Edie took Shenhou and mounted Chenlong, soaring away from the Flower Capital with a sense of dignity and purpose. As they ascended into the sky, Edie gazed down at the landscape below, his eyes catching the sight of the Extremely Polluted Junkyard.
This junkyard was a byproduct of Kaido's industrial ambitions—where steel was smelted and weapons were manufactured, with all the wastewater being dumped into a pond within this forsaken area. Although Edie had made efforts to transform the factories into eco-friendly operations, the scars of pollution remained, a stark reminder that not all problems could be erased so easily.
"Why not discharge it into the sea?" Edie mused aloud, considering the situation with a cold, analytical detachment.
Edie could view pollution through a purely objective lens. However, contaminating domestic drinking water with industrial waste seemed excessively careless, especially when more efficient alternatives existed. But then again, this was a country ruled by pirates. Expecting them to practice environmental stewardship was nothing short of absurd.
Soon, Chenlong carried them out of Wanokuni and into the vast expanse of the endless sea. As they flew, a sudden system prompt echoed in Edie's mind.
[Your scientific research reputation has improved…]
[Scientific Research Reputation]: 100% → 0%
[Number of remaining simulations]: 1 → 2
The ramifications of the big event from over a month ago were still rippling through the world, and today, the progress bar finally hit its limit.
"There are two simulations available now," Edie thought to himself. "I should keep one as a backup. But perhaps... I could use the other to clone another subordinate?"
As these thoughts ran through his mind, Edie continued to guide Chenlong towards Beehive Island. Suddenly, Chenlong's body tensed slightly mid-flight.
"Lord Heavenly Father, there's a Marine warship below," Chenlong reported.
"Hm?" Edie glanced down towards the sea in surprise.
From their altitude, the warship below appeared no larger than a melon seed. The sight of it intrigued Edie—what was a Marine vessel doing in these waters?
"Shall I destroy it?" Chenlong asked eagerly. "The Marines have been audacious enough to hunt you down, disregarding their own lives. They deserve to be punished!"
"Let's descend and take a closer look," Edie decided, his curiosity piqued.
"Yes, my Lord."
Without hesitation, Chenlong began to lower their altitude, his hostility towards the Marines evident in the quick and sharp descent.
Simultaneously...
On a large Marine warship, high up on the observation deck, the lookout suddenly noticed Chenlong's approach. The clear midday skies offered no concealment for such an enormous creature, and panic quickly set in.
"That's... Kaido?" The lookout's face drained of color as he urgently shouted down to the deck, "No! Something bad is happening! Kaido is approaching us!"
"What?" The shout reverberated across the deck, startling the Marines who were busy with their tasks. They immediately snapped their heads up towards the sky.
From several hundred meters away, Chenlong's massive form was clearly visible, looming like an omen over the horizon.
"Alert Admiral Sengoku immediately!" a colonel barked out, his voice laced with urgency.
"No need, I can sense it," came a calm but firm voice.
Sengoku emerged from the cabin, his gaze fixed on the blue dragon hovering in the sky above. With a seasoned eye, he quickly discerned something unusual. Upon the dragon's head stood not Kaido, but two other figures—one seated and the other standing.
"That's not Kaido… It's Chenlong!" Sengoku's eyes widened in recognition. It had been over a month since the incident at Sabaody Archipelago, and he had not expected to encounter this group in the vastness of the New World.
"All troops, on alert!" Sengoku's command rang out across the deck.
In response, the Marines swiftly armed themselves, the black muzzles of their guns trained upwards, ready to engage.
"Marine Admiral, Sengoku the Buddha?" Edie's voice carried down from atop Chenlong, his tone tinged with a hint of surprise.
He remembered crossing paths with Garp in Loguetown, but this was his first encounter with Sengoku at the peak of his power.
Chenlong hovered, its imposing form suspended in the air just above the warship, its golden eyes gleaming with cold intent.
"Scientist, Edie!" Sengoku's expression was grim. Engaging airborne enemies at sea was a nightmare scenario for the Marines.
"I didn't expect to meet you in a place like this. Your actions at Sabaody have caused us quite a bit of unnecessary trouble."
"Is that so? My apologies," Edie chuckled lightly. "But I must ask, what brings the Marines so deep into the New World?" Their current location in the sea was precariously between Beehive Island and Wano, both strongholds of formidable pirate forces.
