"What?! They're called Seraphim, and they were invented by the Marines?" Shiki asked, his face filled with terror.
Whitebeard nodded and continued grimly, "That's right, Shiki. And they're not even the pinnacle of the Marine's power. The weakest of these Seraphim are as strong as any of the Shibukai if you ever heard of them, while the strongest can rival a Marine Admiral."
"I'm not lying to you; this is news known across the world," Whitebeard said. "And let me tell you, the Marine's technological level has been skyrocketing. The Seraphim are just one part of it."
He leaned in closer. "They also have something called the anywhere door that allows them to travel to any place in the world instantly. Can you even imagine that?"
"And that's not all," Whitebeard continued, his voice low. "They've developed a way for a person to eat a second Devil Fruit. It's said that after consuming this special fruit, an ability user can gain a second power. The Marines already has two Admirals with dual-fruit abilities."
Hearing this, the Golden Lion was utterly shocked.
"A door that can freely traverse space?! Such a god-like tech actually exists?"
As the captain of the Flying Pirates, Shiki instantly understood the immense strategic value of such a tech.
It would revolutionize warfare—from transporting supplies and reinforcements to evacuations and infiltration attacks, its applications were limitless.
And a second Devil Fruit...
"Everyone knows that eating a second Devil Fruit means certain death! Your body explodes!" Shiki roared.
"This technologically-produced fruit can actually bypass that iron law?!"
It was no wonder Shiki had lost his composure.
The news was too shocking to comprehend, and it all sounded completely unreal.
But the words were coming from Whitebeard himself.
Shiki knew him well enough; Whitebeard had no reason to lie and a man as proud as him wouldn't bother with such deception.
"Newgate, were all three of these inventions created by Vegapunk, the world's greatest scientist?" Shiki asked, his mind reeling.
In his view, only a mind like Vegapunk's could create such a terrifying tech.
However, to Shiki's surprise, Whitebeard shook his head.
"No. You wouldn't believe it if I told you..."
"The inventor of all these things is the same person," Whitebeard revealed. "And the most terrifying part is... this person is only eight years old."
"WHAT?!"
At this, the Golden Lion was completely paralyzed by shock.
Endless terror crept onto his face.
To invent so many god-tier tech at only eight years old!
If he's allowed to mature, couldn't he rule the world through technology alone?
"What's his name?" Shiki asked, his expression grim.
He felt this single fact was more terrifying than anything else Whitebeard had said.
He would have to verify this personally.
"Leon."
"Leon..." Shiki muttered. "This age... this level of genius... it's truly unbelievable! If I could bring him under my wing... my goal of dominating the world would be within reach!"
Madness filled Shiki's eyes.
"Well, I don't think you'll get that chance," Whitebeard said, pouring cold water on his ambition.
"First of all, this Leon is the brother of Borsalino, a marine admiral. More importantly, for a genius of this caliber, do you think the Marines wouldn't protect him with everything they have? They wouldn't risk losing him for anything."
"So you'd better give up on that idea."
Hearing this, Shiki could only sigh.
Though he was unwilling to admit it, he knew Whitebeard was right.
The Marines would never let go of someone like Leon.
Possessing Leon meant possessing the future of science and technology.
"Sigh, so be it!" Shiki shook his head helplessly, then glared at Whitebeard.
"Then what did you come to me for?"
"Gurararara..." Whitebeard laughed. "I came for your blood, of course!"
"Huh? What did you say?" Shiki immediately became alert.
"No need to be so nervous, Shiki," Whitebeard said. "It's about the Seraphim. To create the most powerful units, they need the lineage factors of strong individuals. The stronger the genetic material, the more powerful the Seraphim. I came here hoping you would give me a sample of your blood."
"In exchange," Whitebeard added, "I'll give you a sample of mine. What do you think?" He sounded confident, certain that Shiki wouldn't refuse.
As expected, Shiki instantly agree.
"Alright, I'll agree to that. But you haven't told me how you got involved with the Seraphim. Surely you didn't just ask the Marines to make one for you?"
"Gurarara, you want to make your own Seraphim too, don't you? It's simple!" Whitebeard laughed.
"Just contact Linlin. She and Kaido have managed to acquire the technology."
"And you're in luck," he continued. "Previously, customizing a Seraphim cost at least two billion Berries, and using your own lineage factor would cost a full three billion. But now, under pressure from the Marines, Linlin has cut off the price. For a powerful fighter like you, she only requires a sample of your lineage factor."
Hearing this, Shiki's expression changed.
He didn't agree immediately but ordered his subordinates to investigate the situation in the outside world.
He needed to see if things were really as Whitebeard described.
....
Soon, Shiki's men returned, whispering urgently in his ear.
As he listened, his eyes flashed with astonishment, and he almost exclaimed out loud.
He had no idea that while he was in hiding, the Marines had grown so powerful and the world had undergone such earth-shattering changes.
Shiki looked at Whitebeard and said in a deep voice, "Alright! You can have my blood sample. Help me contact Linlin!"
"No problem," Whitebeard grinned, taking out his Den Den Mushi.
