The Spring-Spring Fruit was a formidable power, its true strength lying in its compression capabilities. If awakened, it could potentially manipulate the elasticity of surrounding objects, extending and contracting like a legendary staff. However, Ian had no interest in developing its full potential. Ultimately, all Devil Fruits would merely serve as fuel for his template fusion, their essence absorbed and assimilated.
His true power lay within. He turned his icy gaze towards the remaining pirates scattered across the surviving ships, each a potential source of valuable souls.
"Huh?!" The pirates, oblivious to the loss of their captains, suddenly felt a chill run down their spines, a primal fear gripping their hearts.
"Shadow Stitch! Die!" Ian's voice echoed across the deck, his right hand slamming down on the wood.
A wave of spiritual pressure erupted, engulfing the five pirate ships. The power of Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit manifested, distorting their shadows, twisting them into grotesque, menacing forms.
In the next instant, blood splattered across the decks as the pirates were impaled, their hearts pierced by shadowy tendrils.
After half a month of practice, Ian had mastered a significant portion of Shikamaru Nara's shadow manipulation techniques.
As for the ability to phase through shadows, a technique bordering on spatial manipulation, Ian found it relatively easy to replicate, thanks to his Hollow powers, which allowed him to utilize Garganta, a method of tearing open dimensional rifts for travel. He could now seamlessly merge with shadows.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Five deafening explosions shook the air.
He had shattered the nearest ship with a single punch, his right hand coated in Armament Haki, imbued with the advanced technique of Ryuo, which flowed through his target, destroying them from within. The remaining four ships were obliterated by a combination of Cero blasts and Sword Pressure. The Jaya pirates had been effectively decimated.
Their insatiable greed, their relentless pursuit of every last scrap, had ultimately led to their demise. They had bitten off more than they could chew, their avarice exploding in their faces, quite literally.
"Brutal… But those hyenas deserve no mercy. Showing them Mercy would only endanger others." Cricket remarked, raising his tankard for a sip of ale. Masira and Shoujou remained silent, their clothes flapping in the wind generated by the explosions.
Tashigi's Marine uniform billowed around her. She adjusted her glasses, their lenses reflecting the fiery glow of the wreckage, her expression a mixture of satisfaction and cold indifference.
While she valued life, her compassion did not extend to murderous pirates. She would punish the guilty without hesitation, but she would also protect the innocent, upholding a justice that served the many, not the few.
"Spaced out?" Ian's form materialized from the dissipating smoke, his pale, demonic face hovering inches from Tashigi's. Her cheeks flushed crimson.
"Ian-san! That's not fair… You didn't leave any for me! I'm strong too, you know!" She protested, averting her gaze.
Thanks to the Clear-Clear Fruit Ian had bestowed upon her, she had become a formidable force, even though she hadn't yet mastered Armament or Observation Haki in the past two weeks. However, she had grasped the fundamentals of several Rokushiki techniques.
One such technique was Soru, which, combined with her invisibility, allowed her to launch surprise attacks from seemingly nowhere. A devastating combination, especially in the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line.
While Observation Haki was more prevalent in the New World, she would eventually master it. Concealing her presence was a relatively simple feat, and if she could awaken her Devil Fruit, she would attain true invisibility, capable of erasing herself from existence entirely.
It would be a power bordering on reality manipulation. She also possessed a natural talent for swordsmanship. Though she couldn't yet generate Sword Aura or Sword Pressure, her blade was far sharper than most.
Her middling ranking upon graduating from the Elite Camp stemmed from her dedication to other skills, such as intelligence gathering and analysis.
Otherwise, her swordsmanship prowess would have been undeniable. But she believed that intelligence was equally important in battle. Without it, even the strongest warrior was merely a pawn.
"Don't worry, you'll have your chance." Ian reassured her. Enel's four priests on Skypiea included a skilled swordsman, a perfect opponent for her to hone her skills.
He didn't resort to the cliché excuse of "we're on the sea, and you're a Devil Fruit user." She would have simply countered with, "You're a Devil Fruit user too! Couldn't we have waited for them to reach shore and dealt with them together?"
And then he would have been forced to concede, "Alright, you win." Tashigi possessed a certain stubbornness, a refusal to back down from a challenge.
"Speak of the devil…" Ian raised his tankard, shattering Cricket's perception of Marine officers. Witnessing Ian's incredible feat firsthand was far more impactful than hearing about it from Masira and Shoujou. He was utterly astounded.
"Marine-san, you are strong hero of bravery!" Cricket showered Ian with praise in front of the ape brothers, who were utterly bewildered. Was their captain always this shameless?
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"Enough… Take all the loot. I have no use for it. And without strength, you wouldn't be able to keep it anyway. Salvaging is your specialty, after all." Ian declared. Even with mountains of treasure, without the power to protect it, it would only serve to attract vultures.
No matter where you went, strength reigned supreme. The spoils belonged to the victor. That was an immutable law of the world.
"… Brilliant, captain!" The ape brothers cheered, finally understanding their captain's cunning plan.
Who wouldn't bend for a hefty reward? Those who claimed otherwise had likely never experienced true hunger. And this wasn't just any ordinary loot. It was the combined wealth of over a dozen pirate crews operating on a single island.
"Thank you, Marine-san, Vice Admiral…"
They expressed their gratitude to Ian. If any other Marine had stumbled upon them, not only would they have seized the treasure, but Cricket and his crew would likely have been imprisoned in Impel Down. It didn't matter if they were good pirates or bad pirates. They were still pirates.
Several hours later, as the sun reached its zenith, Ian prepared to embark on his journey to Skypiea, carrying Tashigi in his arms. After absorbing the souls of over a dozen pirate crews, his fusion rate had increased to 39%. It had been a grueling process.
