January 7, Year 1504 of the Sea Circle Calendar
After the turmoil caused by the tsunami, Ari, Vic, and Anthony continued their journey toward the Kingdom of Oykot.
Meanwhile, Noah instructed Lilith to take Lillian to the sea area where the volcano had previously erupted.
There was, of course, a reason for sending the two girls to the volcanic zone.
At the site where the undersea volcano had erupted, a landmass with a radius of several kilometers had emerged. This newly formed land was clearly the result of volcanic activity.
Aside from the solidified obsidian and volcanic rocks, the central area still harbored plenty of molten magma that hadn't yet cooled. This fiery magma flowed continuously outward from the vent, and occasionally, billowing clouds of scorching steam rose into the air.
A streak of flame descended from the sky, transforming into a girl dressed in a Gothic-style gown—it was none other than Lillian.
Hovering gently above, Lilith fluttered her wings as she watched her sister standing at the edge of the volcanic crater, a hint of worry etched on her face.
Although Lillian had exited her elemental mode, the flowing magma posed no threat to her.
After all, she had been infused with a wealth of scientific knowledge by Noah, along with various methods for developing Devil Fruit abilities. The power of the Flame-Flame Fruit in her hands had already surpassed that of previous users.
Why did the Flame-Flame Fruit perform so poorly in Ace's hands?
The answer lies with Ace himself.
Expecting an illiterate person to deeply develop the Flame-Flame Fruit is like hoping to get rich by buying a lottery ticket.
Garp had tossed Ace to be raised by the mountain bandit Dadan. For Ace to even become literate, he had to rely on the teachings of the bar owner in Windmill Village. In such an environment, the fact that he could read and had some basic life knowledge was essentially due to the bar owner's dedication.
Although Noah wasn't a scientist, as a university graduate from the age of information explosion—and a science major at that—he had a good grasp of scientific knowledge.
The development of the Flame-Flame Fruit doesn't lie merely in "flames" but in the concept of "burning."
Burning—combustion—is the process of matter transitioning into a plasma state.
The core of the Flame-Flame Fruit lies in simulating the combustion of matter. Ordinary fuels burning in air reach temperatures of six to seven hundred degrees Celsius, which is why Ace couldn't raise the Flame-Flame Fruit's temperature any higher.
So how can the combustion temperature be increased?
The answer is to choose more suitable fuels and oxidizers.
At this moment, Lillian was simulating the combustion of pure oxygen and hydrogen. The combination of these two elevated the combustion temperature to a staggering 2,830 degrees Celsius.
The magma before her was only around a thousand degrees Celsius—not only incapable of harming Lillian but even susceptible to being overpowered by her flames.
Of course, Lillian wasn't showing off that her flame temperature could outmatch magma; she intended to enter the magma itself.
Re-entering her elemental mode, Lillian dove headfirst into the magma lake at the crater.
Submerged in the magma, she didn't feel discomfort; instead, a warm sensation enveloped her, like returning home.
Lillian didn't linger on the magma's surface. After gauging her stamina, she quickly dove deeper underground.
As she descended, she felt the temperature of the surrounding magma gradually increase.
Not until she reached depths where the temperature hit 2,830 degrees Celsius did Lillian feel a searing heat. Then she began to use her special Observation Haki.
Yes, Lillian had developed her own unique Observation Haki.
Originally, her talent in Observation Haki was, like Lilith's, quite ordinary.
But after eating the Flame-Flame Fruit and following Noah's guidance, she combined her Devil Fruit ability with Observation Haki to create a unique version: Thermal Sensory Observation Haki.
She could perceive the temperature of all matter, and any changes in the surrounding temperature were instantly detected by her Haki.
At this moment, she was using this ability to carefully sense the thermal energy deep within the magma and the source generating it.
Soon, Lillian noticed that within the surrounding magma existed some special substances that continuously released heat, persistently warming the magma and steam around them.
"Is this the radioactive material that Big Brother Noah mentioned? The energy produced by elemental decay can release such immense power," she thought.
Lillian attempted to simulate this process of elemental decay to further evolve her Devil Fruit ability.
Unfortunately, even after expending more than half her stamina, she couldn't simulate any signs of elemental decay. Unable to achieve her goal, Lillian had to swiftly return to the surface.
Emerging once again from the crater, she saw her sister waiting patiently.
"Lillian, are you okay?" Lilith asked, concern evident in her voice.
Lillian shook her head. "I'm fine. In elemental mode, radioactive substances can't harm me. It's just that I didn't succeed in simulating elemental decay this time."
"Don't be reckless," Lilith cautioned. "Big Brother Noah reminded you that your current physical condition isn't enough to support the elemental decay mode."
Lillian nodded thoughtfully. She had experienced it firsthand—her attempts deep within the magma felt like hitting a wall.
Of course, Noah had already warned her not to get her hopes up too high.
The reason he hadn't opposed Lillian entering the depths of the magma was mainly to let her gain a preliminary understanding of the magma and the radioactive substances hidden within it.
Clearly, Sakazuki hadn't developed the Magma-Magma Fruit to complete awakening. If he reached a fully awakened state, he could use radioactive attacks, and his temperature limit would surpass 3,000 degrees Celsius.
As for the upper limit of the Flame-Flame Fruit, it was actually the "Solar Mode."
This was the development path that Noah had planned for Lillian:
• First Stage: The combustion limit of compounds (4,990 degrees Celsius).
• Second Stage: Elemental Decay (First-level Awakening).
• Third Stage: Elemental Fission (Second-level Awakening).
• Fourth Stage: Elemental Fusion (Complete Awakening).
If Lillian could achieve complete awakening, she would become a new sun.
However, such an idea was still a bit too distant for the current Lillian.
Right now, she hadn't even reached the combustion temperature limit of compounds, let alone entering the elemental decay mode.
Lillian didn't give up immediately but continued to stay at the volcanic crater for over half a month. During this time, she dove into the depths of the magma daily, carefully sensing the elemental decay processes within.
Although she didn't successfully simulate the elemental decay mode, she still gained many insights and made considerable progress.
For instance, she conceived the Flame God Mode, which uses simulated solid fuel as a skeleton and simulated liquid fuel as muscles to create a special form.
After entering Flame God Mode, Lillian could transform into a gigantic Flame God Titan or form a Flame God exoskeleton. In this mode, she could even swim and walk directly in the sea.
By observing the steam deep within the Earth's layers, she also conceived techniques known as the Steam Dragon Series.
Compared to straightforward flame attacks, the Steam Dragon Series focused on using high-pressure, high-temperature steam to harm enemies.
Feeling that it was becoming difficult to gain further insights from the magma, Lillian decided to return to the Kingdom of Rum.
Just as Lillian and Lilith were heading back to the Kingdom of Rum, Ari, Vic, and Anthony finally arrived at the Kingdom of Oykot.