"Lion: Sen-nagi!"
In Wano, on Onigashima, the Golden Lion let out a great shout, and in the next instant, an astonishing Haki erupted. Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki were entwined around his blades; black lightning and thunder dissipated outward, appearing to fill the entire sky. This was a strike descending from the heavens, like a falling meteor—the very blow that Oden had failed to withstand back then.
Below, seeing Shiki's ultimate strike, Beltz took a deep breath.
"Vacuum Zone!"
Under the control of his Hybrid (Dragon-man) form, the surrounding air surged violently. The high-speed flowing air formed a massive force field around him!
Boom!
The two forces collided at that moment. As expected, the defense of the Vacuum Zone shattered instantly, and Shiki's blade struck his body directly.
Slash!
The incredible strike broke through the Vacuum Zone line and slashed across Beltz's chest. However, Beltz's body seemed to undergo a certain change at that exact second. A bronze-like color surfaced on his skin; his already robust Hybrid form seemed to become even more powerful.
The strike that had once severely wounded Oden failed to produce a similar effect on Beltz. First, there was the obstruction of the Vacuum Zone; second, Beltz was using his Haki for defense at full power; third, his physical body had received a terrifying enhancement. Combined with the defense of his Blut Vene, it formed a fourfold protection akin to an absolute defense.
Even with Shiki's full-strength strike, Beltz was merely forced backward. Although blood sprayed from his chest, he had successfully defended against the blade!
"You've succeeded again." Shiki looked at the blade Beltz had blocked and remarked, "Don't tell me you're going to say it was just luck again?"
The wound on Beltz's chest gradually recovered as he stood up. "It was indeed a bit lucky. I still haven't quite grasped the trick to it."
Two years had passed since they arrived in Wano. During these two years, Beltz had been training his Azure Dragon fruit abilities and his Haki. In Wano, there were only two people capable of being his training partners: Shiki and Oden.
After two years of training, he had vaguely touched upon the secret of Conqueror's Haki. Yes, he possessed the qualities of a king! According to Shiki, his previous "Dragon's Awe" was the prototype of Conqueror's Haki. Although it wasn't the true Haki yet, it confirmed his disposition. It was likely similar to Roronoa Zoro's "Asura."
With a master of Conqueror's Haki Infusion like Shiki personally teaching him, he was becoming increasingly familiar with the power. However, as of now, he still hadn't truly mastered the technique. But he had learned the "Internal Destruction" application of Armament Haki.
Next was the development of the Azure Dragon fruit. He had said before that his development path for the fruit was different from Kaido's. As a legendary Mythical Zoan, the Azure Dragon possessed many incredible abilities: elemental control and a powerful physical body, making the user an almost flawless "all-rounder" warrior.
Kaido developed the fruit into the "Bagua" and "Wisdom King" series of moves. Beltz, however, named the abilities he was currently developing and planned for the future the "Kotodama" (Word Soul) series. For example, the Vacuum Zone used to block Shiki and the Bronze Throne used to buff himself were both abilities gained from fruit development. Vacuum Zone was elemental manipulation, while Bronze Throne was a further development of physical reinforcement.
Zoan fruits, especially at the Mythical level, aren't limited to just Beast, Human, and Hybrid forms. With further development, one can unlock a fourth or even fifth form. For instance, Kaido could trigger and strengthen his Haki through drinking—the Drunken Form. In that state, he could push his power further into a Bloodthirsty State. Kaido's strongest state was maintaining his Hybrid form while entering the Drunken Bloodthirsty State. In this mode, he could even contend with Luffy's Gear 5 Nika.
Beltz had also developed an advanced form: using Bronze Throne while in Hybrid mode to further reinforce his body. In these two years, his progress was significant. If he could truly master Conqueror's Haki Infusion, he would undoubtedly hold a place among the top tiers of One Piece!
Shiki felt he was raising a monster. On the surface, Beltz looked to be in his early twenties—very young—yet he already possessed such power. But as a powerhouse himself, Shiki had absolute confidence; he wasn't stagnant either. If Beltz got stronger, Shiki just had to get stronger too. After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, those people scattered across the sea were all growing in strength.
Seeing Beltz still looking like he hadn't caught the "knack," Shiki said impatiently, "I really don't get you. The main reason you blocked that Haki-infused strike just now was because you unconsciously triggered Conqueror's Haki for defense. You have a unique, god-given talent for 'defense'."
Beltz gave a somewhat embarrassed laugh. "For me, the first premise of battle isn't defeating the enemy, but remaining undefeated. So, I naturally prioritize developing defensive abilities." This was why he could use Conqueror's Haki unconsciously while defending but struggled to find the feeling while attacking.
"Forget it, keep practicing on your own. I'm heading out to sea," Shiki said firmly. "Oden has been a lot quieter lately, but while I'm gone, you'd better not let him out."
"Don't worry," Beltz waved, signaling Shiki to go.
Shiki's departure was partly to compete for territory with other pirates and partly to procure materials and machinery for Vegapunk. The money Beltz brought was nearly gone; it seemed time to visit Skypiea and bring back some gold. Aside from the gold, there were the assets kept with Bartholomew Kuma. It had been nearly three years—he wondered how Kuma and the others were doing.
