Is that Ace?
But then, Moses noticed the Den Den Mushi's appearance changing, becoming more feminine.
His eyes flickered.
For a moment, both sides fell silent.
After about ten seconds.
A somewhat resentful young girl's voice rang out, "You liar. It's been so long, over two and a half years already."
Moses felt a bit awkward: "I'll come visit you soon. I just got caught up with some things, that's all."
Makino looked at the awkward expression mimicked by the Den Den Mushi and softened a little:
"I'm already 17. I plan to open the bar on February 23rd next year. Can you come back by then?"
Moses was momentarily stunned before blurting out: "Your 18th birthday?"
Makino paused, then a small smile curled at the corners of her lips: "You actually remember my birthday?"
Moses scratched his head, "We're good friends, of course I remember."
"Then it's settled. On that day, you'll come back, and I'll make you something delicious."
Makino said happily.
Moses agreed:
"Don't worry, I'll definitely be there."
After chatting a bit more, Ace took the Den Den Mushi receiver and said, "Moses, I've gotten really strong now. When you come back, let's have a good spar."
"Have you mastered the Six Styles yet? Awakened your Haki?"
Moses said coolly.
Click!
The Den Den Mushi was abruptly hung up.
Ace glared darkly at the Den Den Mushi in front of him.
Sabo chuckled beside him, "I told you not to ask about that. Serves you right."
Makino also laughed, "Ace, do you really want to compete with your brother that badly?"
Over the past year, thanks to Moses' request, Ace had occasionally visited with Sabo and had grown familiar with Makino.
Standing next to the 1.6-meter-tall Makino, the barely 1.3-meter-tall Ace looked just like her little brother.
Ace scowled, "That jerk just loves to piss me off. Couldn't even talk to me properly."
Sabo teased:
"If you want to talk to Moses, just call him yourself. Do you really have to wait until you hit a roadblock in your training before you're willing to call and ask?"
"None of your business. The Den Den Mushi's right here—call him yourself if you want. Don't think I don't know you've secretly contacted him plenty of times before."
Ace sneered.
Sabo wasn't offended, just grinned at him.
Soon, Ace's face flushed red with anger: "Duel. One-on-one. Outside. I'm gonna make you kneel and call me 'big bro' today."
"Bring it on. I'll be happy to kneel you."
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The two agilely brawled outside the bar entrance.
Makino watched them with amusement for a while before heading to the kitchen to cook.
...
"Where the hell did you run off to?"
"The house is covered in dust. When did you leave? Where are you now?"
The Den Den Mushi's expression mirrored suppressed irritation as Garp grumbled:
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Garp had been extremely busy over the past year and hadn't had time to visit his grandsons. This time, planning to drop by and see Moses while passing through, he was shocked to find the place empty.
Moses sighed inwardly. Why were the Den Den Mushi calls coming one after another today? What was going on?
"It's been over a year now. I'm currently on Jaya Island—would you like to visit me?" Moses found himself using honorifics, causing Garp on the other end of the Den Den Mushi to twitch at the corner of his eye.
"Fine. Stay put then. I happen to have a mission passing through your area. I'll come find you and take you out for some fun."
"Alright," Moses replied.
Garp's face darkened. "What? You don't sound willing."
"No, I am."
Moses decided not to argue with him.
Truth be told, he was the one at fault here.
Still, sailing from Drum Island to Jaya would take several days even at naval warship speeds.
Moses wasn't in a hurry to go ashore and wait. He'd just answer Garp's call when he arrived. Breakfast wasn't ready yet, so Moses headed to the forging workshop.
Over the past year, he had gradually forged all the rare metals obtained from the Marines and Upper Yard into Good Skillful Blades.
The only regret was that he hadn't managed to create the envisioned inscribed weapons with "Energy Convergence Pathways" and "Phenomenon Pathways" during this time.
But it wasn't a total loss.
[C+ Grade Blessing: Forging]
As expected, this Blessing had already advanced to C+ grade. It felt like just one step away from another upgrade in quality.
Moses was certain that if he could forge a Great Grade Blade or successfully craft his envisioned inscribed weapon, this Blessing would rise to B- grade.
Looking at the twenty Good Skillful Blades gathering dust in the corner of the workshop, Moses curled his lips into a satisfied smile.
"Harvest season has come again."
One by one, he refined the twenty Good Skillful Blades imbued with merit.
