After the S-Class Trial ended.
"Natsu, you failed."
Lucy crouched beside Natsu, looking at him as he was lost in thought, and comforted him, "But it's okay. It's just one failure. You can get them back next time."
"Besides, it's not shameful to lose to a monster like Mr. Kuzan."
As Lucy spoke, she seemed to recall the exaggerated scene of Kuzan freezing hundreds of square kilometers of the sea at will, leaving it to bake under the scorching sun for a week without melting...
Or the scene where he directly changed an island's climate, making it snow permanently in defiance of the laws of physics. That was already completely beyond the scope of a human being.
"It's strange."
Natsu sat on the ground, his arms crossed over his chest, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "Mr. Kuzan was defeated by that 'Akainu' guy, right?!"
"And I definitely beat that 'Akainu' guy during the Summit War, didn't I? So why in the world did I lose to the subordinate of someone I defeated?!"
Natsu clutched his head, shouting in confusion.
"Eh?!"
"So that's what you've been struggling with all this time, Natsu?"
Lucy couldn't help but retort upon hearing this.
"As I thought, my fire still isn't strong enough, is it?"
"Lucy, come train with me!"
"In one year, I will definitely defeat Mr. Kuzan."
As Natsu spoke, he clenched his fists tightly. After a brief moment of confusion, he quickly pulled himself together and set a one-year training plan for himself.
"No, no, no!"
"The reason you couldn't beat Mr. Kuzan is because of the elemental disadvantage, right?!"
"Speaking of which, why are you so obsessed with defeating Mr. Kuzan?"
"Your opponents next year should be Mr. Issho and Mr. Borsalino, right?"
Lucy stayed by Natsu's side, providing a steady stream of retorts.
"Anyway, the training squad is moving out!"
Natsu said, calling on Lucy, Happy, Wendy, and Carla to set off for training together.
"By the way, why do we have to come too?"
In Wendy's arms, Carla looked at Natsu with a puzzled expression and asked.
"Because without Wendy, I can't even go out to sea!"
Natsu said, giving Wendy and Carla a brilliant smile.
"Aye~"
Happy chimed in, flying in mid-air.
Well, because this world was completely surrounded by seawater, one needed to constantly use ships to go out to sea. And Dragon Slayers were weak to vehicles, unless they had the assistance of a Sky Dragon Slayer like Wendy.
"I think I see a terrible future."
Carla's face looked a bit grim. Her ability to foresee the future, which had merged with Observation Haki, showed her countless destroyed towns...
And the scene of Guild Master Makarov crying, shouting, constantly apologizing to the townspeople, and paying compensation.
What was even more terrifying was that many merchants had discovered a business opportunity in this, developing a series of supporting industrial chains with Fairy Tail at its core.
A construction worker: "With Fairy Tail around, I no longer have to worry about unemployment or not getting paid for projects~"
And so, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, and Carla formed a new team and set off.
"Next, I too must embark on my own journey. Within this year, I will defeat all the strong people in this world."
Laxus said this, a look of eagerness on his face.
But in reality, the people he planned to challenge totaled only three.
They were 'Red-Haired' Shanks, the world's strongest man 'Whitebeard' Edward Newgate, and the man known as the 'Strongest Creature,' Kaido of the Beasts.
As for the fellow Emperor 'Big Mom' Charlotte Linlin?!
Forget about her.
Laxus was no longer interested in Linlin; she was simply too weak.
And then there was 'Akainu' Sakazuki?
"A guy who lost to Natsu."
Laxus had a look of disdain.
Sakazuki: "Give me a break! Is it my fault I lost to Natsu?! How many fire-type users can beat Natsu when their energy levels aren't several tiers apart? Bastard!!"
"Laxus, we'll go with you!"
Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen looked at Laxus's back and shouted together.
"Alright."
Laxus nodded slightly upon hearing them.
And so, after Natsu's team departed, the Thunder God Tribe and Laxus once again joined forces and set out.
"Mira-nee, and Lisanna."
"Since the trial is over, as a man, I must also continue on my journey."
Elfman once again bid farewell to his sisters. He was going to rendezvous with Teacher Kaido; their journey had only just begun.
"Go on, Elfman."
"Be sure to stay safe~"
"Don't make Lisanna and me worry."
Mirajane said, waving at Elfman, indicating that she would be on Tenrou Island, waiting for him to return.
"I know."
After bowing deeply to Mirajane, Elfman chose to set out to sea alone.
On the other side.
"Erza-yo~"
"If we don't head back soon~"
"Sakazuki is going to get suspicious~"
Borsalino stood with his hands in his pockets, looking completely at ease.
Indeed, after this high-intensity S-Class Mage Trial, whether it was Kuzan and Aramaki who passed smoothly...
Or Issho who regrettably failed, they were all beaten black and blue. Issho, in particular, had his head wrapped in bandages.
Only Borsalino stood alone, his clothes merely a little dirty.
It was just a trial.
You couldn't earn any money from it, so why was everyone fighting so desperately?!
"Fall in."
Erza said faintly after hearing Borsalino's words.
And so, Borsalino, Erza, Cana, Gajeel, Lily, Levy, and Garp—who had originally intended to come to Tenrou Island to see his good grandson Luffy but left disappointed because Luffy had been whisked away by Rayleigh—boarded a Marine warship together, heading for the Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Mr. Kuzan, I'll be in your care from now on."
Gray, seeing that Natsu and the others had all begun their own training, was not to be outdone. He sought out Kuzan, who, under Precht's guidance, had successfully learned Ice God Slayer Magic. After letting the God Slayer Magic refine the Ice-Ice Fruit within his body, Kuzan had directly ascended to the 'Heavenly King' realm.
Indeed, after successfully learning Ice God Slayer Magic, Kuzan discovered that the Devil Fruit power within him felt a deep-seated fear of his Ice God Slayer Magic.
But this was not surprising. A curse from the God of the Sea could prevent all Devil Fruit users from entering the water...
Let alone a top-tier slayer-type magic that, when cultivated to the extreme, had a real chance of ascending to godhood.
"Not at all, not at all..."
"We can consider it mutual learning."
Kuzan said, scratching his head of hair humbly.
From then on, Kuzan, Gray, and Juvia formed a small team and began their training in the path of ice and water magic.
"Count me in."
Incidentally, after much thought, Robin ultimately chose to set off with Kuzan, Gray, and Juvia...
And she personally planned a route, one that would conveniently allow her to research history along the way.
As everyone departed, Tenrou Island became quiet once more.
"They've all finally left."
"The island is finally quiet now."
Makarov watched the group of troublemaking kids, who were constantly setting off to train, travel further and further away, and he slowly let out a sigh of relief.
Yes, Makarov had the typical parent mentality: he missed his children when they were away, but found them annoying when they returned.
Makarov wished his children could teleport to him in an instant to report their safety whenever he thought of them, and then immediately scram.
"Yes! It's finally quiet."
Behind Makarov, Eden spoke thoughtfully.
"What?"
"Eden, you haven't left yet?!"
Makarov's body instantly stiffened upon hearing that incredibly familiar voice.
Makarov turned his head and saw Fairy Tail's number one prankster, Eden, who was perennially ranked second on the Magic Council ERA's kill list.
Incidentally, the first was Gildarts.
If one were to select a list of people Makarov most wanted to leave Tenrou Island and not come home unless necessary, Gildarts, Eden, and Natsu would definitely be in the top three, with no clear order.
"I'm going into seclusion to train."
Eden looked at Makarov beside him and said as much.
"Gildarts taught me a lesson."
"Right now, I'm too weak compared to Gildarts and Imu."
"I need to catch up to them within this year."
"Even if I can't catch up to Gildarts..."
"I must at least surpass Imu's level."
Eden sat on the ground, looked at Makarov, and said seriously.
"Catch up to Gildarts in one year?!"
"Kid, do you have a fever?"
Makarov looked at Eden, feeling that the boy had been scared silly by Gildarts's power and was starting to talk nonsense.
"Under normal circumstances, it's indeed impossible."
Eden shook his head. He opened his storage space and took out one Dragon Lacrima after another, placing them in front of Makarov. "Then I'll use some abnormal methods."
"What?!"
"Eden, just how many Dragon Lacrima did you buy?"
Makarov looked at the several sparkling Dragon Lacrima Eden had placed before him and said in disbelief.
"Not many."
"Just ten in total!"
Eden smiled and said frankly.
"Where did you get the money?"
"You didn't go to Blue Pegasus to work as a host, did you?!"
Makarov's eye twitched as he looked at Eden and asked.
"..."
Eden was silent for a moment, then he thought about it and answered truthfully, "I borrowed this money from Hisui with my own skills."
"You really went to be a host?"
"And for the princess, no less?"
Makarov instantly transformed into Lucy, retorting.
"Rude! How rude."
"Isn't a host by a princess's side just a knight?!"
"And none of what you're imagining happened."
"Alright, how I got the money isn't important..."
"What's important is, with these Dragon Lacrima, can I stand shoulder to shoulder with Gildarts?!"
Eden looked at Makarov and said in a deep voice.
"Almost! But it's still not enough."
Makarov first nodded, then shook his head, saying softly, "You have no idea just how strong Gildarts is at his peak."
"What about this?"
As Eden's voice fell, he took out a Devil Fruit from his space and placed it in front of Makarov.
"This is even less likely..."
"Unless you can develop the power of the Devil Fruit to its absolute limit, at least to the level of that old man 'Whitebeard' at his peak, only then would you have a chance of trading blows with Gildarts."
Makarov glanced at the Devil Fruit in Eden's hand and shook his head.
"Then what about this plus this!"
Eden said, picking up a Dragon Lacrima with his left hand and the Devil Fruit with his right.
"This..."
"There's a chance! There's a real chance."
Makarov looked at Eden's actions and nodded.
"Then next, let me make a good sprint towards greater strength!"
Eden said, placing the White Tiger Dragon, Azure Dragon, Sword Saint Dragon, Purgatory Dragon, Cavern Dragon, Adamantine Dragon, Dark Dragon, Thunder Dragon, Soul Dragon, and Illusory Dragon Lacrima all in front of him.
As long as he fused with these Dragon Lacrima, he, Eden, would be able to control the power of twelve dragons, and by then, he would surely reach an incredibly exaggerated level.
"And also..."
Eden toyed with the world's first successful artificial Devil Fruit, created by Vegapunk using Kaido's lineage factor.
The power of twelve dragons, plus the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Azure Dragon in his hand, would surely push his power to the limit.
At least, that's what Eden thought.
"Is it really okay to absorb so many Dragon Lacrima?"
Beside Eden, Nami looked at the scene of Eden preparing to absorb all the Dragon Lacrima, a look of doubt on her face.
"It's fine."
"Because I'm the strongest."
Eden smiled, showing the same "strongest" expression as Satoru Gojo.
"Uh."
"I have a feeling that after you raised this flag, something bad is going to happen."
Nami looked at Eden and retorted.
"Anyway, see you in a few months."
Eden said, picking up the Dragon Lacrima and Devil Fruit from the ground and running off to a cave for his secluded training.
"First, let's fuse with the first Dragon Lacrima."
Eden first chose the Dark Dragon Lacrima. The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit he had stolen from Blackbeard had always been unstable in his body. With the power of the Dark Dragon, he could stabilize it.
"Speaking of which, I don't have Light Dragon Slayer Magic, huh?!"
"Forget it, it's not important anyway."
After checking all the Dragon Lacrima one by one, Eden was surprised to find that he didn't have a Light Dragon Lacrima and sighed helplessly.
But, it wasn't important.
"Voom!"
When Eden absorbed the Dark Dragon Lacrima, his magic power instantly surged by a large margin.
"Boom!!"
That terrifying power shook the entire Tenrou Island.
Seeing this, Eden did not continue to absorb the second Dragon Lacrima. Instead, he chose to sit and meditate, working hard to cultivate his mind and stabilize the magic power in his body first.
The mind is the window to magic power.
A month passed like this.
"Next is the second Dragon Lacrima."
Eden said, picking up the Purgatory Dragon (Fire Attribute) Lacrima. He played with it in his hand for a while before instantly absorbing it into his body.
"Boom!!"
When Eden absorbed the second Dragon Lacrima, his magic power, which was originally at the Low Shield Heavenly King level, rose another level, directly jumping to the Standard Shield level.
