Throne Of Supreme

Chapter 257: Force's of nature

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Aoki was about to conclude his experiment when a thought struck him.

Thunder and lightning are forces of nature.

And among natural forces, lightning is one of the most destructive.

Under normal circumstances, controlling lightning would be no easy feat. First, you'd need a thunderstorm. Then, you'd have to fly into the sky and make contact with the lightning—an incredibly dangerous endeavor where one wrong move could mean death.

But Aoki was a man of lightning.

He dismissed the complexity of the situation with a shrug. Why overthink it? I'll know if it works once I try.

A thought flickered in his mind.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Thick, crackling blue lightning bolts erupted out of nowhere, filling the alien space. The air was charged with a suffocating sense of destruction.

"It works... and this power..."

Aoki's eyes gleamed with excitement.

The Thunder-Thunder Fruit's ability is essentially the power to generate and discharge electricity. In its natural state, the power comes solely from within the user.

This principle applies to all Logia-type fruits.

However, in his Nature Spirit form, Aoki could combine his innate control over lightning with his Devil Fruit abilities, allowing him to harness the power of lightning on a far grander scale.

The result wasn't merely additive; it was multiplicative.

The fusion of these two distinct powers created a force exponentially stronger than either ability on its own.

This wasn't just the combination of two skills—it was synergy.

Of course, different natural forces had varying effects.

For example, the power of earth excelled at bolstering defense, a quality lightning lacked.

Aoki envisioned his future combat style: lightning as the foundation, supplemented by other natural forces when necessary.

Naturally, this approach wouldn't rely solely on the Nature Spirit form. It would also incorporate his other abilities: Haki, Infinite Dragon Beast, and King of the White Walkers.

"I didn't eat the Thunder-Thunder Fruit, yet I've achieved this level of power fusion," Aoki mused with satisfaction.

The Nature Spirit form of the Human-Human Fruit had proven its worth. The time and effort he'd invested in acquiring it had not been in vain.

Satisfied, Aoki reverted to his human form and turned to Robin.

"Let's go," he said.

"Alright!" Robin responded with a smile.

In an instant, the two figures disappeared and reappeared beside a ruined town.

Robin glanced around, her eyes narrowing with recognition.

"Is this... the Sleeping Ancient Town?"

"That's right."

Aoki gave a brief explanation. If they had retraced their steps, they would have emerged at the location of the island's previous position.

He vividly remembered that the balance in that area had been disrupted. Venturing out there would have likely led them straight into the ocean.

Now that he had eaten a Devil Fruit, he shared the common weakness of all fruit users—an inability to swim.

With Robin also being a Devil Fruit user, the risk of an accident was too great to ignore.

The thought of capsizing in a ditch was not an appealing prospect.

"I see," Robin said, nodding thoughtfully.

Aoki's expression turned serious. "Well then, our deal ends here."

Robin blinked, momentarily taken aback.

She had almost forgotten that this journey was merely transactional.

Aoki had obtained what he sought, and their brief partnership had reached its conclusion.

"What are your plans now?" Aoki asked, his tone casual.

Robin fell silent for a moment, her gaze shifting to the ocean. The rhythmic rise and fall of the waves reflected in her thoughtful eyes.

"I... don't have any clear goals yet," she admitted. "Maybe I'll try to find the original Poneglyphs."

As she spoke, something seemed to occur to her. Raising her palm, she concentrated. White liquid flowed along her arm, coalescing into a compact sphere.

"Here, I'm returning this to you," she said, holding it out to him.

Aoki didn't take it. Instead, he smiled.

"If you don't have a goal yet, why not join the Burning Heaven Pirates?"

Robin stared at him, surprised.

"The Burning Heaven Pirates?"

"Ahem, my bad," Aoki coughed, a faint flush creeping up his neck. "Alice has been rubbing off on me."

Aoki shook his head and explained, "To put it simply, I founded an organization named Burning Heaven to eliminate the Celestial Dragons. Right now, there are probably over ten members, including Alice."

Robin responded decisively, "I'm in!"

Aoki looked at her, a smile spreading across his face.

"Are you sure? You might want to think it over. This could cost you your life. You know my identity. Once it's exposed, the World Government will stop at nothing to hunt me down."

Robin chuckled lightly. "I'm used to risking my neck."

Aoki extended his hand. "Then, welcome to Burning Heaven."

Robin reached out, shook his hand gently, and added with a playful smile, "Pirates!"

Aoki laughed heartily.

His decision to invite Robin wasn't made on a whim or out of sentimentality.

Even setting aside her unparalleled expertise in historical texts, Robin was a rare talent in every sense.

At just eight years old, she had passed O'Hara's rigorous test and become a certified historian. Her intelligence was exceptional, and her emotional intelligence was just as impressive.

When she joined the Straw Hat Pirates, she seamlessly integrated with the crew, winning over everyone except Zoro with her sharp wit and adaptability.

Her management skills were equally remarkable.

In Alabasta, she had kept the Baroque Works organization running smoothly for Crocodile, maintaining order with efficiency and precision.

And that was precisely what Fentian currently lacked.

Neither Aoki, Hancock, nor Alice were suited for managing an organization.

Hancock, despite being the Empress of Amazon Lily, spent most of her time looking down on others with an air of disdain. It was clear she wasn't the type to handle administrative duties.

Alice, while nominally a general for two years, was more of a warrior than a strategist. She excelled in leading charges but had no aptitude for overseeing the day-to-day operations of an organization.

What Burning Heaven needed was a housekeeper.

Although Robin was still young, her maturity and understanding of people made her the perfect candidate. She had already proven she could handle the complexities of leadership and diplomacy.

"There's no one better suited for this role," Aoki thought.

Robin broke his train of thought. "So, what's next?"

Aoki paused, considering her question.

"For now, nothing urgent. Is there anywhere you'd like to go? If not, I can recommend two options.

"The first is Alice's homeland, Etania. Our base is under construction there, and you could oversee its progress.

"The second is the Sabaody Archipelago, the endpoint of the first half of the Grand Line. One of our companions is there right now, training in Haki under a teacher."

Robin's eyes narrowed slightly. "And what about you?"

Aoki hesitated for a moment before answering, "I'm planning to go home."

It had been over three months since he arrived in the pirate world, and the energy in his world-shuttle mark was fully replenished.

However, this time, he didn't plan to head to the New World. Instead, he wanted to return to his original world for a while.

Of course, it wasn't just a casual visit. He had something important to take care of.

"How long will it take?" Robin asked.

Aoki's expression grew serious. "I'm not sure. It could be a day or two, maybe three to five months, or even several years."

This uncertainty was one of the reasons he felt compelled to go back. The flow of time varied between worlds, and despite his preparations, he worried about what might change in his absence.

Robin frowned, puzzled. "Where exactly is your hometown? Why would it take so long?"

She was well aware of Aoki's abilities. He could traverse great distances in an instant, so she couldn't understand why this trip would be so time-consuming.

"My hometown is... far away," Aoki said, his tone tinged with melancholy.

The truth was, he didn't know where his true hometown was. He had no way of returning to it.

For him, home was no longer defined by a specific place.

Wherever Takina and Lady Rie were—that was home.