Caesar cursed Vegapunk inwardly for a while, then forced an awkward laugh."So you noticed after all.
"Fine, that's true.
"But since you want this, it must be because this thing has value to whoever's above you, right?
"How about considering this—just hand this island over to me?
"Seriously, I think it's a great idea. Vegapunk is way too hard to get along with.
"He's always relying on his position as chief scientist to interfere with everyone else's research.
"He even made some ridiculous weapon that turns bullets into flowers.
"It's a killing weapon, for crying out loud! Why use Paramecia research to make something like that?
"Wouldn't it be better to enhance lethality and penetration?
"Oh, I might've gone off track.
"Anyway, this place is already full of poison gas. Moving locations would be a pain, so why not report it like this?"
Caesar rubbed his hands together, looking eager.
However—
Those very words made the man in front of him change his mind.
"No."
Kuma cut him off directly. After locking Sea-Prism Stone chains onto Caesar's wrists, he crouched down and pressed both hands against the ground.
Paw-Paw Fruit ability activated!
A massive, continuous surge of repulsive force poured into the ground.Instead of erupting, it spread outward under precise control, burrowing in all directions and going deeper and deeper.
"Rather than leaving the island behind, I think it's better to ship you—and this place—over directly.
"I don't get to decide what happens to you. Only he does.
"If you want to live, or if you want to atone for what you've done,
"Then you'd best listen to his guidance—just like I did."
That was what Kuma said.
Listen to his guidance?
To be spoken of like that by a Shichibukai—then it had to be one of the Five Elders!
Just not sure which one.
Caesar slumped to the ground, thought for a moment, then decided to wait obediently.
He didn't know much about the Tyrant anyway—only that this man had deep ties to Vegapunk.
And Caesar generally didn't bother paying attention to Vegapunk's affairs.
Of course—
That definitely wasn't because of jealousy.He just felt it wasn't necessary.
Two arms, one head. Both geniuses.
Caesar was confident he wasn't much worse than Vegapunk.
But if that's the case… doesn't this mean I might get the same treatment as Vegapunk?
That thought made him secretly excited.
Recognition from a great figure…
Then becoming chief scientist, marrying a rich beauty, surpassing Vegapunk, and finally reaching the peak of life!
BOOM—!
A thunderous explosion, like an earthquake, shattered Caesar's fantasy.
At that moment—
Above the underground laboratory, on the outskirts of Punk Hazard—
A gigantic paw-shaped bubble suddenly rose from the sea, splitting ocean and land as it enclosed the entire island!
"You'll meet him," Kuma said slowly as he withdrew his hand, looking at Caesar with meaning."The one I deeply respect."
"Alright, then I'll talk to him myself. But can you at least tell me which one of the five it is?
"You only need to say one word—I'll be grateful!"
Before Caesar could finish speaking, the ground suddenly began to tremble.
He didn't even have time to react before an enormous pushing force slammed into him from behind.
At the same time—
Kuma vanished, reappearing at the edge of a massive sea crater.
Looking up—
Punk Hazard blotted out the sunlight, casting a colossal shadow across the sky.
The shadow rapidly shrank and tilted.
Looking down—
Where the island had originally been, a jagged, abrupt fault had appeared.
The landmass had been torn away, leaving behind a colossal pit—over a thousand square kilometers in area—like a scar carved into the sea.
Tens of thousands of tons of seawater poured in from all sides, yet only managed to fill the very tip of the abyss.
Kuma, who had performed this near-miracle, was drenched in sweat and visibly exhausted.
Yet his eyes remained fixed on the receding island, filled with hopeful light.
Will you… keep guiding me?
Aboard the weather ship—
After handling the remaining matters, Ren left the outside affairs to Vivi and Nojiko.
He returned to the bedroom.
Not to draw prizes—
But to begin preparing for what came next.
The gains from descending from the Sky Islands this time were enormous, but there was no need to rush digesting them.
Some things had to be prepared in advance.
For example—
That seahorse capable of solving Kuma's problem.
"From One Piece anime episode 221… the mysterious flute-holding boy…"
Ren pieced together fragments of memory and pinpointed the general location of the target.
"Along the route toward G-5 base. The area is filled with coral reefs, and there's a group of people affected by memory loss.
"That seahorse's ability steals the memories of those who hear its sound. It seems to only activate while the target is asleep.
"And under normal circumstances, it can't move on its own—it needs an agent."
He recorded everything, reviewing it repeatedly and making additions and deletions.
From a realistic standpoint—
Ren was someone who understood himself very clearly.
