High in the sky.
Octopus Baron's massive tentacles clung firmly to the ship's hull, the sound of its suckers gripping the wooden planks muffled. Its bulbous body floated lazily like an inflated balloon, carried by the air currents. Ryan leaned against the ship's railing, a cigar pinched between his fingers, his gaze fixed on Sky Island as it gradually shrank into a tiny speck in the distance. His heart remained unmoved.
He had come to Sky Island out of idle curiosity, and now that he had seen it, it was nothing special. As for why he didn't simply use his ability to fly down... wasn't the point of traveling all about the "experience"? Drifting down on an octopus was far more amusing than descending into the Blue Sea under his own power.
If there was anything interesting about this trip to Sky Island, it was probably the "Angel girl." He had invited Conis to join his travels, but she refused. Ryan didn't press the matter.
Oh, and then there was that female warrior from Skypiea—Raki. That had been a delightful encounter.
All in all, this journey to Sky Island had been quite rewarding.
"Captain." Zala's voice carried her usual professional efficiency. Dressed in khaki shorts and a white short-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, she strode over with an exaggerated sway of her hips, a dark scarf wrapped around her head.
"I went to the storage room earlier to grab some fruit for juice, wanted to stock up for the trip." Zala held something in her hands, stopping in front of Ryan. "But then I found this at the bottom of the farthest basket."
"Isn't that a Devil Fruit?" Mikita, who had just come over from the other side of the deck, spotted it at a glance and curiously stepped closer. BABE peeked over but didn't seem particularly interested. Daz Bones leaned against the mast, his eyes briefly flicking over the fruit before closing again—clearly unimpressed.
But Ryan? The moment his gaze landed on the fruit, the cigar between his fingers nearly slipped. The fruit gleamed with a metallic gold hue, its surface covered in sharp, lightning-shaped protrusions, as if solidified thunder had been molded into its form. Even the stem at the top twisted into the shape of a bolt of lightning.
It was the Lightning-Lightning Fruit.
He had killed Enel. According to the rules of Devil Fruit rebirth—"When a Devil Fruit user dies, their ability will reincarnate into the nearest ordinary fruit"—he hadn't expected it to be so coincidental. The fruit had regenerated in the storage room's fruit basket and been dug out by Zala.
Ryan took the fruit in his hand. It was cold to the touch, the lightning-like ridges sending a faint tingle through his fingertips. Staring down at it, a complicated emotion welled up in his chest.
This was the Lightning-Lightning Fruit—one of the top-tier Logia-types, capable of manipulating lightning, with speed and destructive power that bordered on absurd. The only reason Enel had lost to him so easily was that he hadn't mastered his ability well enough to harm Ryan, and his arrogance and temper made him easy to provoke.
If Enel had known when to retreat, using his lightning-speed to flee and wage guerrilla warfare, Ryan would have had no way to deal with him.
What a shame!!!
Ryan had already eaten the Artificial Dragon Fruit. Even with the "artificial" label, it was still a Devil Fruit—he couldn't consume another one. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hesitated to eat the Lightning-Lightning Fruit right then and there.
After all, Ryan wasn't like Blackbeard, whose body was an "anomaly."
"Put it away. Find a sealed container for it." Ryan handed the fruit back to Zala.
This fruit, given to someone with even a shred of talent, could be polished into a Warlord-level powerhouse with minimal effort. Among the crew, Zala, Mikita, and Daz Bones already had Devil Fruit abilities. The only one left was BABE... but that kid couldn't even count properly—giving it to him would be a waste.
Best to keep it for now. They could decide later.
"Understood." Zala responded briskly, wrapping the fruit in her scarf before turning on her heel and striding back toward the storage room.
Mikita watched Zala leave, then turned back to Ryan. "Just leaving it like that?"
"What else?" Ryan tucked the cigar back between his lips, wrapping an arm around Mikita's waist, his fingers lightly brushing against the fabric of her clothes. "Come with me. Let's work out some energy."
"Ugh, you're terrible." Mikita's cheeks flushed slightly as she poked his arm with a fingertip, but she obediently followed Ryan toward the cabin, her skirt sweeping across the deck with a soft rustle.
.....
Skypiea's settlement.
"Wyper! Raki! Something huge happened!" A Skypiean warrior leaned against the rocky wall, panting. "Word from God Island... they're saying Enel... is dead!"
"What did you say?" Wyper's cigarette snapped between his teeth, his eyes widening in shock. "Is this some kind of fake news?"
"It's true!" The scout swallowed hard. "Refugees from Angel Island said a Blue Sea Person did it. They saw Enel get killed with their own eyes."
"A Blue Sea Person?"
Wyper's brow furrowed, his expression darkening. The Skypiean warriors erupted into chaos, voices overlapping as they debated, but their eyes kept flicking toward Raki.
Raki's cheeks warmed slightly, her fingers unconsciously tightening. She couldn't help but recall her encounter with that Blue Sea Person named Ryan—the oppressive aura hidden in his gaze was definitely not something an ordinary person had. But she never expected he would actually kill Enel.
Still, she quietly exhaled, a faint sense of relief washing over her. If her people hadn't listened to her and tried to fight that man head-on, they might not even be standing here right now.
In a way, her sacrifice and humiliation had been worth it. If anything, she felt a strange sense of gratitude.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Raki cleared her throat, pushing those messy thoughts aside. "No matter who killed God Enel, what we need to think about now is what to do next."
"What else is there to do?" Wyper stood, his voice cold. "With Enel dead, those Divine Officials must be in complete disarray. This is our best chance to take back our homeland!"
"But..." A young warrior hesitated. "God Island still has so many God Soldiers..."
"God Soldiers?" Wyper sneered. "They were only a threat because of Enel. Now that he's dead, they're nothing but a rabble!"
Just then, Aisa, who had been curled up nearby, suddenly lifted her head, her small hands covering her ears, her brow tightly furrowed. "Wyper... I can hear... God Island is so noisy. So many people fighting... and crying..."
"You hear that?" Wyper's eyes gleamed. "They're already tearing each other apart!"
With that, Wyper turned and hefted the Burning Cannon resting in the corner, its barrel glinting coldly in the sunlight. "Everyone, grab your weapons! We're heading to God Island now—to take back our home!"
"Ooooh—!" The Skypiean warriors roared in agreement, snatching up their weapons, their fear replaced by fervor.
As the Skypieans sharpened their blades for battle, a single-masted sailboat surged upward along the slope of the cloud stream, its sails billowing in the wind. The straw-hat-wearing skull emblem emblazoned on it shone blindingly white under the sky's light.