With the Munch-Munch Fruit as a safety net, Tenma showed zero hesitation toward problem children with questionable loyalties. He had Kompus activate her ability and forcibly extract the Sing-Sing Fruit.
This Paramecia Devil Fruit carried the potential to destroy the world. To truly put it to good use, Tenma decided to cultivate a new spokesperson.
Very quickly, a candidate surfaced in his mind—Kalifa.
A future super-popular songstress: beautiful, sweet-voiced, sharp-minded, and possessing exceptional theft and intelligence-gathering skills.
If someone like her were properly trained, she wouldn't just be a global superstar—she would absolutely become a core pillar of the Shadow Guard.
More importantly, she was about the same age as Nami, still at a stage where her values hadn't fully solidified—easy to mold, easy to control.
Tenma immediately gave the order. The Shadow Guards embedded within the World Government moved at once, coordinating with intelligence networks across the Four Seas. Capturing her was only a matter of time.
Half a year passed in the blink of an eye.
On this particular day, the weather was perfect—clear skies and a gentle breeze.
Tenma lounged comfortably on a reclining chair beneath the shade of a tree, enjoying a rare moment of leisure.
He wasn't watching Hancock and Yamato's fierce clash on the training field. Instead, he was flipping through the day's newspaper Robin had brought him.
The Red-Hair Pirates—infamous for massacring an entire nation—had appeared once more on the Grand Line.
And the paper had given them a massive close-up—Red-Hair Shanks's missing arm.
This was huge news. As the undisputed overlord of the first half of the Grand Line, Shanks losing an arm sparked endless speculation and unease.
Tenma looked at the paper and chuckled inwardly.
So the so-called bet on the new era… you're already placing your chips?
Just how much of your wish will still come true beneath the flutter of my butterfly wings?
Or perhaps that self-righteous gamble of yours is nothing more than a dead move already placed on my chessboard.
Boom—boom—boom!
Thunder and Haki collided endlessly on the training grounds, the earth trembling with each impact.
As the two women grew increasingly adept at using Conqueror's Haki coating, the field had become a full-blown disaster zone—howling winds, flying rubble.
The once-clear sky seemed torn apart, clouds ripping and wailing as if in mourning.
Seeing the clash intensify, Tenma finally set the newspaper aside and turned his gaze toward the two graceful figures on the field.
After another violent collision, Yamato—relying on her slightly superior Haki output—forced Hancock back several steps.
Hands on her hips, Yamato laughed carefree.
"Hahaha! I win again!"
Hancock bit her finger lightly, her face full of unwilling frustration—especially at losing face in front of Lord Tenma.
She lifted her proud chin, looking down her nose at Yamato as she snorted.
"Don't get cocky. You may have won the fight, but in certain aspects, this empress is far ahead of you."
As she spoke, she deliberately flicked her waterfall-like hair aside, revealing the dazzling Pure Gold earrings on her ears.
Yamato froze for a moment, then clasped her hands behind her head, utterly unconcerned.
"Tch, I don't care about shiny rocks. Tenma said he'll give me some too once I grow up."
"Hmph. What I meant by 'ahead' isn't limited to that."
Hancock's lips curled into a meaningful smile—the contemptuous look of a victor.
This was a domain that a blockhead like Yamato, whose brain was full of nothing but fighting, could never understand.
Yamato tilted her head. Not getting it, she didn't bother thinking further—her body instantly turned into a bolt of lightning and vanished.
In the next instant, she was clinging to Tenma.
"I won again, Tenma!"
Hearing Yamato's coquettish voice, Hancock's expression changed. Her serpentine waist twisted, and she appeared beside Tenma in a blink.
"This empress was merely careless just now. In a life-or-death battle, who wins is far from certain!"
The two of them flanked Tenma left and right like kittens competing for affection, pressing tightly against him.
Feeling the astonishing softness on both arms, Tenma felt as though he were wrapped in two fluffy clouds.
Originally, Yamato had little concept of jealousy or rivalry. Her personality was free and unrestrained—sticking to Tenma was pure instinct.
But after Hancock unilaterally declared her a rival, Yamato began competing just for fun.
Now, as she grew older and understood more, the idea of becoming Tenma's most important retainer pushed her—under Hancock's stimulation—to become increasingly proactive.
Both were daughters of heaven. Different personalities, but equally proud to the bone. Neither would ever concede to the other.
Tenma naturally welcomed this kind of healthy competition. After all, only this way would their motivation to train Conqueror's coating continue to grow.
The scene shifted to Wano's absolute forbidden zone after reconstruction—the Research Base.
Its location was impeccable, nestled between the armory near Udon, the Blade Port military base, and the Amazon Lily fortress.
Backed by top-tier resources and terrifying military power, this place was unquestionably the heart of Wano's heart.
Walking through the massive research park, Tenma received greetings from every direction.
As his territory expanded explosively, the research team grew like a snowball rolling downhill.
Not only were elite talents recruited from outside, but locally cultivated prodigies were also beginning to shine.