He had eliminated at least two hundred pirates, yet it had only yielded a 1% increase. It seemed that as he grew stronger, the number of souls required to progress would increase exponentially. Perhaps an entire island would only yield a 1% increase, or even several islands, or dozens.
"Farewell!" Cricket, Masira, and Shoujou waved goodbye to Ian and Tashigi.
Ian held Tashigi securely in a princess carry, her slender form pressed against his chest. As he uttered the words of his Resurrección, a pair of massive black wings erupted from his back, unleashing a powerful gust of wind.
They soared into the sky, Jaya shrinking beneath them until it vanished from sight. They had reached an altitude of several thousand meters, entering the Sea Clouds and Island Clouds formed by volcanic eruptions, where water vapor condensed and altered its density.
Sea Clouds, similar to the seawater below, possessed strong buoyancy. Island Clouds, floating atop the Sea Clouds, were soft and bouncy, allowing people to walk upon them. The inhabitants of Skypiea lived on these very clouds.
A vast expanse of white stretched before them, reflecting the pale skin of the Skypieans, who adorned their backs with small decorative wings. Some rode Wavers, cloud-based vehicles powered by Breath Dial or Jet Dial, gliding effortlessly across the Sea Clouds.
They resembled jet skis, their operation requiring a keen understanding of wind patterns and cloud currents. A challenging feat for most, but child's play for Nami, the Straw Hat Pirates' talented navigator.
Giant Express Shrimp carried ships from Heaven's Gate to Skypiea, traversing the White Sea and the White-White Sea above.
Balloon-like Sky Fish pulled ships down from Skypiea, transporting them to the Blue Sea below.
Skypiea, in the world of One Piece, resembled Edolas in the Fairy Tail universe, a world floating high above, isolated for centuries, developing unique power systems based on technology and Dials. Edolas, in turn, resembled the Limited Tsukuyomi world in Naruto, a world mirroring the real world, yet with reversed personalities and relationships.
"Ian-san, this is amazing!" Tashigi exclaimed, her childlike wonder evident.
Even she, a seasoned Marine, was awestruck by this fantastical realm. But Ian, his face perpetually locked in Ulquiorra's stoic expression, remained impassive. Unless he deactivated his fusion, his emotions would remain hidden. Tashigi, however, was struggling to breathe, her cheeks flushed.
Skypiea existed at an altitude of 7,000 meters, while the White-White Sea soared 10,000 meters above. The air was thin, affecting the physical capabilities of those from the Blue Sea below. Even Tashigi, a Marine officer, found herself weakened, her strength reduced to that of a pirate with a 100 million berry bounty. She was no match for Ian, who possessed power comparable to a Yonko commander.
He glanced at the White Berets guarding the entrance to the White-White Sea, the gatekeepers responsible for collecting the entry fee. Without hesitation, he carried Tashigi past them, bypassing their checkpoint.
The White Beret sounded a nearby alarm bell, alerting the Enforcers, Skypiea's law enforcement agency.
God's Country enforced a unique set of laws during Enel's reign, designed to criminalize those from the Blue Sea.
They were deliberately vague and confusing, entrapping unsuspecting outsiders, providing Enel with justifications for his brutal punishments, a method of instilling fear in his subjects. After all, how could outsiders be expected to understand a complex legal system with eleven levels of offenses, each with increasingly severe penalties?
Upon entering Skypiea, all visitors were required to pay an entry fee of 1 billion Extol. Failure to do so resulted in their designation as illegal entrants, subject to pursuit by the Divine Soldiers. Their ships would be cast adrift on the Sea Clouds, left to wander aimlessly.
average individuals were incapable of lifting their ships to alter their course. The Straw Hat Pirates had only managed to escape this fate by utilizing a Sky Shark. There were also various trials designed to test outsiders, known as the Ordeals of God.
Cloud Dial technology had been used to create comfortable, bouncy cloud chairs, their pure white appearance distinct from the ubiquitous cumulus clouds, their texture resembling animal fur.
"Amazing!" Tashigi, the adorable Marine officer, lay down on a cloud chair, savoring the sensation. She quickly recovered from the altitude sickness and expressed her delight.
Upper Yard, the location of the legendary City of Gold, was a Sky Island near Angel Island, where the Skypieans resided. It was forbidden to commoners, a sacred ground where the Shandora, the original inhabitants of Jaya, had lived before being driven out by the Angel Island settlers 400 years ago.
Their conflict stemmed from a desire for Upper Yard's most valuable resource: land. The Angel Island settlers had seized control, sparking a 400-year war between the two factions. Ian, utilizing his powers, bypassed these historical conflicts, transporting Tashigi directly to Upper Yard.
Above them, the massive roots of the Giant Jack weaved through the clouds, a sight reminiscent of the Sunlight Tree Eve on Fishman Island. Both trees provided essential oxygen for their respective inhabitants.
One channeled sunlight to the depths of the ocean, illuminating the darkness, while the other shielded the sky from its intense rays. After all, at an altitude of 10,000 meters, the sun's power was amplified.
One thrived in the deepest trenches, the other soared in the highest heavens. One had wings, the other had a tail.
"Don't worry, I'll take you to Fishman Island someday." Ian reassured Tashigi. He was eager to visit himself.
Princess Shirahoshi, the Mermaid Princess, was one of the beauties in One Piece world, alongside Boa Hancock and Kozuki Hiyori. Nami and Robin were among the top ten beauties. While he had no romantic interest in any of them, Tashigi, his adorable subordinate, was more than enough to handle.
But that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate their beauty…