Tenma did not respond immediately. Instead, he cast a half-smiling, inscrutable glance toward Kōshirō standing nearby.
The sudden turn of events caught Kōshirō off guard as well. But when he lowered his head and saw the blazing fire in his daughter's eyes, something soft deep in his heart was stirred.
This swordsman, who had always adhered strictly to propriety, actually bent deeply at the waist. His tone was incomparably sincere.
"Although this request is somewhat presumptuous, I still beg Shogun Tenma to grant my daughter her wish to pursue the Way of the sword."
"For this kindness, I, Kōshirō, will repay you in the future—even if it means giving my life!"
Kuina's eyes widened in shock. She had never seen her father humble himself like this. Her small hands clenched the corners of her clothes, and her eyes instantly reddened.
How could she know that in this world where the strong devoured the weak, a man of Tenma's status—a shogun of a nation, a top-tier powerhouse with terrifying strength—would never accept disciples lightly?
Though Kōshirō was somewhat constrained by traditional ideas of male superiority, deep down, his love for his daughter was no less than anyone else's.
"Kōshirō, there's no need for such a grand gesture."
Tenma raised a hand slightly. A gentle force lifted Kōshirō back up.
"I accept your request."
Kuina was an unpolished jade. If properly carved, her future achievements would be limitless. Tenma was naturally happy to take her under his wing.
Of course, this was also because Kuina truly possessed extraordinary talent. If she were just some average passerby, even if Kōshirō kowtowed until his head bled, Tenma wouldn't spare her a glance.
Unaware of the deeper reasons, Kōshirō only felt as if a massive weight had been lifted from his chest. His gratitude toward Tenma surged instantly, and along with it, a powerful sense of belonging toward the still-unseen land of Wano.
Thus, the trip to Shimotsuki Village came to a perfect conclusion.
Tenma had not only abducted—no, recruited—Zoro and Kuina, two future towering pillars of swordsmanship, but also packaged along a master swordsman like Kōshirō, who could greatly raise Wano's overall military strength.
This move was absurdly profitable.
As for the East Blue, this so-called beginner's village that looked peaceful on the surface but churned with undercurrents beneath, Tenma still had several key nodes in mind—and all of them were inseparable from that red-haired, one-armed man, Shanks.
The most crucial one was naturally the Devil Fruit eaten by the protagonist Luffy—the fruit masquerading as the Gum-Gum Fruit, but in truth the absurd cheat known as the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Nika Model.
Another was the Sing-Sing Fruit from the movie—the one possessing a voice capable of destroying the world.
When it came to wrecking the original storyline, Tenma felt zero psychological burden. As long as the benefits were big enough, he couldn't care less whether the plot collapsed.
He wasn't uninterested in the legendary Sun God fruit, but after weighing the pros and cons, he chose to hold back.
Leaving aside whether the Nika form could even be awakened, just the so-called "self-will" rumored to reside within the fruit was already a ticking time bomb.
In several hundred years, only one idiot—Luffy—had managed to awaken it. That alone showed how picky the thing was.
If he stole it only to end up as an ordinary rubber man, he might as well leave it to Luffy to attract the World Government's firepower, while he fished for bigger gains behind the scenes.
In comparison, the Sing-Sing Fruit was far more tempting in Tenma's eyes.
In the movie, it was hailed as one of only two powers capable of destroying the world—basically an official cheat code.
Not only could it manifest physical attacks, its most broken aspect was forcibly dragging people's consciousness into a virtual world, completely ignoring Haki defenses. It could even control the battlefield remotely through Den Den Mushi.
Once hit, the victim's physical body in reality became nothing more than a puppet on strings. Its control power was even more tyrannical than the Hobby-Hobby Fruit.
Judging by the timeline, it was now Year 1503 of the Sea Circle Calendar. The Red-Haired Pirates should have been established for some time, and that little girl named Uta was probably already adopted.
But the sea was vast, and Tenma didn't have full-map vision. He had no idea which random treasure chest Shanks had looted Uta from.
Trying to track Shanks through information brokers like Shakky wasn't realistic either. Intercepting Shanks head-on was even harder.
Besides, even if he got insanely lucky and found Uta first—what if she hadn't eaten the fruit yet?
A sweet little loli who could sing well versus a sweet little loli who could sing and destroy the world—there was a massive gap between the two.
So Tenma merely filed the thought away.
He knew very well that by the year Shanks stopped at Foosha Village, Uta would have already eaten the fruit—and would later be abandoned due to an accident.
That would be the perfect time to pick her up: gain both the person and her heart.
With that seed planted in his mind, Tenma ended his East Blue sweep in high spirits.
As for the North Blue and South Blue, there was nothing particularly worth a special trip for the time being. With a wave of his hand, Tenma ordered the fleet to adjust course, heading straight for the Grand Line.
Thanks to their ability to fly, the fleet directly "airdropped" toward Jaya Island. The route wasn't too different from the original story.
Passing Drum Island, the famous medical holy land, Tenma didn't hold back. He casually looted a batch of advanced medical equipment and technical data, then left without lingering.
