August 10th, 1518, of the Sea Calendar.
New World, Aznat Island, on the border battlefield between the Barrid and Dunlite Kingdoms.
In a mountainous region, a large military camp was set up—this was the base of the Dunlite Kingdom's Second Legion. In the center of the camp, a group of people in various outfits entered the main command tent.
"Wooooooh, you've finally arrived!"
A shrill voice rang out.
"Mmpf… we're here, we're here!"
Dimitri almost burst out laughing upon hearing the voice but managed to hold it back.
"Ahem."
Dimitri cleared his throat and asked seriously, "Pica, are all of your people here?"
"Don't you worry, they're all here." A bulky Pica stood up, and that distinctive high-pitched voice came out again. A huge, rugged man speaking in such a shrill tone almost made everyone who had just held back their laughter lose it again.
"In that case, Diamante, we'll be waiting for your signal for this operation," Dimitri said, rubbing his face to suppress his smile before turning to look at Diamante, who was dressed in an odd tribal fashion.
"Wait, Dimitri, I'm not good at this," Diamante quickly waved his hands, indicating he wasn't fit for the role.
"No, you're the most suitable for this," Dimitri replied, knowing the man's personality.
"No, no, don't say that! I'm really not good at this!" Diamante continued to wave his hands.
"No, this is a task only a genius like you can accomplish," Dimitri said, a hint of a smile on his face as he continued to flatter him.
"I-I really can't..." Diamante said, feigning shyness.
Dimitri shook his head as if giving up. "Never mind, never mind…"
But before Dimitri could finish, Diamante interrupted loudly, "Since you put it that way, I'll acknowledge I'm a genius for now! I'll definitely make that garbage from the Garfield Pirates pay, and I'll make sure to tie down that bastard Elroy on the battlefield!"
"Hahaha, you're so dependable!" Dimitri grinned. "They'll fall right into our trap."
"A full legion from the Dunlite Kingdom, a hundred thousand elites, and half of the Donquixote Family executives… They'll be all too eager to take this sweet bait, hahaha…"
The next morning.
Thump, thump, thump, thump…
The heavy sound of drums echoed. The once-quiet camp immediately became a hive of activity as countless soldiers poured out of their tents, forming a sea of black, like an army of ants.
They say a force of ten thousand is endless, so a hundred thousand gathered together was truly a sight to behold.
Each one was an elite soldier of the Dunlite Kingdom, and the awe-inspiring, surging momentum they radiated was so thick with killing intent that it would make ghosts and deities flee.
If these soldiers went berserk in battle, even Conqueror's Haki would be ineffective. After all, Conqueror's Haki is a spiritual attack meant to intimidate. But these soldiers weren't even afraid of death, so what would ordinary Conqueror's Haki do to them? Perhaps only someone like Yonko Shanks could affect them.
"Destroy the rebels!"
"Destroy the rebels!"
"Destroy the rebels!"
Soon, the deafening chants rang out. The hundred thousand soldiers, now assembled, marched out of the camp in an orderly fashion, shouting, "Destroy the rebels!"
....
Alvis Island, Research Base No. 2, Biological Lab No. 1.
"It… worked?!"
Switch Dalt moved a strange machine away from his face, looking uncertainly at a seemingly ordinary black glove on the laboratory table.
"Dr. Dalt, did it work?" a young assistant in a white coat asked, turning his head.
"I don't know," Dalt replied, shaking his head. It was his first time conducting such an experiment.
"How about we try it?" the young assistant suggested cautiously.
"Yes, let's!"
Dalt's eyes lit up. "Bring me a knife."
The young assistant took a scalpel from a nearby toolbox and handed it to Dalt.
"I hope it works."
Dalt took the scalpel and thought to himself. He made a small cut on his right index finger, then dripped the blood onto the black glove. The next moment, the blood was immediately absorbed into the glove.
Dalt picked up the black glove and put it on his left hand.
"Well, Doctor?" the young assistant asked, curious.
"It… worked!"
Dalt closed his eyes, feeling a faint connection with the glove as if their blood were linked. He looked at the glove on his left hand and gave an order. "Go and have someone send over a stone knight statue."
"Right away, Doctor."
The young assistant nodded, walked over to a drawer, and pulled out a Den Den Mushi with a white '1' on its shell. He dialed the snail and said directly, "Hello, send over a stone knight statue."
Every lab had a direct line to order things, so it was a simple command.
Soon, two guards in protective suits carried a two-meter-tall stone knight statue into the lab. The statue was lifelike. The young assistant had them place it in the center of a spacious area of the lab before they left.
The assistant then walked over to Dalt, who was still examining the glove, and said softly, "Doctor, the item has arrived."
"Oh! It's here!" Dalt was startled awake and immediately turned around. "Then let's begin."
With that, Dalt walked to the stone knight statue, raised his gloved left hand, and placed it on the statue's body.
Bzzzzzz
A faint hum sounded. The stone knight statue's eyes suddenly moved as if it had come to life.
"Master, we fight for you!"
The stone knight, now seemingly alive, moved its body, raised its stone sword, and knelt before Dalt, making a vow.
"It's alive! It's alive! The glove worked! The experiment wasn't a failure!" the young assistant cheered.
"Phew. It's good that it worked."
Dalt let out a small sigh of relief, but a serious expression remained on his face. "But what comes next is the most critical part of the experiment." Dalt nervously swallowed. With his right hand, he slowly pulled off the black glove.
As soon as he took off the glove, the stone knight in front of him immediately became lifeless again, returning to its former unmoving state.
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