The moment he left the Mirror World, York felt physically and mentally refreshed.
After quickly handling the accumulated administrative work from the past few days, York stretched greatly.
"It's about time!"
A glint flashed in his eyes.
Any transmigrator arriving as early as him, especially after reaching Sky Island, would never let a certain Devil Fruit slip away!
Logia · Rumble-Rumble Fruit!! (Goro Goro no Mi)
Known as one of the strongest Devil Fruits according to Robin, apart from its natural enemy Luffy, this fruit had almost no opponents.
If not for the fact that York wouldn't have survived back then without twisting reality with his will to obtain the Pleasure Fruit, he would have tried everything to eat the Rumble-Rumble Fruit as his ability.
Although he no longer had such a high demand for the Rumble-Rumble Fruit now, acquiring it to cultivate an Admiral-level subordinate was also not bad.
Much better than letting it drift away, eventually eaten by Enel, who would come to challenge him.
Acting on the thought, York called the former Sky Island God to him, consulting about the location of Birka.
The Sky Island God hadn't been to Birka, but he knew how to find it.
So York used him as a guide, called Kaido, and the three set off together.
One day later.
With Kaido's superb flight speed, they successfully arrived at Birka.
Overlooking from the air, this island was smaller than York expected, with probably only a few hundred residents.
The most eye-catching building was a temple located in the center of the island.
Facing the obstruction of Birka natives, York and Kaido fought their way into the temple, finally successfully seeing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit held in the palm of a temple statue.
York took the Rumble-Rumble Fruit into his hand. The temple priest immediately jumped up in anxiety.
"Outsiders! You cannot take away God's power! This is our supreme treasure!!"
York chuckled, releasing a holy light tentacle to wrap around the priest. The latter immediately fell to the ground curled like a shrimp, face full of foolish, blissful smiles.
Then the foolish smile was gradually replaced by pain. Finally, his whole body convulsed, blood mixed with beige liquid oozing from beneath him, dying on the spot.
Walking out of the temple, Birka native guards lay all over the ground outside, all corpses.
York ignored these corpses, walking to a building resembling a pigsty not far from the temple.
Opening the simple prison door made by Birka people, dozens of wingless Blue Sea people were impressively imprisoned inside.
York scanned them at a glance. These people were all shackled, bearing tattoos representing slaves on their bodies.
Besides that, their tattered clothes mostly bore different Pirate crew marks.
Presumably, these people were once pirates who ventured to Sky Island by chance, but failed to plunder and were captured as slaves by Birka people instead.
Seeing this scene, Kaido suddenly realized.
"No wonder you started killing directly upon arrival, with no intention of negotiating. So that's what happened."
York looked at the frightened and uneasy group of slaves in the cell, speaking in a deep voice: "I came to find the Devil Fruit; discovering you is just a coincidence."
"Now you have two choices."
"First, stay here and continue being slaves; second, come with me, but from now on obey me in everything!"
As his voice fell, the slaves in the cell couldn't wait to kneel toward York.
"We are willing to go with you! Willing to listen to you! As long as you take us away from here!"
Just like that, when Kaido transformed into the Azure Dragon and took off from Birka again, dozens of ragged but hopeful slaves were added to the flame clouds winding around his body.
Returning to Sky Island.
The newly acquired Rumble-Rumble Fruit, like the remaining fruits from God Valley, was stored in the Mirror World by York.
Shakky and Gloriosa remained the same as before; even facing the temptation of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, they still preferred enjoying the pleasure of bathing.
York didn't force this.
Because among the slaves he brought back this time, he saw a 2-year-old mixed-blood child with only one wing on his back.
On the return journey, he pretended to ask the mixed-blood child's mother casually.
The mother answered: "The child's name is Enel."
With Enel here, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit wouldn't lack an owner in the future.
But the key issue was to cultivate Enel's loyalty to him first.
Fortunately, he was only two years old now, same as the 3-year-old Teach, having ample room for education.
So, York simply hired the mother as a nanny to take care of Teach, incidentally letting the 2-year-old Enel and 3-year-old Teach become playmates.
Kuma, Ginny, and Ivankov were ultimately too old compared to Teach.
Especially Ivankov, already 16 this year, approaching adulthood.
Ginny and Kuma were 14 and 10 respectively, but Ginny had been malnourished before God Valley, so she looked like she wasn't even 10.
Now properly nourished by York for a year, she grew like a sprout pulled up—not only recovering health but also starting proper development.
After dealing with the brought-back slaves, life on Sky Island returned to normal.
Work during the day, training when needed, occasionally teaching classes to Ivankov and others.
Intimacy with his three women in turns in the Mirror World at night.
Days passed like this one by one.
Until one day, Stussy suddenly received a call from an old friend via Den Den Mushi.
The two chatted for a full half-hour before Stussy said to York with a face full of surprise: "York! Good news!!"
"Good news? What good news?!"
York paused his large hand wandering on Stussy, asking seriously.
The latter said to him with excitement: "A genius boy I knew before joining the Rocks Pirates. He has grown up over the years, became capable, and met several partners."
"Now he has received funding from Du Feld and plans to establish a research institute. He wants to invite me over to help!"
Hearing this, York was instantly startled.
"MADS Research Institute?!"
Stussy was equally startled, "How do you know this name?!"
"That's not important!"
York stared at Stussy with burning eyes.
"That genius boy you know, is his name Vegapunk?"
"...Yes."
Stussy looked at York with confusion.
How did this little man even know Vegapunk?
"Hahahaha!!"
York didn't mind the slight strangeness on Stussy's face, hugging her with both hands and kissing her cheek fiercely.
"Stussy! You are truly my good virtuous helper! Hahahaha!!"
Stussy smiled upon hearing this, immediately casting aside all doubts in her heart.
So what if York had secrets? Who didn't have a little secret their partner didn't know?