Chapter 23

Ethan guessed that the Devil Fruit does have a "devil" in it, and the nemesis of the "devil" is Pyrobrone and the sea.

This ingredient is contained in Seastone, which exerts the same energy as the sea. Once the ability user comes into contact with it, the "devil" will act up and suppress it.

His white thunder plundered the ability and eliminated the "devil."

This prevented the pirate from being affected by the disadvantages of the Devil Fruit. So, the disadvantage that a person cannot have two abilities at the same time may also be eliminated.

The experiment was not over yet, and Ethan sent Pirate No. 1 to the sky.

With white thunder lingering in his hand, he felt the ability of Pirate No. 1.

About three minutes later, Ethan felt that the ability of the Dog-Dog Fruit began to dissipate from Pirate No. 1. He quickly plundered the ability and transferred it to Pirate No. 2 next to him.

Three minutes...

After letting Pirate No. 2 repeat the above experiment, the result was the same.

Ethan did not stop and took away the power of the Cat-Cat Fruit, then put it on Pirate No. 2.

No explosion!

Looking at Pirate No. 2, who now had a cat head, dog body, dog paws, and cat tail, Ethan instantly understood that he could use two Devil Fruits simultaneously.

After letting Pirate No. 2 switch forms several times, Ethan was more certain.

After knocking Pirate No. 2 unconscious, Ethan tried to take away the power and succeeded! Two Devil Fruits took shape on the side.

Pirate No. 2 did not die, but after he got up, he felt that his body was hollowed out and extremely weak. As for how long he could live, Ethan could not tell.

After giving him back the Dog-Dog Fruit, he returned to normal.

Two fruits were manageable, so what about three fruits?

...

After Ethan's many purchases, Pirate No. 2 completed the feat of eight fruits, but now Ethan only had eight on hand and couldn't immediately conclude the upper limit of the number of fruits a person could possess.

But this was enough!

Most of the eight fruits collected by Golden Lion were junk, with only the Dragon-Dragon Fruit: Ancient Species (Spinosaurus Form) and Natural System: Cloud-Cloud Fruit being of value.

After sending Pirate No. 2 to join Pirate No. 1, Ethan approached Golden Lion.

"Goodbye, Golden Lion, go see Roger!"

There was no response, and he couldn't respond.

Ethan sent him away expressionlessly, then white thunder flashed in his hand, plundering his ability.

"So this is the Float-Float Fruit..."

The Float-Float Fruit, as demonstrated by Golden Lion, felt more like the power of "controlling objects."

He could control all non-living things he touched—making them fly, deform, flow, and even manipulate seawater. Its functionality and power were incredibly versatile.

The ability of the Float-Float Fruit essentially didn't consume physical strength!

Otherwise, how could he keep countless massive islands afloat in the sky for decades with ease?

With these abilities, why would Ethan need the Ark Maxim? He could just head to Fish-Man Island and move Noah himself.

Of course, the speed would be even faster than the Maxim.

As he pondered, Ethan flashed lightning several times, contacting each of the falling islands, allowing them to continue floating.

These were usable land resources, so he let them slowly fly towards the Kingdom of God.

After experimenting with the Float-Float Fruit's ability for a while, Ethan discovered it could be transferred between objects.

What did this mean?

For example, Ethan could use his ability to control Object A, then control Object A to touch Object B, and Object B would also fall under his control.

This was why the power displayed by Golden Lion felt like telekinesis.

This was critical, especially combined with the Thunder Fruit; it could be devastating in battle.

"Not bad~" Ethan was very satisfied.

Then, as for Golden Lion's subordinates, they were of no use.

They had followed Golden Lion for many years, and the likelihood of them submitting to him was very small.

Even if some surrendered, they'd merely be put to work as slaves mining the cloud ore. Their value was limited, and riots could break out. So, he decided to let them accompany Golden Lion.

With this thought, Ethan raised his right hand and clenched it.

"Float-Float Earth Scroll!"

The next moment, the earth trembled, and strange creatures on the floating island scattered in panic.

All the prisons were crushed and buried underground, muffling the pirates' screams under thick layers of soil.

Ying Ju and Ku Mu also became his trophies. After a baptism of lightning, Ethan realized that these two swords were not useful to him, as he was not a swordsman.

However, his swordsmanship was not low, and he could wield a thunder sword in his hand using the power of the Thunder Fruit.

These two famous swords would only serve as collectibles. They might make suitable gifts for the Goddesses who would need them in the future.

Ethan waved his hand and stored all the spoils in a treasure chest.

Then, he connected to the signal network that monitored the Den Den Mushi, instructing them to keep an eye on Sky Island.

After that, he set the floating islands on a course toward Sky Island, allowing him to monitor their movements closely.

After finishing this, Ethan took the treasure chest and returned to find Robin and the others.

...

The moon was high in the sky, and the Little Maxim was bustling with life.

Why? Because Ethan was back.

"Onii-chan~ How was it? Did you find the person you wanted to meet?"

Vivi ran over happily, noticing Ethan's relaxed demeanor. But she was curious since he hadn't brought back a new Goddess with him.

"Haha, I met her. I gained a lot this time. Maybe, after wrapping up current matters, I can head directly to the New World."

Ethan pulled Vivi close as they went to the dining table. He liked Vivi, a caring and obedient little princess.

"New World?"

"The New World is the second half of the Grand Line, ruled by the Four Emperors. Robin probably knows about it."

"Yes, Raftel, where the great treasure 'ONE PIECE' lies, is in the New World. Do you want to enter the New World to become the Pirate King?" Robin chimed in, intrigued.

"Pirate King? I'm not a pirate. Anyone else can have that title if they want. If I can get ONE PIECE, fine. If not, it doesn't matter."

"My goal is the entire world. If ONE PIECE were enough to rule the world, Roger would have overthrown the World Government already. It's all about what you make of it yourself."

Robin nodded thoughtfully. Rule the world? His ambition was truly vast...

"Why didn't the president bring back a Goddess this time? Did she turn him down?" Micita asked sweetly, placing tableware in front of Ethan.

As the temporary chef on the ship, she'd prepared a feast for everyone.

"No Goddess, but plenty of treasure. The person I was after today was Shiki, the Golden Lion. He's now fallen to my hands."

"Golden Lion!? Do you mean the legendary pirate Admiral Flying?" Robin's eyes widened in surprise.