Leaving Hogback to stew over the offer, Krieg set the wheels in motion. With Tesoro and Miss Cindry "encouraging" the doctor from the sidelines, and Kuzan acting as a secret intermediary to Fleet Admiral Sengoku regarding Jinbe's Warlord appointment, Krieg's hidden agenda was progressing smoothly.
He had managed to squeeze in several other tasks: entrusting Pearl to Instructor Zephyr (who was heading to Asuka Island), and checking in on X Drake, whom he'd picked up back on Minion Island.
Finally, a summons arrived from his personal Ordnance Squad. He was ushered into a reinforced chamber filled with heavy-duty equipment. The atmosphere smelled of ozone and industrial oil.
The Jet-Powered Greaves
The Squad Leader, a stoic man with grease-stained hands, stepped forward.
"First, the Jet-Boots. Since we lucked into a second Jet Dial, we've shifted away from mounting it on a hammer. Putting both a Reject and a Jet Dial on one handle focused too much stress on the shaft, making it essentially a disposable weapon."
"So, these are for mobility?" Krieg asked, picking one up.
"Exactly. The triggers are embedded in the insoles; they activate based on how you shift your weight.
We've also integrated the Germa technology you provided—though per your orders, we've kept the application strictly limited to your personal gear.
You can boost the output for high-speed bursts. Additionally, there are retractable rollers in the soles for ground-skimming maneuvers."
He pointed to the reinforced shins.
"For combat, we've hidden spring-loaded blades in the toes. The entire unit is fully armored. It's incredibly sturdy, though the weight is... significant. But for a man of your strength, Rear Admiral, that shouldn't be an issue, right?"
Krieg hefted the boot. It felt like holding a small anchor. "Solid. I'll run a field test later."
The Tactical Gauntlets
The Vice-Leader, a sharp-eyed woman with a confident smirk, took over the briefing for the armaments.
"Next, the Gauntlets. The previous version had external mini-crossbows, but they were prone to structural failure under heavy impact. We've moved everything internal. It limits your ammunition types, but the reliability is tripled."
"What's the payload?"
"The left gauntlet has three ports at the wrist. You activate them by flexing your wrist inward. It fires standard metal spikes or customized special shells—smoke, flash, or gas. Once you're empty, you have to manually reload, but the rate of fire is much higher."
"And the right hand?" Krieg looked at the heavy, intricate plating.
"This is my masterpiece," she purred. "We've mounted the Reject Dial salvaged from your old hammer. But here's the twist: it's primarily there for recoil absorption. We've paired it with a newly acquired Impact Dial."
Krieg raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
"While a Reject Dial has more power, the kickback is suicidal for most users. An Impact Dial is easier to stabilize. I've designed the internal mechanism so that when you fire the Impact Dial, the majority of the resulting kinetic kickback is 'swallowed' by the Reject Dial. You get the punch without shattering your own arm."
"Can I still fire the Reject Dial in an emergency?"
"I figured you'd ask. Yes, the safety can be bypassed to let the Reject Dial discharge all stored energy at once. But without the Impact Dial to buffer it, the recoil will hit you directly. Don't overdo it."
She tapped the various hidden seams in the armor.
"As for extras: the right side has a launcher for steel netting and a grappling wire. The left side houses a compact flamethrower.
The knuckles are reinforced with hardened alloy, and the fingertips are sharpened to a razor edge. Watch where you point those."
Krieg tested the weight. Like the boots, they were heavy enough to sink a normal man, but they felt like a natural extension of his own power.
"Excellent work," Krieg said, offering a rare nod of genuine approval. "Suit me up. I want to see just how much havoc this new generation of gear can cause."
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