Anyone allowed in here needed more than technical skill—they had to pass Tenma's "mind-reading" test to ensure absolute loyalty.
After all, what was researched here concerned Wano's national destiny for the next thirty years.
The base's internal hierarchy was strict, divided into zones according to classification level.
From civilian tech—daily-life innovations and new manufacturing processes—
to military fields like mass production of new weapons, lineage factor coding, artificial Devil Fruits, Pure Gold refinement,
and finally, the highest tier—the memory metal technology tree.
Each level represented a leap from the old era into the new.
At the very top of the pyramid lay the lineage factor coding projects, housed in the base's core area.
From here onward, specialized instruction in gene coding was provided. Only scholars with impeccable seniority, ability, and loyalty were qualified to enter Tenma's direct research team.
Tenma headed straight for the largest and most heavily guarded experimental center.
Every door here was equipped with black-tech authentication systems— even a lightning cannon blast would barely scratch them.
Only those with special ID tokens could step into this godly domain.
Tenma passed through layer after layer of security as if walking through empty space.
Along the way, he saw a group of Tontatta dwarves busily harvesting and maintaining artificial Devil Fruits.
To make things easier for these adorable little workers, the base had even carved out a miniature jungle zone.
Tenma smiled and greeted the dwarves on duty before entering the rail corridor and heading straight for the deepest section.
The Pure Gold research wasn't urgent, so he didn't disturb that team.
With a soft hiss, the mechanical doors slid open to both sides.
Tenma stepped into the memory metal laboratory, led by Kompus with assistance from top scientists like Caesar.
The place was absurdly huge—over a kilometer wide—like a colossal factory straight out of science fiction.
Cultivation chambers, manufacturing bays, research halls—everything was there. Behind it all, there was even a dedicated open-air testing ground.
"Lord Tenma~!"
A sweet, lively voice rang out. A black-and-white figure shot into Tenma's arms like a cannonball.
It was Baby 5.
With the Arms-Arms Fruit, she wasn't just a mascot or weapon model here.
This laboratory researching new alloys was practically an upgrade sanctuary custom-made for her.
Now only thirteen years old, yet after mastering both Armament and Observation Haki, her strength already completely surpassed that of her original canon self in her twenties.
With energy weapons successfully developed and new combat suits growing more powerful by the day, Baby 5 could now transform into a mobile arsenal combining multiple weapon systems.
Under Tenma's guidance, her twisted "as long as I'm needed, I can't refuse" personality had been largely corrected.
As the tech tree continued to unlock, she would become the ultimate killing weapon loyal to Tenma alone.
Catching the clingy Baby 5, the other scientists finally snapped out of it and hurriedly paid their respects.
Researchers were all madmen—once immersed in work, even the King of Heaven himself might be ignored.
But toward Tenma—who provided unlimited funding and actually understood technology—their respect came straight from the heart.
"Enough with the formalities. Get back to work," Tenma waved them off.
He hadn't come here to hear flattery.
Even though he allowed them to skip formalities while working, they still insisted every time. Eventually, he stopped bothering to correct them.
"Kompus, how's the status of the embryos?"
After letting Baby 5 cling to him like a koala for a while, Tenma set her down and walked toward the massive central fabrication hall.
This was the heart of the memory-form alloy technology tree, benchmarked directly against Germa 66's underground clone factory in canon.
But there were no clones soaking in nutrient tanks here.
Instead, rows of metallic skeletons radiating mechanical beauty stood in silence.
These were mechanical lifeforms built from cutting-edge memory metal and implanted with lineage factor coding.
In plain terms—this was the ultimate evolution of the "Pacifista" that would appear in the Summit War. A generation-spanning war machine.
"Everything's stable. The gene programming for the external frameworks is complete. What remains is refinement and system stabilization," Kompus reported.
At that moment, Caesar—who had shifted his focus from the SMILE project—floated over, eyes blazing with fanaticism.
"Shurorororo! Lord Tenma, everything is proceeding exactly as you envisioned! The framework is complete!"
"When we fill in the biological factors and energy modules, we'll be able to mass-produce sword geniuses and martial arts masters with superpowers—just like canning food!"
"And the most exciting part—importing the lineage factors of natural-born monsters like BIG MOM! Monster-grade defense and offense paired with my destructive weapons—shurororo! These will be the strongest war machines in the world!"
Just imagining it made Caesar dance with excitement, his face flushed red.
This was no longer a madman's fantasy—it was a terrifying future on the verge of becoming reality.
Tenma looked at the rows of silent mechanical embryos and smiled meaningfully.
Beneath each massive hub, every bowed mechanical figure looked different on the surface—but that was merely the most basic disguise.
They would obey orders without condition, possess indestructible balloon-like defenses, boast the terrifying self-healing of memory metal, and even be capable—through technology—of "eating" Devil Fruits.
Imagine an army composed of such monsters.
How spectacular would that be?
Tenma felt a surge of excitement.