It wasn't until the silhouette of Mock Town appeared on the fleet's radar that Tenma began violently climbing in altitude, charging toward the legendary land floating ten thousand meters in the sky—
Skypiea.
There was no need for dangerous Upward Streams, nor any concern about the White Sea weakening Devil Fruit users.
Tenma sat steadily in the well-sealed cabin, using the Float-Float Fruit to envelop the entire ship. Like riding an elevator, they effortlessly broke through the cloud layer and descended upon the white sea of clouds.
This miraculous sea in the sky should have inspired awe—but aside from a few East Blue newbies who'd never seen the world, and Yamato, who was bouncing around like an excited husky, the rest of the crew remained calm.
After following Tenma for so long, scenes like this were nothing special anymore. Floating islands in the sky? They'd seen at least seven or eight by now.
"Can you calm down already? What's there to make such a fuss about?"
Perona floated in midair hugging her ghost plush, looking disdainfully at Yamato frolicking on deck.
"But this one's different! Totally different!"
Yamato's face was flushed with excitement as she pointed at the cloud sea in the distance.
"This island is way bigger than any we've seen before! There's gotta be something super fun hidden here!"
"For once, Yamato guessed right."
Tenma stepped out of the cabin, and with a single sentence, silenced the entire deck.
Meeting everyone's curious gazes, he smiled mysteriously.
"Have you ever heard the story 'The Liar Noland'?"
"In the story, Noland once discovered a city of gold on Jaya Island. But when he brought people back later, it was gone, and he was executed as a liar."
Tenma summarized the fairy tale succinctly. The smart ones almost immediately caught on.
Lafitte twirled his rosewood cane, eyes narrowing.
"This is directly above Jaya Island… If Noland wasn't lying, then the vanished City of Gold—could it have been blasted up into the sky?"
"In other words… the legendary land of gold is right beneath our feet?!"
The moment those words fell, the deck exploded into chaos.
Hogback, who had been wiping his surgical tools, nearly popped his eyes out at the word "gold." He instantly went berserk, rivaling Yamato's earlier excitement.
With a thought, Tenma made the ship rise again, completely ignoring any entry procedures or so-called "Trials of God," and flew straight toward Skypiea's forbidden land—
Upper Yard (Shandora).
The massive shadow of the ship swept over dense primeval jungle, ignoring the writhing giant vines, and finally hovered above a canyon-like clearing.
Even without direct sunlight, the ancient ruins below still radiated a dazzling brilliance.
"My god… is that the Golden City of Shandora?!"
Hogback practically hung off the railing, drool nearly dripping. If not for the sturdy guardrails, he would have jumped straight down to embrace that golden sea.
From high above, the visual impact was nuclear-level.
The entire city—from towering bell towers to humble dwellings—was constructed entirely of pure gold. Against the backdrop of the cloud sea, it gleamed with blinding, extravagant radiance.
Even Tenma, who had mentally prepared himself, was momentarily stunned by the sheer "money power" crashing into his face.
This wasn't a city—it was a gold mountain.
A rough estimate put its value at trillions of Beli.
Compared to this, the few bags of gold Luffy took in the original story were less than a drop in the ocean.
And for Tenma, who possessed the Float-Float Fruit, emptying this place was easier than drinking water.
He didn't even need to load it onto ships. He could uproot the entire city, lift it tens of thousands of meters into the air, and transport it back to Wano without anyone noticing.
In short: instant billionaire, complete financial freedom.
The moment the ship landed, Hogback bolted out like a rabid dog. The others quickly followed, unable to suppress their curiosity.
Tenma casually placed a floating mark on the entire city of Shandora. After confirming the scale, he let his subordinates indulge themselves.
After telling everyone to enjoy freely, he alone rose into the air and flew toward another part of the island.
Besides gold, he had an even more important objective on Skypiea—
The Devil Fruit known as one of the strongest Logias:
the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
Skypiea's currency system was special, using "Extol." The exchange rate was roughly one Beli to ten thousand Extol.
Flush with cash, Tenma casually bought a pile of Skypiea Dial specialties and conveniently asked for the location of Birka.
It was a small island at Skypiea's southern end—just a tap on the accelerator for someone who could fly.
Upon reaching Birka, all he saw were pure-white cloud buildings, identical in style to Angel Island.
Though Tenma lacked wings, he was generous with money. Once he started throwing cash around, the originally xenophobic Birkan residents immediately became warm and hospitable.
Of course, that warmth was reserved for the rich. Toward locals who also lacked wings—"aberrations"—their attitude was far uglier.
Like the skinny, rib-like young man before him—
Enel.
At this time, Enel had not yet eaten the fruit. Which meant the famed Rumble-Rumble Fruit was still quietly gathering dust somewhere on Birka.
"You're Enel, right?"
Curled up in a drafty shack, the young man raised his head blankly at the sound of Tenma's voice. When he saw a man without wings like himself, a spark of light burst forth in his dead eyes.
"Y–You… are you the same as me?!"
Enel sat bolt upright, his voice urgent.
