"Morning, Linlin!"
"Morning, Gerd!"
After freshening up, Linlin and Gerd stepped out of their rooms, exchanging cheerful smiles and greetings. Meanwhile, El, looking as spirited as ever, was already out training with Rock, Moss, Uthan, Sak, and Little Oars, showing no signs of fatigue.
Even Nef, Stussy, and Lillian, though a bit more subdued, were up and moving without much trouble. Their resilience was undeniable, and El had gone easy on them, considering it was their first time. Despite the previous night's events, they joined the morning workout with only slight stiffness, thanks to Nef's care as the ship's doctor. They performed push-ups and sit-ups alongside the others, with Linlin and Gerd noticing nothing unusual.
However, Tsuru occasionally cast them an odd glance.
"Tsuru, is something wrong?" asked Lillian, trying to act innocent despite feeling uneasy under Tsuru's scrutiny.
"Nothing at all," Tsuru replied, her cheeks flushing slightly as she quickly looked away to resume her training. She couldn't very well admit that she'd eavesdropped on their late-night plotting or mention the strange dreams she'd had afterward, inspired by the bits she'd overheard. Those three were certainly… spirited.
"Young people sure do have energy to spare," Dr. Kureha commented with a knowing look, sipping her drink as she roasted some meat nearby after a light warm-up.
"True enough," El replied with a smile, glancing meaningfully toward Tsuru, who was trying to train without looking in his direction. "Might as well take advantage of that energy while we're young, right, Tsuru?"
"Wh-what? El, I… uh…" Tsuru stammered, turning red as she shifted her gaze, clearly rattled. She had the feeling El had caught on to her antics from the night before, and now her face was burning with embarrassment. She desperately wished she could disappear as Linlin and Gerd exchanged confused glances. Had they missed something?
…
Days passed swiftly.
Five days later, on Atlantis, near the shores of God's Island Upper Yard:
"Ugh… I'm exhausted!" Ryan groaned, lying flat on the ground, spent from his efforts.
In front of him stood around a dozen newly completed angel robots, each about two meters tall, wielding either swords, spears, or firearms. To enhance their agility, Ryan had kept their interiors mostly hollow, aside from essential weaponry like machine guns and ammunition. The outer shell, crafted from shape-memory alloy, was sturdy and thick, ensuring these new angel Homies soldiers had the best possible performance under current conditions.
"Nice work, Ryan," Gerd said with a warm smile. Over the past few days, the Shandians had been hosting celebratory banquets for them, and, under Ryan's guidance as a Munch-Munch Fruit user, Atlantis had amassed over five thousand angel robots of various models, all integrated into the newly expanded Homies angel army.
Some of these robots were even equipped with unique shell weapons collected from the islands—everything from basic impact dials to powerful jet dials—making even the standard troops significantly stronger. Lucifer, the six-winged fallen angel, had also undergone Ryan's enhancements, now outfitted with formidable shell weaponry and boasting even greater power.
"Woosh—"
Gerd stepped forward, pressing her hands onto the angel robots and activating her Soul-Soul Fruit ability to infuse them with souls. Instantly, these robotic angels sprang to life, as if they possessed true sentience, and knelt on one knee before her, saying, "Master!"
"Just call me Gerd-sama," she responded, pointing at the modified six-winged fallen angel Homies leader. "From now on, Lucifer will be your commander. He'll guide you in your duties."
"Yes, Gerd-sama," they replied in unison.
"Incredible power… the Soul-Soul Fruit is simply astonishing," remarked Shandia warrior Leo, who had been observing with awe as the angelic army assembled. Over the past few days, El had granted him the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Velociraptor, and trained him in Armament Haki. Now, after training alongside Rock, Moss, and the others, Leo's strength had increased exponentially. He was confident that if he faced the "god" of Skypiea again, he would easily overwhelm him.
"Great job, Ryan… here's some roasted meat for you!" said Little Oars, now in a form over ten meters tall, as he brought over several gigantic, freshly roasted chunks of Sea King meat, placing them before Ryan.
"Thanks! Time to dig in!" Ryan, without further hesitation, opened his enormous jaws and began devouring the food, using his Munch-Munch powers to restore his energy.
"I can't make any more angel robots for now," Ryan sighed after finishing his meal. "We've completely run through our supply of rare materials, so I'll have to go on another resource run soon."
"No rush," El replied, smiling as he approached. "We already have an impressive number of Homies troops. Besides, to ensure these forces are strong enough, each of them has a full soul infused within. The navy souls Gerd collected from their finest soldiers have almost all been used up!"
To El, these Homies, unless countered by a rare skill or a particularly powerful Haki user, would be far more effective in combat than even several times their number of elite navy troops. Ryan's angel robots, while not individually powerful, were reinforced with whole souls from trained soldiers, allowing them to exhibit surprising strength.
"El-sama, should we continue targeting marine outposts?" Nef asked with a mischievous smile. According to their plan, the less durable wax Homies troops would be used first. Once they acquired more materials, they would begin crafting advanced angel Homies, infusing souls in a way that would maximize their efficiency. The older wax soldiers would still serve as support troops, albeit with diminished combat power due to partial souls being divided among them, but their hard, steel-like bodies would remain a formidable barrier for regular marine forces.
This strategy allowed them to reserve the majority of their soul resources for more powerful Homies. Even so, El aimed to amass an army of at least 100,000 Homies of various types, so they still needed more souls.
"That won't be necessary. I have a better plan," El said, his eyes gleaming with a dark, amused glint.
"The world's greatest undersea prison, Impel Down?" Linlin exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. "Maaamaaamaa… I like it!"
Gerd licked her lips eagerly, sharing the same excitement. "How thrilling! I can't wait!"
Impel Down, the fortress known as inescapable, where tens of thousands of prisoners were held, many of them hardened criminals with immense power. Their souls were of the highest quality—more than enough to fulfill their needs for the final preparations of the Totto Land plan.
~~~
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