"How is it? Can you extract his lineage factor from the blood?"
After successfully obtaining Zyhark's blood, Satan stored it in a specially made glass container.
"There shouldn't be a problem. However, the current technology is still immature, and it may take two to three years to determine his race from the blood."
Vegapunk folded his hands behind his back, thoughtfully staring at the crimson blood suspended in front of him.
In truth, based on his current research progress, it wouldn't take that long at all.
However, the flower pistol Zyhark brought had sparked some additional thoughts in him.
He hadn't done something like this before, much like how he falsely labeled the perfectly replicated Azure Dragon Fruit as a "failure."
"That's too long. You mentioned budget issues before. I'll talk to Nasjuro about it. We need results within a year."
Satan, leaning on a cane, spoke with a stern, uncompromising tone.
Izan Baron V. Nasjuro was the Financial God of War of the World Government.
Hearing this, Vegapunk was momentarily stunned.
Even though he was entirely focused on his research, without concerning himself with pirate affairs, he could still vaguely sense the importance of this matter to Satan.
With such clear instructions, he naturally had no room to refuse. "Understood."
"As for the new warships, the first batch will be completed at Tom's Shipyard in a few days. You'll need to be there in person to finalize the details."
Satan glanced sideways at Vegapunk's large head.
He, too, was a scientist. Even he could grasp many new concepts from Meowth's words earlier. Vegapunk must have gained even more.
In this sense, this meeting had unexpectedly brought them great benefits!
"No problem. It's still in time to propose modifications," Vegapunk nodded mechanically.
All scientific research requires significant funding. Without the World Government's support, he couldn't have accomplished anything alone.
Thus, he had no choice but to comply with Satan's orders.
Even though he knew that creating such deadly weapons, once used by those with ill intentions, could bring devastating consequences to the current world!
"The location of Bullet Point Island has been determined. Construction will begin soon. Please expedite the progress on the lineage factor modifications and the Holy Flame."
After leaving those polite words, Satan waved his hand and turned to leave.
The slaughter in the Divine Kingdom of the East Blue was imminent, and he and the other Gorosei needed to prepare and formulate plans in advance.
Watching Satan's silhouette fade away and disappear at the end of the corridor, Vegapunk took out the pistol Meowth had given him from his pocket. He pondered for a long time before letting out a heavy sigh.
"Peace, huh? For this twisted world, it seems far too distant..."
...
Late at night, the lights on Angel Island, 10,000 meters in the sky, shone brightly. A grand banquet began on the spacious White Coast.
As Zyhark expected, all it took was for a brat to say a few words of disbelief, and a foolish goddess took it seriously, summoning a flood that submerged half the town, causing significant economic damage.
Gan Fall had a headache over the matter. Asking for compensation was out of the question. Not only was the other party the true "god" of Angel Island, but their gratitude for driving off the Golden Lion Pirate Crew was enough to settle the matter.
After much back and forth, Zyhark finally offered a compromise by hosting a banquet for the entire island.
As for the costs? Naturally, they were billed to Aqua, and her promised three-day use of the wine cellar was confiscated.
Upon hearing this terrible news, the Goddess of Water burst into tears (literally), clinging shamelessly to Zyhark's leg and begging.
Of course, it was useless. Zyhark had no intention of indulging this fool.
Aside from that, the banquet also served as a celebration for Escanor's successful acquisition of the sacred weapon, Rita.
For Zyhark, it was a triple victory!
The lively banquet lasted until the early hours, with Aqua drinking herself into a drunken stupor, vomiting rainbows all over the place.
The absurdly bizarre sight once again lowered Escanor's already low opinion of Aqua.
The rest of the crew, however, were accustomed to it. After the celebration, they returned to their rooms on the Endless Dream to rest.
The full moon hung in the sky, appearing larger and brighter than usual, likely due to their high altitude.
Looking at Aqua sprawled in a "大" shape on the beach, Zyhark shook his head in exasperation and walked over to lift her knees, reluctantly carrying her away.
