Currently, within Maude's Shadow Casket, three Devil Fruits were stored.
They were the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, the Tone-Tone Fruit, and the String-String Fruit.
Without suitable successors, these three Devil Fruits would remain as collectibles, securely placed within Maude's Shadow Casket.
As such, in the absence of a proper inheritor for the Tone-Tone Fruit, the idea of combining its abilities with the Sound Dial from Skypiea would have to be put on hold for now.
Maude shook his head slightly and pushed these thoughts aside.
Spreading his black wings, he propelled himself through the turbulent winds and lightning, eventually returning safely to the Thriller Bark.
The moment he stepped back into the castle, the crew immediately gathered around, eyes fixed on the large bundles he had brought back.
"Is this the umbrella that can withstand lightning strikes?"
Gaya picked up a completely black, plain-looking Thunderproof Umbrella.
"It's quite heavy."
The moment she held it, Gaya could feel the weight of the Thunderproof Umbrella.
Maude picked up another one and explained, "According to the shopkeeper, the primary material used to craft these umbrellas is an unknown mineral with insulating properties."
As he spoke, Maude opened the umbrella and examined its metallic-looking ribs.
"As for whether it can truly resist lightning, we'll have to test it on the island to find out."
"And what are these?"
Perona rummaged through the packages and pulled out various oddly shaped shells.
"These are Dials, a specialty of Skypiea. Different types of Dials serve different functions, and most of them can be used in battle. Urouge, being a Skypiean, should be quite familiar with them."
"Hmm, it's been a long time since I last saw Dials. This really brings back memories."
Urouge picked up a Sharp Dial with razor-sharp edges and was surprised. "Even a Sharp Dial? These are rare even on Skypiea."
"Hoho, a Sharp Dial? What does it do?"
"It can absorb and release slashing attacks."
Urouge glanced at Lafitte, who immediately showed interest upon hearing the word "slash."
"Interesting."
Lafitte's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "I wonder what level of slashes it can absorb and how powerful the released slashes would be."
"That, I don't know."
Urouge scratched his head and said indifferently, "I rarely use these Dials."
"Ah, I have one of these shells."
Brook picked up a Dial that looked quite familiar.
"That's a Sound Dial. It can record and play back sounds. You own one?"
Urouge was surprised as he glanced at Brook, who was fiddling with the Sound Dial.
Brook slowly nodded but said nothing further. Instead, he simply stared at the Sound Dial in his hand, lost in thought.
The Sound Dial evoked memories buried deep within his heart—painful yet precious.
"Hey, big guy, what about this one?"
At that moment, Perona shoved a red-colored Dial in front of Urouge.
"Whoa, whoa! That's a Flame Dial—don't hold it so close!"
Seeing the red-colored Dial, Urouge instinctively stepped back and sighed, "I'd rather not have my eyebrows or hair burned off."
"It can release flames? How do you use it?"
Perona's eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Urouge expectantly.
Urouge pointed at a protrusion on the back of the Flame Dial and instructed, "Just press there, and flames will shoot out from the front."
"Ohh!"
Perona played around with it briefly before gleefully aiming the Dial at Bailey, who was rummaging through the pile of Dials with his rear end sticking up.
Click.
A weak flame spurted from the Dial's opening and landed directly on Bailey's backside.
A small fire ignited on Bailey's fur.
"Aaargh!"
With a yelp, Bailey reflexively jumped up and spun around, glaring at Perona, who was covering her mouth, giggling.
"You little—!"
Bailey grabbed a random Dial without even checking what type it was, pointed it at Perona, and pressed the button.
Click.
A foul stench burst forth from the Dial.
"Ugh...!"
"I've been poisoned! Dr. Philo, help me! Yohohoho! Ah, wait, I only have bones, so I can't be poisoned! Yohohoho!"
"There's zero chance of avoiding the smell..."
"You skunk!!"
"I'm not a damn skunk—ugh!"
Click. Click.
Determined to take her down with him, Bailey relentlessly pressed the button of the Stink Dial, flooding the room with the awful odor.
The scene soon descended into chaos.
Leaning against the dining table, Maude watched the ruckus unfold with a smile.
"Dials..."
His gaze shifted toward the dozen or so Dials scattered on the floor.
"I need to make a trip to Skypiea. But before that, I have to head to Dressrosa and clean up the mess left by Doflamingo."
Maude contemplated silently.
Acquiring such a variety of Dials from the traveling merchant had sparked several ideas in his mind.
Dials like Impact Dials, Sharp Dials, Heat Dials, and Breath Dials...
What intrigued Maude the most was their ability to absorb various forms of attacks—shock, slashes, fire, and more.
If he could collect enough of them, he could install them along the outer hull of Thriller Bark, enhancing its defensive capabilities against different types of attacks.
Additionally, giant Jet Dials could serve as the perfect propulsion system for the ship.
"I'll sort that out after visiting Skypiea."
Maude temporarily set aside these thoughts.
...
A few days later.
Thriller Bark arrived in the waters near Raijin Island.
The sky was dark and overcast, with thick clusters of black clouds surging like waves.
Below the ominous clouds lay a small, flat island of moderate size.
Bolts of lightning continuously flashed and struck the island, illuminating its surface with bursts of brilliance.
From afar, it was evident that only the area above the island was subjected to this relentless barrage of lightning—everywhere else remained untouched.
This was Raijin Island of the New World.
Led by Maude, the group calmly observed the endless storm of lightning crashing down onto the island.
Having been here once before, they showed no signs of unease.
"Let's go."
Maude opened his Thunderproof Umbrella, stepped onto the air using Moonwalk, and landed on Thunder God Island.
Boom!
The moment he set foot on the island, a thick bolt of lightning crashed down onto his umbrella.
A dazzling flash of light illuminated the surroundings momentarily.
Yet, Maude remained unscathed.
"Not bad at all."
He admired the umbrella's resilience against the fierce lightning.
There were only ten umbrellas available.
Thus, only Maude, Lafitte, Jim, Law, and Perona, along with five captured Celestial Dragons, could descend onto the island.
Fortunately, Jim's mastery of physical anesthesia had improved significantly, allowing him to keep the Celestial Dragons in a continuous state of unconsciousness with minimal injury.
Otherwise, given their nature, these nobles would be screaming their heads off in sheer terror on Thunder God Island.
As for Gaya and the others, they remained aboard Thriller Bark, concealed within the clouds.
Should anything happen, Gaya could remotely manipulate Raijin Island from a relatively safe position.
"Now, we wait for the Marines to arrive."
Maude stood beneath his black umbrella, his calm eyes reflecting the cascading lightning bolts striking the island like a torrential downpour.
...
A few hours later.
In the distance, the silhouettes of two Marine battleships gradually emerged on the horizon.
"They're here."
Anxiously awaiting Beppo's rescue, Law was the first to notice the approaching fleet.
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