Vivi looked at Max with resolve. "Even if I wanted to go, I don't think I would join your crew," she said, her eyes steady.
Max nodded, understanding. "I know," he replied. He knew her loyalty to her kingdom and her values would never align with his path, even if she chose to return to the sea.
Vivi smiled at his understanding. "Thank you… for everything," she added, glancing toward her father and then at the horizon, as if already imagining the adventures that lay beyond.
"But you'll need power for it," Max said, watching Vivi closely. "Why don't you travel with me for a while? Gain some strength, and when we meet the Straw Hats again, you'll be ready to join them."
Vivi looked at him thoughtfully, weighing her options, and finally nodded. "Okay."
"Very well, welcome to the team… temporary as it might be," Max said with a grin. Maybe I can find a Devil Fruit that suits her, he thought, considering the powers he could potentially acquire along the way.
He glanced at the possibilities. There's the Chop Chop Fruit of Buggy, the Slip Slip Fruit of Alvida, and the Munch Munch Fruit of Wapol... were there others? He turned to Vivi again. "How long until the ship is ready?"
King Cobra looked over. "We're building the best we can manage, so it might take a week."
"Hmm. Peter, Gwen, go and help with the ship. The rest of you, train together. I'll be leaving to hunt for some Devil Fruits," Max ordered, and the group nodded, setting to work.
As Max soared through the skies on the massive Shadow Wyvern he'd summoned, a creature with jet-black scales and streaks of white, he glanced down at the compass in his hand—Captain jack's compass he'd acquired from his system. With Wapol as his first target, he focused his energy, and the compass pointed the way.
Arriving over an island, he spotted Wapol in the midst of his chaos, consuming anything in sight as people ran for cover. "So, he's still at this stage of his life," Max thought. The Munch Munch Fruit allows its user to eat anything, even combine objects, he mused. Not particularly powerful alone, but paired with the Fusion Fruit—or even the Iron Fruit—its potential could be deadly.
Max raised his hand, channeling a surge of Gravity Magic, and in one swift move, he drew Wapol up from the ground, bringing him face-to-face. "Who are you, bastard?!" Wapol shouted in a mix of anger and fear. But before he could react further, Max extended his hand, extracting the Munch Munch Fruit power and ending Wapol's rampage.
"By the way, can I really eat multiple fruits?" Max asked, examining the Munch Munch Fruit in his hand.
[Yes, due to Host's Omni Energy Ruler trait, Host can safely harness multiple Devil Fruit powers without risk,] Yue responded.
Nodding, Max stowed the Munch Munch Fruit away, pleased with the confirmation. "Alright then, next target—Buggy." With a single command, the Shadow Wyvern took flight again, soaring high as Max followed the compass's guidance towards his next destination.
While on back of Shadow Wyvern, Max kept his focus when he suddenly few figures, Foxy with his slow slow fruit, Shiky with his float float fruit and lastly Enel with his lighting fuit.
"Hmm, those three have valuable Devil Fruits," Max mused. "If I find Shiki, I can turn him into a powerful undead, and as for Enel, he might be worth recruiting."
With that, he directed his compass towards the Foxy Pirates, arriving swiftly on his Shadow Wyvern in just one day. As he observed Foxy mid-match, Max attacked suddenly from above, knocking him out. With the conditions met for a ranged extraction, he promptly extracted Foxy's Devil Fruit.
"An idiot who never realized the true potential of his own Slow-Slow Fruit," Max muttered, inspecting the fruit. The power to slow anything, even light, could make him invisible, halt opponents, and allow him to exploit the slightest weaknesses. Satisfied, he took to the skies once again, preparing for his next target.
"next target, Enel" max thought as he went towards the Enel, who right now would be ruling the skypie Island.
It was another three days of journeying before Max finally reached Sky Island, heading directly towards Enel's location. As he approached, Enel stood up, his Observation Haki alerting him to Max's presence.
"Someone dares to challenge the gods?" Enel scoffed, raising his hand and preparing his signature attack, "God's Judgement."
With a crackle of lightning gathering around him, he unleashed a massive bolt aimed at Max, confident in his divine power. However, Max merely smiled, his own abilities ready to counter the oncoming attack.
"You are nothing but a fool!" Max declared, unleashing a pulse of darkness that completely obliterated Enel's incoming attack.
"Hmm, you are a god like me?" Enel replied, surprised by Max's power. Then he began to laugh maniacally. "Hahaha! Let's fight then, God of Darkness!!"
Max looked at him speechlessly, thinking, This guy's a real chunni. With a flick of his wrist, he increased the gravity around Enel, sending the self-proclaimed god crashing to the ground. Just as Max prepared to press the advantage, Enel suddenly moved at lightning speed, evading the attack.
"What was that?" Enel questioned, pulling back as he regained his footing.
How did he get out of that? Max wondered, considering the implications. He had never encountered anyone who could escape his gravitational manipulation before.
"What is your name?" Max asked, his tone casual despite the tension.
"Me? Hahaha! Remember my name, Enel, God of Thunder! And you are?" he sneered, raising his hands in defiance.
As the inhabitants of Skypiea watched the duel unfold from above, whispers began to circulate among them. "Who is that fighting Enel?"
"He seems to be a god too!" another responded, their eyes wide with astonishment as more and more people gathered to speculate.
"maybe he is an merciful god" another said his eyes full of hope.
***
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It's 22 chaps ahead