Several days after leaving the unknown island, the Little Ul was still adrift at sea, searching for Devil Fruit User.
"Nolan, have you ever heard of the Golden Lion?"
"Huh?"
Cifer suddenly spoke, startling her who was peeling fruit nearby.
"Golden Lion... isn't he another Great Pirate from Roger's era?"
Nolan had heard his uncle mention him; he was a legendary, extremely brutal and terrifying Great Pirate.
"That's right, he's coming to deliver Devil Fruit to us now. The Float-Float Fruit should be just what you're looking for, right?"
"Ah?"
Following Cifer's gaze, everyone looked up at the sky and discovered that an enormous island ship was suspended high in the air and slowly descending towards them.
"Wow... it's huge! How can an island fly in the sky?!"
Chopper's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Although he had been to Sky Island, it was on the Sea of Clouds!
How can a small island be loaded with some oars and fly directly into the sky like this?
"It's the Golden Lion's ability. He can manipulate all inanimate objects to float into the air. Of course, he himself can also fly."
Cifer explained things to Chopper, Nolan, and the others.
"The ship... took flight!"
Compared to them, Robin clearly noticed something different: the Little Ul beneath their feet was floating in the air!
"It seems to be an invitation to us."
"Then let's go and see, let's listen to the dying cries of the losers of the old era!"
Cifer and Enel made no move, letting the Little Ul fly straight toward the island ship.
Within tens of minutes, the island ship arrived at a group of floating islands and stopped at the largest one.
After everyone disembarked, they discovered that it was a building that resembled a royal palace.
"Bang~ Bang~"
"Pfft~ Pfft~"
A series of crisp sounds and farting noises rang out, and an old man with blond hair and a golden beard, a man dressed like a clown, and a Masira danced out.
"Hehe~ Hahaha~ Welcome to my territory, Ulquiorra ~"
After a somewhat awkward dance, the Golden Lion finally spoke.
"Huh? What is this thing?!"
Chopper felt a renewed sense of existential unease. The man standing before them had half a ship's wheel stuck in his head?!
Is it just a decoration or did it actually go in? How could it survive like that?!
And what's more, his legs have been replaced with two knives?!
"Huh? How come a tanuki can talk?"
The Golden Lion glanced at Chopper casually, then ignored his reindeer testimonies and turned his attention back to Cifer.
"Ulquiorra, I am Golden Lion Shiki!"
"I really think highly of you. How about we drink sworn brotherhood wine and become sworn brothers? Hehe~ Hahahaha~"
The Golden Lion, with a cigar in his mouth, spread his arms to express his enthusiasm to the Cifer.
He read the newspaper and also inquired about the man in front of him, and came to a conclusion.
Despite his eccentric behavior, Ulquiorra is one of the strongest individuals on the entire ocean!
This also made the Golden Lion feel a desire for talent. The last time he wanted a man to be his companion was twenty-five years ago!
He believed that if this man were added to the mix, along with his own years of scheming, the destruction of the entire world would only be a matter of time!
"Unfortunately, you don't have that honor."
Cifer wasn't in a hurry to kill him; after all, this unusual floating island seemed quite interesting.
"Pfft~ Pfft~"
"Can't you stop making those weird footsteps, Dr. Indigo!"
The Golden Lion was not discouraged after being rejected; instead, it complained about the voice behind it.
"Puff puff puff puff~"
Instead of stopping, Indigo continued to jump around as if in a fit of pique, his body swaying in all sorts of strange movements.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
The Golden Lion looked completely puzzled.
"Speaking of which... there's something I forgot to tell you!"
"So you can talk!"
The Golden Lion's eyes widened. For so long, he had been guessing what the other person wanted to say based on his actions. It turned out that he could actually talk!
Hahaha~
The Masira next to him clapped and laughed.
"Mom?"
After the Golden Lion had something inserted into its brain, it seemed to become somewhat abnormal, often treating the Masira as family.
"Is this person... really the legendary Great Pirate...?"
Nolan was a little confused. This guy looked like a decrepit old man with dementia, and didn't match the Great Pirate his uncle had described at all.
"Don't be fooled by his foolish appearance; he's a ruthless killer."
Patting Nolan on the shoulder, Cifer turned and walked outside, with the rest of the group following suit.
"Hehe~ Hahaha~ Don't worry, I'll make you change your mind!"
"Indigo, go and arrange a grand banquet, and gather all the pirates. We're going to drink until we drop tonight! You all absolutely have to come!"
The Golden Lion waved from behind, his smile making him look like a kind old man.
"Shiki, are we just going to let them go like that?"
Indigo looked bewildered. Shouldn't his boss be using force to subdue the other party?
"There's no use being too hasty with a man like this, Dr. Indigo."
If it were still twenty years ago, before his legs were broken and before that damn thing was stuck in his head, he would have done what Indigo was thinking.
Just like with Roger, if you can't have him, you have to destroy him!
It's just a pity...
Golden Lion looked at his own legs. If he hadn't turned into this grotesque mess, he might still be the same spirited and legendary pirate.
But now, looking at the information about Ulquiorra and seeing his domineering aura, Golden Lion knows that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the future belongs to him.
Therefore, I need to bring him onto my side before he becomes too powerful.
If all else fails, don't blame yourself for being ruthless. This is the sky, your home ground!
"Hehehehehe~ First the East Blue... then the world! When we unite, we will be the most terrifying force in the world!"
The Golden Lion laughed heartily, a stark contrast to the kind, eccentric old man from before.
Meanwhile, when Cifer and the others left the palace, they were surprised to find a large, adorable-looking duck at the entrance.
"Gah~"
"It's saying hello to us!"
It raised one wing and made a sound, while Chopper, being an animal, translated for everyone.
"What adorable little ducklings!"
Nolan and the other girls then started stroking it.
"Gah~ Gah~"
"It said its name was Billy, and if we wanted to go down, it could fly us down!"
Chopper was overjoyed and climbed onto the duck's back, looking just like a triumphant Admiral.
"Very good!"
Cifer and the others could walk in the air, and Robin and the others were wondering how to get to the island below when the ducks came knocking on their door.
"But there are so many of us..."
The next problem is that there's simply not enough room for all of them to sit on Billy's back.
"It's very simple!"
Cifer stepped forward and grabbed Nolan's arm, while simultaneously turning Bonney back into a child.
"Can Robin, Chopper, and Bonney sit on your lap, Billy?"
The duck looked at the three of them and nodded to Cifer.
"Nolan, you are now a person with Spiritual Pressure. You can fly on your own."
Just like a Hollow that replaced Devil Fruit, his Spiritual Pressure would slowly become a part of her body.
"Eh~"
And so, Chopper and the other two sat on Billy's back and happily flew towards the island below.
Cifer and Enel are both capable of walking on air, and Lucci can also continuously leap through the air using Geppo.
Nolan, however, with Cifer holding his arm, slowly attempted to walk in the air.
"See, isn't this simple? Just like using Kido, you have to learn to use your Spiritual Pressure in your daily life."
Cifer let go, and although she staggered a bit, she managed to regain her balance in mid-air.
"How amazing... I never imagined Spiritual Pressure could be used like this..."
It was no different from standing on the ground; Nolan started jumping around, enjoying the happiness of no longer being an ordinary person.
"Shiki, they all seem to be able to fly!"
Watching the images transmitted back by the monitoring bug, Indigo frantically shook his body.
"What? You can talk!"
The Golden Lion seemed to have forgotten about this matter again, and his focus was not on whether the other party could fly.
Of course, he didn't believe that simply being able to fly would give him an advantage on his home turf.