At this moment, the God of Birka led his guards as they rushed over. His face was a mixture of excitement and exhaustion.
For days and nights, he had searched relentlessly, draining his physical strength. Now, finally having found what he sought, a deep sigh of relief escaped him, but it was immediately followed by an overwhelming wave of fatigue. Still, excitement burned within him—they had finally saved Birka.
Caesar Clown, watching the God of Birka approach, offered a small smile and said in a calm voice, "I'm sorry for what happened before. I'm not a true villain; I simply had to do this for the sake of this secret treasure."
Hearing this, the God of Birka seethed inwardly. However, given the vast difference in their strength, he did not dare to show his anger. Instead, he maintained a respectful facade—after all, who could trust Caesar's words? What if, in one breath, he expressed regret, only to turn around and slaughter them in the next?
Not daring to lower his guard, the God of Birka only wanted to endure and see this terrifying man leave as soon as possible.
Thus, bowing slightly, he asked, "I don't know if there's anything else you require? If so, I can have it arranged for you immediately."
Caesar shook his head. "No need for now. I came here for the Goro Goro no Mi." He raised the Devil Fruit in his hand, the lightning-shaped markings on its surface crackling with potential. "Now that I have it, my objective is complete. As for other needs, I'll take care of them myself."
The God of Birka secretly breathed a sigh of relief and, with Caesar's signal, he and his guards quickly withdrew.
Meanwhile, Caesar turned to his crew, holding up the Devil Fruit for them to see. One by one, they examined it.
"Oh, it really does resemble lightning," Hades murmured in awe.
"This fruit is way stronger than that so-called Denki Denki no Mi," Brad added, peering closer at it. Then, with a naive grin, he asked, "Do you think if someone ate an electricity-based fruit first, and then found this one, they'd regret it to death?"
"Well, you can't undo a Devil Fruit choice. That's why you have to be careful when picking one," another crewmate remarked. "No second chances."
Lily chimed in, "You don't know how excited those people were when they found the Goro Goro no Mi. I could hear their shouts from far away."
"Of course they were excited! This fruit is legendary. If they hadn't found it, they might've died searching. Wouldn't you be thrilled?"
Someone then turned to Caesar. "Captain, aren't you going to eat it now?"
All eyes were on him. Caesar glanced at the fruit in his hand. To be honest, he was tempted. The power of lightning was no joke. However, as someone who relied on science and intelligence rather than brute force, he didn't feel an immediate need for a Logia-type fruit. He could already fight against Devil Fruit users effectively.
"No," Caesar finally said. "For now, we'll store it. If we don't come across something more suitable for me, then I'll consider it."
With that, he placed the Goro Goro no Mi safely inside the captain's quarters.
At the same time, the crew turned their attention to another discovery—the stack of old blueprints they had retrieved alongside the fruit. Caesar's gaze sharpened as he immediately recognized what they were.
[124] Ark Maxim Blueprint, Island with Giant Trees.
Each blueprint was filled with intricate, detailed schematics—lines and annotations densely packed across the pages.
"This is giving me a headache just looking at it," Yakexi muttered, rubbing his temples. "I'm a cook, not an engineer. If these were recipes, maybe I'd care."
"Wait a second." Lily pointed at one of the diagrams, eyes widening. "Doesn't this look like a ship?"
The crew gathered around.
"Now that you mention it… yeah, it does!"
"The others seem to be internal structures. Man, I never realized ships were this complicated."
"Is there any connection between this ship and the Goro Goro no Mi?"
As the crew speculated, Caesar turned to Eli, their shipwright.
"Eli, you're the expert here. What do you make of this?"
Eli furrowed his brow, flipping through the pages. Among the ten people present, he was the only one who could truly make sense of such blueprints. Even so, some of the engineering concepts were beyond him.
After scanning the documents for a while, his expression shifted from concentration to shock.
"If I'm not mistaken… this is indeed a ship blueprint," Eli confirmed. "This vessel is called the Ark Maxim."
"Ark Maxim?" Hades raised an eyebrow. "That's a weird name for a ship."
Eli nodded, then hesitated before adding, "This ship… it can fly."
The room fell silent.
"A ship that can FLY?!" Lily gasped.
"That's right," Eli continued. "Not only that, but it has the ability to generate and control thunderclouds. It's powered by lightning itself."
"Wait… isn't that just like my Kumo Kumo no Mi?"
"No," Eli corrected. "Your fruit lets you manipulate clouds. But this ship—this ship is specifically designed to harness electricity as an energy source."
Then, as realization dawned on him, his eyes widened further.
"This ship was made for the Goro Goro no Mi."
"WHAT?!"
The crew exploded with shock.
"A ship… that perfectly complements the Thunder Fruit? That's insane!"
"So this is a ship that runs on Devil Fruit power? That's unheard of!"
After the initial disbelief wore off, excitement surged through the crew.
"We were planning to head to Water 7 to build a new ship, right?" Hades grinned. "But with these blueprints, we might be able to build something far better."
Caesar couldn't help but smirk. "I have to admit, this trip to Sky Island turned out even better than expected."
Brad burst into laughter. "Not only did we get the Goro Goro no Mi, but we also found a blueprint for a flying ship. We really hit the jackpot this time!"
"As expected of our captain," Arno said with a thumbs-up.
For a moment, the crew basked in the thrill of their discoveries. The Sky Island trip had yielded them riches beyond their wildest imagination. Even Caesar, ever the schemer, couldn't deny that this was a massive gain.
The Goro Goro no Mi alone was worth a fortune. But when paired with the Ark Maxim, it became something much more—a game changer.
However, while they now possessed the blueprint, bringing such an advanced vessel to life wouldn't be easy. Eli, talented as he was, lacked the means to construct something so intricate.
That would be a challenge for another day.
For now, they celebrated.
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