Drunk, Aqua's eyes were half-closed, her cheeks flushed, and her flowing blue hair shimmered under the bright moonlight.
Up close, she truly had a trace of the divinity and beauty of a goddess.
Of course, that was only if Zyhark held his breath to avoid the strong stench of alcohol wafting in his face!
In the distance, the sea breeze blew, causing the still-smoldering bonfire to flicker.
A long trail of footprints was left on the beach, and upon closer inspection, faint traces of a rainbow could be seen around them.
A truly strange spectacle...
The next morning, Meowth woke up early and began crafting new weapons and equipment for Gan Fall's guards and the Shandian warriors.
After the Golden Lion Pirate Crew's attack, Zyhark realized the significant risks facing Angel Island.
While it was difficult, pirates could still reach the Sky Island using special routes, and his small treasure trove was always at risk of being looted.
Their next major objective was the Road Poneglyphs held by the Four Emperors. Even with Den Den Mushi for communication, there were times when they couldn't arrive immediately.
Relying on their crew to solve every crisis was simply too much trouble.
Therefore, strengthening Angel Island's local combat forces had become crucial!
With advanced weapons and the physical enhancements provided by Aqua's blessings, they could handle slightly stronger pirates with ease.
Pirates like the Golden Lion were, after all, rare exceptions.
Meanwhile, Meowth could also use this opportunity to apply the new knowledge obtained from Vegapunk, laying the groundwork for future high-tech weapons!
It was a win-win deal, no matter how you looked at it!
And so, with protective goggles on, Meowth huddled in the workshop on the ship, beginning the clanging process of weapon crafting.
King, as always, was lifting barbells on the deck, engaging in high-intensity training.
After fighting the Golden Lion's gorilla-like crewmates, he realized just how far he still had to go and was determined not to be the weakling who relied on luck every time a crisis arose.
Sweat dripped from his face, sliding down his bulging muscles, soaking the Adam Wood planks beneath him.
So focused was King on his intense desire to grow stronger that he didn't even notice the strands of golden hair falling from his head along with the sweat!
In contrast, the others enjoyed a more leisurely time.
Zyhark took Kanna and Escanor, who had never been to the Sky Island before, for a stroll through the streets of Angel Island, while they also restocked supplies.
As for the foolish goddess? Naturally, she was sleeping like a log!
"Good afternoon, Mr. Zyhark! Would you like to join us for some tea?"
"I heard you saved Angel Island from those evil pirates! We are truly grateful!"
"Where is Lady Aqua? I want to thank her personally. I've gotten much stronger lately, and I'm sure it's thanks to her blessings!"
"What a cute child! I didn't get a good look at last night's banquet. Come over here, big sis has something nice for you!"
...
As they walked, enthusiastic Sky Islanders greeted them, showing great curiosity toward the newcomers, Kanna and Escanor.
Zyhark responded with a smile, acknowledging their goodwill.
Since the end of the long war between the God Squad and the Shandians, life for these winged Sky Islanders had clearly improved, with everything flourishing.
"Bwah-bwah~"
Kanna walked on the soft, processed clouds, holding a pink Sky Shell, and blew into it with her mouth wide open.
"Bwah-bwah~"
The little shell echoed her sounds in the exact same tone.
"Hey, Zyhark, this is magi yabakunai!"
The magical and curious novelty left Kanna wide-eyed with surprise and delight.
"Kanna, this is an Audio Shell, unique to Sky Island. It functions like a recorder and stores sound."
Zyhark bent down, patting the little white dragon-horned head, patiently explaining the unique items found on Sky Island.
Though he wasn't sure if Kanna could even understand the term "recorder."
"In addition, there are Light Shells that store light, Heat Shells that store thermal energy, Wind Shells that store gusts... And no, you can't eat them!"
Hearing the word "shell," Kanna's mind immediately conjured images of crabs and clams, and she was just about to shove the Audio Shell into her mouth.
Zyhark broke into a cold sweat and quickly corrected the little glutton's strange idea.