[Merit Points +100,000]
Each C-grade Good Skillful Blade yielded 5,000 Merit.
Seeing the additional 100,000 Merit on the holographic panel, Moses couldn't stop grinning.
"As expected—if you want a good life, you've got to master a profitable craft."
"Now the only thing limiting my Merit farming is whether I have enough raw materials. With core techniques like these, I could support myself even as a shut-in."
"Add to that the massive Merit looted from the Golden Bell and the Poneglyphs—not counting the thousand-plus points accumulated from daily 'check-ins' over the years—I now have a solid 115,000 Merit."
Moses pondered over the sum. "Should I keep gambling? Or manifest a new Blessing?"
"Never mind. Better to spread it around."
With a thought, he summoned the holographic panel. His gaze lingered on the few Bestowed Abilities that hadn't been fully manifested yet, before settling on one in particular.
[Weapon Operation]
50,000 Merit consumed.
The Merit transformed into a hazy current that swept through his body. In the next moment, the latent potential within Moses began to awaken, evolving and deducing itself through his experiences and history as a medium.
His mind and body grew ethereal.
Instinctively, Moses entered the State of Oneness to perceive the changes within himself.
After a long while, a brand-new Blessing was manifested and evolved—its very name altered due to the nature of the Blessing.
[A-Grade Blessing: Armament Dominion] (Capable of autonomous growth)
[Blessing Effect: All things possess their unique fluctuations of Breath frequency. By analyzing their structure, anything with the "Armed" characteristic can be perfectly controlled and wielded with mastery.]
[Blessing Evaluation: Grass, wood, bamboo, or stone—all become weapons in your hands.]
"Is that how it works?" Moses couldn't help but feel a twinge of resignation upon seeing the effect of this Blessing. "Still, it's not bad. It'll save me a lot of time I'd otherwise spend mastering other weapon techniques."
Moreover, this Blessing seemed to accelerate his research on "Engraved Weapons."
In the forging room, there were various Shell Weapons crafted for Ganfall. Moses casually picked up a spike spear.
As his Breath rose and fell, the spear's entire structure—its length, weight, and how to wield it—became clear to him in an instant.
Gripping the spear's shaft tightly, he swung it rapidly through the air, creating gusts of wind around him.
This was Moses' first time wielding such a weapon, yet, astonishingly, it felt like an extension of his own body, moving with flawless synergy.
"Perfectly controlled and wielded with mastery?"
Moses began to understand what "perfection" truly meant.
A faint smile curled at the corners of his lips.
A natural-born saint of armed combat?
No longer fixated on speed, Moses slowed his movements, carefully savoring the spear's techniques.
Soon, he was darting nimbly around the forging room, the spear in his hand transforming into flickering afterimages that danced around him.
It didn't feel at all like he was just starting out with this weapon.
Rather, it was as if he had trained with it for years.
After a while longer, Moses reluctantly came to a stop.
The spear's tip struck the ground heavily, and with a surge of force—whoosh!—a burst of flames erupted from the point of impact. Moses thrust the spear forward with both hands.
Swoosh!
A sharp whistle of air split the silence.
A streak of fire erupted from the spear's tip.
With a flick of his wrist, Moses dispersed the flames.
He observed the results with satisfaction. "As expected of a spike spear fitted with a Flame Shell core. Contact triggers a burst of fire."
This was Moses' modified version—a superior-quality Shell Weapon, enhanced in both durability and flame activation.
After briefly testing [Armed Dominion], Moses turned his attention to the holographic panel and mentally invested 50,000 merit points into the "Light Sphere."
Within his consciousness, a hazy glow radiated from the surface of the "Light Sphere," and a deep vortex appeared, as if connecting to some unknowable realm.
Time passed, until—at a certain moment—a single "spark" emerged from the vortex.
Moses opened his eyes.
Before him floated a mysterious object encased in a shimmering "Light Sphere."
As his hand made contact, he found himself holding a silver-white cylindrical container, 15 cm in diameter and 30 cm in length, sealed and filled with a pale-red cultivation fluid.
Inside, a tiny embryo—about 2.5 cm in size—drifted within the liquid.
A cool sensation spread from the cylinder to his fingertips.
[A+ Grade Item: Embryo "ξ"]
[Item Effect: A fully developed but unstable embryo containing an extremely pure dragon blood lineage factor. If consumed raw, it grants an extremely pure dragon bloodline. If nurtured, it will yield a genetically superior dragonkin.]