"That's none of your concern," Sengoku replied curtly after a brief pause. "How about we pretend we haven't seen each other?"
Edie's laughter echoed across the sea. "Pretend? I'm a wanted criminal, remember? Didn't you Marines put out a hefty bounty on my head?"
"Now here I am, right in front of you, and you want to look the other way? Mr. Sengoku, I didn't expect you to be such a shirker. The word 'justice' on your cloak must be weeping."
Edie's mocking tone was filled with amusement, his words cutting. The irony was clear: the Marines had made a show of hunting him, yet now, faced with him in person, they hesitated to act.
Edie turned to Shenhou, who stood behind him, and gave a simple command, "Go ahead."
Shenhou responded immediately, leaping from Chenlong's head and descending onto the deck below.
The Marines on deck were taken aback, their shock quickly turning to anger. Not only had this intruder mocked their leader to his face, but now he had the audacity to board their ship!
"Hold it!" Sengoku's voice thundered as he swiftly ordered his men to stand down, preventing the situation from spiraling into open conflict. His eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Shenhou, who had just landed on the deck.
This figure was unfamiliar—a mask he had never seen before. It was clearly not Chenlong, who remained airborne, nor was it Zishu, whose small stature was well-known.
Shenhou stood tall, drawing the two samurai swords from his waist in a deliberate motion.
"Who are you?" Sengoku demanded, his tone heavy with suspicion.
"Twelve Earthly Branches, Shenhou," came the calm reply, confirming Sengoku's suspicions—this was indeed a new face.
Sengoku clenched his fists, his voice tense as he tried to maintain composure. "What is the meaning of this?"
Edie's smile was cold as he responded, "Mr. Sengoku, is it fair for you to issue a bounty on me and not expect me to retaliate?" His tone shifted abruptly, icy and commanding. "I want to see blood!"
With a thunderous crash, Shenhou drove his right foot into the deck, leaving deep cracks in the wood. In a flash, his form blurred, moving with lethal precision.
"Oden Nitōryū: Taoyuan Shirataki!"
The twin blades gleamed as they sliced through the air.
"Stand back!" Sengoku roared, his expression transforming from surprise to fury as he threw his arms up to block the attack.
The Marines on the deck barely had time to react, their eyes failing to catch the rapid sequence of events.
Boom!
The front half of the warship was cleaved in two, while the back half was barely held together by Sengoku's outstretched arms, the slashes blocked just in time.
"Damn it... Conqueror's Haki!" Sengoku's mind raced as he recognized the energy infused into Shenhou's strike. The new Earthly Branch warrior wasn't just powerful; he wielded Conqueror's Infusion, much like Zishu.
Shenhou's face remained impassive, his eyes cold and calculated. Seeing his initial strike blocked, he seamlessly transitioned into a new sword form, his movements fluid and deadly.
Sengoku inhaled deeply, his entire body suddenly radiating a blinding golden light. In the blink of an eye, his form expanded exponentially, transforming into a towering golden Buddha.
"Zoan: Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Beast Model: Buddha!" he bellowed, his voice booming like thunder.
"Buddha Palm Strike!"
The enormous golden hands clapped together with incredible force, attempting to crush Shenhou between them. The two forces collided, their Conqueror's Haki clashing violently, sending shockwaves through the warship. Countless Marines collapsed, overwhelmed by the sheer pressure, leaving only a handful conscious.
"As expected of a Marine Admiral," Edie mused, his tone almost admiring as he raised a hand and issued a new command. "Chenlong."
With a serpentine twist, Chenlong coiled his massive body and raised his tail high, bringing it down with earth-shattering force towards the warship.
"You bastard! Stop it!" Sengoku's voice was filled with desperation. Forced to choose between suppressing Shenhou and preventing Chenlong from sinking the ship, he abandoned the former and rushed to defend the latter.
Shenhou seized the opportunity. Enma, his cursed blade, flared with Conqueror's Haki as he slashed at Sengoku from an impossible angle.
Boom!
Chenlong's tail crashed into the warship, splitting it cleanly in two. Sengoku barely managed to deflect the blow, but the damage was done. The once-mighty vessel was reduced to wreckage.
Sengoku was furious. The golden Buddha swung a massive fist, landing a direct hit on Shenhou. "Don't underestimate an Admiral!"
