In the World of One Piece: I Can Copy Any Talent

So he gave Robin a goal, helped her find a direction, and worked toward it with her. That was the best way to free her from her doubts.

Robin gazed at the Ancient Script with delight. A glance to the side caught the gentle smile on Noil's lips.

Her heart fluttered. A radiant smile lit up her face. "Thank you, Noil."

Noil shook his head with a smile. "No need to thank me. It's you and me."

As he spoke, Robin instinctively studied his expression. The habit was almost ingrained in her bones.

At last, she couldn't help asking, "You... don't want to know what it says?"

Noil shook his head without hesitation. "Not interested."

"Besides..." He grinned and shamelessly leaned close to her. "If you don't want to tell me, you can wait until you do."

Robin blinked, her smile full of tenderness and helpless amusement.

I'd almost forgotten. He really is a clueless guy...

He'd never try to guess what I'd learned...

After a moment's thought, Robin tilted her head and rose onto her toes, reaching toward him.

But the height difference between them was simply too much. Robin puffed out her cheeks and said in a huff, "You. Bend down."

Huh?

Noil froze, then obeyed out of habit. The moment he leaned down, a pair of slender arms gently wrapped around his neck.

Something cool and soft brushed his cheek. Warm breath touched his skin, and a captivating fragrance lingered at his nose.

Half his face tingled. It felt even more electrifying than a blast of Conqueror's Haki.

Noil stayed bent over, standing there in a daze.

Robin had already let go. With her hands clasped behind her back, she walked away with light steps and a beaming smile.

"That's your reward..."

It took Noil a long while to come back to himself.

Well, that was unexpected.

He nearly jumped out of his skin with excitement. Who knew bringing Robin to see the Poneglyph would come with a bonus?

He touched his cheek with a goofy grin, mumbling something under his breath.

"Ha... hehe... oh... yohoho..."

Wyper had been absorbed in the excitement of finding the National Treasure. When he turned around, though, Noil was rolling on the ground and laughing like a husky.

Wyper's face darkened. This is going to be my captain?

That kind of madness isn't contagious, is it?

After laughing for ages, Noil finally noticed Wyper watching him. He scrambled to his feet, cleared his throat, and asked with a straight face, "So... what are you planning to do with this? Ring it now?"

Excitement shone in Wyper's eyes, but he shook his head. "I'm going to tell everyone first. Shandora's glory will return before the eyes of the Shandia!"

Noil shrugged. "Suit yourself. But start getting ready. Once I find a ship, we leave."

Wyper nodded, then asked in confusion, "A ship? What ship is there for you to find on Sky Island?"

Noil was about to answer when Enel, who had been dumped at their feet, began to wake.

A wicked grin spread across Noil's face. "The man who knows where the ship is just woke up."

Enel forced his eyes open through the searing pain and stared blankly at Noil and Wyper.

His headwrap was ruined, leaving his auntie-like hairstyle exposed. Enel trembled.

Why are they looking at me like that?

Ark Maxim

Noil hauled Enel up like a bandit. "Listen, buddy... I need to talk to you."

The friendly way Noil addressed him gave Enel goosebumps. "A-about what?"

After being defeated, Enel had temporarily lost the negative effects of his "arrogant false god" attitude, so his wits were still intact.

He knew perfectly well that nothing good could come of this absurdly powerful man smiling at him so eagerly.

Noil rubbed his fingers together and said casually, "I heard... you secretly built a ship that can fly?"

Enel's face stiffened. He hurried to deny it. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Why would I build something like that?!"

His denial was feeble. Everyone stared at him in silence as if he were an idiot.

Noil kindly used his cursed blade to comb Enel's hair. "Are you going to take me there yourself... or...?"

Enel surrendered at once, clasping his hands politely. "I know where it is. Please follow me!"

He really wouldn't give in without a threat. Noil smirked and followed close behind him.

Wyper gripped Enel's shoulder with his Seastone gauntlet, squeezing hard enough to drive any thought of escape from his mind.

Enel led Noil and the others deep into his palace.

A vast chamber lay within. In its hall stood a huge ship, with many small-winged Skypieans working nearby.

When the workers saw Enel enter, fear instantly replaced the weariness on their faces. But once they saw his battered state and the people behind him, they brightened.

"Lord Gan Fall!"

"Has our former god come to save us?"

"Did Lord Gan Fall defeat Enel?!"

The Skypieans cheered. Guilt crossed Gan Fall's aged face. He lowered his spear and bowed deeply to them.

"My friends," he said, ashamed, "the one who defeated Enel and saved you was this adventurer from the Blue Sea."

"From today on, Enel will no longer call himself a god. Shandia and Angel Island will not attack each other."

Gan Fall explained the situation to his people, but the Skypieans no longer cared who owned God's Island.

After years of captivity building the Ark Maxim for Enel, all they wanted was to live peacefully with their families.

Wyper's expression was complicated: deep hatred, wariness toward the Skypieans, and pity for what they had suffered.

