Nao's estimation, he had only taken a few more steps than he had now and had just barely touched that level.
"Wind…"
Nao extended a finger, watching the breeze curl around its tip. His gaze deepened as he murmured,
"If combined with lightning… what form would it take, I wonder?"
The thought made him genuinely look forward to it.
...
The journey at night was as smooth as it had been for the past few days.
At around midnight, the silhouette of St. Poplar Island came into view—more than ten hours earlier than they had expected.
As they gazed at the Queen of Spring City appearing on the horizon, the group eating breakfast on deck couldn't help exclaiming in awe.
It truly lived up to its fame as a world-renowned tourist destination. Compared to the promotional pamphlets, the actual city was even more magnificent and bustling.
From a distance, the tall buildings were lined up neatly. Fountains and sculptures were intertwined. In the excellent natural harbor, a large number of various ships were docked. The scale was almost comparable to Water 7 in Nao's memory.
At the highest point in the north, there was also a giant statue of a goddess wearing a laurel crown. Both its size and posture were similar to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro in his past life. The visual impact was quite stunning.
"Let's have some fun! Drop anchor and get ready to go ashore, everyone!"
When the speedboat slowly entered the harbor and the dock got closer, Nao laughed and shouted. He also rubbed Sadaharu's fluffy head beside him and said with a smile:
"Last time on Clockwork Island, it was Little Luo's turn to guard the boat. This time it's your turn, buddy."
Sadaharu had been looking longingly at the prosperous town. His two front paws were already on the railing. When he heard this, he whimpered in grievance and lay back down on the deck in disappointment.
Little Luo flew down from the mast and landed on Nao's shoulder. He held his neck up proudly.
"When we come back, we'll bring you something delicious," Belle-Mère said with a chuckle, rubbing the dog's head. "And don't worry, we'll save you your favorite roasted meat!"
Only then did Sadaharu start wagging his tail happily again.
There weren't many empty spots at the port. They had just seen a large ship setting sail and leaving, but then another ship came in and took the spot.
After searching for a while, they still couldn't find a suitable place to dock. Nao suddenly felt a little troubled.
"I don't want to wait for too long..."
Gion also frowned slightly. "How about I just lift the boat up into the sky? That way, we don't have to worry about it being stolen, and Sadaharu doesn't have to guard it. He can come with us into the city and play."
"Woof!"
Sadaharu's eyes lit up immediately. The speed of his tail wagging suddenly increased tenfold.
"That's an idea, but it's a bit too flashy with so many people around…"
Nao casually took out his large sunglasses from his pocket and skillfully put them on. He shrugged and said, "It's daytime right now. If we lift the boat up, tens of thousands of people in and out of the city will see it. If that happens, we won't be able to have a good vacation."
Oh, right.
Gion also started to worry. There was nothing they could do but wait. If they were lucky, an empty spot might open up in a few minutes.
Since they were bored, the four of them took out a deck of cards, sat down at the table, and played a few hands to pass the time.
But just then, a sudden commotion broke out.
They turned instinctively, only to see from the southeast a massive pirate ship charging into the harbor with an arrogant, domineering air.
"Oh my God, that, that's…"
"It's the Demon Hunter Pirates!"
"Quick, get out of the way!"
The ships along the way scattered in a panic. Many people's faces turned pale when they saw the fluttering black pirate flag. Some even jumped off the deck and hid in the sea for safety.
"Pirates?"
The vacationing Marines on the speedboat looked at each other. They stopped playing cards in a show of great mutual understanding and looked at the approaching pirate ship from a distance.
"Hmm?"
After seeing the pattern on the pirate flag, the others didn't react, but Gion's eyebrows raised slightly, and a look of surprise appeared on her face. "Well, well… didn't expect it to be someone I know."
..
On the deck of the pirate ship.
"Tsk, tsk. These cowards scatter as soon as they see the flag of the Demon Hunter Pirates. They're a bunch of gutless wimps!"
