Capítulo 73: Battle's End, Awakening of the Float-Float Fruit Power!
"It's finally over," Issho murmured, opening his eyes and sensing the terrifying thunderous hand descending from the sky. "So, this is the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? One of the most powerful Devil Fruits indeed!"
Watching this scene that seemed like divine judgment, even the usually calm Robin couldn't help but break into a cold sweat. Nami stood there, stunned, staring up at the sky. After a long pause, she looked at the sparks of electricity dancing across her hand and muttered, "Can the Rumble-Rumble Fruit really be developed to this level?" She could hardly believe its immense strength.
Back at the Lion's Den, Indigo watched the screen, trembling. Though he wasn't present at the scene, he could feel the terrifying aura of death emanating from that thunderous hand. He could only imagine the feeling of the one standing at the center of that attack—Shiki himself. Indigo looked at the Golden Lion, his golden hair wild and his eyes blood-red, like a mad demon. In the face of that overwhelming power, even he seemed like an insect.
"Dr. Indigo, do you think Boss Shiki can survive this attack?" one of Shiki's trembling underlings asked Indigo. "It's over!" Indigo slumped to the floor, muttering in despair. He understood: it was all over. The Golden Lion Shiki was finished; he himself was finished. Their goal of using IQ to dominate the world was finished. That gigantic hand of thunder was about to destroy everything they had worked for!
On the battlefield, the Golden Lion roared as he sent a massive earthen lion charging toward the giant hand. Sanders floated in the air, his face expressionless, watching over the scene like a deity looking down on mortals. With a thought, the thunderous hand pressed down on the Golden Lion. The earthen lion shattered instantly, like fragile porcelain. The thunderous hand struck Shiki directly, his body bathed in blinding light. Despite seeing his creation destroyed, he didn't flinch, facing the immense force head-on.
"Kehehehe! I'm the Golden Lion!" Even in his final moments, Shiki didn't stop fighting, raising his stone leg in defiance.
Boom! The thunderous hand crushed Shiki to the ground, shattering the earth itself and leaving a deep imprint. It tore through the island, pulverizing everything in its path.
Rumble! The island began to collapse with a thunderous roar, chunks breaking away. Then, it started shaking uncontrollably and plummeting toward the ocean below. Sanders' face shifted; he knew Shiki was finished. Without Shiki's Float-Float Fruit ability, the floating island naturally began to fall. Sanders landed quickly, placing his hands on the ground and channeling his newfound Float-Float powers to try to stop the descent. But having only recently acquired the fruit's abilities, he was unable to hold such a massive island aloft, only slowing its fall somewhat.
If the island crashed into the sea, most of the lives on it would perish. He didn't care about the fate of Shiki's pirates, but there were countless innocents on the island. He hoped that they could find a way to escape.
Back in Shiki's base, the Golden Lion's crew stared in terror at the quaking ground beneath them. They understood what it meant: their captain had been defeated—or worse, killed! And now, the very island they stood upon was plummeting toward the sea.
"Boss Shiki has lost! The power of the Float-Float Fruit is wearing off!"
"Not good! The island is falling; we're going to die!"
"What should we do? We can't fly, and there's no way we'll survive crashing into the sea!"
"Quick, find one of the flying beasts! If we can ride them, we might survive!"
"Do you think those winged guys can fly?"
"Idiot, how would I know?"
"They've got such tiny wings; they probably can't!"
The pirates scrambled in a panic, searching for a way to survive. Meanwhile, though the island's natives were alarmed, their main concern was for their families' safety. The island continued its downward descent, and Sanders could do little to hold it back with the Float-Float Fruit powers he had just acquired.
"Issho!" Sanders shouted, calling for Issho. Issho's Gravity Fruit could place objects in a weightless state; even if he couldn't stop the island, he might be able to slow it down. Issho was already prepared, tapping his bamboo sword lightly. A force covered most of the island, and its rapid descent immediately slowed. Sweat dripped down Issho's forehead—it wasn't easy holding back this much mass. Fortunately, Sanders had already demolished a significant portion of the island. Otherwise, stopping it might not have been possible.
As the main island began to descend more gently, the ground stabilized. Pirates hugged each other, crying in relief. However, the smaller islands didn't fare as well. The Golden Lion had not only levitated one island; the larger one beneath their feet was just part of it. Several smaller islands crashed into the sea like massive meteors, creating towering waves. All life on the smaller islands that couldn't fly was wiped out, and even the few resilient creatures left were barely alive.
Sanders leapt onto the Thunder God.
"Are you alright, Sanders?" Nami asked, looking at the injuries covering him with concern.
"I'm fine; they're minor wounds. A little rest, and I'll be back to normal." Sanders waved off her concern, then turned to Issho.
