The Devil Fruit wasn't far away.
Under Nami's command, the Going Merry quickly approached a deserted island.
The island wasn't large, but its dense forest was teeming with life. With Observation Haki, Carl could sense many powerful beasts lurking within.
Leaving Momoo behind to guard the ship, the entire crew disembarked and headed into the forest.
Carl led the way, with Jango and Luffy unusually sticking close to him. Every time a beast attacked, the duo would immediately step up, knocking down or driving the creatures away. This caught the crew by surprise.
But after a moment of thought, it all made sense.
Usopp and Nami had become strong after eating Devil Fruits—so how could Jango and Luffy be content with being the weakest members of the crew?
"Devil Fruits change fate, and Haki shapes a warrior's path."
That was something Carl always emphasized on the ship.
Awakening Haki wasn't easy, so their best bet was obtaining a Devil Fruit. Now that a new one had been located, they had to prove themselves worthy of it. This was their chance to rise in the Straw Hat crew's ranks.
Even Sanji was starting to feel the pressure.
Suddenly, Carl stopped.
"Here!"
He pointed at the ground where the radar had led them. After scanning the area with Observation Haki, he crouched down and started digging.
Seeing this, Jango and Luffy immediately took over, eager to prove themselves. It didn't take long before their efforts uncovered a large treasure chest.
"Whoa! A big treasure chest! It must be full of treasure!" Luffy shouted, leaning excitedly against it.
"Luffy, move! Let me handle this!"
Nami punched Luffy aside, pulled out a hairpin, and expertly picked the lock. With a soft click, the chest popped open.
Nami eagerly lifted the lid—and her eyes sparkled.
"Jackpot! We're rich!" she squealed.
Inside, the chest was packed with gold artifacts and dazzling jewels. The sheer wealth could easily be worth tens of millions of Berries, an amount that would make most people speechless.
Some might think tens of millions of Berries wasn't much. But considering a single Devil Fruit was worth around 100 million, this was still a fortune that few could ever hope to get their hands on.
However, while Nami was busy dreaming of riches, the rest of the crew could only shake their heads.
Usopp rolled his eyes. "Nami, your village is already safe. Do you really still need to hoard all that money?"
Nami replied matter-of-factly, "I used to save money to buy back my hometown, but now I save money for myself. Is there a problem?"
There was nothing wrong with that… except that she was way too domineering about it!
Carl, uninterested in the treasure, reached into the chest and pulled out a small box hidden inside. Surprisingly, Nami didn't stop him.
Opening it, he was met with the sight of a Devil Fruit!
Jango and Liji immediately perked up, their eyes gleaming with anticipation as they stared at Carl. But instead of handing it over, Carl casually pulled out the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and flipped through the pages to confirm its identity.
"This is… a Paramecia-type fruit?" he muttered. After a moment, he found the match. "Paramecia—Hypnosis Fruit!?"
The entire crew froze. Then, as one, they turned to stare at Jango with weird expressions.
A Hypnosis Fruit? Wasn't this made for him?!
Jango practically jumped in excitement. As a professional hypnotist, this was perfect. With this fruit, he wouldn't just be some second-rate hypnotist—he could become one of the Straw Hats' top fighters!
Carl held out the fruit. "Jango, do you want to eat it?"
"Of course I do!" Jango didn't hesitate, immediately biting into the fruit.
And then—blegh!
The taste was just as disgusting as everyone had warned.
Carl noticed Luffy looking downcast, so he patted the lion's head reassuringly. "Luffy, don't be sad. This fruit wasn't the right one for you. But don't worry—there are plenty more Devil Fruits in the Grand Line. With the radar, we'll definitely find one that suits you best."
Luffy was touched. He nodded furiously, his tears flowing like a broken faucet.
"Nah, Jango, what kind of ability do you have now?" the crew asked eagerly.
"I… I think I—"
Before Jango could finish, the ground beneath their feet shook violently.
The tremor was so strong it felt like an earthquake or tsunami had hit. Then, something even more shocking happened—
"The ground… it's rising?!"
The crew watched in disbelief as the entire island began to ascend.
"HAHAHA! THIS IS SO COOL! THE ISLAND'S FLYING!" Luffy cheered, completely unfazed.
Carl, however, frowned. A thought crossed his mind—
This could only mean one thing.
An old monster was nearby.
Standing atop his massive sword, Carl soared into the sky, rising above the clouds. His eyes locked onto a lion-headed galleon floating high in the air.
And not far from it, an old man hovered midair.
With his signature blond hair—balding at the top—and a rooster-like crest at the helm, plus massive blades in place of his feet…
Who else could it be but Golden Lion Shiki!
Shiki also spotted Carl and was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting to see a living person on this deserted island.
"Jihahahaha! I didn't expect to find someone here. But I'm not looking to reveal my location just yet." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Since you've seen me, I'm afraid you'll have to die. Don't take it personally, kid!"
"Slash Wave!"
Without hesitation, Shiki swung one of the massive blades at his feet, unleashing a powerful flying slash that tore through the air.
Carl didn't flinch. With a single stroke, he drew Obsidian, sending out a pitch-black slash to collide head-on with the attack.
Boom!
The clash erupted in midair, sending a shockwave rippling outward, tearing apart a huge section of the forest below.
"Oh?" Shiki's eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Didn't expect you to be this strong!"
At that moment, Luffy shot up into the air using Moonwalk, with Usopp carrying Zoro alongside him. The four of them now faced off against the legendary pirate.
"Mr. Carl, what's going on? That rooster-head guy's the enemy?" Luffy asked, his curiosity piqued.
Carl tossed some of the door-panel sword to Luffy and Zoro to help them stay airborne. "Yeah. That's Golden Lion Shiki."
"Golden Lion?"
"You probably don't know him," Carl continued.
"Before Roger became the Pirate King, the Grand Line had three top pirate crews: Roger's Pirates, Whitebeard's Pirates, and the Flying Pirates. And the captain of the Flying Pirates? Golden Lion Shiki."
"Wait… that guy!?"
Usopp trembled violently, his fear kicking in at the mention of such a legendary figure.
Carl went on. "This old man was captured by the Marines and locked up in Impel Down. But he later pulled off the first-ever escape in history, cutting off his own feet to get out."
Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement at hearing such an incredible story. Anything connected to the Pirate King instantly caught his interest.
Zoro, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention to the history lesson. His gaze was locked on the two blades attached to Shiki's legs.
"…Those swords look pretty damn good."
Carl smirked. "They should. Sakura Ten and Deadwood—both Great Grade Swords. You need two swords, don't you, Zoro?" He tilted his head toward Shiki.
"How about taking them for yourself?"
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