With the reorganization of the Noah Family complete, a new hierarchy was established.
Among the core members, Joseph, Joshua, Lilith, Mary, Ari, and Jay became the elders of the family. Meanwhile, Tommy, Anthony, Vic, and Lilian were promoted to cadre members. The elite ranks now included Andy, Law, Meilai, Monet, Pekin, and Shachi. As for the younger ones—Sugar, Lamy, and Bepo—due to their age, they were categorized as newcomers.
Noah had also acquired three new Devil Fruits from the North Blue: the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, the Art-Art Fruit, and the Crow-Crow Fruit.
Tommy, who had always dreamed of a flamboyant Devil Fruit ability, eagerly requested the Art-Art Fruit when Noah obtained it. Although Noah felt this power would be difficult to develop, its potential lay in creativity and imagination—qualities Tommy clearly had. Therefore, Noah didn't object to his request.
The Hobby-Hobby Fruit, on the other hand, was reserved for Sugar, though Noah planned to wait until she was about 17 years old before allowing her to consume it. Since the fruit's ability would lock her physical age at the moment she ate it, it was important for her to mature first.
As for the Crow-Crow Fruit, like many of the animal-type fruits Noah had collected, it remained sealed in a card for later use, ready to reward those who showed loyalty and contribution to the family.
With the reorganization complete and the New Year behind them, the Noah Family continued to grow in strength.
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In the bio-lab on Sikasis Island, Andy and Law stood before a man submerged in seawater. The sight of the golden-haired elder in the tank filled them with both awe and fear.
"Don't worry," Noah said calmly, his attention focused on the man in the tank. "He's under my control now. Shall we begin?"
Law, having honed his mastery over the Ope-Ope Fruit during the past half-year, was ready. He had already used his abilities to cure the Frevance refugees, now it was time for a more ambitious surgery—on none other than the infamous Shiki, the Golden Lion.
Law activated his ROOM and proceeded to dissect Shiki's head, carefully removing the rudder embedded in his skull—a relic from Shiki's daring escape from Impel Down. Andy monitored Shiki's vitals, ensuring the operation didn't kill him.
Piece by piece, the fragments of the rudder were extracted from Shiki's brain. With precise timing, Law made the final incision, removing the last bit of debris and severing part of the prefrontal cortex—effectively taking away Shiki's emotions and his once-dominant Conqueror's Haki.
Once Law nodded to confirm the procedure was complete, Noah gave the next instruction. "Proceed as planned."
"I understand, Noah-sama," Law responded.
He then injected Shiki with a refined serum extracted from the Iq plant, combined with a unique life serum. This concoction not only healed Shiki's body but also revitalized his strength. Finally, Law performed delicate surgeries to repair the brain tissue and blood vessels damaged by the rudder.
The surgery lasted for three hours. Thanks to the Iq extract and life serum, Shiki's body was fully restored, including his severed legs, which had long been replaced by swords. Even though Shiki had lost his Conqueror's Haki, his aura of dominance still filled the room.
Noah stepped forward and summoned a Major Arcana card—the Emperor—casting it towards the unconscious Shiki. A golden cocoon enveloped the legendary pirate, transforming him into a loyal servant of Noah.
[Emperor: Shiki (Float-Float Fruit)]
As the golden light faded, Shiki opened his eyes, his memory now blended with Noah's will. He knelt, gazing up at Noah with reverence.
"My Lord, your loyal servant, Shiki, greets you," he declared.
"Rise, my apostle," Noah responded, his own Conqueror's Haki flaring to new heights.
With Shiki now under his control, Noah had officially reached the level of an admiral. Shiki's body had fully recovered, and his prowess in Armament and Observation Haki had returned. Even without his Conqueror's Haki, Shiki's dual-wielding swordsmanship and his powerful Float-Float Fruit still made him a force to be reckoned with—an opponent worthy of facing an admiral.
While Shiki might not have reached his former peak, he was still terrifyingly strong, and the strategic value of his Float-Float Fruit was immense. With Shiki on his side, the Noah Family had truly become unstoppable.
The family now possessed not only the strategic mobility of the Float-Float Fruit, but also the flexibility of Diamante's Flag-Flag Fruit and Arai's Door-Door Fruit. The ability to quickly move people and resources around the world had been achieved. The looming threat of rising sea levels and future global disasters no longer held any fear for Noah.
Even more exciting for Noah was the potential to safely reach sky islands. For a long time, he had been thinking about the Rumble-Rumble Fruit that was hidden on the island of Birka. Originally, he planned to go to the White Sea by scaling the Knock-Up Stream in the West Blue, but now, with Shiki's Float-Float Fruit, he could reach Birka with ease.
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Three days later, Noah's Nautilus hovered above the skies of Jaya Island, the island's massive cumulus clouds and sky islands visible from the sea of clouds below.
With Shiki's power lifting the submarine through the thick cloud layers, the vessel pierced through the Sea of Clouds with ease, avoiding the need for traditional methods. Beneath them, the dense cloud cover known as "Imperial Cumulus" rose above the White Sea.
Normally, without Shiki's power, reaching this altitude would be impossible for a Devil Fruit user, as the clouds contained Sea Prism Stone particles, capable of weakening even the strongest.
As the Nautilus emerged from the cloud sea at an altitude of seven thousand meters, it sent shockwaves across the White Sea. Sky sea creatures scurried away, sensing the unapproachable aura surrounding the vessel.
Once safely in the sky, Tommy deactivated the Art-Art Fruit's disguise, revealing the true silver-grey, steel hull of the Nautilus. But there was no time to waste—they had their sights set on the Sky Gate, and beyond it, the mysteries of Birka awaited.