"Can you lower the smaller islands slowly onto the sea?"
Issho nodded with a faint smile, and Sanders exhaled in relief. Once all the smaller islands had safely reached the ocean, Issho gradually set the main island down as well. The land shook one last time, then settled into calmness. Seeing this, Sanders and Issho relaxed in unison.
"Thanks to you, or I don't know what I would have done," Sanders said to Issho, who pointed toward the sky.
"Even if the islands fell, the residents would have been fine," Issho said, indicating a group of figures hovering in the sky. His Observation Haki had detected dozens of human-like figures flying in mid-air—they were natives from the smaller islands.
"Wow, they really can fly!" Following Issho's gaze, Nami saw a group of adult natives, both men and women, hovering there. The smaller islands were home to strong young adults, while the elders and children were in the villages on the main island. Thanks to Sanders and Issho, casualties were minimal.
"Go check on the villagers in the main settlement and see if they need any help," Sanders instructed. This island was now part of Sanders' domain, even with part of it damaged. It had forests, lakes, and residents, making it a promising base.
"Captain, are you going to take on the Golden Lion's crew?" Nami asked curiously.
"No, I have something more important to do."
Sanders shook his head. With his Observation Haki, he could sense that Golden Lion Shiki was completely dead, and the Paramecia-type Float-Float Fruit must have respawned somewhere among the floating islands. Out of respect for Shiki's past help and his strength, Sanders hadn't killed him as ruthlessly as he had the Thunder-Thunder Fruit user. However, Sanders had already devised another way to locate Devil Fruits—his Deduction ability. Just by the name, it suggested he could deduce almost anything.
When Sanders killed Shiki, he had used his ability to pinpoint the location where the Float-Float Fruit would regenerate, and now there were only three minutes left before his deduction would be complete. Until now, Sanders had mostly relied on his powers for enhancing strength, forgetting that they could also work as a sort of search function.
The three minutes passed, and a map appeared in Sanders' mind with a red dot marked prominently.
"So it's on the main island?" he muttered, swiftly making his way towards the location on the island—Shiki's old lair. With his lightning speed, Sanders arrived quickly. Shiki's lair was now half-collapsed, a consequence of the island's descent, and the pirates inside were in complete disarray. Some were debating going to find Shiki to confirm his fate, while others, convinced he was dead, were gathering their belongings to make a run for it. They fought among themselves, battling over Shiki's treasure.
As Sanders entered, some pirates noticed him.
"Sanders!" "It's Sanders!"
Fear spread instantly as the pirates who had been fighting stopped and backed into the corners, trembling. If Shiki—a legendary pirate—couldn't beat Sanders, they had no chance. They knew if Sanders attacked, they'd be reduced to ash by his lightning.
Just then, a pirate shouted, "Sanders! You defeated Boss Shiki, so why not take us in as crew?" He was clearly seeking to join Sanders. Hearing this, the other pirates perked up; for them, following anyone was fine as long as they stayed alive. And with Sanders, who had defeated Shiki, they'd be under the wing of someone stronger, younger, and with a much brighter future.
"Yeah, Sanders! We're skilled too! Take us with you!"
"We'll help you become Pirate King!"
The place buzzed with excitement as all the pirates eagerly watched Sanders.
"Leave the treasure behind and get lost!" he commanded coldly, dismissing them. Taking these weaklings as subordinates was a waste of time, and he had no interest in sparing them a glance. A few pirates seemed as though they wanted to say something, but when they saw Sanders' icy expression, they swallowed their words and left without another word.
Ignoring the pirates, Sanders headed straight for a storage area. It was a large warehouse, likely used by the Flying Pirates to store food. Quickly, he found an unusual fruit hidden among the various fruits and vegetables—a strange fruit with a spiraled pattern covering both its peel and flesh.
"So this is the Float-Float Fruit," Sanders murmured, examining it. Suddenly, his face lit up. His Deduction ability revealed to him that consuming a Devil Fruit could accelerate his deducing power for new abilities.
Now possessing the Float-Float Fruit's power, Sanders realized that consuming this extra Devil Fruit could instantly bring his abilities to an awakened level. Without hesitation, he decided to consume it, knowing it would save him years of slow development.
Back when he obtained the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, it had taken him three full years to awaken its power through self-training and gradual advancement. This time, by consuming the extra fruit, he could skip that lengthy process entirely.
As the Devil Fruit in his hand dissolved into nothing, not even leaving a trace of dust behind, Sanders felt a surge of new energy settle within him. He could now clearly sense that, at his will, the island beneath his feet could be made to float at any moment. Alongside his Thunder-Thunder Fruit abilities, he had now fully awakened his second Devil Fruit power—complete control over the Float-Float Fruit's potential.
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T/N:
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