The food reserves on Bana Island were plentiful.
After a hearty meal and some post-meal exercises, Storm fully adapted to his seven-star Physique.
Next, he created a Clay prison and locked up all the remaining pirates and passersby on the island.
Only the three top executives of the Lizard King, Hanafuda, were left outside.
However, these three "little lizards" didn't survive for long either.
With the experimental materials prepared and the Devil Ring loaded, the Devil Fruit rebirth experiment began! The Devil Fruits possessed by the three executives were all "reborn" by Storm.
Blunt-Tailed Gila Fruit.
Komodo Dragon Fruit.
Marine Iguana Fruit.
All three Devil Fruits were fairly standard Zoan-type, ordinary-class Devil Fruits.
In terms of abilities, Storm wasn't particularly impressed by any of the three "lizard fruits."
However, the last one, the Marine Iguana Fruit, gave him a bit of inspiration.
"Gotta say, this marine iguana... kinda looks like Godzilla."
Storm placed the three "lizard fruits" into the body of the Blue-Eyed White Dragon and then began crafting a new pet.
In no time at all.
A little chubby (scratch that)—a gray-blue creature covered in dorsal spines, resembling Godzilla, made its grand appearance.
Storm didn't create a full-sized one, opting instead for a knee-high, miniature Godzilla.
"It's got the look, but it can't do atomic breath..."
Storm grabbed the little Godzilla and gave it a vigorous rub in his hands.
"It's just like an ordinary marine iguana..."
Just as Storm was playing with his new pet.
Robin, who had just finished compiling the island's inventory, approached with a stack of papers.
As soon as she got close, the first thing she noticed was the chubby creature in Storm's hands.
An inexplicable feeling instantly struck Robin's heart.
"Kawaii..."
"Huh?"
Storm stopped rubbing the Godzilla and held it up—by what could roughly be considered the back of its neck—to show Robin.
"What did you just say?"
"Kawaii..."
Robin quickly walked over, handed the documents to Storm, and then extended her hands.
"Boss, can I hold this little cutie?"
Little cutie? Storm's expression twisted for a moment.
He glanced at the chubby creature he had just created.
Its menacing appearance, jagged dorsal fins, and stubby limbs...
What part of this Godzilla met the standard of "cute"? "While it's true that human aesthetic preferences are free,"
Storm handed the clay Godzilla to Robin, while earnestly advising her.
"I still suggest you see a doctor.
"This is Godzilla. It's not cute. It's a ferocious, invincible monster!"
Robin didn't care about any monster. She simply took the clay Godzilla in her hands, and an auntie-like smile naturally spread across her face.
"Kawaii..."
This woman... must be broken.
Storm concluded.
He reviewed the inventory in his hands for a while.
Perhaps due to the Beast Pirates, or maybe because of the pirates' habitual spending habits.
Hanafuda's personal wealth wasn't as substantial as one might expect.
"Compared to Old Croc, this Lizard King's money-making skills are practically zero..."
Storm muttered to himself.
Crocodile's ability to make money was definitely underestimated by many.
Baroque Works wasn't just about Crocodile and the other high-ranking officers.
In fact, apart from the leadership, Baroque Works also had 200 "Billion Elders" and 1,800 "Million Elders."
The salaries of these over two thousand people were all paid by Crocodile! A new marine recruit earned two million Belly a year.
The annual salaries of "Million Elders" and "Billion Elders" were even higher.
A rough estimate showed that Old Croc had to pay out at least four billion Belly in "wages" every year.
And that was just the "wages"! "No wonder Old Croc could lend money to Buggy in the future to start a logistics company..."
Storm put away Hanafuda's property list.
Although the amount wasn't much, it was still money! Even a mosquito's leg has some meat.
"Robin."
"Kawaii..."
"Robin?"
"Kawa—Eh? Where's the little cutie?"
Snap! Storm snapped his fingers, and the little Godzilla he had just created turned into a shapeless lump of clay.
"Robin!"
"Yes, boss."
Robin held the restored little Godzilla, with white clay oozing out from between her fingers.
The scene wasn't exactly pleasant...
Storm's eye twitched slightly, and he reshaped the lump of clay.
A lifelike Nine-Tailed Fox appeared in Robin's arms.
"It's a fox..."
Robin pouted, her expression no longer showing the same affection as before.
She really thought her new boss had questionable taste...
Dragons, foxes...
She still found the little marine iguana cuter.
"I just got off the phone with the Five Elders. The World Government has invited me to become one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, and I've accepted."
Storm said calmly.
"This Banaaro Island, which originally belonged to the Lizard King, is now my territory.