[Item Evaluation: If you choose not to eat it, you can opt to cultivate her.]
A stream of information surfaced in his consciousness.
Moses examined the cylindrical container in his hand, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Human embryo? Or dragon?"
A strong sense of déjà vu washed over him, accompanied by details about the item's origin.
Embryo "ξ."
Unstable lineage.
Pure dragon blood.
"Could it be that guy? The intel matches."
Moses grimaced as he studied the living embryo suspended in the container's nutrient solution, thinking to himself:
"If I shake it hard enough to scramble it and gulp it down now, I should be able to obtain a pure dragon bloodline, right?"
"After all, it's just an embryo—not a person yet. It wouldn't count as cannibalism."
But after some deliberation, Moses ultimately dismissed the idea. "I'm quite content being human. I don't particularly want to become a dragonkin."
"So, how do I nurture her now?" Moses rubbed his chin. "Just find a random female host, implant the embryo into her uterus, and wait nine months? Given the resilience of dragon bloodlines, she should still be born healthy."
Scratching his head, Moses hesitated.
"Never mind. I'll consult Doctorine first."
Clutching the container, Moses sensed the vigorous life force emanating from the embryo within the nutrient solution.
Leaving the forging chamber, he entered the adjacent laboratory and placed Embryo "ξ" on the experimental table.
He called out, "Da Bao."
Crow Dabao emerged from the ceiling, tilting his head curiously. "Moses, what's up? Breakfast will be ready soon."
Moses: "Go fetch Doctorine. I need to discuss something with her."
Crow Dabao melted back into the ceiling and vanished.
Ten minutes later.
Kureha pushed the door open and walked in, spotting Moses inspecting something. Intrigued, she approached.
Her eyes scanned the data Moses had recorded, and her frown deepened uncontrollably.
"Why does this lineage factor data feel so familiar...? Ah, it resembles the experimental data I once collected on Millennial Dragons."
"What is this? Data on a lineage factor similar to a Millennial Dragon's? Where did you get it?"
Moses handed her the container. Kureha narrowed her eyes at the sight.
"A fully developed human embryo? Where did this come from?"
Then, noticing Moses avert his gaze, she sighed in resignation. "Never mind, I won't ask. Why did you call me here?"
"I want to nurture her—raise her. This experimental data was extracted from the embryo. Doctorine, do you have any methods?"
Kureha massaged her temples, her eyes narrowing as she studied the hybrid human embryo bearing draconic traits. After a long moment of contemplation, she exhaled deeply.
"With our current equipment and materials, we lack the means to cultivate it. Moreover, this little thing is already fully developed—implanting it into a host is nearly impossible."
"No hope. Prepare for its demise. Dissect it and repurpose it as experimental material."
Her tone was matter-of-fact. Hearing this, Moses twitched the corner of his mouth.
"What about using 'APTX 4869Ⅱ'? This drug can regress organisms to an infantile stage. If we inject it into this embryo, could it directly develop her to that stage?
It should work, right?"
Kureha was taken aback. "APTX 4869Ⅱ" was her own improved creation—she knew its effects better than anyone. With some adjustments to the formula, it wasn't entirely impossible.
Rubbing her chin, she took the test data from Moses and scrutinized it carefully. After a moment, she retrieved the remaining "APTX 4869Ⅱ" capsules stored in the lab and prepared them into a solution reagent. Then, she continuously added rare medicinal materials and naturally extracted life-catalyzing components of "PYROBROIN" into the mixture.
Time passed. Three hours later, she drew half a syringe of the newly formulated "APTX 4869Ⅲ" solution from the reaction beaker and tossed the syringe to Moses, who had been assisting her the whole time.
"Alright, I'm exhausted. You handle the injection yourself now. Since it's an embryo, administer it directly into the heart. Whether it succeeds or not is up to luck."
Kureha plopped down unceremoniously onto the floor, rubbing her sore shoulders with her small hands.
But her eyes watched Moses with curiosity.
Moses opened the container and carefully lifted the embryo "ξ" onto his left palm. With the syringe in his right hand, he precisely inserted the fine needle into the embryo's heart and slowly injected the reagent.
He withdrew the needle.
Almost immediately,
Moses could distinctly sense the embryo "ξ" in his palm beginning to exhibit intense cardiac pulsations.