At that moment, far away in the Totto Land waters, on the ruins of Cake Island, a colossal figure—towering like a mountain and large enough to blot out the sun—emerged.
Only half of its body surfaced above the ground, yet the entire land was upheaved.
Shattered houses and rubble were buried deep beneath the earth, crushed under its massive presence.
"Tsk! That's ridiculously massive!"
"If that thing threw a single punch…"
"This entire island might crack open in an instant!"
"That enormous size is terrifying just to look at!"
"Hehehe~ The Stone-Stone Fruit's ability sure is outrageous..."
"And I bet this isn't even Saul's true limit!"
From the skies above, aboard the massive floating fortress Atlantis, members of the Fallen Angel Pirates—including Nef, Moss, and Rock—gazed at the titanic figure of Saul on Cake Island with awe and astonishment.
Even the giant warriors Helen, Lonz, and Hajrudin, who were of the same race as Saul, couldn't help but look on in shock.
"El-sama," said Tsuru, Totto Land's Chief Strategist, her expression serious as she gave her report, "Even with Saul, a Giant Stone-Stone Fruit user, accelerating the process, this project will require a massive amount of labor and time.
"The full reconstruction of the city will likely take at least three months."
She paused before continuing, "Fortunately, Barry and his team's spoils are significant. While they didn't breach the World Government's treasury, they plundered an enormous amount of wealth from the private estates of the Celestial Dragons. Funds are not an issue—we have enough resources to rebuild dozens of Cake Islands if necessary.
"However," she added, "this presents a good opportunity to replan Cake Island's layout. For a capital city of the Totto Land Kingdom, the current Cake Island is far too small."
El nodded with a smile. "Let Saul use his powers to bring up sand and stone from the seafloor and expand Cake Island's land area by at least tenfold.
"Additionally, raise the foundations of Cake Island and every island in Totto Land by at least 30 meters. Then proceed with the original plan to build massive bridges connecting all the islands in Totto Land, uniting them into a single entity."
El wasn't just expanding Totto Land's territory—he was preparing for a potential attack from the World Government.
Raising the islands' bases by 30 meters or more was a precautionary measure to mitigate the destructive potential of ancient weapons. By doing so, he also sent a subtle message to the World Government: I know the power of your weapon and have already accounted for its effects.
If they recklessly used such a weapon, it could lead to rising sea levels across the world, and he had already prepared defenses against it.
"Tsk-tsk, that's an enormous undertaking…"
The scientist Ryan chuckled. "Assuming Saul isn't treated like a machine and allowed time for rest and recovery, with an average workday of about eight hours, this project might take years to complete."
"No rush," El replied, waving dismissively.
"It's a big job, but progress is made step by step. Unless something unexpected happens, the initial plans won't need major adjustments."
El had plenty of patience for the construction and development of Totto Land and wasn't in a hurry.
Moreover, with Lillian, a Three-Eyed Tribe girl who could foresee the future and see through anything, there was little concern that the World Government would suddenly activate an ancient weapon.
As a precaution, most of the core members rarely gathered in one place, spending much of their time on the drifting aerial fortress Atlantis or operating separately.
"El, constantly having to guard against the World Government isn't a long-term solution..."
The towering Gerd, recently brought back from Elbaf by El, spoke seriously. "We need some effective countermeasures to deter and confront them."
"Mamahahaha, don't worry about that, Gerd," Linlin interjected with a grin. "El-oniichan already has a plan!
"Sebastian and Jien are currently leading a team to Fish-Man Island!"
"Fish-Man Island?" Gerd's curiosity was piqued.
"I heard there's someone named Vander Decken there. Their family has somehow passed down the power of the Mark-Mark Fruit for generations..."
El stated directly.
He understood well how broken the Mark-Mark Fruit's abilities were and wasn't about to let such a resource slip away.
Over the years, Fish-Men rescued by the Hell Trading Company from the black market had been gradually deployed to Fish-Man Island to track down Vander Decken VII (or whatever generation he was).
Two days ago, news had finally come in. Their agents had located Vander Decken's ghost ship deep beneath the sea and covertly placed a Vivre Card there to mark its location.
Now, Jien the Sea Tiger had been dispatched with a team to Fish-Man Island to subdue and bring Vander Decken back so his Devil Fruit power could be harvested.
"The Mark-Mark Fruit?"
Gerd, Nef, Moss, and others were intrigued. From the name alone, the ability sounded like it might relate to shooting or sniping.
"What? That's the ability?"
Unlike the others, Tsuru, who had memorized the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia, was taken aback. She exclaimed in disbelief, "Isn't that the ability that allows the user to mark a target with a touch, then throw anything at them with unerring accuracy?"
"That's correct," El said with a cold smile. "And it gets even crazier. Even objects as large as mountains or islands can be thrown, as long as they're not fixed in place.
"Once something is thrown, it will continue toward the target no matter the distance—whether the target is a world away or right next door.
"Unless the ability is deactivated, the user loses consciousness, or the object is intercepted or blocked, the projectile will never stop until it hits the target."
"What!?"
The room fell silent. Everyone stared in shock.
This seemingly unremarkable Paramecia-type Mark-Mark Fruit was this powerful?
"Once we bring him back and obtain the Mark-Mark Fruit's power..." El crossed his arms and spoke plainly:
"We can have Saul use the Stone-Stone Fruit to shape ten or more island-sized boulders from the sides of the Red Line near Mariejois. Then, the Mark-Mark Fruit user can hurl those massive stones directly at the Holy Land.
"If the World Government dares attack us, we'll immediately launch a retaliatory strike. We can even have Ryan manufacture some colossal bombs and toss those at them as well."
As for marking targets? That would be trivial.
Kidnapped Celestial Dragons could easily serve as marks.
Alternatively, small, inconspicuous Homies like mice, birds, or pangolins could sneak into Mariejois and hide in a corner to act as markers.
Another option would be to have Uthan's ability covertly bring the Mark-Mark user into the Holy Land. They could mark seemingly harmless objects like telephone snails or pets to ensure precision targeting.
With both sides capable of launching devastating attacks on each other's strongholds, mutual deterrence would be established.
Even if the World Government wanted to activate an ancient weapon, they'd first have to weigh whether they could handle the consequences.
Just as they could threaten Totto Land, the Fallen Angel Pirates could strike back.
There would always be lapses in vigilance, and during one quiet night, a few well-placed "fireworks" large enough to level Mariejois could become an unforgettable display.
"Tsk—"
~~~
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