He didn't cling to ideas like 'the plot can't change' or 'it must happen this way because it did in the story'.
To him, plot knowledge was reference material—used to build plans, not replace thinking.
So—
Adjustments and revisions were inevitable.
Just like how he had contacted Kuma again after leaving and told him everything about Caesar's abilities.
It was precisely this constant reassessment and caution
That had kept him from ever crashing so far.
In fact—
Ren was now taking it a step further.
After finishing his notes, he prepared to upload them into the Glory Angel network.
Yes—
He had no intention of going personally.
"Glory Angels are essentially extensions of my influence—my deployed 'pieces.'
"Garrison duty is their specialty. Charging battlefields is as well. Completing missions is no different.
"With their intelligence, understanding instructions and information is trivial.
"As for combat power… they seem to have undergone an upgrade recently, with assistance from Weatheria."
Ren twirled his pen, reviewing his decision.
"And in the original story, that seahorse had no real combat power.
"Only an eerie ability, exceptional concealment, and intelligence surpassing ordinary humans.
"To normal people, it's practically unsolvable—one encounter and your memories are gone.
"But for me, with one-way transparent information, the Glory Angels hold an absolute advantage.
"They don't sleep—at most, they need to recharge in lightning-fire environments.
"Even if affected, the psychic communication network prevents memory loss.
"Angels also possess an inherited talent.
"…Yes. This is the optimal choice. No question about it."
All this effort—
Was ultimately for Kuma.
"First, from our earlier conversation, it's clear Kuma isn't without resistance toward the World Government.
"His weaknesses are simply too many.
"Not just Bonney, but also all those people the World Government treats as hostages—those he's helped.
"Threatening normal people with that wouldn't work.
"But Kuma is a good man. He's said so himself, even mocked himself for it.
"Yet if that problem is resolved—
"Kuma will become the strongest card I currently hold.
"Even if he never becomes one of us, it still follows the principle of 'reduce enemies, increase allies.'
"And on another level, it's about correcting an original tragedy.
"Bonney and Kuma's fate in the original story… was simply too cruel."
Thinking of that storyline made Ren frown.
He wasn't a good person—
But he didn't want to watch people die in front of him either.
Meanwhile—
High above, in the divine realm in the sky.
Upon receiving the transmission, the Glory Angels began to move.
Ultra-long-distance reception posed no problem for the psychic network.The integrated materials even included Den-Den Mushi components.
Communication through radio waves—for dialogue and data transmission—was entirely feasible.
It was just less convenient than close-range psychic links.
"Our Lord has issued His command!"
"In a corner of the seas below, there exists a demon that toys with human memory!"
"Form ranks. We shall descend in the name of justice and apprehend it!"
Glory Angel 001 responded instantly, rising from her garrisoned position.
She had already been promoted to War Angel, bearing four golden wings and an awe-inspiring presence.
Her body was covered in dense gold-violet sacred armor—layered with over a thousand composite enchantments.
The weapon in her hands had also changed.
No longer the original Burning Cannon, it had become a distinctly sci-fi armament.
Roughly as follows:
[War Armament · Electromagnetic Thermal Cannon]
Type: Electromagnetic Weapon / Thermal Weapon
Description:Constructed from rare and specialized materials such as alloys, shells, weather plants, and enchantment components.Through the combined efforts of the Glory Angels, the first prototype of the Electromagnetic Thermal Cannon was created.
Effects:The cannon requires a deployment phase.
Once deployed, it generates an energy-harvesting field, drawing in lightning and flame to charge its core.
After sufficient energy is accumulated, the cannon can switch between two attack modes:
Heavy Cannon Mode:Converts all stored energy into thermal output via electro-thermal conversion.Effective firing range: 3 kilometers (damage attenuates beyond this range).
Electromagnetic Sniper Mode:The cannon redeploys, transforming the muzzle into an electromagnetic launch system.Requires conductive metal projectiles as ammunition.
Due to material limitations and atmospheric firing conditions, the prototype suffers from significant energy loss.
As a result, projectile muzzle velocity is standardized at three times the speed of sound,with enough power to penetrate multiple layers of steel.
Precision is extremely high.Effective sniping range: 5 kilometers.
At present, only a handful of War Angels were equipped with weapons of this level.
Strictly speaking, there were only twelve War Angels in total.
And the origin of the Electromagnetic Thermal Cannon—
Was the electromagnetic cannon blueprint Ren had previously obtained.
Due to material constraints, however, a full replication of the original design remained impossible.
(End of Chapter)