The next day, in the ruins of Fort Respler on Aznat Island.
"Well now, Shiki-san, do you have any thoughts on how things turned out?" Aeridar paced through the broken remains of the main fortress, his expression relaxed.
"Jihahahaha! Thoughts? The only thought is that the victor becomes king, and the loser is forgotten."
Shiki lay on the ground, grinning dismissively, his body bound tightly with chains laced with Seastone. His swords, Oto and Kogarashi, had been removed from his feet. He had experienced so much in his life and had seen countless losers, and now, it was simply his turn.
"Truly worthy of the name Golden Lion," Aeridar said with a note of admiration. He doubted he would have the same composure in a similar situation.
Aeridar then continued, "Are you not a little resentful that you lost to a junior like me? You were far stronger than I am now at the height of your power."
Clang, clang, clang, clang...
"Jihahahaha! You're too modest, you rascal." Shiki roared with laughter, his chains clattering. He then fixed his gaze on Aeridar and said, "With an ability like that, you are bound to be a leader of this new era."
"Who knows about that," Aeridar said with an indifferent laugh. Then, as if he were just making idle conversation, he added, "However, according to the latest news, the Marines have arrived on Aznat Island. Nine battleships and two Admirals. What a grand show. Guess who they're here for?"
"The Marines... Hmph, I almost forgot that you're just a lapdog for the World Government." Shiki's tone was filled with contempt. "It seems I'm worth quite a lot to you, then!"
"No, your value can't be measured by what they offer." Hearing this, Aeridar didn't get angry. He simply held up his hands, revealing his black gloves. "Shiki-san, do you know what these are?" he asked.
"Huh? Bear paws!" Shiki's eyes widened, and he exclaimed.
Smack!
Aeridar's eye twitched. He smacked Shiki on the head and roared, "What kind of eyes do you have?! These are gloves, you idiot!" He hadn't expected Shiki to be so absurdly funny at a time like this. It was completely out of character.
"These gloves are called 'Edvishen'. They are woven from the silk of the legendary Black Gold Silkworm and several other precious silks, making them impervious to blades and unaffected by fire or water," Aeridar said with a strange smile.
Shiki was completely baffled. The gloves might be precious, but what was the point of talking about them now?
"The scientists of the World Government developed a technique that allows an inanimate object to 'eat' a Devil Fruit. This gives the object life and the ability to transform, but it only works with Zoan-type Devil Fruits," Aeridar said nonchalantly.
"A technology like that exists?!" Shiki was shocked. If he weren't restrained by the Seastone chains, he would have jumped to his feet. He never thought such a technology existed, even if it was limited to Zoan-type fruits. It was astonishing.
"But there's an exception to every rule."
As he spoke, the smile on Aeridar's lips grew wider. Under Shiki's stunned gaze, he raised his left hand and continued, "Through a special technique, the glove on my left hand 'ate' a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit—the Animate-Animate Fruit. It has the power to bring inanimate objects to life. This has given me an invincible army. And thanks to the research of my scientists, only I can use this glove."
"In other words, I possess the power of two Devil Fruits!"
Aeridar's words shocked Shiki beyond belief. He never imagined that this man had such a deep secret, and an unprecedented one at that: a dual Devil Fruit user. For the first time, a flicker of fear appeared in Shiki's heart.
"But I'm not satisfied. This glove is an artifact from an extinct ancient kingdom. They left behind the creation method, but it was flawed and had a very low success rate. That ancient kingdom used up six Devil Fruits just to make this one glove, and it still had many flaws. My scientists have since fixed all of those flaws."
Aeridar clenched his fist, his voice turning cold. "The most important thing is that we haven't been able to improve the creation method itself. And that annoys me greatly."
"What do you mean?" Shiki asked, his tone serious.
"Actually, Shiki-san, did you know? I once stumbled upon a piece of information about Devil Fruits—one that could shake the world to its core."
Ignoring Shiki's question, Aeridar relaxed his hand, his stern expression softening as he began to pace again.
"What information?" Shiki asked, now intrigued.
"You know, Shiki-san, that every Devil Fruit is one of a kind. When a Devil Fruit user dies, the fruit reappears somewhere else. But the location of its reappearance seems to be completely random; no one has ever been able to figure out the pattern. But..." Aeridar smiled eerily. "I once witnessed a Devil Fruit forming right before my eyes."
Shiki's brow furrowed as he stared intently at Aeridar.
"Do you know why this room is full of so many kinds of fruits?" Aeridar gestured to the countless boxes of apples, pears, peaches, bananas, and other fruits filling the room. Each box held a different type of fruit.
"Are you saying...?" Shiki seemed to have a terrifying realization.
"I witnessed a Zoan-type Salamander Fruit user die, and in a box of apples nearby, one of the apples quickly turned into a Devil Fruit—the Zoan-type Salamander Fruit," Aeridar said with a wide grin. "After that, I ran an experiment. I surrounded a Devil Fruit user with fruit and then killed them. I did it three times, and it succeeded twice."
"I see. So you're after my ability," Shiki immediately understood. He wanted the Float-Float Fruit.
"That's right. While there's a chance of failure, the success rate is high. The only thing we haven't figured out is the core condition for its formation, but that's not a problem." Aeridar gestured around the room. "I have collected every type of fruit on Aznat Island. I imagine the success rate is pretty high now."
"Jihahahaha! You bastard! You're even more wicked than those people in the World Government!" Shiki laughed, yelling at Aeridar. He wasn't afraid of death. Roger had faced it with dignity, and now it was his turn. What was there to fear?
"Once I have the Float-Float Fruit, I'll have my scientists research Devil Fruit weapon technology, which will allow me to transplant your ability to my gloves," Aeridar said with a triumphant, gleeful look. "Then I will be the first-ever three-ability Devil Fruit user!"
"The Impact-Impact Fruit gives me powerful combat ability, the Animate-Animate Fruit gives me an invincible army, and the Float-Float Fruit will make me untouchable."
"In this new era, who else but me will be king? Heh heh heh... Hahahaha!"
Manic laughter filled the room, echoing through the confined space.