A portal opened in the air.
Reddy walked out with his hands in his pockets, in a pleasant mood.
This battle had brought him abundant rewards.
First, his clones had gained a deeper mastery of advanced Armament Haki techniques, enough to break through Kaido's defenses.
Although it was only barely enough to pierce his defenses, and still ineffective against Big Mom's steel-like body, this was already an epic-level victory.
Even if he were to attack Onigashima now, he was confident he could seize Kaido's genetic sample.
However, he still had many things to do.
The second gain was obtaining genetic samples from Boa Hancock and Dracule Mihawk.
Boa Hancock's genetic sample was not low-grade, reaching Lv12, but Reddy didn't pay much attention to it. It was just a minor bonus.
But!
The genetic sample of the world's greatest swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, was perfect.
Mihawk possessed the most outstanding swordsmanship talent in the world, and his genetic rating undoubtedly reached Lv13.
Reddy had already made thorough arrangements for Mihawk's genetic sample.
Create a clone, implant Ryuma's shadow... He estimated that this clone, still in the design phase, might even surpass Mihawk and become the world's greatest swordsman.
The third gain, and his ultimate goal in this battle, was capturing labor.
Previously, after sweeping through the underworld forces in Loguetown, Reddy had obtained over 10,000 laborers, greatly alleviating the shortage of manpower.
The new district near Loguetown had already completed land leveling.
Currently, the only thing missing was a massive amount of funds to purchase construction materials.
At the same time, gang members were skilled at destruction but knew nothing about construction. They were not qualified laborers and might even achieve half the results with double the effort.
However, the 50,000 elite Marines captured this time were different.
First, they were all physically strong, being elites.
Second, they were highly obedient.
Third... and most importantly, they represented not just labor but also glittering Berries.
These 50,000 Marines were an elite force that Marineford could not ignore.
Losing 50,000 elite Marines in an instant would inevitably weaken the strength of the branch bases, greatly reducing their deterrence over their respective jurisdictions.
This was something Marineford... or rather, the World Government, could not tolerate.
However, Sakazuki personally leading the operation, along with Kuzan, a monster, had failed to defeat Reddy. Planning another punitive operation was simply unrealistic.
Thus, the only solution was to sit down and negotiate, finding a way to ransom these elite Marines.
However, this process would not be short.
Reddy believed the key lay in Marineford's determination.
As for him... It didn't matter when Marineford ransomed these Marines.
If it was later, he would simply make more use of this labor force to continue expanding the new district and complete the preliminary construction work.
If it was sooner, he would obtain a massive amount of funds to build the new district.
Either way, it was a guaranteed profit.
The fourth gain was the affiliation of Fish-Man Island and Amazon Lily.
Yes.
Neither Fish-Man Island nor Amazon Lily would choose to fully merge under his banner.
Reddy had a clear understanding of this.
Moreover, he had no interest in annexing these two nations with established political systems.
For him, building his ideal utopia from scratch was the best option. Otherwise, conflicts in ideology would inevitably worsen the situation.
Unfortunately, Fish-Man Island had too many Fish-Man supremacists, while Amazon Lily had always relied on piracy and revered violence.
Getting these people to unconditionally submit to him was simply unrealistic.
Of course, these two nations choosing to align with him was not without benefits.
Reddy classified Fish-Man Island and Amazon Lily under the same level as Loguetown, as supplements to his utopia.
However, this still depended on the choices of King Neptune of Fish-Man Island and Pirate Empress Boa Hancock.
He would not force these two to join his ranks.
"Dr. Reddy."
As Reddy was tallying the gains from this battle, Jinbe approached and handed him a piece of ice.
Jinbe passed the ice to Reddy and explained with a smile, "I found this on the island. I thought you might need it."
Reddy took it, initially puzzled but soon delighted.
The ice was small, only the size of two fingers.
However, inside the ice was a trace of blood so faint it was almost invisible unless examined closely.
"Kuzan?"
Reddy's first thought was of Kuzan.
Only this future Admiral could freeze blood within ice and preserve it until the battle ended.
Otherwise, given the scale of the earlier battle, which had altered the island's terrain, there was no reason for this blood sample to remain so intact.
"I do need it. Thank you."
Reddy didn't mind that the blood frozen in the ice had lost its vitality.
As long as the genetic chain was intact, whether it retained vitality was unimportant.
"I'm glad you need it."
Jinbe was deeply satisfied, pleased that he could finally repay Reddy's previous kindness. He then reminded him, "While you were fighting Admiral Akainu and the others, Doflamingo escaped. I didn't stop him."
"It's fine."
Reddy wasn't surprised by Doflamingo's early escape.
Anyone with ulterior motives who witnessed his clones suppressing four Yonko/Admiral-level monsters would make the same choice.
"Also..."
Jinbe glanced at Crocodile, who was walking toward them, and warned in a low voice, "This man has great ambitions. Be very cautious."
Reddy nodded.
At that moment, Crocodile walked up, cigar in his mouth, his demeanor humble. "What would it cost for you to create a powerful clone for me?"
He was arrogant but not foolish.
Originally, he had planned to ally with Reddy, but after witnessing Reddy single-handedly driving off four Yonko/Admiral-level monsters, he abandoned his ambitions and settled for a transaction with Reddy.
And he didn't dare make excessive demands, such as asking Reddy to create an army of clones for him.
Even if he were willing to pay any price, he wouldn't dare.
"Not interested."
Crocodile had, directly or indirectly, helped out, so this favor had to be repaid.
Helping Crocodile create a clone was out of the question, but letting him go was acceptable.
"I'm willing to pay any price."
Crocodile's expression darkened, but he stubbornly raised the stakes. "I know clues about the Ancient Weapon Pluton. If you create a clone for me, I'm willing to share the lost Ancient Weapon with you."
"Not interested."
Reddy still refused.
Crocodile's face darkened further, but in the end, he didn't dare act out. With a cold snort, he turned and left.
Jinbe watched as Crocodile transformed into a sandstorm and flew off the island, shaking his head. "Crocodile is a formidable man. Be careful of his schemes."
Reddy smiled without responding.
Pluton? Right now, I am Poseidon.
If not for the lack of energy, I could create an invincible army of giant sea kings right now.
What could Crocodile possibly use to scheme against me?
No desires, no vulnerabilities.
This was the ultimate truth left by our ancestors.
"I should leave too."
Seeing Reddy's indifference, Jinbe didn't press further. After all, the man was already powerful enough to change the world. He bid Reddy farewell.
"Let's go together."
Reddy stopped Jinbe and turned his gaze to Boa Hancock, who was walking toward them.
When Hancock approached, he got straight to the point. "I will fulfill my promise. We can discuss the details on the way... Now, let's go to Amazon Lily."