Golden Lion had lived for most of his life.
His experiences made him one of the greatest legends of the sea.
Yet he had never seen anything like this before.
Those islands—he controlled them.
He knew their weight, their size, better than anyone.
If they had been stopped by some kind of ability—
That would have made sense.
But being shattered purely through raw strength?
That was something he could not accept.
"This isn't real. No one can do this!" Golden Lion refused to believe it. "What ability did you use? Rocks couldn't do this, Whitebeard couldn't, Garp and Sengoku couldn't!"
To him, these figures were the greatest of the last several decades.
They were the strongest people he had known and fought against.
"Just because they couldn't doesn't mean our captain couldn't. Whitebeard? He lost to our captain in less than an hour. Sengoku? He's long dead—killed by our captain."
Charlotte Linlin sneered at Golden Lion.
His mindset was still stuck twenty years in the past.
"Wha-what?! Whitebeard lost? Sengoku is dead?!"
Golden Lion's mind shattered.
"You… you… what are you?"
He stared blankly at Kuke.
Pure, undiluted terror in his eyes.
What kind of monster was this man?
"If all of this is true, then why is this still the Navy's era?!"
Golden Lion let out one final, defiant roar.
"Very soon, I'll tear apart this false Navy era."
Kuke gave Golden Lion his final words before death.
Golden Lion died.
A relic of the old era.
His end came today.
Here.
Minutes later, Kuke held a brand-new Devil Fruit in his hands.
The Float-Float Fruit.
One of the most powerful Paramecia abilities.
Just because Golden Lion had been weak in his final years—
Did not mean the Float-Float Fruit itself was weak.
This was the power that had once made him a pirate king contender.
The man who nearly crushed the Roger Pirates.
Who had fought Whitebeard to a standstill.
Who had single-handedly invaded Marineford, destroying half of it.
Who had fought Garp and Sengoku for three straight days before being defeated.
Who was the only prisoner to ever escape Impel Down in its history.
Golden Lion's resume was not a joke.
Even in his final days.
He had still been able to control dozens of floating islands.
A level of battlefield control beyond most Logia users.
Kuke turned to Hancock.
This time, he didn't let anyone else choose.
"Hancock."
He called her name.
She turned toward him.
"I'm giving you the Float-Float Fruit."
Hancock's eyes widened.
"You love ranged attacks. The Float-Float Fruit is perfect for you."
Kuke knew her well.
Better than anyone.
"Mm."
Hancock stepped forward, filled with happiness.
She hated physical contact with anyone else.
But Kuke was different.
The ability to attack from a distance,
To manipulate the battlefield,
It was exactly what she needed.
And unlike the Quake-Quake Fruit,
The Float-Float Fruit didn't demand absurd levels of stamina.
It was easy to use.
She would be able to wield it almost immediately.
Without hesitation, Hancock took the Float-Float Fruit.
And ate it.
The crew simply watched.
No one was jealous.
They all knew—
Kuke would find the perfect Devil Fruits for each of them.
Reiju, in particular, was quietly anticipating her turn.
"One day… I'll feel as happy as Hancock does now."
Her body felt warm as she fantasized.
Just like Smoothing had in the past—
Hancock died.
And revived.
There was no need for her to become a dual-fruit user yet.
The Love-Love Fruit was too weak to justify wasting 『 Achievement Points 』 on.
The Pirate Empress, Hancock, was reborn.
Now a user of the Float-Float Fruit.
『 Pirate Empress Hancock: Paramecia—Float-Float Fruit | Combat Power: 134,518 』
She lost the Love-Love Fruit.
Her combat power briefly dropped by about 15,000.
But after eating the Float-Float Fruit—
Her combat power shot up by nearly 50,000.
Unlike other Paramecia abilities,
The Float-Float Fruit wasn't as versatile as the Op-Op Fruit.
Nor did it have endless developmental potential like some others.
But like the Quake-Quake Fruit,
It could immediately translate into overwhelming combat power.
Hancock's long-stagnant strength had finally surged forward.
Meanwhile.
With Golden Lion dead.
The floating islands began to fall toward the sea.
Hancock, holding her new power.
Didn't even need training.
She simply touched the island beneath her feet.
And it stopped falling.
Instantly.
She could already control a single island.
Though she wasn't at Golden Lion's level yet,
She was already an incredible force.
"Not bad."
Kuke nodded in satisfaction.
The Float-Float Fruit wasn't just a combat ability.
It was also a strategic tool.
Flight was an extremely rare power in this world.
Golden Lion had once ruled over the greatest fleet in history.
And this ability had played a major role in that.
"Let's go."
This time.
There was no need for Thundercloud Zeus to strain itself carrying the Radiant Eclipse.
Hancock casually lifted the entire ship.
Keeping it suspended in the air.
The Radiant Eclipse smoothly hovered just above the ocean.
Sailing at incredible speeds.
"Our next destination—Alabasta."
Kuke announced.
"Alabasta? Is this about Crocodile?"
Shakky, the intelligence officer, immediately made a guess.
"That's part of it."
But more importantly—
Kuke was after Princess Vivi.
He suspected she was connected to the Ancient Weapon, Pluton.
After seeing Uranus firsthand.
After knowing that Poseidon was right here on his ship.
Kuke didn't believe that Pluton was just some warship.
It wasn't that simple.
He was certain.
Vivi had a greater connection to Pluton.
And even if she didn't—
Crocodile's Sand-Sand Fruit was a solid ability.
And the nearby Swallow-Swallow Fruit was also extremely valuable.
Even if its current user was weak,
The fruit itself was top-tier.
…
Alabasta.
Crocodile had returned.
For over a decade.
He had come back to Alabasta at least ten times.
All for the same reason—
The Ancient Weapon, Pluton.
A relic from an era long past.
A weapon that Crocodile believed could make his dreams come true.
Because after ten years in this world—
He no longer believed in relying on himself.
He had barely overcome his fear of Whitebeard.
And then he had witnessed Kuke's era.
Crocodile had lost all hope.
The only way forward—
Was through Pluton.
But without his Warlord status,
He couldn't pretend to be a savior like in the original timeline.
Now he could only act as a pirate.
A fugitive.
A far harder path.
But at least he didn't have to fake being a hero.
He could be brutally direct.
Over the years,
He had caused endless bloodshed in Alabasta.
At the same time.
In the East Blue.
Another battle was beginning.
------
Try this book here under the author's THOUGHT, it is similar to this fanfiction but darker