Above Water 7, at the Akatsuki Organization headquarters on Floating Island.
Pain had already obtained a large amount of World Government secrets from Rob Lucci, such as the previously unknown Marine Fleet Admiral Kong "Steel Bone" of the World Government.
He also learned "confidential" information like the Gorosei, not the Marine Fleet Admiral, being the highest authority in the World Government. (Lucci did not know about the mysterious figures above the Gorosei, so he believed the Gorosei were the highest executives of the World Government).
Under everyone's efforts, Nero's one-month Cultivate progress had significantly improved his Space Fruit abilities.
His Space Cage could now be projected ten meters outwards, and Space Slashes could appear within 300 meters according to his will. He had also developed a new ability for the Space Fruit, which was the most needed ability for Pain and the others: "Space Barrier."
Nero could now release a ten-cubic-meter Space Barrier centered on himself, and this barrier had extremely strong defensive capabilities.
Unless one possessed the ability to shatter space or could control Nero before he expanded the Space Barrier, this move was Nero's absolute defense.
The downside was that once the Space Barrier was activated, he became a stationary target and couldn't move. If the enclosed ten-cubic-meter space ran out of oxygen, he would suffocate to death.
If an enemy knew this weakness of Nero, they would only need to make Nero maintain the Space Barrier, and by grasping the weakness, they could control him.
Reno also made significant progress this month. Under Oden's focused training to enhance Reno's attack strength, Reno had considerably improved his offensive power.
Using CP0's Doriki value system, Reno's combat power was around 1800 Doriki, while Nero, due to the high attack intensity of his Space Fruit, had a Doriki value of about 2000.
The two were currently sparring in the training ground, and the current situation was that neither could overcome the other.
Reno's advantage lay in his speed, which was so fast that if Nero reacted a little slowly, he would be hit. However, Nero had not yet mastered Haki, which was a clear weakness; he could only rely on his Space Fruit abilities for defense and counterattack.
Nero's advantage was his strong offense. Fighting Nero meant not getting hit by his attacks; if hit, even those with Armament Haki below Intermediate level would be directly sliced in half by a Space Slash.
The weakness of Nero's Space Slash was that each spatial blade would create a spatial ripple when generated. Anyone with Observation Haki or keen danger perception could dodge Nero's Space Slashes in advance.
Nero still had a long way to go to make his Space Slash ability appear silently. Although Nero had made considerable progress in his Cultivate this month, his control over spatial abilities was still at a low level.
Nero's Space Cage was a good method for sneak attacks. Nero only needed to hide in the spatial rift and quietly approach, and he could stealthily throw someone within a ten-meter radius into a Space Cage.
The weakness was that Nero's movement speed within the spatial rift was not fast; at most, he could only achieve the speed of normal running.
Moreover, when he revealed himself to attack, there would be spatial ripples. For strong individuals with Observation Haki, they could completely avoid it in advance, provided they knew about Nero's ability.
However, those unaware of Nero's Space Fruit ability would still easily fall victim.
There were two types of people Nero's Space Cage couldn't hold: one type was like Pain, who, even if trapped in a Space Cage, could use the Animal Path to summon, unless the Animal Path itself was trapped.
The other type was people like Reno and Kizaru. Even if Reno was trapped, he could flash out, while Kizaru could escape before the Space Cage formed, as his speed was too fast for the Space Cage to keep up.
In the Cultivate area's training ground, Reno and Nero were still exchanging blows, competing to see whose stamina would run out first.
Pain and the others had been observing the battle from the sidelines. Seeing that neither could determine a winner, Pain decisively called a halt to their spar.
"Reno... Nero..."
"Stop now..."
"Everyone, follow me..."
Pain stopped the two and led everyone to the round table conference room in the meeting area.
After everyone was seated, Konan was the first to speak, distributing their upcoming tasks. With Nero's mastery of the Space Barrier ability, the timing for action was ripe.
"Nero has mastered the Space Barrier ability..."
"What we need to do next is to raise the Old Shipyard..."
"Because the Old Shipyard is about twenty-five meters deep under the sea..."
"Our action to raise the Old Shipyard will be very significant..."
"This will inevitably attract the attention of the World Government,"
"And it's not out of the question that people from other forces are already lurking in Water 7."
"Pain's Ninjutsu has not yet been activated, so he cannot monitor the movements of everyone on the island."
"Therefore..."
"The next tasks will be carried out in groups..."
Konan briefly explained the upcoming tasks and why they would salvage the Old Shipyard to Lucci and the others, then proceeded with task assignments.
Pain, Nero, and Golden Lion formed one group, responsible for raising the sunken Old Shipyard onto Floating Island. Although the size of the Old Shipyard was unknown, Floating Island was presumed to be able to accommodate its volume.
Lucci, Reno, and Kaku were responsible for distant alert. If there was any disturbance, they would fight if they could; if not, they would report in time and retreat to Pain's side.