But meals had to be eaten one bite at a time. Before that, they needed to first produce the entry-level Pacifista equipped with electromagnetic cannons.
A storm destined to sweep the world was quietly brewing within this laboratory.
The colossal mountain of Pure Gold, towering higher than ten stacked steel battleships, had already been mostly cut and smelted.
At Tenma's instruction, it was forged into exquisitely crafted small ornaments.
Each piece flowed with a soul-stealing dark-golden sheen—a divine object capable of locking time itself and slowing aging.
Since the treasure was already home, Tenma was never the stingy type.
With a single wave of his hand, he distributed these priceless artifacts.
These fate-defying rings and necklaces naturally went to those core retainers who were not only loyal, but whom Tenma regarded as his right and left arms.
This wasn't just generosity—it was to ensure that the power guarding his throne could endure through the ages.
Among them, the greatest beneficiary was Mansherry.
The Pure Gold ring on her tiny finger radiated a gentle, cool warmth.
Under this mysterious power, when she activated the highest-tier restoration of the Heal-Heal Fruit—though it still consumed lifespan—the cost had been reduced to a negligible level.
That once-terrifying sensation of life draining away was now barely noticeable.
That alone was enough to prove just how heaven-defying this tiny ring truly was.
One week after the distribution of Pure Gold—just when Tenma had almost forgotten about the whole "going out to sea for a ring" affair—
After a full six months, the travel-worn Gion finally crossed the nation's gates, dragging along a deeply aggrieved-looking Baccarat.
Compared to Pure Gold, searching the seas for a specific Devil Fruit was far more mentally exhausting.
Baccarat collapsed limply into a chair, puffing her cheeks like an aggrieved kitten as she complained nonstop.
According to her, they had wandered from the New World all the way west, spinning in circles like headless flies.
Along the way, they had drained the misfortune of at least five towns just to convert it into good luck—only then managing to dig up the legendary Paramecia: Acceleration Fruit on some godforsaken deserted island in the West Blue.
Without Tenma's instantaneous flight ability, this job was pure manual labor.
But the payoff was more than enough to make it worthwhile.
The Acceleration Fruit, as its name implied, governed the rule of "speed."
It could drastically amplify the user's movements, sword strikes, footwork, and even neural reaction speed—instantly pushing them to absurd levels.
Once awakened, its power of assimilation could even drag surrounding objects and environments into a hyper-speed domain.
Of course, all power came at a price. The devil's gifts were no exception.
The upper limit of acceleration was tightly bound to the user's physical constitution.
The more outrageous the speed, the more terrifying the strain on bones and organs.
Cross that red line, and exhaustion would merely be the prelude—muscle tears, shattered bones, and even shortened lifespan would follow.
Even with such harsh restrictions, the fruit's strength was unquestionable.
In the deep exploitation of the single rule of "speed," it was even more refined and comprehensive than Tenma's brute-force multiplication ability.
Now imagine this fruit paired with the already sword-god-level "Momousagi" Gion.
The chemical reaction alone was scalp-numbing.
Watching Gion flicker about, afterimages filling the air, a classic line popped into Tenma's mind.
Time… will begin to accelerate.
Though admittedly a bit edgy, if this power were ever developed into a conceptual ability—even without touching the world's main timeline—merely altering the flow of time in a localized area would be enough to create a despair-inducing kill zone.
"It seems your next focus in training should be tempering your body," Tenma said calmly.
The instant his words fell, Gion's countless afterimages merged back into one.
She stood upright, a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead—the physical burden of an abrupt stop at extreme speed.
"That's true."
Gion shook out her slightly aching arms, savoring the lingering thrill of that lightning-fast sensation.
Even before returning, she had already been planning her future path.
To reach the awakening Tenma spoke of, an indestructible body was an absolute prerequisite.
"But even at this level," she added with a smile, "though it can't compare to your freakish hundredfold amplification, it's more than enough to make this sea tremble."
Her beautiful eyes gleamed as she looked straight at Tenma.
If not for the chasm-like gap in strength between them, she might have already drawn Konpira and dragged her lord into another exhilarating duel.
Even if she couldn't defeat Tenma, against Mihawk—that taciturn swordsman—Gion was confident that with this acceleration, she could seize far more initiative.
Even against someone of Koshiro's caliber, the balance of victory could very well tip in her favor.
This was the terror of top-tier experts consuming Devil Fruits—starting directly at the peak.
Don't be fooled by Gion's tall, slender figure that looked like a gentle willow in the breeze.
To sit securely in the Navy's Admiral-candidate seat, the explosive power within her body was absolutely on par with any muscle-bound brute.
A master of Life Return, she had refined every inch of muscle to perfection—her appearance was merely the best disguise.
With Gion growing even stronger, Hancock watched from the side, eyes burning with envy.
The proud empress's gaze drifted—almost unconsciously—toward Baccarat, who had just returned and barely had time to catch her breath.
Of course…
not for herself.
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