Creed could feel it—there were indeed traces of life inside, so faint they were almost imperceptible.
"Barkley, King of Birkia, do you know what this is?"
He called toward the outside.
The two walked in, and upon seeing the object, the Birkian king thought for a moment. "This should be something placed in the treasury during my great-great-great-grandfather's era. I have no idea what it is, and it's so old I was planning to clean out the treasury soon and throw away anything too worn out or useless."
Creed: "…"
Throw away anything old and useless?
Well, now he understood how Enel ended up with the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) in the original story.
Looking at the fossilized egg, Creed was deeply curious.
Why, even after turning to stone, did it still give him the feeling that life remained inside, no matter how faint?
"If you were going to throw it away, then give it to me."
"No problem, it was going to be discarded anyway," the king replied readily.
Creed hadn't expected an extra find besides the Goro Goro no Mi.
After taking it, the king hosted a banquet in the palace.
Creed and Ain ate to their hearts' content.
The food of Sky Island was delicious—because the plants and animals grew in such an environment, their bodies were light. The fish, in particular, had delicate, melt-in-your-mouth meat with no greasiness or fishy smell.
Even Ain, who usually ate very little, had plenty today.
After the feast…
"I want to visit your God's Island. You don't mind, do you?" Creed asked.
"Not at all," the king replied with a wave of his hand.
Before leaving, Barkley came up to Creed. "I've decided. I will go to the Blue Sea. I want to see those flourishing sword styles you spoke of and make up for my own shortcomings."
He paused, then added, "When that time comes, I will challenge you again—and I will defeat you."
Creed shrugged. "Do as you like, but defeating me… you won't get that chance."
The three of them left the Birkian Royal Palace and returned to the shore.
Along the way, Enel was lost in thought, feeling as though the day had been a dream.
He had met two Blue Sea dwellers, and they turned out to be such overwhelming powerhouses. Just recalling those scenes filled him with burning excitement.
"Enel, do you want to become stronger?"
"Eh?"
"I asked if you want to become stronger," Creed repeated with a smile. Earlier, when Enel brought them into Birkia, he clearly knew that if the people who bullied him saw him, it could mean another beating or worse—yet he still brought them in.
And when they first arrived at Sky Island, he had hidden them from the patrols to avoid trouble.
Those two acts had left Creed with a good impression of him.
"Yes! I want to be stronger!" Enel declared firmly.
"Then eat this." Creed took out a fruit covered in mysterious patterns.
It was a Devil Fruit—but not the Goro Goro no Mi.
It was the Zoan-type Zou Zou no Mi (Elephant-Elephant Fruit) he had seized from the Iron-Arm Madman. He had no use for it and didn't care about selling it for money.
Without hesitation, Enel bit into the unappetizing fruit.
The moment it touched his tongue, his face turned purple.
It was horribly bitter—truly disgusting!
But in the next instant…
He panicked—his body suddenly grew into a towering elephant several meters tall, a long trunk extending before his eyes.
When he opened his mouth, what came out was a loud elephant's trumpet.
"Calm down. Control your body," Creed instructed.
Following his advice, Enel managed to shift into a humanoid elephant form. He felt explosive power coursing through him.
One punch into the ground created a small crater with cracks radiating outward, yet his hand was unscathed.
He was thrilled and incredulous. This… this was his power now?
"Alright, I'm leaving now. Until we meet again."
"Lord Creed, are there really many strong people in the Blue Sea?" Enel asked.
"Mm, many—countless."
Enel's eyes lit up. In his heart, he had already decided—once he grew stronger, he would go to the Blue Sea. His dream now was to become a powerhouse like Lord Creed.
This meeting had set him on a completely different path from the one in the original story.
—
Ain slowly steered the ship forward.
After about half an hour, an island lush with vegetation and towering ancient trees appeared before them.
"An island?"
Ain blinked in surprise. "Why is there an island here on Sky Island?"
"This is a part of Jaya Island that was blasted upward by the Knock-Up Stream 400 years ago. The City of Gold, Shandora, is here," Creed explained.
"The City of Gold is real? I thought it was just a story," Ain said, her mouth slightly open.
"If Sky Island exists, why wouldn't the City of Gold?" Creed replied with a smile.
Ain tilted her head. That… made sense.
Creed glanced at the sky. "It's getting late. We'll spend the night on this shore and go ashore tomorrow."
"Alright."
Later…
Creed sat on the ground, studying the stone egg closely. "What exactly are you?"
"This egg's already fossilized," Ain said, still not understanding why Creed had brought it back.
"Yeah, but it still seems to have a very faint trace of life inside."
Ain was stunned. That wasn't possible—was it?
"Forget it, let's cut it open and see."
Creed's curiosity was burning. If this egg had truly turned to stone, it must be hundreds of years old—so why was there still life?
He turned his palm over. "ROOM!"
He would cut it open and see what was inside.
…
(End of Chapter)
[Check Out My P@treon For 20+ Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!!]
[[email protected]/Draumel]
[Thank You For Your Support!]