Currently, counting all the Dragon Lacrima in Eden's body, there were a total of four.
"From now on, Natsu won't be able to cause any trouble in front of me!"
Eden looked at the flames entwined around his arms and said as much.
Another month passed.
The second month of Eden's seclusion.
"This time, I want the Thunder Dragon."
"With the power of this Dragon Lacrima, let's see how Laxus can still shout in front of me?!"
Eden said with malicious intent.
The third month.
"This time, I want the Illusory Dragon."
Eden picked up the Illusory Dragon Lacrima and began to absorb it.
The fourth month.
"This time, it's the Adamantine Dragon."
Eden chose the Adamantine Dragon Lacrima and said with a smile, "From today onwards, the toughest person in the Fairy Tail guild is no longer Gajeel, but me, Eden!"
The fifth month.
"The Cavern Dragon can complete my earth power."
Eden muttered to himself.
The sixth month.
"The White Tiger Dragon can grant me ultimate speed."
Eden picked up the White Tiger Dragon Lacrima and said as much.
The seventh month.
"The Azure Dragon Lacrima can grant me powerful spatial power."
Eden used the Azure Dragon Lacrima to supplement the spatial power he lacked, which could amplify his dimensional magic.
The eighth month.
"After this is the amplification of soul power."
Eden held the Soul Dragon Lacrima and said as much.
"Boom!!"
In a brief moment, after Eden absorbed the Soul Dragon Lacrima, his soul power surged, and everything in the world changed in his eyes.
"I seem to be able to see souls."
Eden muttered to himself.
When Eden had completely absorbed the Soul Dragon Lacrima, his magic power directly reached the High Shield level...
At this moment, even if Eden were to face the original series' God Serena or 'War Princess' Dimaria, Eden could fight them on even terms.
"The tenth one!"
The last Dragon Lacrima Eden chose was the Sword Saint Dragon.
"Next, as long as I make up for my lack of close-combat ability, I won't be lacking anything."
Eden looked at the Sword Saint Dragon Lacrima in his hand, a hint of eagerness in his eyes.
"Speaking of which."
"Dragons are truly a magical species, to think that even a Sword Saint Dragon exists."
"What kind of dragon is a Sword Saint Dragon anyway?!"
Eden said with confusion.
"Whatever!"
"I'll absorb it first and ask questions later!"
Eden didn't think too much about it. He didn't know why something like a Sword Saint Dragon existed in this world...
But the merchant from the northern continent of Guiltina had a playful glint in his eyes when he sold this Dragon Lacrima to him, which was really suspicious.
If it weren't for the double-check by Guild Master Precht and First Master Mavis, confirming that there were no problems, Eden would never have absorbed this Dragon Lacrima.
"Voom!"
But when Eden absorbed the Sword Saint Dragon Lacrima, his expression suddenly changed, and he muttered to himself, "What does this Dragon Lacrima have to do with 'swords'? If I had to say, it feels more like a spatial type?!"
"No!"
"It's not like a spatial type either."
"A world type?!"
Although Eden was a little confused, he still settled himself down, and while fusing the magic power, he allowed the spatial power in his body to merge with the power of this Dragon Lacrima.
However, as the fusion continued, Eden's expression changed drastically.
This Dragon Lacrima was on a completely different level from the ones he had absorbed before...
Strong!
Too strong!
His body felt very hot.
"No, at this rate, my physical body won't be able to take it."
Thinking this, Eden picked up the artificial Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Azure Dragon, replicated by Vegapunk, from the ground and ate it directly.
When Eden ate this Devil Fruit, everything inside him changed.
In the Underworld, there was fire (Purgatory Dragon), lightning (Thunder Dragon), earth (Cavern Dragon), gales (Storm Dragon), oceans (Sea King Dragon), 'endless souls' (Soul Dragon), illusions (Illusory Dragon), space (Azure Dragon), time (White Tiger Dragon), and a palace made of adamantine (Adamantine Dragon).
Eden had assembled all the basic elements needed for the 'Underworld' within his own body, thereby awakening a certain remnant soul from the Lacrima written as Sword Saint Dragon, read as a pun for 'Cheeky Saint Dragon', but was in fact the Underworld Dragon.
