Baan, Cat Viper and Dogstorm who were the three dukes of Zou had come together and it was a very rare occurrence since the return of Cat Viper and Dogstorm.
As they were discussing what had happened as Alyssia invaded Zou and also what she had proposed, Baan then went deep into thought. "She is right that we cannot be left behind in terms of power but not everyone will be so accepting of everything she has proposed. While some can be accepted to help increase our power, there is a problem with how unnatural those serums are. Even if we are able to improve our strength and tap into our Sulong bloodline, there are not many that would accept undergoing such a change by using something like that."
There would be those that would be more accepting of the serum but the vast majority would believe that it was wrong to mess with their bodies in such a way that it was considered unnatural.
If it was considered as more of an evolutionary serum for the Minks that would be rejected then the SIQ serum may receive even less support within Zou so Alyssia had not brought it out.
She hoped that there would be some interested in the Sulong serum but her main goal was to promote the energy serum for the Sulong transformation and the inventions to influence the transformation.
Cat Viper nodded. "I agree with you but it would be wise to keep a couple of those for times when we feel that our lands are in danger. From what I understand, the serum needs the user to have a body with high stamina and endurance to make the best use of it and to access deeper into the Sulong form."
Dogstorm then continued. "The serum just unlocks that potential and allows us to tap into it up to our bodies limitations so if we choose to raise a hero of Zou.. they must have the best physique possible. There are a couple that qualify for that… there is me, Cat Viper, Pedro and some of our higher ranking subordinates but those more accepting to the serum effects without training would be the types that are tougher and have more stamina than the others like Blackback and Roddy."
Baan agreed. "It is definitely something that favours those born with a strong physique or those that have trained their bodies diligently. I will carefully consider it since you have brought back much disturbing news but not everyone will support this. It does not hurt to have a last resort if we come under attack or are on the losing side of a war in the future."
Cat Viper smiled. "You will not regret this. You should have seen how much Alyssia has improved since she left. She has been very busy outside of Zou."
Baan went silent for a while then spoke. "What I am most interested in is not her improvements and her strength but what her intentions are. I do trust my fellow Minks but it is only right to remain cautious."
Cat Viper laughed. "No need to be so stiff. That kid has always been about improving her own and her friends strength. Now that she has experienced the world outside, she has witnessed and experienced things that we have missed so if she says there is a need for us to grow stronger then there is a need for it."
Dogstorm nodded. "We cannot know how far those outside of Zou have progressed and how strong they have become. The Beast Pirates under Kaido are already a big enough threat then there are the other Emperors, the Warlords, the Marines, the World Government and many others hidden so we cannot be weak."
Baan agreed. "You are right. Maybe that time is soon to come and we need to be prepared to welcome the return of the sun god. If we are careless then we may sacrifice many at that time. For now we should focus on getting her cooperation and work out a deal for the energy serum and the transformation tool then we can consider the Sulong serum at a later date."
Cat Viper then added. "Not everyone would support it but that does not mean that it cannot be used. We could use it in secret or we could only use it on selected individuals within the Night Guards or the Musketeers."
Dogstorm shook his head. "The first option would mean deceiving everyone and forcing someone to live in hiding and then sacrifice themselves for their homeland. The second option is a good way to introduce it but if anything goes wrong.. the public fallout will be on us for allowing such a thing. How about creating a warrior…or a hero for Zou? They can live in the open and they can become the publicly known person who was first to test the serum within Zou and sacrificed themselves for the future of Zou."
Cat Viper nodded. "A hero sounds good but they must be someone loyal to Zou and they need to already have a good reputation so we can better handle the promotion of the serum and how it will be used or distributed in the future."
Dogstorm agreed. "Yes.. this is not something that can be handed out carelessly since the costs must be very high and the materials are rare. It will only be limited to a certain ranking within the Night Guards and the Musketeers along with that chosen hero."
Baan then stood up. "So it is decided. We will end the meeting here and discuss the rest later. Whatever she needs in exchange for them… arrange it."
Cat Viper and Dogstorm then left to find Alyssia and Pedro but by the time they had found them, Alyssia had already passed out after being physically and mentally drained so she slept within her parents house while they took care of her two children.
Pedro was sitting outside of the house with a tired look on his face until he climbed up a tree and fell asleep.
The next day came quickly and the surprises did not stop as Alyssia brought many books, scrolls and all types of things back to Zou. "Here are books on martial arts.. advanced martial arts.. medicine… cooking… science… electro theory… the list goes on as you can imagine."
Pedro looked over them as he rubbed his tired eyes. "What is all this for?"
Alyssia shrugged lazily and said. "The things that I brought with me to trade were always ways to help increase the power of the Minks but there are always other ways which can be used to make Zou better and stronger than before. There is so much knowledge and techniques outside Zou that we are lacking in. That is why we are always so far behind so I tried to bring back as much of it as possible."
Pedro yawned and said seriously. "I know this since I left Zou too but have they really progressed that much to be a danger to Zou?"
Alyssia nodded. "Yes, they now have human shaped mechanical soldiers called Pacifistas so they no longer need to send their men to the front lines. That leaves open tactics that could be harmful to humans but not the Pacifistas. For example.. chemical weapons or poison. There is also their devastating laser technology which can be used from far away and can cause a lot of destruction. If they can learn to replicate human techniques then they will be even more difficult to deal with. By the way, how is Zepo?"
Pedro sighed. "It sounds like the world is progressing in a bad direction and war will happen again if such things are being made. Zepo is doing good but he was not too happy to be knocked out by you. Your Conquerers Haki is very strong! It is even stronger than what I felt from Big Mom."
Alyssia rolled her eyes. "Of course.. if I met her then I do not think that I would lose to her in any way."
Pedro looked shocked. "How can you be so sure?"
Alyssia replied. "I just have a feeling that she is not a threat to the present me. Perhaps her Devil Fruit may be problematic or her Haki mastery but they can be overcome with experience and practice. So long as I do not let my guard down… I can improve myself enough to surpass her when fighting her."
Pedro shrugged as he said. "If you say so but never underestimate her just because of her looks.. she can be a very scary person."
Alyssia nodded. "Mm. I know."
The next couple of days were spent with her parents and her children but Alyssia made some trips to teach some lessons in martial arts and worked with Pedro, Cat Viper and Duke Dogstorm so that they could finalise their deal.