"That's right. Who else dares to call himself the Golden Lion?"
"Golden Lion? Who is that?" Vivi asked, full of curiosity.
"He was a pirate on par with the Pirate King, Roger. Compared to him, Crocodile isn't even fit to carry his shoes," Robin explained.
"Onii-chan, you actually killed the Golden Lion? He was the first person to escape from Impel Down in history!"
Kalifa found it hard to believe, but she knew Hikaru wouldn't lie to her.
"So… does that mean the Golden Lion was super rich?"
Nami's eyes sparkled with the shape of Berries as she leaned closer to Hikaru. Her focus, as always, was on treasure.
She had already called Nojiko earlier to confirm the situation in Cocoyasi Village and learned that both Nojiko and Bell-mère had become Hikaru's consorts.
At this point, Nojiko had no choice but to praise Hikaru over the Den Den Mushi, urging Nami to stop being so petty and just accept her place as his concubine.
Hikaru chuckled, stroking Nami's orange hair.
"The gold and jewels in the treasury aren't enough for you? You really are a money-grubber."
"The more, the better~" Nami giggled, patting the treasure chest at Hikaru's feet. "Is this the treasure? It looks kinda small~"
"That's my loot—a Devil Fruit and two famous swords. Do you want to eat the fruit? There's one inside that would suit you perfectly."
"Can I sell it for money? I heard Devil Fruits are worth at least 100 million Berries!"
"Of course not."
"Fine~ But you'd never trick me, so I'll eat it!"
Hearing this, Hikaru let go of Vivi and opened the treasure chest. He glanced at the girls and explained,
"Most of these fruits are mediocre, but the Cloud-Cloud Fruit and the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Spinosaurus, are valuable."
"Nami is naturally gifted in sensing weather patterns. The Cloud-Cloud Fruit is a perfect fit for her."
None of the women objected to his decision.
"Come on, Nami, let's go inside and eat."
Amid Nami's playful protests, Hikaru scooped her up and carried her into the cabin.
"As for the treasure chest, put it in the collection room for now."
"Understood, Lord God," Robin replied with a knowing smile, already anticipating Hikaru's next move.
Inside the cabin, Nami eyed the Devil Fruit in front of her with curiosity.
"Brother Hikaru, is this really the Cloud-Cloud Fruit?"
Hikaru nodded confidently.
"You've probably heard that eating a Devil Fruit tastes like eating trash. To make it easier for you, I'll let you eat some dessert first. This will help stimulate your divine power so you can awaken the ability smoothly."
Nami, realizing Hikaru's good intentions, obediently followed his instructions.
After a long while, Hikaru conjured white lightning in his hand, sending the power of the Cloud-Cloud Fruit into Nami's body as promised.
The next moment, Nami's entire form dissolved into mist, spreading throughout the room. Her excited voice echoed from the vapor.
"This is incredible! My body feels like it's ascending to heaven—so light and comfortable!"
Hikaru half-closed his eyes, enjoying the sensation. The mist was soft and enveloping, like countless gentle hands massaging his body.
"Remember, while you won't suffer from the usual Devil Fruit drawbacks, you can still be struck by Armament Haki."
"As a Logia-type user, you should avoid close combat. Focus on long-range attacks instead."
"You can develop your abilities in several ways—manipulating existing clouds, creating fog, summoning rain, storms, or even lightning. The Cloud-Cloud Fruit is incredibly versatile."
"Once I find Visalia, I'll have the meteorologists there compile advanced research for you. You'll have a lot to study."
[Visalia: A small Sky Island where Nami was sent by Bartholomew Kuma.]
"Thank you, Brother Husband~ You're always so good to me~"
Nami reformed her body, looking completely satisfied. She snuggled into Hikaru's arms, feeling truly fortunate.
Hikaru simply smiled. Now that Nami had officially become his divine consort—and with his newfound ability to wield multiple Devil Fruits—he was in a great mood.
But was this enough?
Of course not…
In the East Blue, above the northern waters of the Moonlight Islands, Little Proverbs hovered about twenty meters above the sea.
According to Robin's navigation, Hikaru had killed the Golden Lion not far north of the Moonlight Islands. So rather than taking a detour, they decided to head directly south toward Syrup Village.
"Brother Hikaru! Onii-chan!"
Suddenly, Nami burst into the cabin, her excitement barely contained.
"Onii-chan~ There's a pirate ship up ahead!"
Hikaru, lounging comfortably, barely looked up as he let go of Kalifa.
"So what? Let them be. What does that have to do with us?"
His tone was indifferent. Pirates in the East Blue were weak, and few had Devil Fruit abilities—meaning they held no interest for him.
At the moment, he much preferred spending time with Kalifa.
She had always kept her hair tied up, which downplayed her beauty. But after she became his consort, Hikaru asked her to let it down. The transformation was astonishing—her charm instantly elevated, making him even more enamored with her.
"Nami, you just ate the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, and you're already eager for a fight? Onii-chan won't allow it~"
Kalifa wasn't annoyed by the interruption; in fact, she was a little tired and didn't mind letting Nami distract Hikaru for a while.
"If you have so much energy, why not spend more time with Onii-chan? Once your physique improves, you'll have more stamina to train your Devil Fruit abilities."
"No way!" Nami immediately refused and tried to escape, only to be caught by Vivi.
"Perfect timing! You're here too!" Vivi grinned.
"Hehe, now that you're here, don't even think about leaving!"
The two girls started laughing and playfully wrestling with each other.
Hikaru chuckled at the scene. Maybe the pirates up ahead had Devil Fruits—if so, he might get an unexpected reward. Casually, he released his Observation Haki, scanning the ship in the distance.
"Huh?"
He didn't sense any Devil Fruits, but he did pick up a few familiar presences—Kuro and Jango.
Jango's distinctive appearance made him easy to recognize at a glance.
Strange…
According to the timeline, Kuro should have faked his death by now, living as a butler at Kaya's mansion. So why was he here?
Thinking about Kuro, Hikaru couldn't help but find his actions ridiculous.
This guy had infiltrated Kaya's household three years before the main storyline began, yet he waited all that time before making his move.
It wasn't until one year before the story's start that Kaya's parents were assassinated—just so she could legally inherit their fortune?
And even then, despite Kaya falling seriously ill from the trauma, Kuro still didn't act.
But when the protagonists finally arrived, he suddenly got impatient, exposed himself, gathered the Black Cat Pirates, and launched a reckless suicide mission.
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