Chapter 51

"Mamama, Thunder Boy, come to the New World as soon as possible!"

Click~

After hanging up the phone, Ethan returned the Den Den Mushi to Baron Tamago.

"Mom has set the time for the marriage at the next tea party. There are still a few months left. I will send out invitations then."

Baron Tamago breathed a sigh of relief and drank a mouthful of black tea as if he had survived a disaster. He was finally done with this matter.

"Yes, there is still plenty of time. Shura, take Baron Tamago and Pekoms to taste the delicacies of Skypiea. When they leave, let them take the delicacies for Big Mom with them."

After the marriage discussion, Ethan turned into a flash of lightning and left. Today, he still had the task of guiding Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya to complete.

…

A dozen days later, at the Shrine.

Ethan restrained the lightning on his fingertips and looked at the beautiful faces (photos) of the goddesses hanging on the wall. He fell into a brief dilemma—who should he chat with?

Before he could figure it out, Robin sent a message...

"Oh? Finally here?"

Yes, Luffy had gone to sea, and there was a formal bounty issued, offering 40 million Berries. It mentioned he had destroyed a Navy branch in the East Blue.

"The news came from Baroque Works, and there is no problem with the bounty poster..." Robin sat elegantly beside Ethan, flipping through the information in her hand.

"It's just that he's just a newcomer who has gone to sea. Is it necessary to go to great lengths to monitor him?"

"Hehe~ He's not so simple. Monkey D. Luffy's father is Monkey D. Dragon, the commander-in-chief of the Revolutionary Army, and his grandfather is Monkey D. Garp, the Navy hero who has forced the Pirate King Roger into a desperate situation several times."

"What? With such a deep background, he actually chose to go to sea and lower his status to become a pirate?" Robin opened her mouth, somewhat speechless about Luffy's thinking.

"This is all part of Shanks's planning and guidance, but it doesn't matter. His background is meaningless to me. He has only one role to play for me... to establish the timeline for me."

"Shanks... So it was him. Truly a remarkable person~ What is the timeline you're talking about?"

"Just as it sounds!"

Ethan casually burned Luffy's bounty poster. Knowing this news put him in a good mood. With Robin already by his side, he called Nami, Vivi, and the others, chatting with them for a while.

They were the heroines who would have become part of Luffy's crew, and now, he had intercepted them in advance.

After a round of laughter, Ethan went to the experimental island (formerly a floating island of Golden Lion) and summoned Brook.

If not for the news that Luffy had gone to sea, Ethan might have almost forgotten to find Brook for his experiments.

Time passed slowly, and Brook arrived with his eerie laughter.

"Yo-ho-ho~ My lord, I wonder what you called me for?"

Ethan didn't say anything, gesturing for Brook to follow him.

After a while, they arrived at a brightly lit laboratory with an operating table in the center and spare fruits scattered around.

"This... what is this?" Brook felt a sense of foreboding, even without a heart.

"Brook, you mentioned before that you are the user of the Yomi Yomi no Mi and a resurrected person. Now that you've utilized its power, you still face the limitations of a Devil Fruit..."

"I wonder if you could shed those limitations if I extract the Yomi Yomi no Mi's power from you."

"I see." Brook was intrigued, "Lord, how should I proceed?"

"Lie on the operating table, relax, and don't resist."

Brook lay down as instructed. Ethan had saved him from Moria's control, so he trusted him.

Then, Ethan's hand, crackling with white thunder, covered Brook, seeking the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi.

"What do you feel?"

Brook was puzzled; all he saw was Ethan extending a hand without any follow-up action.

"Yo-ho-ho~ Has it begun? I feel like I'm lying on a hard platform."

Ethan: "..."

"Good enough. Now, keep flexing your fingers. If you feel uncomfortable, resist."

Ethan began using white thunder to pull out the Yomi Yomi no Mi's power. Brook remained calm, flexing his fingers.

Soon, Ethan plundered the power of the Yomi Yomi no Mi.

"I feel it! I feel lighter for some reason..." Brook noticed the difference immediately when the Yomi Yomi no Mi's power left him.

"It appears you don't need the Yomi Yomi no Mi to survive." Ethan took the seastone shackles nearby, "Now, let's see if you can withstand the Devil Fruit's side effects."

Without hesitation, he handcuffed Brook.

"This is unbelievable... I don't feel weakened or tired..." Brook was amazed and sprinted around the lab in a matter of moments.

"Try to use the Yomi Yomi no Mi's power again." The experiment wasn't over yet, and Ethan still had questions.

"Power?" Brook scratched his afro, "Yo-ho-ho~ Soul Projection!"

In a flash, a greenish-yellow ghost fire separated from Brook, eagerly darting around.

"I don't feel weakened after the fruit's power was removed, yet the Yomi Yomi no Mi's soul-based abilities remain. Could it be that the Yomi Yomi no Mi is a one-use power?"

"In that case... I could grant it to others, perhaps creating an undead army?"

Ethan was hesitant to use it himself. Since his body and soul weren't native to this world, he feared that if he didn't enter the afterlife here, he'd die in vain.

Instead, he could form a skeleton army to fight for him.

But such a venture required loyal minions. Which fruit could secure their loyalty...

He couldn't pinpoint it, so he resolved to take things one step at a time.

After a moment's thought, Ethan decided to temporarily store the Yomi Yomi no Mi's power as a hidden trump card.

…

A few days later, Skypiea drifted near the Calm Belt, northwest of the Sabaody Archipelago.

Ethan pondered his next move. Sabaody was mostly populated by small-time pirates he'd never seen, and there were no notable figures among the pirates to capture.

[Shakky's appearance didn't meet Ethan's standards for a divine consort.]

He didn't need to visit Sabaody, but he did need to reach Fish-Man Island. He couldn't miss the opportunity to meet Princess Shirahoshi.

Diving 10,000 meters with the Sky Island was impractical, and the island needed to be coated, so he opted to stop Skypiea in the Calm Belt for now.