"My name is Kurnugi!!"
Eden only felt a roar echo in his mind...
Eden looked up and saw a colossal dragon soaring in the sky, its voice tinged with a bit of immaturity. It looked at Eden and roared, "Georg Reizen, you shameless bastard, how dare you sneak attack me! Avenge me!! I want to go home, to my mom..."
Eden didn't have time to listen to this bratty dragon's nonsense. He only heard the dragon spouting profanities and asking him to get revenge...
And Eden remembered the name of the enemy the dragon mentioned: Georg Reizen.
After the dragon finished its nonsense, it burned its final remnant of consciousness and merged into Eden's body.
"Boom!!"
When Kurnugi's remnant consciousness completed the final piece of the puzzle of infinite power within Eden, in a flash, Eden's power continued to skyrocket, directly reaching the peak of the High Shield level.
"Boom!"
At the same moment, Eden, unable to control the power within him, directly transformed into a dragon tens of meters long, destroying the cave he had been using for his secluded training.
"Roar!!"
After transforming into a dragon, Eden roared at the sky while waving the six tails behind him, causing the entire Tenrou Island to tremble continuously.
"What is that?!"
"A dragon?"
On Tenrou Island, Makarov looked at the dragon flying over Tenrou Mountain, his forehead covered in cold sweat, and said in shock.
Ever since Acnologia's invasion of Tenrou Island, the little old man had developed a psychological trauma.
"Wait, six tails?!"
Thinking this, Eden went to the sea and observed his appearance through the reflection on the water's surface.
"What the heck is this?!"
Eden looked at the fox-like appearance in the water's reflection, his eye twitching slightly.
Compared to a dragon, Eden at this moment looked more like a six-tailed fox.
"Huh? Isn't there a cooler form?!"
"I don't want to be a fox!!"
With this thought, Eden's form changed again, transforming into a normal Western dragon with huge wings and covered in scales.
Then, Eden changed his form again, transforming into an Eastern dragon several hundred meters long, resembling Kaido...
But unlike Kaido's four claws, he had five.
Eden named these three forms: Speed (Western Dragon), Power (Eastern Dragon), and Comprehensive (the strange six-tailed form).
And, after calm consideration, Eden found the reason why he could have three forms.
The Western Dragon... the form generated by Eden's own Dragon Slayer Magic.
The Eastern Dragon... the product of the fusion between the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Azure Dragon and his magic.
The Six-Tailed Fox... a great gift from the dragon named Kurnugi before its remnant consciousness completely disappeared, and also the strongest of all Eden's current forms. Its power had already surpassed the High Shield level.
"Phew~"
"I should be the strongest mage in the Fairy Tail guild now, right?"
Eden said confidently after realizing that all the Dragon Lacrima in his body had been absorbed and fused by him.
Well, that was on the premise that the power-ups for Laxus, Mirajane, Erza, Gildarts, Natsu, and others wouldn't line up one by one to be delivered directly to them.
Eden: "What? Who among us is the protagonist?! Bastard!"
The Spirit of Fairy Tail: "That's right, you guessed it. I am the protagonist."
Meanwhile.
In the world of Elentir, incredibly far from the "ONE PIECE" world where Eden and the others were.
"Hm?"
A beautiful woman with long, pale golden hair and a voluptuous figure seemed to sense something. She narrowed her eyes slightly and muttered to herself, "Strange? I feel like I've forgotten something very important."
"Oh, right. That child Kurnugi hasn't been back for a long time. I wonder where he's run off to cause trouble now?"
The beauty pondered for a long while before finally remembering something and muttering to herself.
This woman, who had occupied an entire planet as her playground, was named 'Moon God Dragon' Selene.
She was one of the five Dragon Gods reigning over the northern continent of Guiltina, one of the final bosses of the "100 Years Quest," and was said to possess power rivaling that of Acnologia.
Of course, compared to the other Dragon Gods, Selene was quite calm; she knew she was no match for that monster Acnologia.
But even so, 'Moon God Dragon' Selene was one of the strongest beings, second only to the invincible 'Black Dragon King' Acnologia, who stood at the pinnacle of the world.
(End of Chapter)
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