The workers naturally thanked Noil profusely, dropping to their knees with tears streaming down their faces.

Noil paid little attention to their gratitude. He eyed the Ark Maxim with dissatisfaction. "This ship is ugly..."

Even Wyper, who had little sense of aesthetics, couldn't help agreeing. "Apart from being big and able to fly, there's nothing good-looking about it."

The criticism made Enel flush with anger. "It works! Only shallow mortals care what it looks like!"

Thud!

Noil drove a fist into Enel's forehead, teaching him a lesson on the spot.

Steam seemed to rise from the lump on Enel's head. Noil withdrew his hand as though nothing had happened and asked the Skypiean shipbuilders, "How's the ship? Is it finished?"

One of the workers Enel had assigned to build it answered uneasily, "The basic structure is nearly done, but the ship is so large that there's still a great deal of work. It may take..."

Noil pointed at the ark. "What if you made it smaller? Enough for a little over ten people to live aboard."

The worker paused. "If it were small enough, and we reduced its flight capabilities a little, it could be ready to sail in a month."

Only then did Noil nod in satisfaction. "Good. Could I ask you for a favor?"

"After you've seen your families, could you remodel this ship for me? Make it look better, too, if you can."

The Skypieans quickly agreed. Even without the debt they owed Noil for saving their lives, his strength in defeating Enel was reason enough to help.

With everything arranged, Noil finally relaxed. He returned to Angel Island with Gan Fall and told everyone of Enel's defeat.

Wyper returned to the Shandia settlement and told his grandmother, their current leader, about the Golden Bell.

Wyper's grandmother and Gan Fall negotiated again. This time, with Noil there to back them up, the two leaders finally reached an agreement.

Though Angel Island and Upper Yard both lay in the White Sea and were part of Sky Island, they would remain separate. There would be no barriers to communication between them.

That was the agreement, but years of hatred could not be resolved so quickly. Both sides would likely remain distant for a long while.

Still, the war had ended. The rest was up to them.

Noil wasn't their caretaker. What happened next was no longer his concern.

"Host has changed the course of events. Rewards granted: Universal Copy Card ×1; one opportunity to generate a custom personal Sky Island."

Changed the course of events?

Noil paused. He had nearly forgotten the system rewarded him for doing that.

But killing Wapol had changed events too, hadn't it? Why hadn't he received a reward then?

Events on Sky Island had clearly diverged from the Original Story. Shandia and Angel Island had not been united, and he was about to take both Enel and Wyper down to the Blue Sea.

Was it because that change hadn't been big enough?

Noil shook off the question and examined his new reward.

A chance to generate a Sky Island? Does that mean I can create one out of thin air?

That's incredible! Excited, Noil turned his attention to the system, and its prompt sounded.

"Would the host like to generate a custom personal Sky Island here? Warning: once generated, it cannot be withdrawn!"

Noil stopped himself at once. Forget it. This doesn't seem like the place to put it.

He had no use for it yet, either.

Once he had territory of his own, he could bring out the island then.

Delighted with his hefty reward, Noil picked up the coffee in front of him and savored it.

He was on Angel Island with nowhere else to stay, so he was lodging at Pagaya's house.

Robin emerged from a nearby room and smiled at him. "Captain, Conis wants to come to the Blue Sea with us. Is that all right?"

Noil stared for a moment, then broke into a delighted grin. "Of course!"

"Did you convince her?" he asked Robin expectantly.

Robin sat beside him and gently stroked Sisi, the little cloud fox dozing on the table. "Conis wants to see the Blue Sea for herself. I didn't need to convince her."

Noil was thoroughly satisfied.

Their trip to Sky Island was nearly over, and it could hardly have gone better.

Back to the Blue Sea

A month flew by. During that time, Pagaya took Noil to all sorts of places.

He had to admit the beauties of Sky Island were stunning. He had seen so many that his eyes were nearly dazzled.

As for Robin, nothing more had happened since the day she kissed him.

Noil wanted to take things further, but whenever he stood before her, all he could manage after a long pause was, "Have you eaten?"

Their relationship might have been moving slowly, but work on the ship was racing ahead.

Before the month was even up, a large sailing ship appeared before Noil.

Its hull was made of blue-and-white wood, giving it the distinctive look of Sky Island. A Wind Dial fitted at the stern could boost its speed.

At Noil's request, the bow had been shaped like a dragon's head. Inside, Sky Island's master shipbuilders had fitted it with every room and everyday convenience they could need.

The original Ark Maxim had been covered in gold, like something owned by a wealthy show-off.

The new ship used less gold, with what remained displayed inside, lending its cabins an air of luxury and elegance.

More importantly, its power system remained intact, allowing it to fly freely for a while.

Noil leaped aboard the Ark Maxim with delight. Inspired by the Thousand Sunny, he had come up with a covering for the deck.

Instead of grass, though, the deck was covered in specially treated Island Cloud, soft and fluffy.

Noil rolled across the cloud-covered deck, then settled back with his arms under his head and sighed contentedly. "Now this is the life..."