"The Adamantium in this Seraphim does not originate from our world," Leon said, anticipating their question.
"It's an otherworldly substance, possessing unimaginable toughness and resilience."
As Leon delved deeper, the Elders began to grasp the implications.
They couldn't follow all the complex scientific terms the boy spouted, but they understood power.
They had just witnessed what this material could do against Kaido.
Everyone knew the reputation of the King of the Beasts.
In a one-on-one fight, there was almost no one alive who could match him.
The title of "Strongest Creature in the World" wasn't just for show.
Not even a single Marine Admiral was confident they could defeat him.
Yet, this one Seraphim had completely suppressed him.
The power of Leon's "Adamantium alloy" was undeniable.
Then, Leon let out a long, theatrical sigh.
"Unfortunately, the cost of Adamantium is... astronomical. To mass-produce units like this would require a fortune. It's a shame to have such incredible technology and not be able to use it."
He trailed off, looking dejected.
Hearing the boy's sigh, the Five Elders looked at each other and chuckled.
Saint Ethanbaron V Nusjuro spoke up, his voice booming with authority.
"Is that your way of asking for more funding, Doctor?"
He didn't wait for an answer.
"Name your price. Tell us how many of these new Seraphim you can build in a month. As for the budget, consider it unlimited. The World Government will sell off islands if we have to. You will not be short a single berry."
Seeing the five most powerful men in the world eagerly opening their coffers, Leon's somber expression vanished, replaced by a confident grin.
"Well, if the funds are truly sufficient to acquire the materials... I can conservatively produce five units a month. Maybe more."
A wave of triumphant laughter filled the room.
Five of these monsters a month? Five soldiers who could single-handedly suppress an Emperor of the Sea!
For the Marines, this was the ultimate weapon.
An invincible army.
Imagine five of them hunting pirates at once.
No force on the seas could withstand such an assault.
Not the the Big Mom and Beast Pirates alliance, not even the combined might of Whitebeard and Red-Hair.
This was a weapon worth any price.
With a continuous supply of these new Seraphim, the pirates' era of terror would be decisively crushed.
"Hahahaha! Wonderful!" Ju Peter exclaimed. "With you, Dr. Leon, the justice of the World Government will finally reach every corner of this world!"
After the Five Elders generously allocated a massive research grant, Leon walked out of their office with a very happy look on his face.
Since his laboratory was now a pile of rubble thanks to Kaido, they had authorized him to select a new, top-secret location deep beneath their own building.
Furthermore, all information pertaining to him was now classified at the highest possible level.
This genius scientist and his newly developed "Adamantium Seraphim" were the World Government's hope.
Give Leon enough time and money, and his creations would become the unshakeable pillars of a new world order.
****
Meanwhile, on a remote, forgotten island, a man with a wild mane of black hair spoke to an old man sitting opposite him.
"Well? Are we just going to let things unfold like this?" the man asked. "We need to speed up our plans. It seems the Marines have had a stroke of luck."
He grinned, his eyes burning with a ferocious ambition.
"Have you made your decision, Shiki? My patience has its limits! Hahahahaha!"
If any of the Emperors had been there, they would have recognized the old man instantly.
His legs were gone, replaced by two long, gleaming swords.
He was none other than the legendary pirate admiral of a bygone era—"Golden Lion" Shiki!
"Rocks... or should I say, Captain?" Shiki drawled, taking a long swig from his gourd of sake.
"How are you alive? Weren't you killed by Garp and Roger at God Valley?"
Instead of answering, Rocks D. Xebec just smiled.
He stood up and slammed his fist into the ground.
BOOM!
A wave of pure power shot out, instantly leveling a nearby mountain, turning it to dust.
"Look, Shiki! This is power!" Rocks declared. "Power that you've lost, power that is fading from you every day!"
He leaned in, his voice a conspiratorial whisper.
"If you still have any ambition left, join me. I can't promise you the world, but I—and the powerful figures backing me—can easily restore you to your prime. We can make you even stronger than you ever were!"
After saying this, Rocks vanished.
But Shiki felt a strange energy begin to course through him, heavy and potent.
It felt like something was awakening deep within his body.
He felt his legs... his real legs... begin to ache with a strange force.
He looked down in disbelief.
Where the stumps of his legs were, flesh and blood began to bubble and grow.
In mere moments, a brand-new pair of legs had formed, perfectly whole.
After witnessing this miracle happen to his own body, the Golden Lion was utterly speechless.
He finally understood what Rocks was offering.
"With this kind of power, Shiki," Rocks' voice echoed around him, "we could truly rule the seas!"
The Golden Lion stood up, testing his new legs.
The lazy, teasing look in his eyes was gone, replaced by a cold, hard glint of ambition reborn.
The gift Rocks had given him was too great to refuse.
He knew, in that moment, that he had no choice.
He had to join this crew.
