Chapter 19: Skypiea and the Goro Goro no Mi

Gin smiled, eyes flickering with ambition.

"The East Blue… a land full of budding geniuses. If we move early, it's easier to earn their favor. There's even talk of dragon bones — perfect for our longevity formula. Not to mention, a kendo dojo with a master close to Admiral-level strength. We just need the right story to get in."

He mentally ran through a list of names: Nami, Kuina, the future Zoro, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy — each of them brimming with potential. If approached wisely, they could become powerful allies.

"Dragon bones and young prodigies? That's… truly valuable," said Hikari, nodding with admiration. "And what about Jaya Island?"

Her eyes lit up. "There's a legend about a golden city in the sky, isn't there?"

"Golden city?" Hikari raised a brow. "Treasure?""That's exactly what we need. The clan reforms will be expensive. Our finances are decent, but not enough to match our full plan. Gin… you're trying to share your mother's burdens, how thoughtful of you!"

Gin chuckled sheepishly.

"Heh… well, there's more. I'm talking about Jaya and Skypiea. You've heard the tales? The sea of clouds, the Knock-Up Stream, and high above… the Sky Island of Birka, where the Goro Goro no Mi lies untouched — the Thunder Fruit. Enel hasn't even eaten it yet."

"Haaah?! Are you serious?" Hikari exhaled sharply, eyes wide. "A vertical current that launches an island 10 kilometers into the air? Cloud oceans? Floating islands? That's incredible! I want to see it for myself!"

Compared to this, even the Ancient Weapons or the Golden City of Shandora suddenly felt secondary.

"We'll get there one day," said Gin. "But first, we need a reliable way to fly. Risking the Knock-Up Stream is suicide without preparation."

He wasn't foolish. Luffy and his crew survived because of plot armor — the absurd luck of protagonists. For anyone else, survival odds were less than ten percent.

"The smarter route is from West Blue's summit or tracking down Visalia Island to borrow one of their airships. Even in our world, there are ways…"

"Flight, hmm…" Hikari murmured. "The shinobi world does have options. The fully evolved Susanoo of the Uchiha, for instance, can fly. But a normal Mangekyō can't activate the full form. At least, not yet. Maybe if I further increase my chakra reserves and vitality…"

Gin nodded. In the original story, there were rare cases — like Obito, who accessed full Susanoo with Mangekyō, but he used White Zetsu cells as a cheat.

"There are other techniques too," she continued. "Iwagakure had floating jutsu, and Sunagakure's magnet release has limited aerial capacity. Even a decade ago, the celestial ninjas that attacked Konoha used flight technology — but they vanished after defeat. Should we send someone to investigate? Or perhaps… contract a flying summon beast?"

She glanced at her son.

Gin tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"That might work — but it'll need to be a powerful flying beast. Ordinary summons can't carry us 10 kilometers into the sky. Still… once we get there and place a space-time marker, we can use teleportation jutsu for future trips. The village's carrier eagles won't make the cut."

He grinned with purpose.

"For the sake of the Thunder Fruit and the Golden City, we'll figure it out. Even the Dials from Skypiea are valuable. We can sell them in the shinobi world as exclusive Uchiha tech. If the clan becomes financially independent from the Hokage's missions, we'll eliminate one of the Third's biggest control levers. Kill two birds with one stone."

"Anything else?" Hikari asked, curious.

"Not yet." Gin shook his head. "Just… call Mikoto over. I want to check her favorability score — if she passes the mark, we can test her for a contract. Let her train here and grow stronger. I heard Fugaku is chasing her… I wonder if he'll still be so confident once he realizes he can't win against her."

He chuckled. Uchiha Gin was not the type to forgive slights — especially not from someone like Fugaku.

"Hehehe… you!" Hikari covered her mouth, laughing. With a soft smile, she gently tapped her son's forehead."If Fugaku dared offend you… then that's his misfortune."

"Hmph." Gin crossed his arms, his smirk deepening. "It's not just about Mikoto. In the future, Fugaku will do nothing for the Uchiha clan. He's a puppet in uniform."

"Yes, yes," Hikari replied with amused sarcasm. "If you want to see Mikoto, I'll invite her for dinner. Be home by six. I'll also give you the ninja nutrition pill formula."

She waved, deactivating the sound barrier before leaving the pirate world.

That evening, around six, Gin excused himself from the Kuryaki Library and returned to the shinobi world. As he stepped out of his room, a delicious aroma hit his nose.

He entered the living room — and saw Uchiha Mikoto, carefully laying dishes on the table.

"Yo! Mikoto!" Gin grinned.

Her favorability had reached 87 points — high enough to qualify for a bond.

"Yes! She's passed the threshold!" he celebrated inwardly.

"Gin?" Mikoto turned in surprise. Her eyes widened as she looked him up and down. "You've… grown so much. And you look healthier… have you recovered?"

She hadn't seen him in a month due to her own training, and the change startled her. Gin had grown at least ten centimeters, his muscles more defined, his aura calmer — stronger. If it weren't for his unmistakable face and that teasing smirk, she might've not recognized him.

"Yup. Almost back to full strength," Gin replied, flashing a confident smile. "Soon… I'll be ready to train again."