Under Evil Lilith's supervision, the tests continued. Even Seraphim Tendo stepped forward, wielding the black blade Shusui, slicing down toward Souta Kiryuu several times to test his body's resilience.
Asura Path held the Second Generation Kitetsu, Human Path swung the Enma Blade and Ame-no-Habakiri—each of them brandishing supreme-grade swords as they struck against Souta's iron-hard skin.
Lilith's eyes gleamed as sparks burst off the impact. "Unbelievable defense! Without the enhancement of Conqueror's Haki infusion, even Shusui, a black blade, and Enma, a cursed sword, can't pierce your skin."
She was stunned. The bloodline factor of this so-called Steel Balloon Physique was even stronger than Kaido's Oni lineage. No wonder Big Mom—Charlotte Linlin—could give birth for fifty years straight without needing a Mythical Zoan ability, and still grow to the level of a Yonko.
After all, the Soul-Soul Fruit doesn't enhance defense or regeneration. Her monstrous body alone rivaled a Zoan-class creature.
Souta glanced at the scorched marks left on his skin, expression calm. "Hmm… a little weaker than I expected."
He quietly analyzed the attacks from every direction, calculating the intensity of each weapon's impact. Through that, he gauged the limit of his steel skin's defense.
With strong Armament Haki or Conqueror's coating, his defense could still be breached—but that didn't bother him. Souta wasn't a stationary target. He could evade, strike back, and layer his own Haki for protection.
And even if his steel skin were somehow pierced, his Mythical Zoan-level regeneration wouldn't let him fall so easily.
Overall, his potential had advanced to a completely new tier.
Steel skin reinforced by Armament Haki, coupled with regeneration from his Zoan—Kaido himself would be envious of this power.
When the time came to face Imu again, Souta knew he'd stand with far greater confidence.
"Alright," he said, rising from the testing platform. "Let's take a look at those Moon-Core weapons."
After the tests, Souta led the three Seraphim who lacked proper armaments to the weapon chamber.
Hell Path, whose Green Blood carried the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, naturally reached for the Moon-Core Naginata: Scarlet Severance. He twirled it with ease, a ripple of white vibration bursting from the blade—a manifestation of the quake's power.
"In time," Souta remarked, watching him, "you'll be using Scarlet Severance to slice down that red-haired fool, Shanks."
Gluttony Path, who possessed the Clone-Clone Fruit's Green Blood, grabbed the massive Moon-Core Warhammer: Nuclear Strike before Souta could reach it. Yet, under the fruit's influence, the hammer didn't grow or extend—it remained stubbornly unaffected.
Yes, that was the nature of Moon-Core: utterly indestructible, and immune to Devil Fruit manipulation. The same mysterious quality that made the Poneglyphs impossible to destroy flowed within it.
The substance within the Moon-Core was rarer and more precious than even Seastone.
"You're planning to use that hammer?" Souta asked, watching Gluttony Path swing it. Since his preferred weapon was taken, he picked up the Moon-Core Halberd: Emperor's Fang Tiger and gave it a few fluid swings.
Meanwhile, Beast Path tried the Double-Edged Axe: Skybreaker, weighed it in his hand, then switched to the Moon-Core Spiked Club: King's Addiction. The moment he gripped the club, a fierce grin spread across his face—it felt right in his hands, and he began to spin it effortlessly.
Souta sighed, putting down his halberd and trying the axe once more before finally returning all of them to the weapon rack.
With his steel skin and Conqueror's Haki coating, these weapons felt unnecessary. The only weapon that truly mattered now was the Star-Core Cutting Blade—the hardest weapon in existence.
Once enough Moon-Core minerals were mined and forged, that blade would remain by his side forever.
It would become the ultimate weapon to face Imu, the Gorosei, and even the Yonko.
As the weapon rack was retracted into Fortress Seraphim's internal vault, Souta turned toward Kozuki Sukiyaki, giving the weary old man a sliver of hope.
"Keep at it. Continue developing Moon-Core weapons on the lunar base. If you succeed… maybe I'll let you return to Wano someday."
Sukiyaki could only swallow that dream whole, the "hope" Souta offered no more than a mirage. Resigned, he stepped into the Seraphim's teleportation field, returning to the lunar facility.
"How's the modification on Blackbeard Teach's memories?" Souta asked as he walked through Vegapunk's lab, checking the progress of the third batch of Seraphim growth tanks. His eyes turned to the strange creature floating in a capsule.
Neither Vegapunk nor Trafalgar Law had yet succeeded in fully mastering soul surgery, and thus the multi-fruit user experiment had reached a deadlock.
"The modification is stable enough," Vegapunk said, adjusting his glasses. "We might be able to cultivate a pacifista with three Devil Fruit abilities. But what fruits do you intend to give him?"
He raised a cautioning hand. "Remember—because the Dark-Dark Fruit is so unique, adding another Logia could cause elemental interference, making it impossible to activate intangibility. And I advise against any Zoan, especially Mythical ones—their animal will and soul interference could cause unpredictable behavioral glitches."
"So," he concluded, "it's best to give Teach two Paramecia fruits—complementary abilities that can enhance each other. That would maximize the three-fruit potential."
Souta nodded slightly, eyes narrowing in thought.
"Two Paramecia fruits, huh…"
In the original timeline, Blackbeard had claimed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and had sought to steal the Love-Love Fruit from the Pirate Empress herself. He had even defeated Trafalgar Law on Winner Island, debating whether to take the Op-Op Fruit for himself.
Since the Green Blood versions of those fruits couldn't be used directly, Souta needed to choose two new Paramecia abilities for his pacifista Teach.
If something happened to Whitebeard, Souta wouldn't hesitate to reclaim the Tremor-Tremor power and pass it on again.
But the other Paramecia… what should it be?
After assigning new tasks to the lab teams, Souta left the PH Research Facility with the Pirate Empress and the Six Seraphim, returning to the golden palace of God Island.
His presence there instantly stirred the members of the Kiryuu Pirates into motion—they all gathered at the palace in reverent silence.
"What's the current situation on the seas?" Souta asked casually, leaning back as the Empress and Baby 5 fed him fruit and wine. His eyes turned toward Nico Robin and Lafitte, the two intelligence and diplomacy chiefs.
"According to Morgans' latest reports," Lafitte began, "the entire Holy Land of Mariejois has been flooded with seawater. Captain, perhaps you should have Seraphim Kuma sense whether your spatial markers there still exist."
It was a critical piece of intel. He wasn't sure if seawater could actually erase the Paw-Paw Fruit's teleportation marks—but if the World Government resorted to such drastic measures, it was worth checking.
Souta smirked. "So… Imu and the Gorosei really went that far, huh?"
He motioned for Seraphim Kuma to test it immediately.
Even he didn't know if the saltwater would wash away his markings. After all, Paramecia abilities often defied reason—some could be neutralized by seawater, others were immutable.
Whatever the result, the world was clearly trembling again.