Hikaru had long suspected that Devil Fruits truly contained a "devil" within them, and that the natural enemies of these "devils" were PYROBLOIN and the sea.
Seastone contained traces of this substance, emitting the same energy as seawater. The moment a Devil Fruit user came into contact with it, the "devil" inside would react violently, suppressing their powers.
His White Thunder had the ability to strip away these abilities, essentially purging the "devils."
This was the reason why he remained unaffected by the usual drawbacks of Devil Fruits. If his theory was correct, then the long-standing limitation preventing a person from possessing multiple Devil Fruits might also be overcome.
The experiment was still ongoing. Casually, Hikaru sent Pirate No. 1 flying into the air.
White lightning crackled around his hands as he focused on Pirate No. 1's power.
Three minutes later, Hikaru sensed the energy of the Dog-Dog Fruit beginning to dissipate from the pirate's body. Without hesitation, he extracted the power and transferred it into Pirate No. 2, who was standing nearby.
Three minutes?
To confirm, Hikaru repeated the process with Pirate No. 2. The result was identical.
Without stopping, he then took away the power of the Cat-Cat Fruit and injected it into Pirate No. 2.
No explosion!
Looking at Pirate No. 2—now with a cat's head, a dog's body, dog paws, and a cat's tail—Hikaru instantly understood. It was possible to wield two Devil Fruits at the same time.
After testing several transformations, Hikaru grew more confident in his findings.
Next, he knocked out Pirate No. 2 and attempted to strip his powers once more. It worked. Two Devil Fruits materialized nearby.
Surprisingly, Pirate No. 2 was still alive. However, upon regaining consciousness, he felt hollowed out and weak—whether he would survive for long was uncertain.
Hikaru then returned the Inu-Inu Fruit to him, restoring his strength.
So two Devil Fruits were possible... But what about three?
...
After repeated trials, Pirate No. 2 successfully wielded eight different Devil Fruits. However, since Hikaru only had eight available at the moment, he couldn't determine the upper limit.
But this was more than enough!
Most of the Devil Fruits the Golden Lion had collected were worthless, but two stood out—the Ancient Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Spinosaurus Model, and the Logia Cloud-Cloud Fruit. These had real potential.
After dealing with Pirate No. 2, Hikaru turned his attention to the Golden Lion.
"Goodbye, Golden Lion. Go reunite with Roger."
There was no response. There couldn't be.
Expressionless, Hikaru dispatched him and immediately reached out with White Lightning, plundering his abilities.
"So this is the Float-Float Fruit…"
When wielded by the Golden Lion, it seemed more like an ability to manipulate objects at will.
Anything non-living that he touched could be controlled—made to fly, deform, flow, and even influence seawater. The sheer versatility and power were undeniable.
After all, the Float-Float Fruit consumed almost no stamina.
Otherwise, how could the Golden Lion have effortlessly kept entire islands suspended in the sky for decades?
This ability was unbelievably convenient. With it, why would Hikaru even need the Ark Maxim? He could simply head to Fish-Man Island and commandeer Noah instead.
Of course, it would be much faster too.
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Hikaru unleashed streaks of lightning, touching the falling islands one by one, ensuring they remained afloat.
These islands were valuable resources. It would be a waste to let them fall, so he directed them to drift toward the Kingdom of God.
After further experimentation, Hikaru made another discovery—the Float-Float ability could be transferred between objects.
What did this mean?
For instance, if Hikaru used his power to lift Object A, then made Object A collide with Object B, Object B would also fall under his control.
This was why, in the hands of the Golden Lion, the Float-Float Fruit's power felt more like telekinesis.
This ability was incredibly valuable, especially when combined with the Thunder Fruit—it could be devastating in actual combat.
"Not bad, not bad~" Hikaru was very satisfied.
As for the Golden Lion's subordinates, they were of no use to him.
These pirates had followed the Golden Lion for years. The chances of them swearing loyalty to Hikaru were slim.
Even if some did surrender, to him, they were nothing more than expendable laborers, fit only to mine the cloud ores. Their value was limited, and they carried the risk of rebellion. It was better to send them to accompany their former captain in death.
With that thought, Hikaru raised his right hand and clenched it into a fist.
"Float-Float: Earth Burial!"
In the next instant, the ground rumbled as massive waves of earth surged. A deafening roar echoed across the floating island, sending strange creatures fleeing in terror.
The prisons were crushed, buried deep beneath the ground. The agonized screams of the pirates were muffled by layers of solid rock, never to be heard again.
Meanwhile, the two famed swords, Shadow Dancer and Withered Wood, became his spoils of war. However, after testing them with lightning, Hikaru realized they were useless to him—he wasn't a swordsman.
That said, his swordsmanship wasn't weak either. By channeling the Thunder Fruit's power through a blade, he could unleash devastating lightning-infused sword energy.
For now, these legendary swords would remain part of his collection. Perhaps one day, he would gift them to goddesses who truly needed them.
With a wave of his hand, Hikaru stored all the loot inside a treasure chest.
Next, he tapped into the signal network connected to the Den Den Mushi, scanning for any updates.
Once he confirmed the floating islands' trajectory, he directed them to move toward Skypiea. This way, he could track their movements precisely.
With everything settled, Hikaru took his treasure chest and returned to find Robin and the others.
Under the bright moonlight, the ship Little Proverb was alive with energy.
Why? Because Hikaru had returned.
"Onii-chan~ How was it? Did you find the person you were looking for?"
Vivi rushed over excitedly. She could tell Hikaru was in a good mood—his expression was relaxed. However, she didn't see any new concubines by his side, which left her a little puzzled.
"Haha, I did meet someone. I gained quite a lot this time. Maybe after finishing a few things, I'll be ready to enter the New World."
Hikaru pulled Vivi into his arms and led her toward the dining table. He had always been fond of this thoughtful and obedient little princess.
"The New World?"
"The New World is the second half of the Grand Line, ruled by the Four Emperors," Hikaru explained. "Robin should know all about it."
"That's right," Robin confirmed. "Laugh Tale, where the legendary treasure One Piece is located, lies within the New World. But are you planning to enter the New World… to become the Pirate King?" She asked curiously.
"Pirate King?" Hikaru chuckled. "I'm not a pirate. Anyone can call themselves a pirate. As for One Piece, I'll take it if I can, but if not, it's no big deal."
"My goal is the entire world. If One Piece alone could grant control over the world, Roger would have overthrown the World Government long ago. In the end, power comes from ourselves."
Robin nodded thoughtfully. Ruling the world… now that was an ambitious goal.
"Why didn't the president bring back a new goddess this time? Did she refuse?" Mikita asked with a teasing smile as she set the tableware in front of Hikaru.
As the temporary chef aboard the princess' ship, she had prepared a feast for everyone.
"No new goddess this time, but I did bring back plenty of treasures," Hikaru replied casually. "The person I met today was Shiki the Golden Lion. And now, he's dead at my hands."
"Golden Lion!?"
Robin's eyes widened in shock, her pupils shrinking.
"Are you talking about that Golden Lion—the legendary Flying Admiral!?" She exclaimed.
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sorry guys for the late update because of exams i could not posted chapters from today i will post regularly.... thank you for your support