"I see. No special structures or devices, yet they serve such versatile functions."
Escanor examined the unassuming shell in Kanna's hand, murmuring in awe, "Truly, this is a fascinating world."
It was midday, and the muscles on his body stretched his white tank top to its limit, radiating power.
To prevent heat loss, Escanor had brought the sacred axe, Rita, along.
It had to be said, Vegapunk was truly a genius. After his modifications, the golden one-handed axe perfectly absorbed heat.
Now, if Escanor wished, he could simply swing the axe lightly to release all the energy stored within it.
Moreover, this weapon wasn't all that heavy. Even at night when Escanor's power diminished, he could still manage to carry it with some effort.
In a way, this slightly mitigated the shortcomings of his "Sun's Blessing" ability.
In the original work, Escanor could also use the "Sun Within" technique, allowing him to forcefully gain brief combat power at night.
However, it seemed that Escanor had yet to fully master this technique.
As for burning his life force to maintain his peak state, there hadn't been a chance to test that out yet.
But with their current level of combat strength, aside from their final battle with the World Government, Escanor wouldn't need to go to such extremes.
— Especially considering they still had Aqua's resurrection ability as a fallback.
In this relatively relaxed lifestyle, three days passed by quietly.
After delivering the hundred weapons Meowth crafted using the Sky Shells to Gan Fall and Wappa, the residents of Angel Island bid them farewell as the Endless Dream pierced through the layers of clouds, carrying Zyhark and his crew back into the divided seas of the New World.
The next steps in their mission were clear:
They needed to acquire the red Road Poneglyphs or their copies from the Emperors Kaido and Big Mom.
Then, they would use a wide-range electro-signal to locate the Mokomo Dukedom on Zou, obtaining the final piece of information.
After that, they would find Robin to translate the contents, head to Raftel, and claim the One Piece, before summoning a new companion!
It sounded simple, but the challenges and uncertainties were self-evident.
Considering the current political landscape and their geographical position, Zyhark carefully planned their first destination.
It would be the Totland Kingdom, ruled by Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom!
The reason for choosing Big Mom over Kaido had a lot to do with the events of the original storyline.
Based on the bounty news and wanted posters, Big Mom was currently in her relatively slender phase, somewhere between her prime during the Rocks Era and the time when she encountered Luffy. Her strength and intelligence were still hard to evaluate.
However, compared to Kaido of the Beasts, entrenched in Onigashima, she would likely be the easier target.
Upon hearing about the risks involved in this operation, Zyhark's trusted companions naturally offered their full support.
After all, they had been summoned from other worlds by Zyhark, and through their shared adventures, they had already formed deep bonds!
Nevertheless, before setting sail for Totland, Zyhark had one more stop in mind.
That was Shadow Island, a New World island situated along their route to Totland.
According to recent reports, it seemed that Moriah, who had returned to the New World, was doing quite well.
Zyhark was eager to meet this rejuvenated "little brother" to see how far he had recovered.
This was crucial for the upcoming operations. After all, Moriah was still one of the Warlords of the Sea, wasn't he?
Thanks to its former position as the territory of an Emperor, Shadow Island was rich in resources and had a favorable geographical environment.
Surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, it significantly reduced the risk of external attacks. To launch an assault on this island, one would have to attack the narrow coastline head-on.
From a strategic perspective, it was an almost impenetrable stronghold!
In the center of the island stood a newly constructed replica of the Thriller Bark castle, looming ominously against the island's otherwise serene surroundings, casting a strange, oppressive atmosphere.
Shadow Island lived up to its name.
Inside the main hall of the castle, Moriah was sitting on a leather sofa, alongside his officers Perona and Absalom, as they tallied the names of the new recruits who had joined their pirate crew.
Suddenly, the grand, ornate doors burst open as a subordinate rushed in, panic-stricken.
"N-n-not good! Boss Moriah! The Sea Restaurant... Zyhark and his crew have appeared on the horizon!"
(End of Chapter)