FukumitsuIsland, East Blue
The true mastermind behind the catastrophic incident at Loguetown now enjoyed his leisurely fishing time in peaceful solitude. When the world offered no immediate entertainment, Kaito could only rely on hobbies from his previous life to pass the hours.
He'd conducted a covert conversation with Artoria several days prior. The blonde knight had been accepted by the Marine high command and would receive promotion to Admiral candidate within days.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku remained in command during this transition. Originally, Kaito had expected the Marines to grant her Vice Admiral rank at most, but they'd exceeded expectations by going one step further. Only a single promotion separated Artoria from achieving full Admiral status.
The communication device Artoria used for reporting proved far more convenient than traditional Den Den Mushi networks. Kaito possessed the master unit while his subordinates operated support devices. The support units couldn't communicate with each other independently—only after the master unit granted permission could they establish contact.
This equipment had been purchased from the Grand Tale System's store—classified as "Unlimited Communication Unit." He'd spent 10 million Infamy Points for a complete set containing one master unit and five support devices. With this technology, agents from various organizations could contact Kaito regardless of distance or circumstances.
While waiting for fish to take his bait, Kaito opened the system's hero interface. A 3D blonde figure appeared before his eyes—wearing identical clothing to Artoria but scaled down significantly, appearing almost adorable. The interface displayed comprehensive character information including basic introduction and skill details.
Artoria Pendragon
Origin: Fate Series
Age: Perpetually Fifteen
Weapon: Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm - Sword of Promised Victory
Talents: Magic Resistance, Riding, Instinct, Mana Burst, Charisma
Abilities: Basic Conqueror's Haki, Barrier of the Wind King, Barrier of the Wind King ,"Excalibur" (Sword of Promised Victory)
The Grand Tale System really went all out with the magical modifications, Kaito observed with satisfaction. These adaptations allow Artoria to thrive in the One Piece world while letting this mundane reality experience the shock of otherworldly heroes.
Magic Resistance: Originally negated all magical effects, now adapted to resist Devil Fruit powers. In close combat, Devil Fruit abilities become completely ineffective against her.
Riding: Grants mastery over various vehicles, including Marine warships and any transportation method.
Instinct: Provides supernatural combat intuition—the ability to instantly determine optimal actions during battle. Has evolved into future prediction capability, allowing her to anticipate attack trajectories through wind patterns and intuition while reducing visual and auditory interference by half.
Mana Burst: Reinforces weapons and physical capabilities through magical energy. Her silver armor is also woven from concentrated magical power.
Charisma: Enhanced significantly by the system's modifications. Troops under her command experience dramatically increased morale and will never retreat. This extraordinary esprit de corps ensures armies fight to the last soldier. Physical capabilities of all subordinates receive comprehensive enhancement—weaker team members benefit from stronger augmentation effects.
The first summon I obtained was perfect in every aspect, Kaito reflected. I only needed to exchange a Basic Conqueror's Haki Comprehension Card for her—everything else was already optimized. She's naturally compatible with Marine ideology while completely incompatible with Revolutionary Army thinking.
Artoria's Charisma ability surpassed even the Revolutionary Army's Kobu Kobu no Mi (Pump-Pump Fruit) in effectiveness. Under her leadership in large-scale battles, ordinary soldiers transformed into elite warriors—a nightmare scenario for any pirate force.
Additionally, their king had drawn the sword from the stone at age fifteen and ceased aging entirely, remaining eternally youthful. She possessed functional immortality. If Artoria claimed the Fleet Admiral position, countless Marine Admirals would serve under her across the centuries.
Retirement was impossible—she would never retire in this lifetime. Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru would eventually age and retreat to secondary roles as they lost influence within such a powerful organization, but Artoria would endure forever.
Even if she couldn't compete with Sakazuki for Fleet Admiral in the immediate future, she would definitely achieve Admiral rank. Time was her ultimate weapon—she could outlast Sakazuki and eventually claim the supreme position.
I really should thank Newspaper King Morgans, Kaito mused. His publications and broadcasts provided tremendous assistance.
During the Loguetown incident, Kaito could have utilized the Sky Screen for live broadcasting, but felt that approach would compromise his preferred dramatic style. He'd deliberately abandoned that option.
The Sky Screen's positioning focused primarily on revealing future events rather than current happenings, maintaining the impression of neutrality among various factions.
Fortunately, Morgans filled the broadcast gap perfectly. Though his live coverage couldn't match the Sky Screen's visual impact, he'd maximized global exposure of the battle while his newspapers amplified the aftermath.
Each headline surpassed the previous in sensationalism. Someone like him belonged in modern clickbait media—Morgans truly was the ultimate headline manipulator in the pirate world.
Luffy's inflated bounty in the later timeline was largely due to this bird-man's sensationalism. During Whole Cake Island, Luffy couldn't match Big Mom's power, yet after escaping he was promoted to "Fifth Emperor" status.
To make everyone believe the Sky Screen's future predictions, sometimes you must sacrifice pawns to catch wolves. Kaito had personally controlled Buggy's body and, utilizing the system's enhancements, battled Admiral Sakazuki to a standstill. However, the performance had cost his entire accumulated fortune—600 million Infamy Points wagered in a single gamble.
During that period, he'd also exchanged a Basic Conqueror's Haki Comprehension Card for Smoker. That decisive punch had triggered the awakening—otherwise, the White Hunter would never have accessed Conqueror's Haki in his lifetime.
Smoker remained one of Kaito's candidates for future Marine Admiral. He'd dismissed Koby from consideration entirely—better to promote the more impressive White Hunter to that position. Kaito despised nepotism and connections. When anyone could become a "Marine Hero," the title's prestige suffered tremendously.
Thanks to Morgans' assistance, Kaito's profits had multiplied exponentially. The Infamy Points invested in Buggy's performance had returned with substantial interest.
His accumulated points had recovered to 1 billion, allowing another major shopping expedition in the system store.
No immediate need for additional equipment. Kaito's personal strength had reached Great Swordsman level—sufficient for complete freedom within a relatively peaceful region like East Blue. No need to waste points on unnecessary upgrades.
Current expenditures should focus on two directions: enhancing existing One Piece characters, and recruiting additional hero summon.
Since the Marines had received reinforcement, the pirates required balancing as well. From a puppet master's perspective, Marines and pirates were simply more interesting fighting crickets.
If either side became too dominant, the fundamental entertainment would disappear. The goal was watching both factions clash until bloody, evenly matched, and fighting to mutual destruction.
Time to start planning the next phase, Kaito decided, casting his fishing line back into the peaceful waters. The chess board is expanding, and I need more pieces in play across all factions.