Chapter 278: Forgery and Arrangements
Terra, at the edge of the mining area.
Louis stood at the forest's perimeter, his flawless white wings slightly folded. He looked down at the pirates working numbly below.
Beside him, Kuina stood silently, holding the blood-stained Wado Ichimonji, watching indifferently as Asmodeus interrogated a blood-soaked pirate.
"Heh. Remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Just because you saw Phoenix Marco escape, you got the bright idea that you could escape from Terra, too?"
A tall, brown-skinned woman with long white hair and faint facial tattoos crouched in front of the pirate. She was poking at the clean, smooth cuts on his body with a tree branch.
The pirate was tough. Even as searing pain shot through his wounds and cold sweat dripped from his forehead, he kept his jaw clenched, refusing to say a word.
"Still acting tough, huh?" Asmodeus tossed the branch aside and hauled the pirate to his feet. "In that case, you can just come back with me and experience something... more stimulating."
At these words, the pirate's pupils shrank in clear terror. He had obviously heard of this madwoman's reputation.
Asmodeus was very satisfied by his fearful look. "Scared now, are we?"
"Then just tell me your plan, and where Whitebeard himself is hiding."
"In your... dreams!" The pirate spat out the words through bloody, gritted teeth.
Asmodeus didn't care in the slightest. She had plenty of ways to break this man's silence and make him spill every last secret he and the Whitebeard Pirates had.
She grabbed the pirate by the hair and, as Kuina watched, simply began to drag him through the forest back toward the city. She was going to use harsher methods, yes, but that didn't mean the pirate would get a comfortable walk on the way.
She wasn't worried about him dying, either. She still hadn't had a chance to use the feather Louis had given her.
After Asmodeus left, Kuina flicked her blade, shaking the blood from the Wado Ichimonji before slowly sheathing it.
She turned to Louis, who seemed lost in thought. "Louis, what brings you here?"
A little while ago, Kuina had received a call from Violet, informing her that another pirate had been spotted at the mining area. A moment later, a portal had opened in front of her. When she stepped through, she found Louis standing at the cliff's edge, and a terrified-looking pirate with his back to her.
She had cut the surprisingly strong pirate down in a single stroke, and Asmodeus of the 1st Division had arrived right after.
Only now did Kuina have a chance to ask why Louis was here.
"Just looking around," Louis replied casually.
"Is that so?" Kuina's eyes showed a hint of understanding. She didn't question his answer. She simply walked to his side, her gaze also falling on the laborers below.
"By the way, Louis," she said.
"Yelena ran into Zoro when she was in Alabasta. He's joined a rookie pirate's crew."
"Zoro? Does that mean he only just set out to sea?" Louis turned his head to look at Kuina, who was dressed in a simple kimono, her black hair in a half-ponytail. "You've been gone for so many years. He actually managed to stay in Shimotsuki Village that long?"
Louis had already anticipated that Zoro would join the Straw Hat crew, but he had not anticipated that he would be joining them in Paradise, rather than the Grand Line or the New World as he'd expected. He was quite surprised.
Kuina fell silent for a moment, her expression turning strange.
"Yelena said she asked Zoro pretty much the same question," Kuina explained, meeting Louis's curious gaze. "The answer she got was that Zoro left Shimotsuki Village to get stronger, not long after I did."
"But... due to various 'accidents' and his... mysterious sense of direction, he failed to enter the Grand Line all these years and was stuck in the East Blue."
Kuina relayed everything she had heard from Yelena, including Zoro's successful evolution into a "Vehicle Killer" and information about his crewmates.
As she was speaking, Kuina realized something. "Didn't Yelena tell you any of this?"
"No." Louis met her questioning look. "She usually doesn't bother me with things she considers... trivial."
"Trivial, huh?" Kuina nodded thoughtfully.
She's right. The only reason she cared about Zoro was because he was her rival and friend. To Yelena, only someone like Hawkeye, the World's Strongest Swordsman, was worth her attention.
As for Louis, he was on another level entirely.
"The Straw Hats are already at Alabasta?" Louis mused. "It's about that time..."
After a long pause, Louis turned away from the mining pit and stepped into a portal that had appeared, vanishing from the forest. Kuina, without hesitation, followed him, leaving just as a pack of giant hounds, drawn by the scent of blood, arrived.
In the massive laboratory beneath the Treasure Tree Adam, Louis stepped out of the portal and sat down on a sofa in the rest area.
Kuina appeared right behind him, glanced at the surroundings, and instantly realized where she was. She didn't linger, turning to head for the exit.
A moment later, Reiju, wearing a white shirt and short skirt, her pink hair cut to her shoulders, walked over carrying a pot of tea. She poured a cup for Louis. "Lord Louis, are you here to see Father?"
"He just went into the main lab. If it's not urgent, he probably won't be out until late tonight."
"Late tonight, hmm?" Louis's expression didn't change.
