Chapter 15: 15. New Era Flying Admiral

The giveaway was for p@treon members, free and paid, to enter the giveaway you need to join there. The next chapter will be uploaded day after tomorrow ----- With the swift advance of the Marine warship, it took less than an hour to reach Boermei Island from Marineford. Rear Admiral Gion was promptly brought back to headquarters by Vice Admiral Tsuru herself. Fortunately, Gion showed no signs of trauma, so Tsuru took him aside to rest and discuss a few matters privately. Meanwhile, Sengoku sat alone, scrutinizing a recently faxed photo from the intelligence team—a snapshot of Alex summoning a massive Sand Tide Waterfall. Few could wield Conqueror's Haki, and even fewer had truly mastered it. This Alex possessed both that rare Haki and the strength to defeat a swordsman like Gion, as well as the abilities of the Paramecia-type Float-Float Fruit. In Sengoku's mind, this was the very image of a new flying pirate reminiscent of a past menace. --- The next day, the *World Economic News Agency*, under the management of Morgans, dispatched news birds across the globe. With Marine support and government backing, this headline swept the world stage, inciting a new frenzy among readers: "Legendary Reappearance! Float-Float Fruit Successor - [New Era Flying Admiral] Alex!" The bolded, enlarged title was strategically placed to seize attention at first glance, causing the heart of any reader to race with anticipation. The Float-Float Fruit—the power once wielded by the infamous Golden Lion Shiki, a pirate as renowned as Whitebeard, the world's strongest man, and the Pirate King, Roger. After Shiki's death in Impel Down, countless people had sought the Float-Float Fruit, hoping to inherit his airborne might and become the next "Flying Admiral." But now, this news shattered those aspirations in an instant. "The... Float-Float Fruit? Is this true? Did it really appear again?!" "The paper says he's the one who killed Shiki in Impel Down! He took the Float-Float Fruit from him!" "How did he even manage that?!" Unanswered questions buzzed through the minds of readers. It was known that Shiki died at the hands of Alex and Byrnndi World in Impel Down, yet common knowledge dictated one person couldn't possess two Devil Fruit abilities. As a result, all eyes turned to Alex's newfound mastery over the Float-Float Fruit. [New Era Flying Admiral Alex, bounty: 480 million Berries, dead or alive.] The bounty notice, coupled with his latest feats, only further propelled Alex's fame. --- At Marine Headquarters, inside a secluded residence, Gion held Alex's bounty poster in her hand, staring at it in a daze. It wasn't the mention of his victory over her that occupied her mind but the memory of their conversation—and the unusual wager he had proposed. Despite being free to speak, Gion found herself concealing parts of the encounter from her most respected mentors, Vice Admiral Tsuru and Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Though she had intended to report everything over the Den Den Mushi, something held her back. She recalled her years with them in the Marines and, against her usual instincts, chose to withhold certain details about Alex and their exchange. It wasn't a matter of distrust—Gion felt no reason to withhold the truth, yet something within held her back, as though a part of her had begun to believe in Alex's words on an instinctual level. Staring at Alex's bounty poster, a determined look crossed her face as she whispered, "Flevance..." --- News of Alex's actions quickly spread across the seas, catching even the attention of powerful figures in the New World who typically ignored headlines. With word of his possession of the Float-Float Fruit—and the shocking revelation of his killing the notorious Golden Lion Shiki—interest in Alex surged to new heights. In the lawless area of the Sabaody Archipelago, within a dimly lit tavern, Shakky slid a newspaper across the table toward Rayleigh. "The papers have printed it," Shakky remarked, a hint of amusement in her voice. "That guy, Alex, who took down Shiki, is being called the Flying Admiral of the new era." Rayleigh took a look at the article, skimmed it briefly, then chuckled, a glint of nostalgia in his eyes. "Hahaha! The Flying Admiral of a new era, huh? Wonder if he'll cross paths with Shanks someday... Ah, I can't forget that straw hat and the old ship from back then." Shakky added with a knowing smile, "Speaking of Shanks, it's about time he set out for the sea. This new era really has everyone talking." --- All the way in Totto Land, on Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin took a massive bite of cake while scanning the bounty notice with interest. "Mama-mama! So, that little upstart managed to get ahold of that old man Shiki's Float-Float power." The towering woman leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with ambition. "Spread the word—keep an eye out for him. The moment he shows himself, bring him here. I'll host a tea party just for him!" Her youngest daughter nearby, the ten-year-old Charlotte Galette, looked puzzled. "But, Mama, you're the Emperor of the Sea! All he has is that one Fruit—does he really deserve his own tea party?" Perospero, the eldest son, intervened with a sly grin, "No, Galette. The Float-Float Fruit can shift entire landscapes. With that power, Mama could bring her favorite islands into Totto Land." Though Perospero wasn't as strong as his younger brother Katakuri, his insight into Charlotte Linlin's ambitions was unmatched. "Exactly!" Linlin exclaimed. "My Totto Land will expand with even more islands!" She wiped crumbs from the corner of her mouth and murmured, "Besides, I'm curious how that brat managed to get his hands on Shiki's power." Linlin wasn't the only one with such questions on her mind. --- Meanwhile, aboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard sat with a contemplative look as his sons animatedly discussed the news. Memories of his past battles with Shiki, the Golden Lion, drifted through his mind. Noticing the old man lost in thought, a few of his sons gathered around, urging him to share more tales of his legendary encounters with Shiki. But there was one figure who stayed apart from the crowd, clutching the newspaper tightly. His hands trembled slightly as he stared at Alex's picture. "Does this guy also know how to steal Devil Fruit abilities...?" he muttered to himself. "No... he's not like me. He can only have one. But if Shiki's Fruit disappeared, how did he manage to take it?" His whispered questions trailed off, yet no one around him could offer an answer.