Nature's Might / Future Plans

"Mom, look, there's a monster over there!"

The little girl timidly clung to the windowsill, pointing at the thunderclouds outside with fear on her face.

Within the dense dark clouds that blanketed the entire island, a long shape could faintly be seen twisting and slithering, winding and curving like a living creature.

The mother walked over and followed the girl's finger with a glance. A thick bolt of lightning exploded, flashing within the clouds as silver serpents of electricity danced.

The mother smiled, pulled her daughter into her arms, and stroked her little head, comforting her. "Don't be afraid. That's just lightning. It'll protect us."

"As long as you don't lie, and remember to use an umbrella properly when you go out, lightning won't hurt us."

Even as she comforted her daughter, the mother did not forget to teach her not to lie.

"Mm..."

The little girl nodded slightly and curled up in her mother's arms, but her eyes still darted toward the window.

It wasn't lightning. She knew what lightning was. That was clearly...

Boom!

A muffled clap of thunder suddenly erupted. Beneath the lightning flash, the clouds seemed to part slightly.

In that fleeting glimpse, the little girl saw a savage, enormous crimson dragon head. It opened its bloody maw, swallowing and spitting out lightning as its body twisted and danced with the clouds.

"Ah! Mom!"

A frightened cry rang out. The little girl was so terrified that tears burst forth, her eyes instantly turning red as she buried her head in her mother's arms.

"Don't be scared, don't be scared."

The mother was startled too, thinking the muffled thunder had frightened her daughter. She hurriedly held her tighter and soothed her again and again.

Soft patting sounds rang out as the mother focused entirely on her daughter, failing to see the giant dragon outside gradually being covered by the dark clouds once more.

After quite a while, the girl's sobbing settled. She fell asleep in her mother's arms, while the memory of the giant dragon in her mind was safely altered by her brain into a nightmare.

Not long afterward, a rumor of unknown origin began spreading across Thunder God Island: a crimson dragon lived within the thunderclouds.

Mobius had no idea that he had frightened a little girl. He only felt incomparably refreshed, his body finally filled with satisfaction and fullness.

It had been a week since Mobius transformed into a giant dragon and took to the skies.

During that time, Mobius had barely returned to human form. He had remained in the form of a giant dragon, moving through the thunderclouds—or rather, living in them.

Eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping—he did not need to turn human. Everything could be handled in the thunderclouds, and none of the supplies prepared for the plan had been used.

Whenever he was hungry, he simply opened his mouth and inhaled. Lightning was the best food.

Whenever he was tired, he simply lay down. Dark clouds were the best bed.

Lightning constantly struck Mobius's dragon body. At first, it made him feel slightly numb. Later, it became faintly warm. In the end, his body began absorbing it unconsciously.

Mobius could feel the energy of the thunderclouds being absorbed into him. His body was strengthening, and his control over lightning was improving as well.

Even now, the dark clouds over Thunder God Island remained, but they could barely conceal Mobius's giant dragon body any longer.

Mobius could also sense that he was close to draining Thunder God Island dry. If this continued, the island's natural barrier might be destroyed.

However, Mobius had reached his limit too. His appetite had been temporarily satisfied. If he kept eating, he would only become bloated, which would be harmful instead.

"For me as a giant dragon now, nature is the best food and shelter. In the future, I can look for places with frequent windstorms or volcanic lava."

Wind, fire, thunder, and lightning—these were all natural powers the Azure Dragon Fruit could control.

Although Mobius's Devil Fruit was an Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit rather than the real Azure Dragon Fruit, its abilities were the same.

Hmm...

He might as well call it the Red Dragon Fruit. Devil Fruit names were given by people anyway. Even the Nika Fruit could be hidden as the Gum-Gum Fruit.

The Red Dragon Fruit's lightning powers had already been replenished by nature. Next came wind for wind and fire for fire. Of course, if he encountered more lightning, he could not pass it up either.

Luffy might talk about enduring flames through sheer willpower, but after becoming Nika, he would still be charred by a single Heat Breath from Kaido.

Words were just for showing off. Kaido had barely finished saying that Haki transcended everything before activating the Azure Dragon Fruit's Flaming Drum Dragon.

Kaido was the one who made a meme-worthy face after eating the Azure Dragon Fruit at God Valley, and Kaido was also the one defeated in a comeback after the Nika Fruit awakened.

Things people said were best taken with a grain of salt. At most, they could serve as advice. Taking them seriously meant losing.

Thinking about the future, Mobius twisted his body as he gradually descended. Once he stood on the ground again, he actually felt a long-lost sense of solidity.

After returning to human form, Mobius's clothes were still there, even completely undamaged. The reason was unknown. It was probably some wondrous biological force field.

When he looked up at the sky again, Mobius noticed that the clouds had become somewhat translucent, while the falling lightning had turned weak and sparse, like a middle-aged man powerless against life.

Smacking his lips, Mobius felt a little apologetic. He wondered whether this would affect Thunder God Island's safety. After all, people here survived by adapting to local conditions.

If people could live here, then it was functioning code. Carelessly altering it might produce unexpected consequences.

Fortunately, Mobius sensed that after he stopped absorbing them, the thunderclouds were already slowly recovering. They would probably return to normal in about half a month.

"Nature really is amazing."

In the future, Bank Forbidden Zone would become damaged and turn into the battlefield where Akainu and Aokiji fought over the position of Fleet Admiral.

