The Golden Dragon Ship continued to move forward. Next, it would return to Wano Country, drop off the Fish-Man Island immigrants aboard, and then head to the Giant Kingdom.
However, before that, Ian needed to perform a test.
The combat strength of Surtur had already been tested.
When fully powered and using the Sun God's Wrath, his strength was definitely above that of disaster-level warriors.
But there was another aspect that hadn't been tested.
His endurance.
On the deck of the Golden Dragon Ship, Surtur had transformed into a crimson flame giant. Ian had named this form the "Divine Fury Form."
The over-20-meter-tall giant continuously released red flames toward the sea.
The dazzling flames hit the sea, instantly making the water vanish without a trace.
However, the destruction didn't last long. Soon, Surtur's body couldn't maintain the form and shrank back to its original small fairy-like size, about the size of a basketball.
Dizzily, it floated over to Ian. "Master, I'm so hungry! I'm so hungry!"
Ian had already entered Human-Beast Form, catching the little guy. Brilliant flames rose from his hands, quickly enveloping Surtur.
The terrifying flames were so hot that the surrounding companions immediately backed away, but Surtur seemed at ease, laughing joyfully in the flames.
The golden flames were being absorbed by it, and its energy was rapidly recovering.
After testing, if not in Divine Fury Form, Surtur could continue fighting for several hours, casually wielding the golden flames.
However, if he enters the Sun God's Wrath mode, transforming his body from ordinary golden flames into destructive flames, the battle time will be drastically shortened to about ten minutes.
Moreover, if he releases the Destructive Fire in Sun God's Wrath mode again, the time will be further reduced.
Ian estimated that the energy reserves of this guy are roughly equivalent to the physical stamina he uses when activating the Sun God's Wrath Fire once.
Not bad, he thought, getting an extra round of Destructive Fire for free.
But more importantly...
Ian grabbed Surtur. "Surtur, sword form."
"Yes! Master!"
The little fire spirit responded cheerfully.
Its body elongated, transforming into a golden flame sword wrapped in intense flames.
Even without Ian applying Life Return, Surtur would still transform into a solid sword!
And since Surtur is essentially Ian's avatar, a part of him, Life Return can still be applied to it!
With the effect of Life Return, the fiery sword instantly became more solid, now fully taking the form of a real sword blade.
At this moment, this fiery incarnation of a greatsword, even without adding Haki, should be as strong as any famous blade, right?
(About this strong)
"Sun God's Wrath mode."
Ian said.
"Yes! Master!"
The flame sword in his hand transformed once again, its blade turning bright crimson, with the flames wrapped around it also turning red.
Ian's hands were surrounded by raging flames, constantly injecting energy into the sword blade to keep it intact.
Gripping the greatsword tightly, Ian casually swung it.
Swish!!
A massive crescent-shaped slash roared forward, the Destructive Fire-infused cut immediately tearing through the sea, creating a huge gash in the ocean.
Hmm.
Continuously feeding flames to maintain Sun God's Wrath mode is quite draining on stamina.
However, it is still much smaller than directly transforming into the Immortal Phoenix and using the Sun God's Wrath Fire, considering the fact that it doesn't require entering the Immortal Phoenix form, which consumes a lot of energy.
This way, the duration of use has also increased considerably.
Ian examined the sword of flames in his hand and said, "Let's call this form Lævateinn."
Lævateinn, the Branch of Destruction, the Sword of Flames, from Nordic mythology, the magic sword used by the fire giant Surtur to destroy the world during Ragnarök.
This name couldn't be more fitting.
Not long after, the Golden Dragon ship returned to Wano Country. Ian didn't stay there for long, dropping off the Fish-Man Island immigrants and briefly touring the country with the giants.
During the trip, Ian made time to visit Ghost Island and handed over the two blueprints he had obtained to Queen.
Queen was stunned by the blueprints.
"Ian! Where did you find these? Does such a weapon even exist in the world?"
Ian didn't directly say that these were blueprints for ancient weapons, fearing that Queen might get too carried away.
He simply asked Queen if he was confident in replicating them.
However, Queen sadly shook his head.
He said that many of the materials and technologies on the blueprints were things he had never even heard of.
If it weren't for the fact that the blueprints were so meticulously detailed, he would have thought Ian was playing a prank on him.
Ian was somewhat disappointed.
The government's 800 years of technological restrictions weren't entirely pointless after all.
Although breakthroughs in technology might be difficult for now, the materials might not be the same.
Ian seriously recommended Wapol to Queen.
Wapol's ability from the Munch-Munch Fruit immediately amazed Queen.
"This is the ability I've been dreaming of!!!"
The old man was incredibly jealous.
But now, even if he couldn't completely replicate those blueprints, having someone with the Munch-Munch Fruit ability working for him was still a great start.
Queen immediately threw himself into the research of new materials.
Even if he couldn't perfectly replicate the two blueprints, recreating some of the weapons on them shouldn't be a problem.
Queen said this with confidence after having Wapol's help.
Ian felt slightly relieved.
Ancient weaponry, even if not the main weapon, should still be strong enough, right?
And to truly replicate it, it seems they would need the help of Vegapunk, who inherited a lot of ancient technology.
After a brief stay in Wano, the Golden Dragon ship set sail again, this time heading straight for the Giant Kingdom.
The return of Dorry and Brogy caused a huge stir in the country, and the Giant Warrior Pirates was quickly rebuilt without much effort.
Ian and his crew, being friends of the giants, were naturally given a grand reception. They were even invited by the royal family to attend a banquet at the palace.
Afterward, Dorry and Brogy took Ian and his crew on a grand tour of the Giant Kingdom.
The unique natural scenery and cultural landscape of the country left a deep impression on Ian.
During this time, a government merchant ship arrived, and Aunt Linlin's communication came through, though neither caused much of a stir.
When the government merchant ship arrived, the giants traded as usual—candies were eaten, and cannonballs were sent back.
Aunt Linlin's messages came often, but they were still in the phase where the giants paid no attention to them.
Time passed slowly as Ian and his crew traveled through the Giant Kingdom. By the end of 1511 in the Sea Circle Calendar, it was the last month of the year.
It was at this time...
In the sky somewhere in the world...
A magnificent slash, like a storm, wreaked havoc, effortlessly slicing an entire island into pieces!
"Ha ha ha ha! The power from back then has fully recovered! There's nothing to fear now!!"
Golden hair danced wildly in the wind, even the part of his head that had once been bald had grown hair back.
The man, Golden Lion Shiki, spread his arms towards the sky, "It's time to take action! World, are you ready?"
"East Blue, here I come!"
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