"Rocks, who are these 'powerful figures' you keep mentioning…?"
Before Golden Lion could finish his question, Rocks slapped a hand over his mouth.
"Hush! Be quiet, Shiki," Rocks hissed, a flicker of genuine fear in his eyes.
"They do not like being spoken of."
As he said it, Shiki felt it.
An invisible pressure from a dozen different directions, as if unseen eyes were peeling back every layer of his being.
The feeling of being so utterly exposed made his scalp crawl.
These were the beings Rocks served.
After what felt like an eternity, the suffocating presence receded.
Shiki slumped to the ground, drenched in a cold sweat, gasping for air as if he'd just escaped death.
"If they have that kind of terrifying power," he panted, "why don't they just conquer the world themselves?"
Rocks let out a dry chuckle. "Our world is too small, Shiki. It can't bear their full arrival. What they want is a complete, resource-producing planet, not a shattered ruin. They are farmers, and we are their prized soil."
Hearing this, a new level of dread settled over Shiki.
The beings behind Rocks weren't just conquerors; they were cosmic entities whose ambitions dwarfed anything he could have imagined.
They weren't just trying to rule the world; they were trying to harvest it.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. Don't think about what you shouldn't think," Rocks said, his voice low and serious.
"Just serve them faithfully, and we will be rewarded with the management of this entire world."
Just then, an object glowing with a soft, golden light materialized in the air above them.
Instantly, Rocks dropped to one knee, raising his hands to catch the strange device as it descended.
Shiki, sensing the gravity of the moment, quickly followed his lead.
"Thank you, my lords," Rocks said with sincere reverence.
"We will not fail you. We will crush the World Government and deliver this world into your hands!"
A flat, disembodied voice echoed in their minds.
"This is a tool that nullifies Devil Fruit abilities. Injection into the target's bloodstream is all that is required. It is precious; our systems require three days to generate a single dose. Use it wisely."
The voice continued, its tone unchanging.
"Also, a warning for the pirates on your side. While we find the technology of Devil Fruits to be laughably primitive, our analysis shows that a single living host cannot contain the energy of more than four fruits. Attempting to do so will result in certain death. That is the message from our lords. Do you have any other questions, Rocks?"
Rocks bowed his head even lower, careful not to look at the shimmering light.
"No, Master Weiss. Thank you for your trouble."
"Very well. Our lords await news of your success. Do not disappoint them."
The golden light, and the voice with it, vanished.
"Rocks, why?" Shiki asked, his mind still reeling.
"If they have technology like this… weapons that can neutralize Devil Fruit powers… why do they need us at all?"
The more he learned about these beings, the more terrified he became.
A weapon that could turn the most powerful men on the seas into ordinary mortals was a complete game-changer.
Figures like Whitebeard, and even Garp, had all recently mastered the power of three Devil Fruits to maintain their peak strength.
Without those powers, they would be vulnerable.
"Why don't they just solve the problem themselves?" Rocks mused, a dark smile spreading across his face.
"Shiki, tell me. You might step on a single ant by accident, but would you go out of your way to meticulously crush an entire colony, one by one?"
He held up the device he'd been given—a sleek container holding a single dose of black reagent.
"To you, this is a miracle weapon. To them, it's a trinket they developed over a weekend. We are ants, and they can't be bothered with our petty wars. That's where we come in."
Rocks' smile turned into a vicious grin.
"Get ready. The balance of power is about to shift. It's time to remind these Devil Fruit users what true, powerless fear feels like!"
He leaped into the air, landing gracefully on the deck of a pirate ship below.
"Shiki, use your Float Fruit! We need to move!" Rocks commanded.
"Our masters are growing impatient. They wish to enjoy their new garden as soon as possible."
With Rocks standing at the bow like a returning king, Shiki landed beside him and activated his power.
The entire ship lifted from the water and shot forward, soaring through the air toward the New World at an impossible speed.
...
At that very moment, on a war-torn battlefield, the Marines pressing their advantage against the Red-Hair and Whitebeard alliance felt a sudden, inexplicable chill.
"What's wrong?" shouted Sengoku, clashing with Whitebeard in his giant golden Buddha form.
"Garp, I have a terrible feeling about this!"
Across the field, Garp—transformed into a colossal, shelled beast resembling the mythical Black Tortoise, Genbu—shrugged off a blow from Shanks.
"Don't worry about it, Sengoku!" he laughed heartily. "We're winning! Let's crush these pirates first and worry about bad feelings later!"
But the pirates knew Garp's confidence was well-founded.
They were in a desperate situation.
While their top commanders—Whitebeard, Shanks, Monkey D. Dragon, and Benn Beckman—had all mastered the power of three Devil Fruits, the Marines were just as strong and had far greater numbers.
They were being overwhelmed, completely unaware that a far older and more terrible storm was racing toward them across the sky.