Back then, he had already vowed to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to the Infinity Pirates and swear allegiance to Li Yuan, pledging never to betray him!
"Yes, work hard. I look forward to the day you can enhance my Seven Stars Sword," Li Yuan said, patting Yuma on the shoulder.
With that, Li Yuan left.
"So the captain wants me to enhance the Seven Stars Sword. If the Seven Stars Sword becomes stronger, then the captain's power will increase significantly. I must strive hard!" Yuma felt invigorated after hearing Li Yuan's words.
Everything he had now was given by Li Yuan, and if he could help Li Yuan, he would never refuse.
Hearing that Li Yuan wanted to entrust his Seven Stars Sword to him for enhancement, Yuma felt a mix of pressure and trust.
"Let's see what I've gained this time!"
After visiting the newly established laboratory, Li Yuan eagerly went to his private treasury.
This time, he had conquered the World Government member nation, the Kingdom of Belgar, and acquired a large amount of treasure.
The ordinary treasures alone were worth around 100 billion Berries. Indeed, as a member nation of the World Government that had survived since the Rocks era, the kingdom's wealth was substantial.
Among these treasures, over 20 billion Berries were in currency, with the rest in valuable treasures.
Li Yuan, as usual, planned to use the Berries to develop the pirate group or Shakky's intelligence network.
He stored away the treasures with collectible value in his treasury, as in the future, while Berries might devalue, other items like gold, silver, jewelry, famous swords, precious ores, and Devil Fruits would continue to appreciate.
Therefore, it was best to spend the Berries now and save the rest for later.
Li Yuan was less concerned about the other treasures and more interested in the famous swords and Devil Fruits.
The Kingdom of Belgar had no famous swords or precious ores, but it did have Devil Fruits.
"Paramecia Strawberry Fruit!"
"Paramecia Cloth-Cloth Fruit!"
"Paramecia Glass Fruit!"
"Common Zoan Chicken-Chicken Fruit: Iron Rooster Form!"
"Common Zoan Rat-Rat Fruit: Field Mouse Form!"
"Common Zoan Bug-Bug Fruit: Ladybug Form!"
"Zoan Bat-Bat Fruit: Ancient Type: Night Bat Form!"
"The Ancient Type Night Bat Fruit is somewhat useful; the others are just trash!"
Looking at the seven Devil Fruits he had identified, Li Yuan felt both speechless and pleasantly surprised.
An Ancient Type Devil Fruit, if given to someone with decent potential, could create a regular officer-level member of the Infinity Pirates.
Just like Karu, who wasn't exceptionally talented but, with the Ancient Type Swordwing Tiger, could eventually reach Ashura Doji's level of strength.
"There are too few people with potential in the Infinity Pirates. I have plenty of Devil Fruits, but no one worthy of them."
Li Yuan sighed helplessly.
He had many top-tier Devil Fruits but couldn't find people with corresponding talents to consume them.
There's an old saying that even a waste could soar if they ate a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
But Li Yuan wasn't generous enough to give a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit to someone without talent.
He would only let those with strong potential eat valuable Devil Fruits. For those without talent or value, he'd rather keep the Devil Fruits than waste them.
"Li Yuan, I've found the location of Sleepy Town that you asked me to investigate long ago. It's on a remote island in the New World, known by very few people."
After Li Yuan emerged from the treasury, Shakky approached him with good news.
"Sleepy Town, finally found it!"
Li Yuan was overjoyed to hear Shakky's report. Sleepy Town was said to hold the Devil Fruit that granted eternal life!
This was the Devil Fruit he reserved for the future when he reached the peak of his power and was ready to consider consuming a Devil Fruit.
And his first choice was naturally this Devil Fruit, which matched him perfectly and granted immortality.
"Shakky, it's been a long time since our family went on a vacation. Let's take Akame and the other little ones on a trip soon and have some fun."
Li Yuan said, looking at Shakky, who was dressed in black tights and black stockings.
"It's been a while since we've gone out, but is now the right time?"
Shakky blushed under Li Yuan's intense gaze.
Although they had been together for many years, Shakky was still easily embarrassed, especially under Li Yuan's blatant gaze, making her feel hot all over.
