The person offering a bounty for the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit is naturally Kahn.
In this world, the Paramecia Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit and the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit are considered two of the most difficult Devil Fruits to obtain.
However, compared to the Paramecia Gomu Gomu no Mi Fruit, which can escape on its own, the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit is undoubtedly easier to acquire.
So even with only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, Kahn is not going to let this opportunity slip by.
Kahn was curious whether Teach would be able to obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit, given the enormous reward of 10 billion berries.
If he did, it would mean Teach is the villain of fate, destined to wield the power of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
In other words, he is destined to become the eternal adversary of the chosen one.
If not, it would mean Teach loses his fate as the villain, becoming a freak with a unique physique instead.
In that case, the possibility of him becoming a Yonko, as portrayed in the original story, would be almost zero. So, if Teach doesn't become the villain of fate, who will take his place?
Kahn ignored the rumours about the high bounty for the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit once the underworld faded away.
After defeating the Nine Red Scabbards and Kozuki Sukiyaki in Wano Country, and moving Amazon Lily, Kahn didn't immediately take Yamato on an adventure around the world. Instead, he donned the white coat of a scientist and began experimenting on the Plague, Queen, and King.
To create the Seraphim, the bloodline of the Lunarian race is essential.
The reason the Seraphim possess power comparable to the Seven Warlords of the Sea is that they carry the physiology of the Lunarians and the blood factor of the Warlords.
The Lunarians are capable of surviving in any natural environment, making them the most adaptable race in the world.
By using the Lunarian bloodline as a base, Kahn can blend other bloodlines to create the ultimate weapon, the Seraphim.
Moreover, the Lunarian blood factor is key to resurrecting Kuina in a way that defies fate.
King has become one of Kahn's most valuable trophies after defeating the Beasts Pirates.
And the other, of course, is Kaido.
Imagine Kahn mastering the ability to create Seraphim and artificial Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits, and then developing a Seraph Kaido version that eats an artificial Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Model: Azure Dragon. This would be the true ultimate weapon.
Even if the Seraphim Kaido can't fully wield the advanced Conqueror's Haki, Kaido's natural defences are strong enough to withstand attacks from even the highest-ranking officers.
Aside from internal damage and Conqueror's infusion, even attacks from Monkey D. Luffy, who has a bounty of 1.5 billion berries, wouldn't faze Kaido.
As long as Seraphim Kaido possesses the same defensive power as the real Kaido, his strength would easily rank at least 1.5 billion berries.
Once this ultimate weapon is mass-produced, the size of the "Cross Guild" will soon surpass Marine Headquarters, and it might even rival the World Government with its 800-year-old legacy.
This is why it won't be so easy for the World Government to purchase Seastone from Kahn.
Just like with Seastone technology, Kahn will make sure to keep a copy for himself.
Once Vegapunk finishes his research on the Pacifista and the Seraphim, Kahn will be ready to make his move.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the end of the year 1511 in the Sea Circle Calendar.
This year belongs to the "Cross Guild."
At the start of the year, the "Cross Guild," after eight years of preparation, finally challenged the world's highest peak and succeeded in claiming the title of the new Pirate Emperor, replacing the Beasts Pirates, Big Mom Pirates, and Whitebeard Pirates as one of the three great powers in the pirate world.
Then came the rise of the Duplicator Legion, increasing the security of the three Grandine Island Ships to an unprecedented level. These ships became the most chaotic yet safest entertainment hubs in the world, a paradise for entertainment in the eyes of countless wealthy people.
Simultaneously, the "Cross Guild" chain of hospitals began spreading throughout West Blue, the first half of the Grand Line, and the New World.
At the same time, Drum Island, known for its medical prowess, saw many doctors resign and leave, joining the "Cross Guild" hospitals as directors and attending physicians.
To outsiders, it seemed these doctors had been lured by high salaries from the Cross Guild.
In reality, Kahn had both bullied and enticed them.
After extracting King's blood and creating a sample of his blood factor, Kahn left Wano Country with Yamato, Monet, and Sugar, retracing the steps of the Roger Pirates on a journey that fulfilled Yamato's dream of adventure.
After descending from Sky Island and revisiting Alabasta, Kahn brought the girls to Drum Island.
While Yamato explored Winter Island, Kahn, under the cover of night, kidnapped the doctors of the Drum Kingdom, turning them into dolls using Sugar's ability.
When these doctors realized they had become dolls and that their families still had memories of them, they immediately surrendered.
Sugar then restored them, and Kahn had Monet remove their hearts, letting them experience the agonizing pain of having their hearts squeezed.
With their lives in Kahn's hands, the doctors obediently resigned from their positions and led their teams to work in the "Cross Guild" hospitals.
Of course, after the threat came a reward.
Kahn promised them that if they worked for the "Cross Guild" for ten years and didn't slack off, they would get their hearts back in June.
As for their salary, it would exceed what they earned in the Drum Kingdom.
Under Kahn's mix of threats and promises, by May 1511 in the Sea Circle Calendar, a steady stream of doctors had begun to resign and leave each month.
Within a year or two, the top doctors of the Drum Kingdom would have been fully siphoned off by the "Cross Guild."
As for resistance?
Even if the king of the Drum Kingdom had a hundred times more courage, he wouldn't dare oppose Kahn.
A pirate attack on Drum Island would be a minor concern compared to the fear of natural disasters hitting the island.
Such as meteorites, or tsunamis...
The current King of Drum Island wasn't the fool Wapol.
As the ruler of one of the fifty most powerful nations, this king understood well what it meant to provoke a Pirate Emperor.
Thus, his only option was to try to retain the doctors with improved working conditions.
But no matter how much he raised their salaries, it couldn't stop the doctors from leaving.
Because, in the end, life was more important than money.
After fully poaching the doctors from Drum Island, the "Cross Guild" became the uncontested ruler in the medical field.
In late 1511 of the Sea Circle Calendar, a piece of news spread across the world, catching Kahn's attention as he trained Yamato.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea had gained a new member.
And the new member was none other than the former Sun Pirates cadre and current captain of the new Sun Pirates—"Knight of the Sea" Jinbei.
Upon seeing this news, Kahn's lips curled into a smirk.
Jinbei becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea meant that the Fish-Man Arlong, who was imprisoned in Impel Down, would soon be released on bail.
Once Arlong broke away from the Sun Pirates and formed his own "Arlong Pirates," he would be able to recruit the Paramecia Gold-Gold Fruit user he had been waiting for—who also happened to be one of the most significant female figures in the pirate world.
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