"No. I came from the Blue Sea below."
Tenma's blunt honesty instantly extinguished the light in Enel's eyes.
He knew of the Blue Sea—he'd heard elders speak of it. A world of mortals.
"Then why are you looking for me? I'm a monster. Stay away, or you'll be dragged down with me."
Enel laughed bitterly and flopped back down, turning his back to Tenma.
Tenma didn't waste words. He tossed a large bag of exchanged Extol onto the ground. The heavy sack slammed down with a dull thud.
"I'm here to ask about something. If you have information, this money is yours."
At the beautiful sound of coins clashing, Enel jolted upright like a dying patient resurrected. He stared at the money bag, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.
"You're asking for information? Wouldn't others know more than me?"
"Some things," Tenma said flatly,
"are only noticed by 'aberrations' like you."
He cut straight to the point.
"Have you seen a strange-looking fruit nearby? One with patterns on it."
"A fruit?!"
Enel's expression turned strange. He gave Tenma a long, searching look, then turned and rummaged through a pile of junk deeper in the shack.
Not long after, he emerged holding a deep-blue fruit covered in spiral lightning patterns.
"You mean this weird thing?"
Even without consulting an encyclopedia, Tenma recognized it at a glance—
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit, coveted by countless people.
Seeing this fruit, which contained world-destroying power, right before him, Tenma's heartbeat skipped.
He forced himself to remain calm and nodded.
"Yes. That's it. The money on the ground is yours. It's enough for you to leave this hellhole and live a worry-free life."
Though it looked like a fair trade, if Enel dared to refuse, this day next year would be his death anniversary.
Thankfully, Enel lacked that kind of courage at this stage. He shoved the fruit into Tenma's hands without hesitation, then pounced on the money bag like a food-guarding wild dog.
Just as Tenma turned to leave, a strange sense of loss surged in Enel's heart. He couldn't help shouting,
"What does that fruit actually do?"
He had always thought it was poisonous, keeping it as a last resort for suicide if life became unbearable.
Hearing that reason, Tenma nearly laughed out loud. This idiot had mistaken a god-tier cheat for poison.
"To you, it's deadly poison. To me, it's priceless."
Tenma left behind one meaningful line:
"In a sense, you're very lucky today."
Watching Tenma's retreating back, Enel clutched the money bag tightly and, possessed by impulse, shouted,
"If you're from the Blue Sea, could you take me down there too?"
"I don't have time to babysit."
Tenma didn't turn back. His cold voice drifted over.
"If you want to go to the Blue Sea, find your own way."
With the fruit secured, Enel—without a Devil Fruit—was worthless to him. Tenma was no charity worker who took pleasure in saving people.
By the time Tenma returned to the Golden City of Shandora, half a day had passed.
He made a quick stop at the base of the Golden Belfry and, using his ability, forcibly demolished it, packing up the Poneglyph and taking it with him.
In Shandora's plaza now lay the dismembered corpse of a giant snake—clearly the crew's handiwork.
Everyone had made off with decent loot. Some wore massive gold chains, others stuffed gold ingots into their pockets. Hogback was the most outrageous of all, dragging a sack larger than himself toward the ship.
That greedy face was almost unbearable to look at.
But compared to the entire Golden City, this was pocket change. Tenma couldn't be bothered to care.
Seeing him return, everyone crowded around, their eyes instantly drawn to what he carried.
An ancient stone slab, a big bag of unknown items, and a Devil Fruit that clearly wasn't ordinary.
"Admiral, where did you go to strike it rich this time?"
Lafitte's sharp eyes immediately picked out the fruit's extraordinariness.
"Picked it up while buying local specialties. The Skypieans didn't know its value—sold it to me for a few million."
Tenma's tone was as casual as if he'd bought a cabbage at the market.
"A few million?!"
Everyone sucked in a cold breath. This luck was absolutely insane.
Lafitte rushed back to the cabin, grabbed the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, and after comparing entries, nearly dropped the book. His voice trembled.
"Admiral… this time, you've picked up something unbelievable…"
"This is one of the strongest Logia types—
the invincible Rumble-Rumble Fruit!!!"
"What?!"
The deck instantly exploded.
Everyone stared at Tenma like he was a monster.
A Rumble-Rumble Fruit for a few million? That was basically stealing.
"Looks like even the heavens are helping us."
Tenma smiled faintly, then turned to Yamato, who was still standing there dumbfounded. He handed her the fruit directly.
"Yamato, this is yours. Eat it."
The value of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit went without saying. Yamato didn't fully understand, but judging by everyone's shocked expressions, she knew it was something incredible.
She pointed at her own nose, disbelief written all over her face.
"F–For me? Really? I can eat it?!"
"Of course. Didn't you swear to follow me?"
Tenma's gaze was firm.
"Eat it, and you'll wield the power of thunder. You'll become one of the strongest beings on this sea—my right-hand pillar."
This was a carefully considered decision.
Rather than gambling on some unknown Sun God fruit, it was far better to give Yamato the strongest Logia available right now.
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