Ch.23

The first thing Usopp did when he woke up from passing out was try to jump into the sea to Luffy and Chopper's encouragement. I grabbed his leg as he jumped and slammed him down on the deck of the ship before smacking him upside the head. "Idiot, there's no bottom to the sea. We're in the clouds so you'll fall back down to the blue sea and die horribly."

Usopp freaked out and started rocking back and forth calling sky island scary. Luffy and Chopper were right there with him for a moment before Chopper went to get the binoculars to look around.

When he noticed another ship being blown up, I was already taking deep breaths and getting acclimated to the high altitude and high oxygen. After a quick shiver and shake I was ready for action as the person coming attacked Sanji.

I turned off the weight on my watch before kicking said person and sending him flying a great distance. I told the others. "Turn off your watches and take slow deep breathes to acclimate to the high altitude!"

They did so and started to feel better almost instantly. Sanji got back up and ate a senzu bean before dusting himself off. A knight case from above on a bird and landed on the boat before saying. "That's strange, I sensed a local here attacking you all and now he's gone."

I chuckled. "I kicked him that way old man."

I pointed towards the man shaped holes in the clouds and he started sweating while I turned my watch on higher than I had it before. He told us about a whistle and offered to help once if we ever needed it before saying the second time would cost us five billion extol.

I asked how much an extol was when converted to berry but he blew me off asking how we got here. I asked again while more determined and he finally told us the exchange rate. I told Nami who was reluctant to, to give Chopper and Usopp five hundred thousand Berry apiece to use the whistle with once if they absolutely needed help.

The knight left after showing off an ugly Pegasus and Luffy went to play on clouds with Usopp and Chopper until they found the entrance to the Skypiea gates to go upwards. We headed that way with the ship and I laid against the mast while they decided not to exchange safe passage as we could go through either way and Nami wasn't willing to pay without my go ahead when she didn't have to.

Robin came over and sat between my legs while laying against my chest. We both fell asleep while Merry made sure we weren't effected by outside forces. When I woke up again Robin was still sleeping and it seemed they'd retracted the wings of the ship.

Sanji was giving me the stink I but one hard look his way and he looked away shrugging it off as jealousy. We were already about to dock on a beach and Luffy came over excitedly. I shook my head and covered my lips with a finger and he nodded before going to have his fun.

I closed my eyes and wrapped Robin in my arms and coat while going back to sleep. I awoke a good while later with Robin's worried face in my view so I stood up and asked. "What's wrong?"

She pointed towards the sky sharks attacking the ship while we were on a giant alter. I drew one sword and sent multiple ki blades out, killing every shark in the area before putting my sword away.

Zoro was already gone by one sky shark but he'd be fine. I walked over to Nami and Chopper and pointed to the land not far away. "Let's go find some gold. Chopper, why don't you stay here and guard the ship. Use the whistle if you have to and the ships defenses should protect you both well enough."

He nodded before Robin and Nami agreed as Robin had read the alter's writings and decided it would be fine with Chopper and our ship and them with me. Merry had proven to be a valuable asset and soon she would speak to the crew anyways.

Robin, Nami and I headed into the forest with Geppo and we went treasure hunting. When we passed the giant snake, I hit it once and used magic to summon all the treasure from it's stomach, forcing it to vomit gold and jewels until Nami was happy.

We found some ruins and a priest showed up. I cut him down with three blows while he tried to avoid with Haki. He did manage to land a hit but afterwards he was too dead to matter. When Robin confirmed this was where the city was supposed to be, I looked a the clouds below us and the tip of the building before cutting a square in the clouds and showing them the city.

I apologized to Nami as the city looked picked clean of gold but Robin read the words until people started finding this place including the rest of the crew and even Chopper.

Some natives came as well and saw the city. When Enel, or god as he called himself, showed up, Zoro tried to fight him until I interfered and got electrocuted for my troubles. Grinning, I stood back up and swiped by blade once, cutting off one of his ears.

Luffy barged in with the giant snake and wailed on Enel who was in too much pain to use observation haki properly because it took concentration on his part even with his devil fruit powers.

I put away my swords and left the gathering as Luffy had it handled before following my senses to the overly large ship full of gold. I took the flying ship into my space ring and headed back to the fight where Luffy bear Enel down into the bell above the fighting, ringing it. The large bell landed on the lower White Sea and Luffy cheered with the rest of them.

I went down using Geppo and retrieved the bell and it's broken pieces before carrying them up after turning off my watch and still I panted a bit when I set it on solid land in front of the Skypieans. They all celebrated while I sat down for a minutes.

Robin came up next to me while everyone gathered around. Robin smiled before reading the Poneglyph under the bell and shaking her head as it dealt with the location of another ancient weapon like the one Crocodile wanted. Pluton, Poseidon and Uranus were the three ancient weapons talked about on the Poneglyphs and she'd found two so far.

I chuckled until one of the natives pointed out the writing on the gold siding and Robin read it out loud. "We had come here, found the text and followed it's guidance - Gol D."

I stood up and touched the script before smiling. Luffy told them it was my father who did it and I asked Robin to translate my words into the same language. She did so and I used my sword to carve out. (I have come this far and we will see this path to the end old man -Ace)

The Skypieans laughed as it wasn't technically on the bell or the Poneglyph so they didn't care much. The chief offered us the broken gold pillar and Nami leapt at the chance, telling me to cut it where she measured and marked. I did so as she stored it away with glee. Seven sections in total and all worth a billion Berry in all.

We packed up and rested for the night before asking about how we were supposed to leave. After a hearty party, they described the balloon octopus and I shook my head telling them I'd come up with a permanent solution while giving them time to enjoy the island.

I made a giant inflatable hot air balloon that could be used repeatedly though only for short bursts so it couldn't be flown over the red line. While I worked I ksent my symbiote out with a bag of fruit to hunt down Enel as he wasn't dead yet. It came back with his corpse and the fruit.

I waited for the crew to return and showed them the invention. It even had runes on it from Merry by the time they all arrived to see it. Merry finally came out and introduced itself to them as the ship.

Smiling at their shocked faces Merry explained. "I am what's known as the spirit of the ship the Going Merry. All of your emotions, hearts and dreams were so strong they made me. I-I thank you!"

It bowed to us all and I bowed back polightly saying. "No, thank you Merry. You've been out home, friend and family for this entire journey."

Merry smiled and the rest of them woke up to thank it themselves before it made it's request known. "I know this is selfish of me, but my current body isn't built for such harsh conditions so I've had to use the energy from those same emotions to protect myself and all of you from damage but if this continues for much longer I won't have the strength to survive so I'm asking you all, make me a knee body please! I want to see this crew and journey to it's end!"

They were all crying and even I shed a tear at the original Merry's story death. Nami instantly agreed which I thought would be the major drag but it was Usopp who asked. "But what about this ship?"

Merry smiled. "If you do it soon, I'll be able to retain both ships as my body while the newest stronger ship will be my main body. This way I'll be able to stay and protect you all as best I can."

I spoke up. "We've been needing a ship write and a bigger ship as we get more crew members so this just confirms it's time. Perhaps we can even keep this one as a dingy if the next one is big enough. Then we'll have Merry with us even to the second half of the grand line as it won't be as rough on it."

Surprisingly Usopp agreed as we weren't getting rid of Merry but protecting it for the long haul. I turned to Nami and told her. "It'll cost at least two billion Berry for the best wood and ship as well if we want the best ship write."

She didn't even hesitate and agreed readily as Merry really was apart of the crew and took care of us throughout this passed year at sea. With that decided, I charged up the hot air balloon and we headed out to the white White Sea to follow the currents to the end.

The others waved goodbye before I called their attention to the devil fruit in front of me. Luffy looked at me curiously but nodded and sat down while I told them. "This is the lightning-lightning fruit. It belonged to Enel before and now it's ours. So, who wants it."