"You'll stay on this island for now and quickly come up with an island development plan. Any issues?"
"Island development? Boss, do you mean we're going to build up this small island?"
Robin returned to her usual work demeanor.
"That's going to cost a huge amount of money. The funds we just counted might not be enough."
"No need to make it too complicated."
Storm waved his hand, not planning to invest too much effort into this small island in Paradise.
"Just treat it as a temporary base, something quick and simple." After saying this, Storm manipulated the clay to create a small clay hut nearby.
White, pure, beautiful, and sturdy.
It was spacious enough to house several people.
"Such a convenient ability..."
Robin looked at the clay hut and couldn't help but marvel again.
Her new boss had developed his [Clay-Clay Fruit] to an incredibly high and comprehensive level...
In comparison, Robin's [Flower-Flower Fruit] was still stuck at the stage of "blooming flowers and growing arms."
"You'll stay in this clay hut for now."
Storm gestured to the white hut as he spoke to Robin.
"Any other questions?"
Robin looked away from the hut and back at Storm.
"Boss, are you leaving?"
"Yes."
Storm pointed towards the sky.
"I need to go up there."
"Up there?"
"Sky Island."
Robin also wanted to go to Sky Island.
However, Storm had important business to attend to in the sky and didn't want to bring along a burden.
He left Robin on Banaaro Island, promising to take her with him once his affairs were settled.
Robin accepted Storm's order, but she still made a small request.
"Boss, can you give me back my little cutie?"
"That's Godzilla, not a little cutie…"
Storm said weakly.
"Fine, do you want a big one or a small one?"
Although there were no immediate threats on Banaaro Island now, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Leaving a Clay creature by Robin's side could also ensure her safety.
"A big one…"
Robin's eyes lit up slightly.
"How big can it be?"
Storm silently activated the power of the Clay-Clay Fruit, and soon another Godzilla appeared.
Its size rapidly expanded and grew.
From less than half a meter at first, it quickly grew to one meter, five meters, ten meters…
In just a few breaths, a terrifying creature over a hundred meters tall, with a tail nearly a hundred and fifty meters long, descended upon Banaaro Island.
Robin looked up at this "Clay Legendary Godzilla," a blush rising on her cheeks.
"Kawaii…"
This woman… is hopeless.
Storm casually molded a smaller Godzilla, about Robin's height, beside her.
Then he mounted the Blue-Eyed White Dragon and soared into the sky.
Destination—
Jaya Island! The Blue-Eyed White Dragon left Banaaro Island behind, flying toward Jaya Island according to the Eternal Pose Storm had prepared earlier.
To reach Sky Island, one couldn't just fly straight up into the sky.
Above Jaya Island was the sacred land of Sky Island—the ruins of the ancient golden city of Shandora, hundreds of years old.
But above Banaaro Island… who knows what could be there.
The distance between Jaya Island and Banaaro Island wasn't far.
Storm didn't take long to arrive near Jaya Island.
He had no intention of lingering on Jaya Island and directly urged the Blue-Eyed White Dragon to fly into the sky.
Destination—
Sky Island!
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon, obeying its creator's will, struggled to fly higher into the heavens.
A hundred meters, a thousand meters…
Under Storm's control, the Blue-Eyed White Dragon broke through the seven-kilometer mark.
The dragon pierced through the thick layer of clouds.
What first caught Storm's eye was an endless expanse of white "sea."
This was the White Sea, composed of boundless white clouds.
"The White Sea is located seven kilometers above the earth."
Storm recalled the information he had about Sky Island.
"But the true Sky Island lies in the even higher White-White Sea, three thousand meters above the White Sea, at an altitude of ten thousand meters.
"We still need to go higher!"
Storm patted the Blue-Eyed White Dragon beneath him.
"Roar—"
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon let out a Dragon Roar that could shatter the clouds, flapping its wings once more as it soared toward the higher skies.
The three-kilometer distance was crossed in just a few breaths.
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon broke through another layer of clouds.
Above the clouds, there was still an endless expanse of vast, white sea.
This was—the White-White Sea.
The White-White Sea was also the sea where most Sky Islands were located.
Storm withdrew his gaze from the horizon and turned to look around.
The surroundings were not ordinary island clouds but a genuine island of solid earth.
This was the ruins of Shandora, the City of Gold, whose name once resounded across the entire sea hundreds of years ago! Storm quickly scanned the golden city of Shandora.
The gold in this ancient ruin was indeed eye-catching.
But what Storm cared about more was not the gold.
It was the god of Skypiea!
Enel, the "God of Thunder," who possessed the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit!