Hearing Frieda's report, Ray couldn't help but recall a few specific individuals from the past.
Given the 'strength-worshipping' personalities of the former Baroque Works agents, it was indeed entirely possible for them to join the Golden Lion's crew in pursuit of power.
He wondered how they would react upon seeing Luffy and the others again.
Back in Alabasta, Mikita and Gem had suffered quite a bit at the hands of the Straw Hat Pirates.
And Bon Clay .... he was tormented pretty badly by Nami.
Even though it had only been two months since those events, Ray felt as if a long time had passed.
Since arriving in this chaotic pirate world, he seemed to have experienced so much in such a short amount of time.
As he pondered deeply...
Ray suddenly realized something was off.
Why was he becoming so sentimental all of a sudden?
He rarely dwelled on the past under normal circumstances.
He firmly believed that a strong person shouldn't be immersed in bygone days.
Even when memories surfaced, he would usually just brush them aside without a second thought.
Past experiences were only meant to serve as lessons for future events, not as a pool to drown in.
But just now, he had almost gotten lost in the nostalgia.
At that moment, he noticed that Frieda was trembling violently.
Using a bit of Observation Haki to scan her emotional state, Ray felt utterly exasperated.
It seemed his passive ability was acting up.
So, he immediately used a controlled burst of Conqueror's Haki, rendering her unconscious to spare her the torment.
Then, he gently coiled his fluffy tail around her waist and placed her on the bed to rest.
According to Ray's analysis, since Frieda had managed to resist the effects of seeing his face, she should have found it easier to handle after an hour of exposure.
Furthermore, witnessing his terrifying battle with Big Mom must have struck fear into her heart.
Logically, she wouldn't dare harbor any impure thoughts or make a move on Ray.
But now, strangely, Frieda's hidden desires had been stirred up intensely, and even Ray himself was feeling uncharacteristically sentimental.
If that was the case, then...
Ray walked out of the cabin onto the deck and sighed inwardly.
'As expected.'
Cavendish was used to being fawned over by women.
However, in the six days he had been following Ray, he hadn't touched a single woman, nor had anyone been following him around singing his praises.
After suppressing his natural urges for so long, the current atmosphere had broken him.
He was now hugging a wooden support pillar and muttering passionately to himself.
"Oh, my dear Ship Railing Number One... my little princess, you certainly have good taste."
"Ray is quite handsome, I admit, but I'm definitely more attractive than him in terms of vitality and raw sex appeal! You're absolutely right, Miss No. 2 Ship Rail! Your wood grain is exquisite!"
"Oh, and the adorable No. 3 Cabin Door Maid! Come to my room tonight, let's be together..."
Just as Cavendish was hopping eagerly toward the cabin door to "romance" it, he spotted Ray arriving on the deck.
Cavendish froze mid-hop.
"Um... Boss, you didn't see anything, right?"
Seeing Cavendish's expression growing increasingly serious and panicked, Ray felt a playful impulse to tease him.
"I saw it. All of it. Very childish btw."
Hearing this, Cavendish's face darkened further.
He spoke in a halting, grave tone, his bangs shadowing his eyes.
"Since you've seen it, then..."
Ray calmly watched this seemingly about-to-darken Cavendish.
Was he going to switch personalities out of embarrassment?
But then...
THUD!
Cavendish suddenly rushed over, knelt on the ground, and wailed loudly at Ray, clinging to the deck.
"Ray-sama, Boss, my lord! Please don't tell anyone! I'm begging you!"
"If this gets out, the prince persona I've built will completely collapse! My fans will leave me!"
"As long as you don't tell a soul that I was flirting with a railing, I'll scrub toilets and hand you tissues every day from now on!"
As he spoke, he started crawling desperately toward Ray's legs, intending to hug them.
BAM!
Ray kicked him away effortlessly.
Ray had been ready to fight a darkened, berserk Cavendish, but this guy ended up clinging to his legs begging for mercy like a pathetic worm...
'Sigh, how boring.'
But from certain angles, this guy was undeniably amusing.
Ray simply responded with a deadpan expression:
"I can't be bothered with your private affairs. Go cook now."
Hearing this, Cavendish happily sprang up like a carp revitalized by water and ran toward the kitchen, saluting.
"Yes, Boss! Cooking immediately!"
Seeing Cavendish behave like this, Ray was almost certain that something had appeared on the ship that was triggering everyone's deeper desires and emotions.
Besides these two humans, Ray also noticed that Chouchou, who was wrapped in the fur of his tail, wasn't behaving properly either...
Despite having no conscious will while asleep, the little dog was actually doing hip-thrusting motions against Ray's tail.
Angered by the indecency, Ray directly coated the fur on his tail with Armament Haki, then tightly squeezed his tail, knocking out Chouchou who had just woken up not long ago.
'An item that activates current desires and instincts has appeared on the ship.'
'Pure instinct doesn't fully explain it. Could it be soul? Soul power?'
