After two days of resupply, Sig still had no clue about "radio reception".
When he returned to the Red Force, Sig saw a lot of meat piled up on the deck, as well as a large amount of... mushrooms? The latter were a specialty of Eternal Night Island.
"Why not move it to the cargo hold?" Sig, as Navigator, wanted to maintain his workplace.
The Sailor standing nearby helplessly shrugged at Sig: "Brother Fei, it's not that we're being lazy, it's just that the pile is already full, these are the rest."
"Huh?" Sig turned to look at Lucky Roo, who was gnawing on meat with bones.
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't look at me like that, this isn't just for one person." Lucky Roo retorted before Sig could even speak.
Seeing Sig purse his lips, Lucky Roo added, "To be precise, most of these weren't prepared for me!"
Just as Sig was about to ask another question, Shanks had already given the order to set sail. As the Navigator, Sig immediately began to point out the direction to Morio, while Morio, while at the helm, had to give instructions to the Sailor. As the Sailor, Lucky Roo immediately took his place, only hurriedly saying, "You'll find out in a moment."
The goal isn't to reach any island, but rather to first sail the ship to the edge of Accumulating Emperor Cloud.
After all, if a ship is to go up, it's better not to start from the "seabed," otherwise it might break apart in the Sea Cloud before it even floats up.
The Red-Hair Pirates' Red Force was also made of Adam's tree branch, making it far stronger than any ordinary ship. However, it's best to avoid unnecessary trouble, especially since there are several Devil Fruit users on board.
Sig then noticed that the hull had been reinforced, but not the keel; rather, the mast had been reinforced, which puzzled Sig even more.
Soon after, Sig could see the sunlight in the distance—the edge of the Accumulating Emperor Cloud had arrived.
As they approached the boundary between shadow and sunlight, Shanks drew his sword.
"Soar, Griffin!" Shanks raised his sword.
Anyone who didn't know better would think he was about to unleash his Shikai...
The sword in Shanks' hand Distortion and expanded, and amidst the cheers and whistles of many crew members and officers, it finally transformed into a giant beast—a giant beast soaring through the air!
It has a pair of wings, but its body resembles that of a lion. Its head has features of both a lizard and a bird of prey, and its thick limbs are covered with eagle claws.
Compared to Sea King, it's not that big, but it's still a size larger than the Red Force —and even larger than the King of the Sea.
"This is... the fruit of Mythical Zoan?" Sig exclaimed in surprise.
Sig had known all along that Shanks' sword also contained the power of Devil Fruit, but he didn't know it was Mythical Zoan —though he didn't know what it was, it was clearly not an ordinary animal.
Not only Sig, but many of the crew members had never seen this "big bird" before.
Lucky Roo exclaimed, "She's already so big... Is she considered an adult?"
"No, he's at most a teenager," Shanks said, patting Griffin's head.
"Young man?" Sig was taken aback by his words.
Devil Fruit don't consider age.
"Well, this isn't Mythical Zoan fruit, but a real griffin that ate the Paramecia Sword-Sword Fruit," Beckman said.
"A griffin?" Sig was taken aback.
"I was also taken aback when I first saw him. It's said that... he's the Captain, and he inherited it from that legendary ship," Beckman explained.
Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roo all saw the griffin as a child—a few years ago when Shanks first set sail, the griffin was still a baby, and although it wasn't small, it wasn't as big as it is now.
Sig then thought of the giant egg on Roger's ship in the original story...
From the time Roger fought Golden Lion, a giant egg could be seen on the ship, and it remained just an egg until the Roger Pirates disbanded.
Judging from Griffin's size, Sig deduced that it must have hatched from that egg.
It seems that Shanks inherited more than just Straw Hat from Roger.
Sig quickly understood why the masts had been reinforced. Shanks then ordered the sails to be lowered, and Griffin's four talons gripped the crossbars at the top of the two masts—but because of its large size, it was somewhat hesitant.
Then, with Griffin flapping its wings, a tremendous gust of wind descended upon the surrounding sea, causing the Red Force to rise upwards...
Sig then recalled that when Morio and Lucky Roo failed their first attempt to cross the Calm Belt, someone complained, "Why hasn't the Captain's bird grown up yet?" Now it seemed that it wasn't just a case of being overly sensitive.
It's not about Griffin!
The Kuja Pirates' serpentine attacks can make Sea King retreat, Sig estimates that Griffin, if fully grown, should be able to do the same.
After three flaps of its wings, Griffin pulled the Red Force into the air.
"Well done, Griffin! White ..." Shanks called out to White.
"They're here!"
The head chef, who had been wearing a skull beret and Black Gloves, had now removed his gloves. As soon as he clasped his hands together, Sig sensed an unusual aura— White was the "Harmonizer," Paramecia - Alchemy Fruit user.
Able to harmonize inanimate objects...
White then generously tossed the side dishes and seasonings onto the huge chunk of meat, clapped his hands, and instantly a fragrant, glistening roasted meat appeared, which he then tossed into Griffin's mouth.
Well, it seems Lucky Roo wasn't lying.
But then Lucky Roo muttered under his breath, "This kind of roast meat has no soul."
"That's right, it needs to smell like charcoal ash," Sig echoed softly.
Sailor kept taking ingredients out of the storage compartments, White's "Instant Mixing Cooking" continuously turned the ingredients into food, which was then fed to Griffin.
Sig suspects that Griffin usually turns into a sword because he has such a huge appetite that he simply can't afford to feed him!
As food continued to enter Griffin's stomach, the Red Force continued to rise.
After most of the food was used up, and they were getting close to the Accumulating Emperor Cloud, Sig leaned over the side of the ship and looked down, estimating that they had risen more than six thousand meters.
But just then, a sudden feeling of falling came...
"Oh! What's wrong?"
"No way?"
"Captain, White, something's not right with Griffin..."
Sig then noticed that Griffin seemed to be... having some trouble, as if he needed to use the toilet!
"Are you sure... Griffin can eat mushrooms?" Sig noticed that the meat seemed to have been used up, and Griffin was eating the mushrooms that White had prepared.
"Huh?" Shanks looked at Sig with an adorable expression, as if to say, "If I can eat it, why can't a cat?"
White, on the other hand, had an expression that said, "I'm just a cook; the Captain ordered all the dishes, don't ask me."
Sig:...
Sig jumped off the ship immediately. Mid-air, the Bananaman had already "melted" onto Sig, transforming him into Vampire. Sig then appeared at the bottom of the ship and lifted him upwards from a distance...
The Shadow Power transformed into swarms of bats, lifting the Red Force!
On land, Sig felt he could lift the Red Force, but lifting Red Force in flight was a different story. Even with Griffin holding up most of the weight, Sig was still being forced to sink.
But with Sig's help, the downward momentum slowed down—this way, they might still fall, but at least the ship wouldn't be destroyed and everyone would die.
However, at that moment, the Accumulating Emperor Cloud stirred slightly, casting a ray of the setting sun that gradually spread toward Sig's position...