The research on "Green Blood" had been successfully completed about half a year ago, and Louis's contract with Judge had technically ended. But perhaps Judge had grown accustomed to the steady flow of funds—and the opportunities for his own research—that didn't require him to wage war.
After completing the project, Judge hadn't left. Instead, he had actively proposed a new partnership, offering his services as Louis's hired scientist.
Louis, of course, did not refuse such a welcome offer and happily agreed, providing Judge with a massive budget and a list of new projects.
For example: taking the "junk" Devil Fruits they had acquired—like the Poop-Poop Fruit—and cosmetically altering them to look like powerful fruits, such as the Dark-Dark Fruit, the Ice-Ice Fruit, or the Qilin Fruit, before scattering them across the seas.
The allure of a powerful fruit was undeniable. Blackbeard's reaction to finding a "Dark-Dark Fruit" would be fascinating—he might just evolve from a "loyal son" into a "truly devoted son."
And the World Government, having lost several strong fighters, would undoubtedly be trying to reclaim their lost fruits to cultivate new assets.
Louis's idea was simple: use junk to create fakes and screw over as many of his enemies as possible.
Another project was to design and construct a new class of battleship—faster, more heavily armored, and with a larger payload.
And beyond those, there were even more important projects just beginning.
Reiju poured a cup of tea for herself and sat gracefully opposite Louis, blowing on the steam.
"Lord Louis, are you here to check on the projects' progress? Father is busy, but I can answer any questions you have."
Since Judge's other sons were completely useless for research or management, Reiju had been put in charge of overseeing the projects and assisting where needed. She wasn't thrilled about it, but it was infinitely better than leading armies into battle. As a result, she was fully briefed on the status of every project.
"I want to know," Louis said, "what is the status of the project to 're-skin' the Devil Fruits?"
Reiju quickly ran through the project's file in her mind.
"Currently, the modifications for the Dark-Dark Fruit, the Ice-Ice Fruit, and the Qilin Fruit are complete. They are ready to be released at any time. The Soul-Soul Fruit and the Thorn-Thorn Fruit are still in progress."
"Dark-Dark, Ice-Ice, and Qilin..." Louis repeated. "Are you certain they will fool everyone?"
Forgery wasn't easy. If the fakes were too obvious, they'd only fool idiots.
"With Germa's technology, there is only one way to tell the difference," Reiju said, setting down her cup. "And that is to take a bite and gain the ability."
She was, in essence, saying: You can question Germa's strength. You can call us all monsters. But you cannot question our technology. Even our forgeries are world-class.
"In that case," Louis said, "release those fruits. And make sure it can't be traced back to us."
Reiju felt a brief moment of pity for the unlucky souls who would eat them. "Understood, Lord Louis."
Louis opened a portal to the castle. As he stood to leave, he paused. "One more thing. What is the progress on the new battleship?"
Reiju thought for a second. "The blueprints are complete. The prototype vessel, to verify the technology, is also nearing completion."
"Nearing completion, hmm?" Louis mused, stepping into the portal and vanishing.
Just as Reiju stood up to clear the cups, the main door burst open. Ulti stormed in, her pink eyes wide.
"Reiju! I saw a blond guy in Alabasta named Sanji! He has the same curly—"
Before Ulti could finish, Reiju's face changed. She appeared in front of Ulti in a flash, clamping a hand over her mouth and cutting her off.
In the castle's grand hall, a starry portal opened. A slender hand reached out, and Louis stepped through. The portal rippled and vanished behind him.
His footsteps echoed, and Shirahoshi and Uta, who were chatting in the hall, turned.
Seeing him, Uta beamed and waved. "Good morning, Louis!"
Shirahoshi, sitting on a giant-sized sofa, shifted her massive form, leaning her head close to him. She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. "Good morning, Lord Louis."
"Carry on," Louis said, smiling as he patted Shirahoshi's head. He continued walking toward the back of the castle.
Uta peeked out from behind Shirahoshi. "When did he get so busy? I remember him being so free all the time."
Shirahoshi just tilted her head thoughtfully.
Just then, Louis's voice drifted back from the hallway. "Shirahoshi, I need you to ask the Sea Kings if they know the territory of a specific, giant lantern fish."
"The lantern fish Jarl mentioned?" Uta instantly knew what he was after.
Shirahoshi nodded toward the hallway. "I understand, Lord Louis! I'll ask right away!"
Half an hour later, in the small garden on the balcony.
Louis sat on a sofa, looking at the Den Den Mushi on the table. "Arcordon, have you reached the sky islands near Jaya yet?"
The snail mimicked Arcordon's voice. "Not yet. It takes time for Baal to get from the East Blue to Jaya. When you called, I was catching up with an old friend I ran into. What's wrong? Did something happen at the sky island?"
"What old friends do you have?" Louis retorted, then explained, "A pirate crew will be arriving in Shandora soon. They will likely try to take some of the gold. Get there as soon as you can."
"Fine," Arcordon replied. "But if it's urgent, you should send someone to secure the gold first. By the way... are you coming back to Baal soon... Louis?"
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