To eat, or not to eat?
That was indeed the question.
Nao had come across several Devil Fruits before. The Rust-Rust Fruit, and later a handful of Zoans seized from Dugalio, but none had ever truly impressed him.
The Float-Float Fruit, however—the Golden Lion's fruit—was on a whole other level.
Leaving aside everything else, simply being able to defy gravity and soar freely through the skies was temptation enough.
After all, the dream of flight was etched deep in human instinct.
But…
"Devil Fruit curses aren't a joke."
Nao stared at the spiral-patterned fruit in front of him. The initial excitement gradually faded, and he slowly returned to his usual calm and rational state.
"Once I eat this, the sea and seastone will both become my mortal enemies."
He was already considered one of the strongest in the world.
And his main source of combat power was his monstrous physical body and his exquisite swordsmanship that could control the mysteries of the wind.
Even if he could one day develop the Float-Float Fruit to the same heights as Shiki, the actual boost to his combat strength wouldn't be massive. Yet eating it would saddle him with two brand-new weaknesses.
He'd lose one of his greatest advantages: the ability to move and breathe freely underwater, dominating naval battles just like the fishmen.
It would be like forcing a Superman who had no weaknesses to suddenly carry kryptonite in his chest.
Had he found the fruit right after first crossing into this world, he would have eaten it without hesitation.
But now…
The trade-off no longer seemed worth it.
"Forget it."
Nao wasn't the type to agonize or dwell endlessly. Within seconds, he'd made his choice. He tucked the fruit back into his inventory and looked off toward his home.
He might not have wanted to eat it himself, but its value remained undeniable. Letting such a treasure sit unused in his pack felt like a waste.
Everyone had a bit of selfishness.
This fruit was his hard-earned prize for defeating Shiki, a trophy months in the making. There was no way he'd simply turn it in.
No, he had another idea: he would give it to one of his family.
His parents were out of the question. They were both retired, well past the age of battle, and when he'd visited them back in the East Blue, they'd shown zero interest in Devil Fruits.
Not even a spark. Unlike a certain someone.
That left his three wives.
Bellemere already possessed the Rust-Rust Fruit, and Shia had eaten the Clone-Clone Fruit two years ago. Both were off the list.
The only one left was the little rabbit.
"I wonder if the Rear Admiral would even want it…"
He rubbed his chin, muttering to himself. "But if she's willing, this fruit would suit her well."
No matter how powerful a Devil Fruit was, in weak hands it was wasted—like how the Bomb-Bomb Fruit had been squandered by that snot-nosed fool.
But in little rabbit's hands, the Float-Float Fruit would shine.
With her strength and potential, it would complement her abilities perfectly, allowing her growth to outpace the original timeline.
Perhaps by the time of the Marineford War, the Marine would already have one more true Admiral-level powerhouse.
Instead of waiting two years, only to see Gion and Chaton fall short of Admiral class, forcing the Marine to conduct world conscription and bring in outsiders like Fujitora and Ryokugyu.
"Mm. That settles it."
Nao clapped his fists together, then hurried straight home. After a quick wash, he went directly to Gion's office.
Ever since she'd stepped down as commander of the West Blue's First Branch at the end of last year, Gion had been stationed permanently at headquarters, just like him. Her rank, however, was still only Rear Admiral.
Her strength and battle achievements were more than enough, but seniority was a hurdle she couldn't yet cross. From what higher-ups had hinted, it would take at least another year or two before she could be promoted to Vice Admiral.
"But you've already been a Rear Admiral for nearly two years, haven't you? How is it that you don't have enough seniority? I was promoted later than you by half a year, and yet I've already made Vice Admiral."
Back then, Nao had protested with a puzzled look, standing up for Gion.
What a double standard. Completely unfair.
Of course, the moment the words left his mouth, he'd been pummeled with a flurry of indignant little pink fists.
Damn it, was he trying to show off? With his monstrous record and freakish achievements, was there ever a chance seniority would hold him back?
If anything, had he not graduated early, he might have been given Vice Admiral's rank straight away.
Ten minutes later.
Inside Gion's office.
"The Float-Float Fruit?"
Just as expected, the moment Nao presented it, even the normally composed Gion was stunned. Her eyes widened in shock.
"Isn't this Shiki's fruit? How on earth did it end up in your hands?"
Nao shrugged and gave her the rough version of the story.
Just as he had once shared the secret of the Vivre Card with Bellemere.
For him, the only thing he would take to the grave was the existence of the system. Everything else he felt no need to hide from those closest to him.
"Your sword… it can strip the Devil Fruit power from someone you defeat, and then re-manifest the fruit?"
It took Gion a long while to digest the weight of that revelation. When she finally recovered, her brows drew together in thought.
"If that's true, then the ability users imprisoned in Impel Down could…"
"Could become unnecessary to keep locked away? And instead serve as a stable supply of fruits for the Marine?"
Nao chuckled and pulled her close, planting a kiss on her fair cheek.
"As expected of you, Rear Admiral. That's exactly what I thought too."
She pushed away the wandering hand creeping down her side and shot him a glare.
"But it's not that simple."
Nao grinned as he leaned back onto the sofa opposite her desk, legs crossed.
"The catch is, I can only strip fruits from people I personally defeat. And every time I use that ability, the cooldown is at least three months."
Even if he used every chance at Impel Down, that was only four fruits per year. With the number of ability users locked up there, it was barely a drop in the bucket.
Those prisoners would still need to remain imprisoned.
"And more importantly, I don't want the outside world knowing I have this ability."