She wasn't sure why Li Yuan wanted to leave for a trip now, given the current unrest in the New World. Pirates were fighting for territories, and conflicts could erupt at any time. The Navy might also come after them because of the Kingdom of Belgar incident.
"There's nothing to worry about. With your Mirror-Mirror Fruit, we can return at any time, so there's no fear."
With that, Li Yuan wrapped his arm around Shakky's slender waist.
"Alright, if that's the case, let's go and have some fun."
Shakky replied, her face flushed.
Afterward, under the romantic atmosphere, Li Yuan spent a delightful evening.
Following a passionate hour, Li Yuan began selecting loyal followers to accompany him on the voyage.
A significantly modified large ship, originally a lieutenant-grade ship presented by the Sea Transport King Umit, served as Li Yuan's vessel.
After modifications, its speed was comparable to that of admiral-class warships.
Besides the travelers, only Li Yuan, Ashura Doji, and a few trusted associates knew of his departure from the base.
Li Yuan didn't need to micromanage the Infinity Pirates. He controlled the overarching direction, but the operations were managed by personnel trained by Lazuli, often with Yadina's remote assistance.
Lazuli gradually delegated management tasks to Yadina, focusing more on medical research and Devil Fruit development.
"Wow, is this the sea? It's so vast!!"
Upon setting sail, Esdeath enthusiastically rushed to the deck, marveling at the endless blue sea.
"So big, so big, Sis, this is really the sea!!"
Wei Zhuang and others excitedly joined her.
It was their first time seeing the ocean, as they had never seen it on Amazon Lily or Wano.
Naturally, they were thrilled at their first sight of the sea.
However, after a few days at sea, the novelty might wear off.
Li Yuan lay under a sunshade on the deck, wearing swim trunks, enjoying the bananas Lazuli had cut for him.
"Li Yuan, help me apply sunscreen!"
Yadina, in a bikini, lay on a nearby lounge chair, shyly requesting.
"Sure, I'm on it!"
Li Yuan responded, picking up the sunscreen and applying it to Yadina's smooth back without hesitation.
"Li Yuan, me too!!" × 2
Subsequently, Shakky and Lazuli followed Yadina's lead, asking Li Yuan to assist them.
"Alright, lie down, I'm coming!"
Li Yuan rubbed his hands together, applied the sunscreen evenly, and began to skillfully massage the two women, providing them unprecedented relaxation.
Thus, Li Yuan led his family on a joyous voyage toward Sleepy Town.
Whenever they encountered an island, they stopped to replenish supplies, enjoy a day of leisure, and strategically place some mirrors.
Fortunately, they had disguised themselves well and bore no distinguishing marks, so no one recognized their identities along the way.
After traveling for over half a month, they finally reached Sleepy Town, a small town on the edge of the New World.
Sleepy Town had a long history.
The town's livelihood relied on breeding, and unlike typical islands that bred crops and livestock, this island's unique environment made it a natural bat breeding ground.
Bats, with medicinal properties in their bodies, even had droppings that served as medicine.
The townspeople of Sleepy Town survived by breeding bats, collecting bat droppings, and trading culled bats with merchants.
Every month, a merchant ship arrived, bringing large quantities of food, daily necessities, and trinkets to sell to the townspeople. Upon departure, they took the medicinal materials purchased here.
Due to their barely balanced income and expenditure, the island's able-bodied men couldn't accumulate much savings.
As a result, many men left to work elsewhere, leaving mostly the elderly and women on the island.
This was why Shakky could find Sleepy Town's location, thanks to the men who had ventured out and provided the information.
Today, a massive ship arrived at the remote town of Sleepy Town, and over five hundred menacing individuals disembarked, armed with swords and looking intimidating.
If it weren't for the lack of a pirate flag, the townspeople would have thought pirates had come to plunder their town.
Even so, many townspeople quickly fled, hiding in their homes.
The town's mayor, Alik Tapper, hurried over upon hearing the news.
"Honorable sir, I am the mayor of this town. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Alik Tapper asked urgently upon seeing Li Yuan leading the group.
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