I looked them over and it came down to Nami and Usopp who had their hands raised. Sighing, I asked them. "Why do you want it Nami?"

She replied easily. "It'll help me be a better navigator and I won't be as weak anymore."

I nodded and turned to Usopp who put down his hand and shook his head. "I wanted to experiment on it to see if I could make a thunder dial like all the other cool dials I have."

I tossed it to Nami and warned her. "It'll take away your ability to swim in deep water and make you weak to sea stone. Be sure before you eat it and I suggest a quick bite and hold your nose so you won't be able to taste it. Devil fruit from what I understand, taste rotten."

Luffy, Robin and Chopper nodded fervently before Nami took it and with a seriously afraid face she held her nose and bit into it before swallowing without chewing. She went to bite more but I stopped her. "One nite is enough see?"

The fruit from before turned back to normal and her hands started sparking. I calmed her and told her to reign in her emotions for now. Along the way I told her all I knew about how to use devil fruit and mentioned the process being up to her so long as she practiced enough she'd awaken it sooner or later.

We reached the falls soon enough as the wings came out along with the hot air balloon. I activated it on the way down and we glided downwards until the hot air balloon ran out of fuel and we landed in a foggy area. Said fog didn't last long as it appeared to be the G-8 navel base.

I told the others to pack up the ships stuff in their rings and hide off of it. We worked quickly as the fog slowly lifted and split up. I ended up alone at the ship dry dock wondering around when the sirens blared. I did a simple invisibility spell and walked into the base taking everything valuable in sight as Usopp had traded all the useless weapons and swords I'd collected for a veritable shit ton of dials.

I started with their supplies and worked my way through the base taking everything not nailed down and ended up emptying their library, food and weapons storage before realizing I had a thousand of nearly every weapon and an ungodly amount of ammo and gun powder.

I took the main cannons last while everyone was focused on Luffy and the rest running throughout the base. When everyone started gathering, I knocked out half the base with electric attacks to shock them senseless.

By the time the group made it to the dry dock where Merry was being held, the three hundred personnel in there were all that were conscious of the soldiers. Hell, I'd even taken most of their ships except the damaged ones so when I showed up and released the docking clamps, they were clearly shocked.

I froze time and knocked out half the marines before releasing the ability and grabbing Robin. I told Luffy and the rest to get aboard and he roped them in with his stretchy arms before grabbing Zoro and bouncing at the ship like a rubber band, smacking both their heads into the side of the ship.

I used Soru and Geppo to get aboard myself and we set sail for the gates. When we got close Zoro asked. "Why aren't they sending anyone or firing?"

I chuckled. "Because I took their big cannons and ships. All they have is a bunch of weaponless damaged ships in dry dock for repairs and their ruffles of course!"

They all burst out laughing and I told Zoro to get ready as we approached the gates. We both worked together and sent hundreds of ki blades repeatedly at the gates in the same spots, the hinges. Sure enough the gates hinges busted and I whistled loudly.

Kame whom I'd called, busted down the front door with a fin before gurgling loudly in greetings. They all laughed and smiled as we left with the rush of water. Kame grabbed ahold of his reigns and pulled us along while I sighed. "It's been a long day!"

They all agreed and I told them what all I took which included navy ships we could sell and enough weapons and ship building supplies that whatever type of ship we had would see us to the new world with ease. Personally I liked the thousand sunny design but I wanted to go slightly bigger with the crew quarters and not have the weapons only rely on cola power.

I gave the food over to Sanji, the valuables we could sell to Nami and the rest to Usopp except the three skillful grade swords, Yodaji, Bashiri and Kodorami and the medical supplies which I gave to Chopper as well as the books I gave to Robin. Them I put in my own collection until Zoro wanted them. Usopp agreed to tinker only on islands when we had time and the ship supplies stayed with him until we had a ship write.