After Shiki left, Beltz thought about Vegapunk's recent research. Vegapunk had completed the research on Bloodline Elements early last year. He was ecstatic, claiming that following Beltz was the right choice. Since leaving with Beltz, he felt like ideas were gushing out; experiments went smoothly as if he had divine help.
After finishing the Bloodline Elements research, his first priority—based on Beltz's suggestion—was to create the six clones. With the assistance of the "Punk Records" and the satellites, his efficiency would skyrocket.
Besides his own clones, Beltz wanted Vegapunk to help create suitable clones for himself. Although Vegapunk didn't know Beltz's ultimate goal, he set a condition: he could make clones because of the Brain-Brain Fruit, using "Punk Records" to ensure the clones and the main body were in sync. But Beltz said not to worry; he had his own way to solve the synchronization problem. As a "Counselor," splitting part of his own psyche and transplanting it into another body was no issue at all.
However, the clones Beltz wanted were not simple researchers like Vegapunk's; he held great expectations for them. Thus, he needed to prepare the right conditions. As Vegapunk's research advanced, Beltz's own strength grew, and it was time to execute his plan. To create "Perfect" Hollow and Soul Reaper clones, he had to give them the best configuration!
As a psychologist, he didn't plan to split his emotions like Vegapunk; instead, he planned to split himself according to the three parts of the psyche: Id, Ego, and Superego.
The Id is the Hollow, representing desire and instinct.
The Ego is the Main Body, representing reality.
The Superego is the Soul Reaper, representing restraint.
These three represented the powers of the three races, ensuring balance during a future fusion.
For the Id, he planned to use the genes of Aaroniero Arruruerie (the 9th Espada). If he couldn't find Aaroniero, he'd go for Blackbeard. In short, he needed a gene capable of acquiring multiple abilities. Beltz even planned to transfer the Azure Dragon fruit's power to the Id, making the "Dragon-shaped Menos" he once spoke of a reality. He wanted to transfer the fruit because, as the Ego/Main Body, he needed to prepare for the final fusion. What ability could fuse all clones into one body? The Dark-Dark Fruit or the Munch-Munch Fruit!
Between the two, he leaned toward the Dark-Dark Fruit, as it fit his power better. The Munch-Munch Fruit could be given to the Id. In his vision, the final fusion wasn't a one-sided devouring but a collective effort from all three. The Id clone represented matter and desire, so eating the Munch-Munch Fruit for physical fusion was most suitable.
The Superego was the Soul Reaper. He planned to use Kurotsuchi Mayuri's "Nemuri Project," which he had already handed to Vegapunk—using Mayuri's tech to create a "Soul Reaper capable of infinite self-evolution." This was the base for the Superego, and for further enhancement, Beltz had prepared the Op-Op Fruit! The Op-Op Fruit could perform personality transplants and was a powerful fruit in its own right.
The Id represents the body (material fusion), the Superego represents the spirit (spiritual fusion), and Beltz as the Ego represents the coordination of both, using the Dark-Dark Fruit and his Counselor abilities to balance the fusion. These were the basics, but Beltz had much to do—like adding Lunarian bloodline elements, the basis for Vegapunk's future Seraphim. This could be added to both Id and Superego as a combat guarantee.
But he needed the materials: Aaroniero, Blackbeard, and Lunarian genes. He had none yet! It was time to act. Over the last two years, he had sparred with Shiki dozens of times, and his strength had grown visibly. Whether active in Hueco Mundo, looking for Blackbeard, or finding King (Alber) who was imprisoned by the World Government, he now had confidence!
He returned to Hueco Mundo. Over these two years, he had returned roughly once a month to report to the Quincy outpost and search for Aaroniero. Aaroniero was a unique existence among Hollows. He could infinitely evolve by devouring souls, acquiring their memories and abilities. It was a broken ability; if he kept eating, he could possess thousands of powers! In Hueco Mundo, most Hollow abilities were straightforward, but in the Soul Society or the Wandenreich, it would be terrifying. However, Aaroniero had a weakness: sunlight. He wondered if Vegapunk could fix that. If not, he'd have to look for Blackbeard, as he couldn't have a clone with such a fatal weakness.
"If I find Aaroniero, I'll let Rukia handle it." Aaroniero had devoured Metastacia, who had devoured Shiba Kaien. Kaien was Rukia's "Inner Demon." Letting Rukia face and kill Aaroniero might help her overcome her trauma.
Previously, he only stayed for a day or two, but this time, he wouldn't stop until he found Aaroniero! With his current strength, he didn't fear Vasto Lordes. After all, Aizen hadn't arrived yet to use the Hogyoku to grant Hollows greater power. Or maybe he had—Ichimaru Gin became a Captain around the time Rukia was graduating, and some time after that, Aizen's group went to Las Noches. It had been ten years since Gin became a Captain, so Las Noches might already be in Aizen's hands.
"I'll look for Las Noches first." Beltz transformed into the Azure Dragon. He felt that appearing in this form would more likely catch the attention of Las Noches!