"Crack... clank..."
Three days later.
On an uninhabited island, a towering three-meter statue chomped down on a large ore deposit, tearing through the mountain as it devoured huge chunks of minerals. The once-mighty peak now bore a vast crater, and nearby, heaps of freshly synthesized copper, iron, aluminum, and other metals lay in towering piles. Squads of wax soldiers worked tirelessly, loading these onto Atlantis.
"Ryan, about done there?" El asked with a smile.
For three days, they hadn't headed straight to Jaya Island in search of the City of Gold. Instead, they followed Lillian's guidance, using her Glare-Glare Fruit ability to scout the surrounding islands. So far, several islands had been left utterly stripped by Ryan, a freshly minted Munch-Munch Fruit user who was devouring anything valuable, particularly mineral-rich deposits. El had even produced a grove of rubber trees, letting Ryan extract rubber sap for various scientific uses and to assist Gerd in creating a new Homies army.
"Whew, a bit full… but yeah, that should do it!"
Ryan, looking a bit bloated, let out a contented belch. His oversized jaws, lined with metal teeth, began to contract, returning to a more regular size. He grabbed a chunk of ore rich in copper, iron, aluminum, and tungsten, took a few bites, and gulped it down, grinding it effortlessly.
"Munch Factory: Metal Refining!"
Suddenly, Ryan's torso convulsed like a factory in operation, and a panel in his abdomen swung open.
'Clang, clink...' Out poured refined copper, iron, aluminum, and more, leaving everyone wide-eyed with amazement.
"Incredible…"
"He refined the minerals instantly!"
"Now that's a serious ability!"
Aboard Atlantis, Tsuru, Lily, and Linlin watched, unable to hide their astonishment.
"Heh, that's not all..."
Ryan chuckled mischievously. To everyone's surprise, a gleaming metal statue, streamlined and intricately detailed, began emerging from his body. This figure wore armor and boasted three pairs of massive wings—like a six-winged fallen angel from myth.
"A fallen angel statue?"
Gerd walked over, her towering form lifting the black statue easily. She examined the three-meter-tall figure, its six dark wings and menacing sword in hand, detailed and imposing. Noticing that its limbs, wings, and joints seemed fully articulated with complex mechanical systems, she looked at Ryan in surprise.
"Ryan, is this a robot?"
"This is my latest creation," Ryan grinned, proudly explaining. "It's a combat angel robot forged with high-strength, shape-memory metals that I perfected through repeated trials. It incorporates everything I've learned over the years."
"Not only is it equipped with a Gatling gun, capable of launching flames and rockets, it also has a flame-propulsion system," he continued. "Though I can activate basic movement, it lacks any real intelligence on its own and wouldn't be capable of much combat. But with your Soul-Soul Fruit, it could gain a form of life, becoming a fully animated, amphibious combat unit capable of operating on land, sea, and air."
As he spoke, his eyes sparkled with excitement, turning eagerly to Gerd.
"Gerd-sama," Ryan said with enthusiasm, "I believe this angel statue would be the perfect Homie vessel for the soul of that Holy Knight Commander we captured! It'll wield incredible power!"
"Not only that, but I can mass-produce simpler versions of these angel robots," he continued. "With your Soul-Soul Fruit powers, you could breathe life into them as Homies, assembling a flying angel army equipped with swords, spears, and even firearms."
"When we move forward with our Totto Land Kingdom project and launch a full-scale war against the World Government, they're in for a big surprise!"
Hearing Ryan's bold vision, everyone—including El, Gerd, Tsuru, Linlin, Moss, Rock, Lily, and Little Oars—watched in awe, taken aback by the idea. The memory metal he used to craft the robot was notably lighter than typical steel, and unlike wax, it had no weakness to fire. Its durability was astonishing, making the idea of an indestructible, tireless angel army even more intimidating.
"Brilliant!" El said with a grin, nodding approvingly to Gerd. "Let's make it happen!"
"I'm looking forward to it!" Gerd said, inspecting the angel robot that Ryan had made with the shape-memory metal. She held up the replica angel robot, ready to activate it.
Without hesitation, her eyes narrowed as she unleashed the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit. Her hands glowed with a visible spiritual aura. "I grant you life; arise in the form of a fallen angel… Lucifer!"
With that, Gerd channeled the 30 years' worth of life essence she'd taken from Saint Howard, the captured Holy Knight Commander, pouring it all into the angel robot. Instantly, the once-lifeless figure became a unique Homie.
In a flash, the angel robot opened its eyes, and an anthropomorphic face formed within the helmet. As Gerd released her hold, the six dark wings flared open.
With a powerful downdraft, Lucifer took flight, landing firmly on the ground before kneeling and bowing. "Master!"
"Address me as Gerd-sama," Gerd replied, pointing to the island ahead. "Lucifer, attack the island at full power—I want to see what you can do!"
"As you command, Gerd-sama!" Lucifer replied, spreading his six wings and rising into the air. From his shoulders, black gun barrels emerged as mechanical systems engaged.
'Ratatat... ratatat...'
Flames erupted from the barrels, and bullets rained down in relentless waves. The shots tore through a massive tree, shredding it to splinters and felling it with a loud crash.
Then his right arm lifted, revealing several small rocket launchers.
'Boom... boom...'
A series of explosions filled the air as rockets were launched, creating massive craters on impact. Fiery light and thick smoke surged skyward, and the area ahead was reduced to smoking ruins.
Lucifer extended his right hand, from which emerged a dark barrel. In his palm, blinding fire gathered as he declared, "Blazing Cannon!"
The air shimmered with heat as a powerful stream of fire surged forward, engulfing the forest in a blazing inferno.
In the next instant, Lucifer's six wings beat forcefully, propelling him forward with incredible speed. His sharp gaze was fixed on the target as he swung his sword, unleashing a massive energy slash.
"Holy Light Slash!"
The air parted as the giant slash ripped through the flames, leaving behind a jaw-dropping trench carved into the ground.