Calling Carina idle would not be entirely accurate. Her navigation skills were second only to Nami, and under Brook's guidance, her singing had improved tremendously.
In time, this cunning little fox would rise to fame as a celebrated songstress aboard the Gran Tesoro. For now, the Dawn ship had gained its future singer.
With a stable space gate connecting Twin Capes and Cathay Village, it was easy for Carina to seek guidance from Brook. Keeping her aboard was the natural choice.
However, considering the sheer size of the Dawn ship, having only Youki and Tsuki as sailors was far from sufficient. Pini, who had long grown restless in Cathay Village, eagerly joined as well.
The reunion between Pini and Youki, longtime rivals, brought a spark of energy to the crew.
At this point, only Dicken remained without an assignment. Still, someone had to guard Skypiea, so the responsibility fell to him.
After finalizing these arrangements, Ash realized just how short-handed they still were.
Fortunately, the energy he had accumulated over the past six months allowed him to expand their forces significantly.
The Ten Great Demon Gods now had eight members:
White Sage Beast, Sali
Storm Sovereign, Youki
Doom Serpent, Dicken
Ninefold Inferno Hydra, Daly Jason
Emberwing, Daly Jella
Night Howler, Daly Jack
One-Legged Rain Spirit, Tsuki
Storm Griffin, Pini
Two positions remained vacant, Primordial Abyss and Iron Polarity.
Among the Twelve Ancestor Sorcerers, only two were currently assigned:
Voidborn Chaos, held by the Kirk siblings
Time Sorcerer, held by Saff
That left ten more titles available.
Altogether, there were still twelve powerful roles waiting to be filled.
At this point, Sali brought up the warriors of Skypiea, specifically Wyper and his people.
They were seasoned fighters, trained through years of harsh conditions. More importantly, their loyalty was unquestionable. Their gratitude toward Cathay Village, especially after the ringing of the Shandora bell, made them dependable allies.
Ash had already considered them long ago.
However, this gathering only involved members from Cathay Village. The Shandians were not present, so recruiting them could wait.
Instead, Ash turned his attention to two overlooked individuals, Fales and Vergo.
Both had once been part of the Diwen Village hunting team but had not received Devil Fruits due to their average physiques.
Now, with sufficient energy and the need for defenders in Skypiea, their time had come.
Fales was a towering man, even taller than Sali, with powerful muscles. Despite his imposing appearance, his strength was merely above average. He lacked the explosive power or speed that distinguished true elites.
Ash assigned him the Iron Polarity Fruit.
This form resembled a massive water buffalo, granting control over metal and water, along with tremendous durability.
Vergo, in contrast, was entirely ordinary. His strength, speed, and endurance were all unremarkable.
Yet he possessed one key trait, relentless perseverance.
Ash assigned him the Primordial Abyss Fruit.
This form resembled a bee, granting control over water, wood, and poison.
With the veterans handled, Ash turned to the newest members of the crew.
Nami, Nojiko, and Carina.
Since the Demon God positions were filled, Ash assigned them powers from the Ancestor Sorcerer lineage.
Nami received the World-Serpent Fruit granting her control over weather and toxins, along with a strengthened physique.
Nojiko received the Netherworld Fruit, granting her control over ice and rain.
Carina received the Celestial Dance Fruit, granting her control over wind.
All five consumed their Devil Fruits immediately.
Fales and Vergo were overwhelmed with excitement, while the three women stood frozen in disbelief.
Legendary Devil Fruits, said to be free of side effects and among the strongest Mythical Zoans, had been handed to them without hesitation.
They stared at Ash, then at the fruits in their hands.
Was he truly this generous?
Without another thought, they ate.
As they began adapting to their new powers, Ash used the remainder of his energy to create five additional Devil Fruits.
Thunder, Metal, Fire, Earth, and Wood.
Originally, he intended to include water instead of thunder, but Sali mentioned Wyper's growing obsession with lightning after witnessing battles against Enel.
That settled it.
The water fruit was replaced with the Thunder Fruit.
Ash stored the five fruits in a wooden box and handed them to Sali. When and how they would be given to Wyper and his warriors was left to his discretion.
With that, all the energy Ash had accumulated since late 1515 was completely spent.
But it had not disappeared.
It had simply taken form elsewhere.
"Open personal panel."
Host Personal Panel
Name: Ash
Age: 14
Physique: 1090
Spirit: 82
Abilities: Iron Body LV3, Armament Haki, Observation Haki
Energy: 37
Devil Fruit: Mythical Zoan Human-Human Fruit, Divine Beast Form
Affiliated Abilities included enhanced control over wind, lightning, ice, metal, wood, water, fire, toxins, space, time, and soul.
"Activate Physique Amplification."
The boost was immense.
With contributions from multiple Devil Fruits, Ash gained a total increase of 565 Physique and 405 Spirit.
He studied the results calmly.
With his Physique surpassing one thousand, his Iron Body had advanced to a new level. His defensive power alone now rivaled that of Charlotte Linlin.
His Spirit continued its slow monthly growth.
Elemental control had also improved significantly. Weather manipulation had been divided into wind and water, while spatial abilities were absorbed into overall space control.
The Space Gate ability itself did not provide direct amplification, since it had been assigned to Shusui rather than his own body.
Even so, the increase in spatial control alone made it worthwhile.
After reviewing everything, Ash nodded in quiet satisfaction.