I'd already spoken to Merry and it had agreed to leave the runes only on Merry as the new ship would be made of sterner stuff. I kissed Robin before telling them I was going to train to hopefully break through soon and become stronger. The grandmaster swordsman level was no joke and it could take years to improve as it wasn't solely haki based like the master level.

I'd already tried to break through once and that's why I knew I was about ready as my haki had vastly improved from back then. I spent the next two weeks training hard core and finally my armament haki caught up to my Conquerers haki and observation haki. My skin even had a sold full body and sword black sheen to it when I used it.

I sat in meditation while I focused solely on the sword and put it only in my heart to form a heart sword as the books called it from the G-8 base. I felt the heart sword form and revolve like a double edged knife or oath that I'd always live and die by the sword and never become a coward.

When I finished, I opened my eyes and the clouds above split while the sea to the side did the same. Luckily Kame was off eating or he'd definitely be injured. I closed my eyes again and reeled in my sword aura, putting it fully away.

I turned to Zoro who was working three times harder now. Sighing I nodded to him before saying. "On the next island we'll spar. I need to see the depth of my new realm and you'll probably gain a decent insight into my way of the sword if you wish."

He agreed and I went to grab a shower before heading to see what Robin was up to. I found her reading while sipping tea and grinned before pulling her up into my arms for a kiss and leading us to our room. Sanji of course, tried to stop us but I simply karate chopped his head and locked the door.

I absolutely ravaged Robin before slowly and carefully making passionate love to her. I even gave her a full body massage before holding her while we slept. It was rather nice until we were interrupted by Sanji beating on the door and yelling that there was a wave of sea monkeys coming right at us from behind.

I told her I'd take care of it and covered her before exiting in just my shorts and a single sword. I walked to the back of the ship and concentrated before sighing and swinging faster than most eyes could see and sheathing my sword.

Usopp screamed roll ask what I was doing until the giant wave and the sea monkeys in it, split into thousands of pieces and rain poured down where the wave once was. The sea monkeys were dead as well and Kame scooped them up for lunch. Like me he could no longer improve so easily as he needed to learn this world's law of water before he could go on.

Zoro looked at me seriously as my own blade ki came out green now and it had done something he couldn't quite understand yet. I walked back down the stairs and saw their eyes wide and smirked. "I'm considered a sword grandmaster now though just barely. This realm is about making a sword domain from aura and strengthening it with haki to do wide spread feats like that or using the domain itself to great a devastating close up barrier of blade ki to fight off small fries or push against and fight with the same leagues as yourself."

Luffy laughed and called it cool before getting a determined look in his eyes and telling me. "But I still won't loose to you Ace. I've been practicing as well!"

I nodded and agreed. He'd certainly come far as he'd already mastered the gear third and was trying to figure out haki but he's not book smart and our training styles are different. Without leaving him on an island for two years I haven't a clue how to teach him.

The basics were self explanatory and Robin had already begun practicing both observation and armament haki. The rest were either one or the other so far and even then they weren't very well practiced yet. Luffy and Zoro are the only ones capable of naturally using Conquerers haki while Robin I knew could eventually do it after some time of me pushing her.

The rest I had no clue about so I let them train in their own ways. Nami was a natural with Observation haki because of her fruit and the only exception to the rule. On an even brighter note she'd already caught up to Enel in power as she understood the weather and lightning like nobodies business.

We arrived on the next island an hour later and Zoro and I went to spar in the distance. I had to be careful with him and luckily I had a bag of fruit on me in case I ran into a devil fruit user and wanted it because I ended up killing and sinking the Foxy pirates crew and captain along with their ship.

It was an accident as Zoro had dodged my blade and the ki had blasted out unchecked, destroying the ship as it was about to drop off it's captain to go challenge Luffy to a Davy Back fight.