"No way, it's because Big Sis Kafia is too famous now!"
"Even the captain of the Blood Demon Pirates with a bounty of 50 million Berries was taken out by Big Sis. Of course, these guys are scared, hahaha!"
A group of pirates with thick waists and broad shoulders were gathered at the bow of the ship. They were laughing and pointing at the chaotic scene in the port.
Behind the crowd, a beautiful woman with a graceful figure, wheat-colored skin, and long pink hair, adjusted the captain's hat on her head. She listened to her subordinates' flattery with a blank expression, but she didn't seem to be in a very good mood.
Her name was Kafia. She was twenty-five years old and was from Gull Island in the West Blue.
Since she left the West Blue last year and entered the Grand Line, she had successfully escaped Marine branch forces several times. Last month, she even personally killed the infamous captain of the Blood Demon Pirates.
Her bounty had been raised to 58 million berries by Marine HQ, earning her the moniker "Demon Hunter." Practically overnight, she had become one of the brightest new stars in the first half of the Grand Line this year.
And the terrified reaction of these people at the mere sight of her pirate flag—like they were staring at Death's scythe—was proof enough of her reputation.
But Kafia's thoughts were clearly elsewhere.
From time to time she glanced back in the direction they had come from, her eyes shadowed with unease.
That blind man who liked to meddle in other people's business was just too strong...
Although she had been lucky to shake him off during the chaotic situation before, she always had a bad feeling that he was still watching her and that she hadn't completely gotten away.
In any case.
To avoid any unforeseen complications, visiting the Spring Queen's City was out of the question.
She had to hurry, resupply on land, and then leave...
As she was thinking this, a voice suddenly came from the side. "Hey? I'm not seeing things, am I? How is that small boat still blocking the way?"
"Huh, it really is..."
"Where did those rookies come from? Those idiots who don't know to get out of the way?"
…
The crew chattered among themselves while Kafia frowned, lifting her gaze toward the noise.
Sure enough, she spotted a small speedboat blocking the entrance to the dock, showing no intention of moving aside. The people onboard were even casually gathered around a table, playing cards.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing within them.
"Akka."
The helmsman at the bow quickly turned his head. After a pause, Kafia clasped her hands behind her back and issued her order coldly:
"Warn them to clear the way. If they don't respond within ten seconds, ram straight into them. Teach these rookies a lesson."
"Haha, no problem, Big Sis!"
The helmsman laughed and shouted back without hesitation.
The rest of the pirates on deck grew excited as well, clustering into groups and gossiping about what was about to happen.
"Hehe, those idiots didn't get out of the way, and now they've angered Big Sis. They're going to have a bad time..."
"I remember that time with the Candy Pirates from the South Blue. They didn't get out of the way in time, and the captain just killed all of them by herself, right?"
"Yeah, and that pirate crew had over two hundred people. As for the people on that boat, hehe, it looks like there are only four of them. Not even enough for Big Sis to warm up with..."
As the distance closed.
The four figures on the speedboat's deck also became clearer and clearer.
When they saw that three of them were beautiful women, many of the pirates couldn't help but whistle. They then felt that it was a shame that three beautiful bodies would be added to the count without them even getting a good look at their faces.
Soon, the time exceeded the ten-second limit that Kafia had set.
After the Demon Hunter Pirates had given their threatening signal, the other side showed no signs of obediently getting out of the way.
And the helmsman, with a chuckle, followed his captain's orders and charged toward the speedboat with all his might.
"They're coming at us with the intent to sink us..." Gion played two cards and took a sip of juice. "Pair of Kings. Aren't you going to make a move yet?"
"I can't beat that."
Nao looked at his hand and motioned for Shia to take over. He pouted and said, "How disappointing. They're from the West Blue, but they didn't even recognize me…"
At this point, he finally turned his head and looked at the pirate ship. He rubbed the fluffy dog head next to him and said with a smile.
"Go on, Sadaharu. I'm leaving this to you."