After ten days and ten nights of battle, the climate of the island changed drastically, becoming Ice and Fire Island—half frozen wasteland, half blazing inferno.

Powerhouses like Akainu and Aokiji had most likely already awakened their Devil Fruits, so Logia users might be able to permanently alter the weather after awakening.

Looking at it that way, Thunder God Island's unusual climate might have been created by the awakening of some Rumble-Rumble Fruit user.

"Devil Fruits truly are treasures of the sea."

Mobius became even more thankful for this body of his, which could endlessly consume Devil Fruits.

His training on Thunder God Island was over, but he could not leave just yet. He had eaten someone else's island into this state, so he had to offer some compensation.

Staying here for about half a month and personally confirming that it had returned to normal was the bare minimum.

It was just too time-consuming. Mobius's lightning abilities were temporarily saturated, so there was little point in remaining here.

Thus, Mobius began considering whether he could feed his enhanced lightning abilities back into the thunderclouds.

What increased would be the upper limit, rather than a temporary boost.

If he could use his own Devil Fruit powers to influence Thunder God Island's climate without affecting himself, then Mobius would consider himself truly stronger.

"I'll start trying tomorrow. Today, I'll get some proper rest first. Balancing work and rest is the right path."

After maintaining his transformation for seven straight days, his body was fine, but his mind was indeed somewhat exhausted.

After moving his body a little, Mobius prepared to return to the island's residential district for a good rest. Once neither side owed the other anything, he could set sail again.

Naturally, his goal was Devil Fruits. Every Devil Fruit he found would increase Mobius's strength.

"Sure enough, should I infiltrate the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Although Mobius was a member of the Naval Science Unit, as long as he had a reason, he could naturally plant himself among the Marines.

The doctor and the old man could both vouch for him.

In the future storyline, the Dark-Dark Fruit would appear as spoils obtained by the Whitebeard Pirates. If he acquired it, Mobius would undergo a fundamental transformation.

Although Whitebeard was a pirate, he was essentially a warlord, and the atmosphere within his crew was not bad either.

Blackbeard could lie low for over twenty years for the Dark-Dark Fruit. Mobius could do the same.

Still, he had to consider the butterfly effect.

What if infiltrating the Whitebeard Pirates directly changed the future?

"The story hasn't begun for a long time yet. I should first seek out powers I can be certain of, such as the Vampire Fruit, Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and Healing Fruit, whose locations are known."

Gushui Town, Birka in the sky, the Tontatta Kingdom...

The Devil Fruits in those places were definite. Mobius decided to find them first. They should not affect the main course of the future.

As he thought, Mobius returned to the streets of Thunder God Island, posing as a traveler again and preparing to rest for the night.

"Oh, right. The Axolotl Fruit."

Lying down beside the bed in the inn, Mobius suddenly remembered something and took out the Axolotl Fruit again.

The Axolotl Fruit appeared to possess little power, worlds apart from the Red Dragon Fruit.

However, Mobius highly valued one of the axolotl's abilities.

Axolotls were creatures with extremely powerful bodily regeneration. Their limbs could regrow after being severed, and even if their hearts were removed, they could regenerate.

Mobius needed that immense recovery ability.

If developed properly, it might even become a form of immortality in a sense.

"Mmph..."

Mobius stuffed the Axolotl Fruit into his mouth in one bite after another, once again making a strained expression.

Was this the price of power?

The next instant, a new power surged through his body. Unlike the Red Dragon Fruit, which felt like an erupting volcano, this new power was exceptionally gentle.

It did not give him the feeling that he could punch Sentomaru to death, but it gave him the feeling that he could outlive Sentomaru.

An axolotl's lifespan was not particularly long, with an average limit of only around fifty years.

However, the powers of the Devil Fruits within Mobius could fit together. The axolotl's regenerative ability combined with the Azure Dragon's vitality, making his body even tougher.

It was not that the Azure Dragon's regenerative power was weak. It was simply a matter of specialization; its main skill points were not invested there.

Mobius clenched his fist, feeling his strength grow once more. A pleased smile appeared on his face.

Really nice. Devil Fruits were really nice.

Axolotls also seemed to be an important component of many mythical fantasy creatures. Material plus one.

Mobius lay down peacefully. Thunder God Island was a treasure land. He liked this place.

Of course, he also had to thank the doctor, as well as a certain scumbag.

"Boss, Thunder God Island is right ahead. The people there are really rich. Should we rob them?"

"Idiot! Thunder God Island is full of lightning. You can't fight there at all, meow!"

"We only have one goal: sell this good stuff and enjoy ourselves properly, meow!"

"Meowhahaha! This is a treasure of the sea worth at least a hundred million Berries!"

Outside Thunder God Island, a pirate ship sailed in. Its skull flag fluttered in the wind, marked by a pair of protruding horns atop the skull.

At the bow, a burly man laughed loudly. His most distinctive feature was the pair of horns like those on the skull flag. One hand held a specially made insulated umbrella, while the other was raised high toward the front, showing off the treasure—a plump, round fruit with a pitch-black exterior.

As it faced Thunder God Island, that black fruit seemed to twitch, as though it were anticipating something.

The rest of the crew looked toward their captain with worshipful eyes, because the captain had said he would lead them to the good life.

"Long live Captain Pizarro!!!"