He poured himself a cup of tea and pointed toward the ceiling.
"Not even the people at the very top."
"Why?"
Gion frowned.
"Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong are both upright men. Even if they knew, they wouldn't covet your power."
"Of course they wouldn't. But the people above them… that's another story."
Nao shrugged, his tone heavy with meaning.
The one he feared most was the immortal shadowy figure known as Imu.
But Gion interpreted his words as referring to the Five Elders and the rest of the World Government's upper echelon.
Still, she could understand Nao's mindset.
An ability so bizarre it could shake the world order and overturn common sense—it was indeed better not to spread news of it for now.
"Innocence is no defense when you carry a treasure." Perhaps the World Government's officials wouldn't be foolish enough to demand his sword and risk provoking Nao, but those bubble-headed Celestial Dragons? Who knew what covetous thoughts they might harbor.
"Give me a few days to think it over."
Gion hesitated after a moment of silence, her tone uncertain.
"I really don't know whether I should eat this fruit or not…"
It was obvious.
Just like Nao, she too weighed the weaknesses of Devil Fruits against her dedication to swordsmanship.
"Up to you."
Nao shrugged casually, leaving the Float-Float Fruit where it was. He sipped his tea, his gaze shifting toward the pile of letters stacked high on the coffee table.
"Why so many? Are these all replies to the wedding invitations?"
"More or less."
Gion, still staring absently at the fruit, rubbed her temples with a sigh.
"Not just replies for me. Yours, and even that girl Shia's, all got delivered here too. The postman was being lazy, dumped them all in my office at once… I haven't even had time to go through them. Was planning to take them home tonight."
"Wonder how many people can actually come."
Nao chuckled. With nothing better to do, he picked one up and started tearing it open.
The wedding was a month away, and of course invitations had gone out far and wide, calling friends and comrades to join.
But the nature of a Marine career made things tricky. Those stationed at headquarters could easily take leave and attend, but those scattered across other branches would find it much harder.
So in truth, the invitations were more like notices.
And as expected, most of the replies were apologetic refusals, ending with heartfelt blessings instead.
"Hm, this one's from Borsalino. Figures he can't make it. But 'too busy with work and feeling fatigued'? Out of all the excuses he could've used, that's the one he picked?"
"Oh, Sakazuki replied too. Huh… who would've thought? The guy's so rigid and stern usually, but his well-wishes are actually full of flair."
"Kuzan says he can come. Not surprising. He's been stuck at G-1 for almost two months; just about time for him to rotate back to HQ anyway."
Gion had already put the Float-Float Fruit away and returned to reviewing documents at her desk.
Listening to him mutter away while lounging on the sofa, her lips curved into a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
Time had flown.
The once-unknown rookie had become one of headquarters' brightest stars.
And after two years of ups and downs, the two of them were finally about to step into the sacred bond of marriage.
Suddenly—
His muttering stopped. Silence fell heavy in the room.
Gion instinctively looked up, only to see Nao clutching a letter he'd just opened. The further his eyes moved down the page, the darker his expression grew.
"What's wrong?"
Nao didn't answer right away.
He read the reply all the way to the end, then silently handed the letter over, his brows furrowed as he paced back and forth in front of the window.
The letter had come from G-6 branch.
It should have been written by Shiryu himself. But the signature at the bottom bore the name of a woman—Rear Admiral Aisha.
She was an elderly officer in her sixties, who had once captained the ship Shiryu served on as an intern. After retiring to a second-line post last year, she'd ended up living next door to him, and had often looked after the younger man.
In the letter, the old woman described in detail what Shiryu had gone through these past few months.
A little over two months ago, right around when Nao had just defeated the Golden Lion, Shiryu's outstanding service earned him a smooth promotion from lieutenant commander to captain. At the same time, his fiancée, who had returned home to visit her parents, also brought back the good news that her parents had agreed to their marriage.
It should have been a double blessing.
But two weeks later, instead of his bride-to-be returning home, Shiryu was met with a devastating blow.
Her hometown—the village of the medic girl he had loved since his youth—had been wiped out entirely by a pirate crew calling themselves the Black Star Pirates.
By the time the Marine arrived, all that remained was a smoldering ruin, burned to ashes.
The shock was unbearable. Consumed by rage, Shiryu didn't even bother reporting to his superiors. He simply seized a boat at the docks and set out alone, scouring the seas for any sign of the Black Star crew.
Half a month later, he hadn't found them. But in the newspaper, he read of their fate.
They had already been defeated by another Vice Admiral from G-2 branch. The captain, Black Star himself, along with his key officers, were all captured and sent to Impel Down.
For most, that would have been justice enough. But for Shiryu, how could it be?
He returned to G-6, confessed his mistake, and accepted disciplinary action. After his superiors' anger cooled, he volunteered to escort a new batch of prisoners from G-6 to Impel Down, offering the mission as atonement.
Believing he had moved on from his grief, his commanders approved.
But no one expected what came next.
As soon as Shiryu arrived at Impel Down, he took advantage of the gap in the transfer process, secretly knocked out a guard, and sneaked into Level 3, where he killed all the members of the Black Star Pirates who were imprisoned there.
The commotion shook the entire floor. In his blood-frenzied state, he cut down not only the pirates but even every convict who tried to take advantage of the chaos to escape—leaving none alive.
In his rage, his strength surged far beyond its usual limits. Even the demon-beast jailers couldn't stop him. When regular guards rushed in, they fared no better—many were wounded in the crossfire.
The rampage lasted more than ten minutes before Vice Warden Magellan finally arrived and subdued him.