The Nero-Nero fruit which slowed down it's targets was regrown in my bag of fruit and Zoro accuses me of sparring to hard while pointing out the dead pirates and their sinking ship. I scratched my head before replying. "It's not that I'm sparring too hard it's because you're that good that I need to go half strength on."

He nodded before sighing and we left the sinking bodies without a comment. They were clearly pirates and it was just their bad luck they were there while we were sparing. I grabbed the bag of fruit and asked him. "If you could have any fruit ability what would it be?"

He thought it over before shaking his head. "Devil fruit weaken you to much to be of use and they're an outside power."

I chuckled and pointed out. "So are swords. A sword is not apart of your body until you learn how to wield it properly and respect it. But before that it is an outside power and like the cursed blade you have, it's not always in your control."

He thought it over before saying. "The fruit that sword man in Alabasta had. I'd use it on my sword to make them sharper instead of eating it myself."

I nodded in understanding. "I'd add something like the much munch fruit from Drum island to my blade that way it could always eat other swords and grow stronger or maybe the light light fruit so that my sword would be able to swing faster than light and cut even darkness itself."

He smiled but shook his head and we walked back to the ship. Robin asked how the spar went and I shook my head. "Inconclusive."

Zoro didn't comment but nodded and went to train some more. I went to collect a bunch of long apples from the stretched out trees and returned when Luffy, Usopp and Chopper did. Everything went smoothly it seems without the Foxy pirates around.

I shrugged it off as they weren't really important anyways. We headed to the next island after Nami did her cartography and amp making. After a week of travel we arrived at a weird island that late the first night, the ships wards activated and solved like a giant bug zapper.

A memory eating sea horse was deep fried extra crispy and the kid holding it ran away. The village then accused us of kidnapping and we had to leave after Nami got the lay of the land as it were. We spent another two weeks on the ocean training before we made land again. This time it was a big island and we all went to explore until we ran into Aokiji or Kazan as it were.

The marine admiral admitted freely to being here to check on Robin and our crew. When he laid down, I suggested we leave but Luffy wanted to explore so we found a group of people in need of help and Chopper did the best he could while Nami got the geography of the island.

They were too injured to treat without proper medical facilities so we brought them to the navy admiral for his help and he agreed. He froze the ocean and gave them a safe path to the next island that did have proper medical facilities as most of them were sick and couldn't be treated by a senzu bean.

Aokiji then turned on Robin and us trying to tear us apart with a one sided view of her past to which I snorted and drew my blades, sending a regular sword ki blade flying at him and splitting him in two before he froze, crumbled and reformed.

I told the rest to run and threw Robin at Luffy and giving him a determined nod which he then declared a retreat for. I turned to the frost admiral and told him. "Why don't we settle this between us like gentlemen?"

He smirked and nodded before making an ice blade. I gritted my teeth and used Zoro's level of mastery as best I could without giving anything away. Luckily the admiral wasn't a swordsman but any stretch of the word and I easily overcame him before kicking him back.

He grabbed my foot and froze it before I sent two blades of ki at him. He let go and dodged but the damage was done. My powers automatically adapted and I became immune to his icy touch while gaining the same powers for myself.

I used Soru and heated up the ice like steam before he commented. "Oy, oy, that's a navy technique!"

I snorted. "I picked up a thing or two from my time as a bounty hunter like most do I'm sure. Although it's not at a hundred percent, I'm still ready to kick your ass."

I used an original move of my own called heaven splitter and sent a focused blast of sword ki from both my blades into him as I stabbed his icy body. My aura made it hard for him to reform even without the haki I left out.

I then used Zoro's three hundred pound Phoenix slash and created a crater where he was while blade ki scars stretched on as far as the eye could see. I was panting even without really meaning to as it was extremely taxing to hold back so much when fighting someone who could at least stand toe to toe with me on my best day.

I stood at the edge of the impact crater panting and sensed him forming behind me. I turned and he froze me as well as the surrounding area for miles. My body may have been frozen but my soul was not so I was able to hear him complain about not being able to touch the crew including Robin from now on.

