Two and a half months passed after Yisheng joined.
After sailing at sea for a while, the Little Ul returned to the Grand Line, and the ship's crew became familiar with each other.
During this time, they went to many places and met many people.
Norn returned to the Qing Kingdom and, with everyone's support, became the mayor of Rona Town.
The King of the Qing Kingdom was elected by the people. He was a man who truly made contributions to the people, and even after the country fell, he continued to work silently behind the scenes.
Nolan and his life witnessed all of this. The latter apologized in front of the people of the Qing Kingdom and was forgiven, thus resolving his long-standing inner conflict.
The Tyrant and Bonney returned to the South Blue and reunited with their old friends. A group of burly men embraced the Kuma and wept bitterly.
Chopper returns to Drum Island and tells Doctor Kureha what he saw at sea, and tells her that he and his companions will become a panacea to save the world.
He also told Hiruluk at his grave that he would continue to follow Cifer to see the vast ocean.
Although Robin chatted and laughed with them the whole way, the loneliness in his eyes was so obvious.
"Your friend doesn't seem to be dead."
Cifer's sudden remark stunned Robin.
"You mean... Sauron?!"
She thought for only a moment before speaking in disbelief, her voice trembling so much that even she herself couldn't perceive it.
"It was him, it was Aokiji who said it."
"Once we reach the New World, we should take the opportunity to visit the homeland of the giants. Perhaps you will gain something from that."
Cifer simply didn't want to see her crew hiding in the shadows, secretly envying the happiness of their other companions. Telling her in advance wouldn't have been a big deal.
"What a wicked captain! He didn't tell me for so long!"
Robin couldn't stop her tears from falling, but her face was filled with joy; this was probably one of the best news she had ever heard in her life.
"I was planning to tell you when we got there."
Cifer scratched his head, looking completely innocent.
"Ahead, there seems to be a pirate ship desperately trying to escape."
Lucci was looking ahead through his binoculars, where the pirates on the ship were rowing frantically.
"It's up to you now. Remember, don't kill those with abilities."
"Learn!"
Lucci had been waiting for the captain's order, and he eagerly flew forward using Geppo.
Thus, Cifer unexpectedly obtained a Devil Fruit.
After much deliberation, he crushed the Hollow within the fruit, infused it with his own Spiritual Pressure, and decided on his next destination: Fish-Man Island.
"Fish-Man Island? Is that the legendary place full of mermaids and Fish-Man?!"
Chopper was excited, and his mind involuntarily conjured up images of creatures with the upper body of fish and the lower body of humans, filled with curiosity.
"I heard the pastries there are amazing! I can't wait! My stomach is rumbling!"
Bonney's mouth watered at the mere mention of the place and the rumors she'd heard about Fish-Man Island's sweets.
"Not only that, the scenery there is said to be quite beautiful, making it a tourist destination."
The Tyrant helped Bonney comb her hair, trying hard to recall some information about Fish-Man Island.
"If only races could live together peacefully!"
Even if it's a place that most people envy and look forward to, one can't help but sigh with emotion.
"Fish-Man Island... Are we about to enter a new century?!"
Robin thought further ahead. Although their voyage didn't need to be deduced from common sense, the thought of Fish-Man Island made her first reaction to prepare for entering New World.
"That's right, this is the last stop of the Paradise. It's time for us to go to that place that people think is full of monsters."
"Go and show them what a real monster is!"
Two and a half months is neither a long nor a short time, but Cifer's companions have all improved their strength to some extent, with Nolan and Lucci being the most notable among them.
Nolan's Float-Float Fruit ability is exactly the counterpart to her Press-Press Fruit, which allows her to train specifically for this purpose.
As for Lucci, his daily hard training and beatings, coupled with the Steel Skin given to him by Cifer and his own powerful talent, have made him incomparably stronger.
Cifer tore through space, hoisted the entire ship, and stepped into it.
When the Little Ul reappeared, it was somewhere on Fish-Man Island.
Upon entering the streets of Fish-Man Island, the group was astonished by the sight before them.
Fish-Man Island has a completely different style from other islands at sea, and it is filled with an atmosphere of peace and friendship.
Although one cannot see it in a lifetime, feeling that atmosphere brings a sense of comfort.
"Mr. Ulquiorra, what brings you to Fish-Man Island today?"
At this moment, several Fish-Man saw them and waved as they walked toward Cifer.
The residents here are very friendly to Cifer, after all, he saved Princess Shirahoshi and the entire Fish-Man Island, and the Fish-Man's goodwill towards humans has increased dramatically since then.
Furthermore, this area had become peaceful after becoming Whitebeard's territory, and the relationship between Fish-Man and humans was further eased after Cifer.
"It's nothing, just brought my friends here to have some fun and see Shirahoshi."
Cifer answered casually.
"What a coincidence! Princess Shirahoshi seems to be out and about today. You might just bump into her later!"
Mentioning the princess seemed to excite the Fish-Man, who hurriedly bid Cifer, hoping to see if they could bump into the princess on the street.
"Captain Cifer, who's Shirahoshi? It sounds like a girl's name~"
Nolan pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from somewhere and walked beside Cifer, his eyes full of curiosity.
"She was also our companion. To be precise, she was there before all of you. She was my first companion."
"It's just that for some reason, he hasn't officially boarded the ship yet."
They would see Shirahoshi sooner or later, and Cifer didn't mind introducing them in advance.
But none of these guys seemed to be listening attentively.
Bonney was already impatient and grabbed Kuma's hand as they headed toward the various dessert shops on the street.
Chopper excitedly wandered around with Robin, wanting to learn about the island, while Ichigo and Lucci followed behind them like two little sidekicks.
When Cifer spoke, only Enel and Nolan remained beside him.
"Eh~ then she must be very important to Captain Cifer!"
Nolan was a little jealous because the other person was actually Captain Cifer's first companion. She had always thought that person was Enel's older brother.
Enel clearly hadn't expected there to be someone before him.
"You are all very important to me."
Shirahoshi was indeed somewhat different in Cifer's heart.
During my loneliest time, her lively and cheerful personality gave me a glimmer of warmth, and she was also the first companion I successfully invited.
However, for Cifer, all his companions were equally important, and none of them should be compared.
"Lord Cifer ~ I miss you so much!"
A playful yet adorable voice came from not far away. Shirahoshi was sitting on Mekaro's back, swimming towards them.