The streets of Cocoyashi Village were alive with laughter and relief. The villagers, long under Arlong's oppression, now moved freely, repairing their homes, sharing tangerines, and celebrating the end of tyranny. Children ran barefoot through the alleys, chasing each other and squealing with joy. Even the elders, who had feared for decades, allowed themselves a smile as the sun glinted off the repaired roofs.
Nami walked quietly through the orchard, carrying the treasure she had reclaimed from Arlong's vaults. Her steps were cautious; though the battle was won, danger never truly left her. Above her, the Iron Cluster and Shield Beetle hovered silently, invisible sentinels ready to react to the slightest threat.
She stopped beneath the orange trees and drew her blade, considering erasing Arlong's mark herself. But as the steel tip approached her skin, the Shield Beetle darted into place, its metallic surface absorbing the impact. Sparks flew, the blade shattering harmlessly against the mechanical guardian. Nami exhaled slowly, letting the tension leave her shoulders.
> "I can't do this alone," she whispered.
Her voice carried across the orchard, reaching ears ready to respond.
---
Far off the coast, Nezume reported to Marine headquarters, his voice stiff with anxiety:
> "Two major incidents confirmed. Straw Hat Luffy has defeated Arlong and neutralized his group. Additionally, an unknown operator, code name: Beetleforger, deployed mechanical units to secure victory."
HQ murmured in unease. The sea was becoming unpredictable, and a new independent force — neither Marine nor pirate — had just revealed its presence.
---
Meanwhile, Tessal had already departed Cocoyashi's streets in his small skiff, accompanied by Rend and a handful of soldier-class mecha bugs. They moved like shadows, slipping past the remnants of Arlong's forces to reach Nezume's abandoned outpost. Inside, metallic drawers and glass displays had been ransacked by Tessal's calculated movements.
Coins, bribe ledgers, and discarded mechanical parts littered the floor. Most importantly, he recovered the computer and blueprints created by Albert, his father — a Marine scientist who had devoted his life to theoretical innovations rather than battlefield applications. Tessal ran his fingers over the schematics, eyes wide with disbelief.
> So this is what father could have achieved… and the Marines never let it see the light of day.
He carefully lifted the devices and materials, storing them for analysis. With these, Tessal could refine his techniques, evolve his fighting style, and create a new generation of commanders for his mechanical army.
---
Back aboard the Atlas, Tessal began assembling his ideas. The naval core units were first:
Hydrobeetle, sturdy amphibious infantry
Aqua Mantis, close-range underwater striker
Krill Crawler, swarm-support with micro-drones
Nautilisk, bioluminescent scout and signaling unit
Tide Hornet, artillery-capable amphibious fighter
Shelkrid, heavy tank for anchoring and defense
Two skeletal frames dominated the testing bay:
Drakarion, Dragon Fighter General, wings jointed but unpowered, lance mechanical yet rudimentary, awaiting final integration
Siren, Naval General, aquatic insect hybrid, tail whip and fin structures ready for water combat, semi-autonomous and dependent on Tessal's direct guidance
Even in their beta forms, their potential radiated an intimidating presence. Tessal ran basic maneuvers, synchronizing small squad drills and testing communication lines between the units.
---
From the Atlas' bridge, Tessal observed the celebrations below. Villagers laughed, played, and worked together. Luffy and the Straw Hats mingled with the freed citizens, unaware that above them, a new era of mechanical warfare was quietly being forged.
> "This is only the beginning," Tessal whispered, adjusting his helm. The Beetleforger mask gleamed in the sunlight. "Soon, every battlefield will bend to the forces I create."
He activated a sequence on his console, sending micro-drones into coordinated drills, moving the Hydrobeetles in formation, spinning the Krill Crawlers in tight arcs, testing Tide Hornet trajectories. Each motion was deliberate, a rehearsal for the eventual swarm that would dominate both sea and air.
Drakarion's skeletal wings flexed mechanically, the jointed limbs moving at Tessal's command. Siren's fins cut through shallow water as tethered micro-bugs scuttled across her armored limbs.
> I will give them commanders worthy of the battlefield. And I will be ready when the Marines or anyone else try to challenge me.
Tessal paused to examine the recovered schematics of his father's computer, his mind racing with possibilities. Water-based bug armies, generals for air and sea, hybrid mechas to cover every battlefield niche — his vision was expanding faster than any one design could contain.
The sun climbed higher, and Cocoyashi's laughter filled the air. Beneath it, mechanical shadows moved, unseen but meticulously prepared. Tessal's eyes reflected both the bright sky and the hidden potential of his swarm.
> "The sea will know the Beetleforger," he murmured, turning to his beta generals. "And it will remember."
The unfinished frames of Drakarion and Siren loomed behind him, a silent promise of the future. The Beetleforger had begun his true work.