Thinking this, Ray became increasingly convinced he was right.
So, he called out to the kitchen and told Cavendish to check the fruit storage area in the ship's cargo hold immediately.
Ten minutes later, Ray heard Cavendish's excited shouts echoing from below deck.
"Boss! Boss, look! I found the Soul-Soul Fruit!"
Cavendish ran up, holding a strange, swirling fruit. "No wonder I was acting so strange earlier—the Soul-Soul Fruit reincarnated right here! Hahaha, we've hit the jackpot! Just by coming to Big Mom's base, we've acquired two Devil Fruits!"
Seeing the Soul-Soul Fruit, Ray was naturally happy too.
This fruit was incredibly powerful, though he wasn't sure who would be best to give it to.
Remembering that Ray belonged to the Straw Hat Pirates, Cavendish naturally knew who Ray would prioritize for such a treasure.
He understood the principle of "first come, first served."
Moreover, Cavendish had absolutely no desire to eat a Devil Fruit himself.
If he became a hammer who sank in water, he wouldn't be able to play in the ocean or rescue drowning young ladies to earn their love.
So, he proactively confessed to Ray, stating firmly that he didn't need the Devil Fruit.
Seeing Cavendish's attitude, Ray gained a favorable impression of this guy.
'Maybe I'll allow him to use my name to flirt around in the future,' Ray thought amusingly.
As for the Soul-Soul Fruit, the only ones among the Straw Hat Pirates who might still consume it are likely Franky or Usopp.
Whoever eats it could also conveniently create another Thundercloud Zeus for Nami, which would be quite a good upgrade for her.
…
Meanwhile, somewhere in the sky.
At the highest point of the floating islands controlled by the Golden Lion Shiki, on a massive island over 10 kilometers in diameter, a fierce battle was underway.
"Thunderbolt Tempo!"
Nearly a thousand bubbles scattered across a 100-meter radius suddenly turned pitch black.
Instantly, countless bolts of lightning erupted from them, following the direction guided by Nami's Clima-Tact, striking directly at a large, rampaging gorilla that had leaped into the air.
"GROOOOAAAR!"
"Ohohohohoho!"
Amid the crackling sound of lightning and the gorilla's agonized roars, Nami finally let out a long sigh of relief, wiping sweat from her forehead.
"I never expected the Golden Lion to be this powerful. Aside from me, Usopp, and Chopper, everyone else has to join forces just to face him head-on."
"And this damn perverted gorilla—its mind is filled with nothing but mating! It's utterly disgusting!"
As she spoke, Nami spun around with the grace of a dancer and thrust a hidden version of her Clima-Tact forward, stabbing it firmly into the belly of the gorilla, which had just risen from the lightning strike and charged at her again.
But the desire-driven gorilla seemed impervious to pain. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its two massive hands were about to seize the seemingly delicate and pitiful Nami, who was dressed in a tight black suit with a pencil skirt and stockings.
Just then, Nami pivoted on her heel.
Spreading her arms and spinning in place, she activated her Devil Fruit ability.
"Bubble-Bubble... Soap Sheep!"
In an instant, the gorilla's arms, touched by Nami's fingertips, transformed.
They turned into two smooth, shiny, black "soap bars."
At the same time, Nami coated her own body's surface with her soapy ability, creating extremely low friction.
The gorilla tried to grab her, but he couldn't get a grip.
His hands slipped off her smooth skin, and he could only howl in frustration as he fumbled.
Seizing the opportunity, Nami pulled the Clima-Tact from the gorilla's stomach and slid away to put some distance between them.
Then, with a wave of her hand, a massive flood of bubbles erupted, enveloping the perverted gorilla completely.
One of the Bubble-Bubble Fruit abilities: Cleansing.
It washed away all impurities wrapped within the bubbles—including the target's physical strength.
Two seconds later, the massive beast collapsed.
The gorilla lay weakly on the ground, its muscles completely limp and shiny, only its crimson eyes fixed on the orange-haired woman slowly approaching it.
Nami smiled down at the now powerless gorilla, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Time to clean up the trash."
She drove her weapon straight into its heart.
After finishing off the gorilla, Nami retracted the spearhead, converting the Clima-Tact back into its standard form.
She thought about the antidote needed for Chouchou and immediately dashed toward the location of the laboratory.
"I hope Chopper and Usopp can successfully find the experimental serum."
As she ran, Nami glanced at the distant figures clashing in the sky and couldn't help but sigh with worry.
"Even Luffy has been forced to use Gear Fourth. That old man is seriously tough."
"But that Golden Lion is a real bastard, daring to announce in front of all of us that he's going to destroy the East Blue..."
Nami gripped her Clima-Tact tighter, her knuckles turning white.
"And he even had the audacity to demand we cooperate with him! Is he an idiot? What does he take us for?"
"Luffy! Zoro! Sanji! Give it your all!"
"Beat that shameless old man to a pulp!"
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