"Candle Wall!"
At that moment, a white wall of wax materialized in front of Summer, shielding Crocodile behind it. Mr. 3 hurried over, panting and looking rather disheveled; after all, the opponent he had been fighting was Tuantuan, who could use Haki.
"Caw!"
With an ugly screech, a vulture swooped down, grabbed Crocodile in its talons, and ascended at a steady pace.
"Damn it, they're actually rescuing people right in front of me!" Summer frowned as a small flame flickered into existence on his palm.
"Candle Shackles!"
Before the attack could even begin, dozens of wax chains shot toward Summer and Tuantuan.
In the blink of an eye, the fleeting window of opportunity vanished, and the vulture's silhouette disappeared into the sky.
"Hah!"
"Tai Chi: Crushing Force!"
With Crocodile heavily injured and rescued, Summer was extremely annoyed—and his money was gone. He threw a punch that struck Mr. 3 fiercely, the terrifying impact sending him flying like a kite with a snapped string before he plunged straight into the ocean.
Perhaps it was simply destined that this windfall was not meant for him.
"Captain, that guy got away too." Aigin walked over at that moment, his entire body covered in countless fine knife cuts, blood soaking his clothes until he looked like a bloody man.
"It's fine, let him run if he's going to run. The most important thing is that you're alright, Aigin. I don't want any accidents happening to my crewmates," Summer said with a smile and a caring look.
Truth be told, the moment he first saw Crocodile, Summer's initial thought had been to invite him to join the crew. After all, Logia Devil Fruit users were extremely rare, and with proper training, they could easily become Admiral-tier combat assets in the future. That was why he hadn't intended to kill him from the start—which was also a major reason why the man managed to escape.
"However, Aigin, your strength still needs to keep growing. So, I'm giving this Devil Fruit to you. I hope you won't let down my trust."
Seeing Aigin deeply moved by his words, and recalling how hard Aigin had worked without asking for anything in return during this period, Summer retrieved a Devil Fruit from his spatial storage: the Zoan-type Bird-Bird Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Jiuche Model.
This was a decision Summer had reached after careful observation. Aigin was a reliable man—when trouble came, he truly stepped up, and he was someone whose back you could safely entrust to others.
Furthermore, Summer currently lacked any flight abilities, and the Six Powers did not allow for free, unrestricted flight. Thus, the Smiling Pirates urgently needed an aerial combatant.
"Captain, this... this is too valuable!"
The instant he saw the Devil Fruit in Summer's hand, a look of desire and excitement flashed in Aigin's eyes before he hurriedly suppressed it.
"Hahaha, even the most valuable item needs someone to manifest its worth. In my eyes, you are my crewmate, the person who will sail the Grand Line and smash through thorns and thickets by my side from now on. Ten Devil Fruits couldn't compare to you." With that, Summer patted Aigin on the shoulder, leaving everything unsaid yet understood.
"Alright, I'll eat it! Ever since the moment the Captain saved me, my life has belonged to you anyway."
With tears welling in his eyes, Aigin swallowed the Devil Fruit in one gulp. In that instant, his desire to grow stronger burned brighter than ever.
As soon as he finished consuming the Devil Fruit, the wounds covering Aigin's body rapidly healed. With a mere thought, a pair of fiery red wings sprouted from his back, and the faint phantom of a bizarre bird with ten heads materialized behind him.
As he gently flapped his wings, a sudden gale roared, sending sand and stones flying. A fiery red figure soared into the sky, flying freely like a bird.
"Wah, so cool, Aigin!"
Tuantuan was filled with envy. It wanted to fly too! Why hadn't it chosen this Devil Fruit in the first place? It regretted it so much _.
"Stop envying him and hurry up and clean up the battlefield! Since there were so many pirates here, there should be at least a few Beli on them—enough to buy some meat." Summer knocked Tuantuan on the head with a flick of his finger and issued his orders.
"Beli? Meat?"
At the mention of meat, Tuantuan's mouth began to "water" uncontrollably as it hurriedly wriggled its chubby body, swaying its backside from side to side as it went off to loot the bodies.
Eating meat was its absolute favorite thing in the world.
Looting bodies while daydreaming about meat.
After half an hour of thorough searching, they amassed a fortune of one million Beli. Though not a huge sum, it still counted as an unexpected windfall.
After all, this was merely a foothold for Baroque Works; their real treasures wouldn't be kept here.
After stopping for just a few hours—long enough for Aigin to familiarize himself with his Devil Fruit powers and for everyone to eat their fill—Summer announced the resumption of their voyage.
During this time, Aigin had also gained a general grasp of the abilities granted by the Bird-Bird Fruit, Jiuche Model.
First, it could banish all negative emotions. Second, it could devour human souls. Third, it could release blood-red flames to heal his own injuries—just like how all the scars on Aigin's body had instantly vanished right after he ate the Devil Fruit.
As for whether there were any other abilities, they couldn't be seen just yet. After all, there were no useless Devil Fruits, only useless users; every Devil Fruit could grant a person extraordinary abilities, but the ultimate development of a power always depended on the individual.
...
The Smiling
Setting sail once again, Summer had already decided on their next destination: they were heading to Sky Island.
After all, there was also a Logia Devil Fruit user residing up there.
If he could successfully recruit them, the strength of the Smiling Pirates would rise to a whole new level, providing Summer with the foundation he needed to expand his own power and challenge the world's peak powerhouses.
To become a figure of awe and terror in this world, personal strength alone wasn't enough; the influence of the forces at one's command was equally crucial. Powerhouses like Whitebeard and Kaido all ruled over tens of thousands of pirates under their banners.
"Ding-dong. Strong intent detected from the host. Issuing mission: Subjugate the God of Sky Island, Enel."
"Mission Completion: Reward +1 gacha chance, one Skill Upgrade Card. Mission Failure: No penalty."
The system's voice suddenly rang out in his mind, bringing a smile to Summer's face. Heaven truly helped him—even the system had stepped up to sponsor him.
Next, all they needed to do was find the upward ocean current. Because of the Smiling's unique construction, Summer had previously asked Dragon to create a detailed world map for him, which accurately marked known sea areas and islands in great detail. Once scanned by the navigation system, they could sail straight to their destination without needing to use a Logas.
As long as Summer continuously updated and refined the map during his travels, then in such a vast world, there would be nowhere they could get lost.
This capability was actually tailor-made for a guy like Zoro, considering his legendary lack of a sense of direction ┐(′-｀)┌.
With a specific location in mind, the Smiling sailed forward at lightning speed, leaving a long wake of foaming water behind her like a streak of black lightning flashing across the ocean surface.
During this time, Summer also recounted the story of the liar Montblanc Noland to the crew, and naturally, he shared his plan to head to Sky Island.
"Sky Island? It doesn't exist! Captain Summer, don't throw your life away for an unrealistic lie like that." Hearing Summer's story, Carina was the first to shake her head in refusal, her expression tense.
That was a story known to everyone in the North Blue, and after all these years, absolutely no one had ever proven that the City of Gold actually existed.