"Linlin, it's done. Come over now. The location is..." He gave her the coordinates.
A moment later, a shimmering pink door suddenly materialized in the air.
The sight of it even took the Shiki by surprise.
"Alright, alright, don't be nervous, I'm here..." Big Mom's voice boomed from the other side of the door, startling Shiki even more.
She walked out expressionlessly, followed closely by Vinsmoke Judge, Caesar Clown, and Queen the Plague.
"Linlin..." Shiki said grimly.
"Hmm... long time no see, Shiki!" Big Mom looked up at the sky, a wide smile on her face.
"So this is the Anywhere Door?" Shiki couldn't help but step forward to examine it curiously.
"Yes, yes!" Big Mom gloated. "This is the door we copied and invented from the Marine's design. It can go anywhere in the world!"
Hearing this, Shiki's face filled with amazement.
"What an incredible artifact..."
At that moment, his ambition flared once more.
If he could possess such a treasure, he would be one step closer to world domination.
He may have failed in the past, but that didn't mean he couldn't succeed in the future!
This door would be an immense help.
Shiki secretly vowed that he would obtain a door, no matter the cost.
His gaze shifted from the door to the counterfeit Seraphim standing behind Big Mom.
"Seraphim!" he breathed.
If he could possess a large number of these humanoid weapons, each with the combat power of a Warlord, his crew strength would skyrocket.
Compared to these, the beasts I've been raising are nothing but garbage!
"The Seraphim are truly powerful," Shiki sighed, gritting his teeth.
"An eight-year-old kid... how incredible! The Marines was incredibly lucky to have found such a genius!"
In Shiki's eyes, all the treasures and artifacts in the world were not as important as talent like Leon.
He understood that talent was paramount; it was the same reason he had once invited Gol D. Roger to join him.
From what he'd heard, this boy Leon's potential was far surpassing Roger's.
"Good, good, then shall we get to drawing blood?" Shiki said.
Whitebeard nodded in agreement.
Once Big Mom had collected their blood samples, Shiki couldn't wait to use Whitebeard's sample to trade for Seraphim technology from her.
In turn, Whitebeard handed Shiki's blood sample over.
"Good, good, good, no problem!"
Having obtained genetic material from two powerful individuals, including the brand-new lineage factor from the Golden Lion, Big Mom was ecstatic.
After confirming the details of their transaction and receiving the samples, she and her group returned to Onigashima.
As soon as they arrived, her crew erupted in cheers.
"Hahahahaha, we've finally obtained a new Emperor-level lineage factor!" Judge, Queen, and Caesar were ecstatic, their faces lit with wild joy.
"Haha, with this new material, we can create Seraphim that are even stronger than an Admiral!" Judge laughed loudly.
"From this point of view, Leon doesn't seem so special after all," Queen mused, though a hint of worry crossed his face.
"The only thing we lack now are resources like Dyna Stones, which are almost entirely controlled by the Marines..."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Kaido's deep voice rumbled.
He hadn't gone with them, as his presence alongside Whitebeard would have undoubtedly led to a fight.
"Hmph, Kaido!" Big Mom grinned ferociously. "Now that everything is ready, we can start taking action! What do you think?"
A cold smile appeared on Kaido's face.
"Of course! I've been waiting for a long time! This time, we will make the Marines pay!"
Kaido and Big Mom looked at each other, the shared hatred burning in their eyes.
.....
Back in the Golden Lion's territory, Whitebeard turned to leave.
"Well then, Shiki, since our business is done, I'll be on my way."
"Newgate, wait!" Shiki called out, stopping him. "Don't you think our situation is far too passive now?"
Whitebeard's footsteps halted.
He turned and frowned at the Golden Lion.
Shiki continued seriously, "Think about it. The Marines has a world-class genius scientist like Leon. Big Mom and Kaido have the Vinsmokes and their core technology. But what about us? We have nothing!"
Whitebeard nodded slowly. "I understand what you mean, but unfortunately, there are no scientists on my ship."
"No!" Shiki shook his head. "That's not what I mean. I know of a famous shipwright. While he's not exactly a scientist, he's incredibly capable. Inventing from scratch might be difficult for him, but if it's a matter of simple replication, perhaps he could do it."
Whitebeard frowned.
"Who?"
"There's a man named Franky," Shiki said. "I've kept an eye on him because his master, Tom, once built a ship for Gol D. Roger!"
Hearing this, a flash of surprise appeared in Whitebeard's eyes.
"And he recently joined the crew of Straw Hat Luffy," Shiki added. "We just need to find the Straw Hat Pirates and capture him."
"Straw Hat?" Whitebeard was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
"There's no need for that trouble. The Straw Hats will help us... because my son, Ace, is Straw Hat's brother."
A joyful expression spread across Whitebeard's face.
The intelligence from Shiki was incredibly good news.
He quickly returned to his ship, the Moby Dick.
As soon as he was aboard, Whitebeard gave the order.
"Find the Straw Hat crew! Search the entire sea!"
Soon, the entire Whitebeard fleet began its search.
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