He very nearly broke my self frozen body but decided against it before leaving. When I sensed it was safe, Luffy, Chopper and Sanji came running. Chopper ordered them to hurry me back to the ship and defrost me quickly. Luffy carried me back and they thawed my body out in the shower before Robin while crying a bit, fed me a senzu bean and I was pulled fully awake.

I shook and shivered before hugging her and sighing. "It's over. He may have beaten me but he can't touch you any longer I swear. He gave his word."

She cried and Luffy hugged me as well while crying. I sighed. "I'm fine Luffy. A little cold isn't going to kill me. After all, I made you a promise."

He seemed to calm down after that and I went to get changed before telling them what happened. Zoro called me an idiot for holding back but I shook my head. "If the navy or even just he thought I was this strong, I'd have to kill him and that's a fight that would've destroyed the island regardless of who one. I couldn't take the chance that you all would get caught up in it and that he might break his word thinking that you've all grown to dangerous. I gave him this win hoping Chopper might thaw me out besides-"

I grinned. "I have a secret weapon that not even an admiral can stand up against."

I turned to Robin and Luffy. "I should've told you both this long ago as well as the rest of the crew. The fact is I have a devil fruit of my own that allows me to still swim in the sea."

They all looked shocked as I continued. "It's special so there was only one of it's kind but it can copy any devil fruit power used against me. The draw back is that I actually have to get hit with the fruit's ability. On the bright side it makes me immune to a second blow but if the first one is fatal..."

I trailed off and stretched my arm the turned it to lighting, ice, sand and even the dice dice fruit blade arm. I put it away again and chuckled. "The moment he hit me, I was frozen but the moment you thawed me out, I became immune to his powers and now I have the devil fruit abilities of an admiral."

They finally broke their silence and Luffy asked. "Since when?"

I smiled. "Since the day I left to train and hunt bounties. There weren't a lot of ability users in the East blue and none of them appealed to me so I just took the fruit after we fought to the death as none of them could really touch me because they relied on their fruit powers too much instead of learning to fight. It wasn't until Alabasta that I gained anything significant."

Luffy chuckled. "Sabo's fruit!"

I nodded. "That was the first one. Then Das Bones or mr.1 and finally Crocodile while I went to help you after your second fight with him. He tried to kill me but failed. Next was Enel before your fight with him and finally Aokiji."

I pulled Robin into my arms and told her. "It's ok Robin, I'll protect you just like I promised. I can swim and sea stone doesn't seem to be an issue so unless it's a newbie or they're using Haki, there's nothing they can do to stop me from protecting you and this crew."

They were all happy except Zoro who asked. "So all this time-"

I shook my head. "No, I've never used my abilities in a fight with you and I fact I've never used any of them in a fight at all except today when Aokiji froze me. The rest of the time it was sneak attacks or Luffy's enemies."

Zoro shook his head. "Idiot! I was saying so all this time you've been holding back against me?"

I chuckled and burst out laughing before coughing and shaking my head. "I've not trained them that well so they're unreliable. I don't use unreliable powers in battle but I'll start training them now. The only reason I hadn't said anything before was because I feared you'd all be angry I wasn't using them at all. A devil fruit typically makes a person stronger but if the navy learned of mine before we were a lot stronger than now, they'd throw everything at us and that would mean our deaths."

Sanji asked. "So what's changed then?"

I smiled. "Aokiji changed the rules. He gave me an excuse to seek power and if I find it in a devil fruit, say a really powerful one we may come across, I'll have a reason to use those powers and openly grow stronger."

Robin hit my chest before sighing and laying her head against me. I held her and waved them off before taking her to the crows nest where I held her while practicing my abilities with one hand.

She'd fallen asleep against my chest and after a while I quit the basic practices as I didn't really need them. While basic elements here were harder to control, they weren't with the abilities and I already had an expert control on mastering elements.

I was fairly certain I'd even be able to reach their awakened state with a bit of practice.