A shockwave of terrifying intensity emanated from his strike, blasting Shenhou back hundreds of meters. Blood trickled from Shenhou's mouth as he tumbled through the air, his body battered by the force of the impact. Just before he could plunge into the sea, Shenhou's wings unfurled, catching the air and stabilizing him mid-flight.
"As expected, another Lunarian!" Sengoku's eyes narrowed as he rapidly assessed the situation. Chenlong could fly, and now it was clear Shenhou could as well. The battlefield had shifted dramatically, with the skies now their domain.
There was only one way to turn the tide.
Moonwalk!
Sengoku propelled himself into the air with a burst of speed, his golden form streaking towards Edie like a comet. In an instant, he was face-to-face with the man who had orchestrated this chaos.
But Edie merely smiled.
Before Sengoku could launch his attack, Chenlong's jaws snapped open, and in a flash, the Admiral found himself trapped within the dragon's maw. Sengoku braced himself, his powerful hands and feet straining to keep the beast's deadly fangs at bay. The situation was dire—he was surrounded by enemies with no clear way out.
Chenlong, showing no mercy, roared, "Boro Breath!" A torrent of scorching flames erupted from the dragon's throat, engulfing Sengoku in a blinding inferno.
Boom!
A brilliant red blaze shot through the sky, extending thousands of meters. From within the fiery onslaught, the golden Buddha form of Sengoku plummeted toward the sea below.
"Is he dead?" Shenhou asked, hovering beside Edie.
Edie shook his head, his voice calm and confident. "He won't die so easily. You underestimate the strength of an Admiral. One-on-one, you're not yet his match."
As Sengoku fell, his massive Buddha form quickly shrank back into his human shape. He landed heavily on a fragment of the warship, his expression a mix of frustration and rage.
"You bastards!" Sengoku's voice was thick with anger as he glared up at the sky.
Edie, standing atop Chenlong's head, chuckled softly. "Sengoku, are you here to redeem someone?"
Sengoku's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know?"
"The Beasts Pirates owe me a significant amount of money, and they've been raking in profits recently," Edie replied with a knowing smile. "I'm a peace-loving man, so I suggested they spare the Marines and let you pay a ransom instead."
"You...!" Sengoku's fury was palpable, his fists clenching as veins bulged on his forehead.
"Why so angry?" Edie teased. "Without my suggestion, all your Marines would be resting at the bottom of the sea. You should be thanking me, not trying to attack me."
Edie's tone was mocking, a sharp edge to his words. He waved his hand dismissively. "Consider today a lesson. Remove my bounty as soon as possible. That's not a request, it's an order."
As he finished speaking, Chenlong's eyes gleamed with a trace of regret—he had wanted to end Sengoku right there. But Edie had other plans.
"I'm a busy man, Admiral. Farewell."
With a final, mocking echo, Chenlong lifted Edie high into the sky, the massive dragon disappearing into the clouds, leaving Sengoku standing amidst the wreckage. His face was a storm of conflicting emotions.
As he watched the dragon vanish, Sengoku knew one thing for certain: the strength of the Twelve Earthly Branches had to be reassessed. If each of them was as formidable as Shenhou, they could pose an even greater threat than the Rocks Pirates had once been.
On the other side, Shenhou wiped the blood from Enma, carefully folding the blood-stained cloth before handing it to Edie.
"Heavenly Father," Shenhou murmured, his tone respectful.
"Well done," Edie responded with a nod of approval.
This encounter with Sengoku had served a deeper purpose. The blood of a Marine Admiral was not something easily obtained, and Edie knew it was an opportunity he couldn't let slip by. The next phase of his plan required such a rare resource.
Turning inward, Edie activated his system.
[This simulation project]: "Research on Biological Cloning in the Pirate World: Human (Sengoku) Bloodline Factor Cloning Technology"
[Necessary conditions for this study]: Blood factor theory, Sengoku's blood factor, Lunarian clan's blood factor
[Progress...]
[In the seventh year, you successfully created Sengoku 2.]
A blinding flash of white light illuminated the sky. When it subsided, a new figure stood atop Chenlong's head—a perfect clone of Sengoku.
Edie leaned in close, his voice soft but commanding, "It's time for you to wake up, new compatriot..."
The clone's eyes slowly opened, awakening to a world it had never known.
"From now on, your codename is [Weiyang]," Edie declared, sealing the clone's identity and role within his expanding network of formidable allies.