Oden and Konan were responsible for support. If the enemy was strong, they would snipe the enemy to prevent them from affecting the process of raising the Old Shipyard onto Floating Island.
The Animal Path was stealthily lurking near Junk Island, also serving as a lookout.
In the conference room, Iceberg and others were also present. Hearing Konan's arrangements, Iceberg and the others were also very happy.
Firstly, completing these matters sooner and returning to a peaceful life was what they all wished for. Secondly, being able to achieve the construction of the "Pluton" warship in their hands was also an honor.
"This mission is of great importance..."
"Our actions will definitely provoke a response from the World Government..."
"This time will also be a more brutal battle than before..."
"Everyone, prioritize your own safety..."
"If you are outmatched, you can call for help or retreat; there's no need to fight to the death..."
"Because... I need you alive!"
"We have more leverage than any other force."
"The initiative of the war is still in our hands."
With the task assignments completed, Konan provided a summary.
Konan had always been a kind-hearted person, only concealed by her cold exterior. The Akatsuki Organization members were fortunate to be together, and Konan had also fulfilled her wish to marry Pain, and her cold heart had regained some warmth.
Konan no longer regarded the Akatsuki Organization members as outsiders but as part of her family.
"Everyone understands Konan's assignments..."
"If there are no questions, let's start now..."
"Lucci, Kaku, Reno..."
"You depart now, go ahead."
Pain gave the signal for the mission to begin, stood up, and walked directly out of the conference room.
Lucci and the others received their orders and, led by Reno, flashed away from the island.
Here was an old dilapidated residence some distance from Water 7, Junk Island. This residence had been abandoned for who knows how long, always neglected.
Now, however, several people were lurking inside.
Two seemingly leading figures, along with their subordinates, had been lurking here for three days, aiming to fulfill Kaido's directive: to recruit the Akatsuki Organization to become pirates under Kaido.
One of the leaders was the Supernova Scratchmen Apoo, and the other was Basil Hawkins. Both were recently risen Supernovas and subordinates of Kaido.
Kaido had once fallen from a great height in an attempt to 'commit suicide,' landing at the base of another Supernova, Eustass Kid, and ended up in a standoff with Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo.
Kid, Hawkins, and Apoo were originally allies, determined to defeat the Four Emperors Red-Haired Shanks together, but Kaido's sudden appearance shattered their alliance.
Kaido easily defeated the three and severely injured Kid, who refused to surrender. He demanded Kid tell Straw Hat Luffy not to play with fire, as the world of pirates was not a game of make-believe.
Hawkins and Apoo, seeing the unfavorable situation, voluntarily joined Kaido, becoming his subordinates. This time, they were directly dispatched by Kaido to Water 7 for the recruitment mission.
Apoo was a Longarm Tribe member from the South Blue. He wore Chinese attire with the character "sound" (sound) embroidered on his chest, headphones, and black glasses.
Apoo had piano-key-like teeth, spoke with a slightly rapping cadence, and had a unique laugh: "Apapapapapa!" He was a Paramecia Ability User, capable of transforming his entire body into musical instruments, using sound waves to inflict various attacks and destruction upon enemies.
Apoo was one of the 11 Supernovas who landed on Sabaody Archipelago, with a bounty of 198 million Berries at the time, ranking sixth among the Supernovas. His current bounty was 350 million Berries.
Hawkins was also one of the Supernovas who landed on Sabaody Archipelago, with a bounty of 249 million Berries at the time, ranking third among the Supernovas, second only to Kid and Luffy. His current bounty was 320 million Berries.
Hawkins had flowing golden hair, a slender build, a distinctive six vertical lines on his forehead, armor on his left arm, and a black cross tattooed on his Adam's apple. He wore black trousers paired with an open, ruffled white shirt.
His eyebrows were vertical lines, and his eyes, mouth, and nose all displayed a seemingly melancholic and frightening appearance.
Hawkins' nickname was "The Magician," yet he was a fortune-teller obsessed with divination, making all decisions based on the results of his readings.
Hawkins was calm and introverted, handling matters with composure, giving the impression of being in control. His voice was deep and powerful.
Hawkins was a Paramecia Devil Fruit "Straw-Straw Fruit" Ability User, capable of fighting through straw effigies. The straw effigies would transfer damage to others via voodoo dolls to nullify attacks.
The Ability User himself could transform into a giant straw effigy, and could also manifest a giant straw effigy by holding a weapon. He could also influence the situation and power levels of both allies and enemies by drawing cards, but he also had to bear high risks as a consequence.
"Hawkins..."
"Did you divine the success rate of this recruitment mission?"
Apoo was somewhat curious about the success rate of this mission and inquired of Hawkins.
"I have already performed the divination..."
"Failure rate... 99%..."
"Death rate... 50%."
Hawkins answered Apoo's question expressionlessly.
"It seems this mission is quite perilous..."
"Apapapapapa..."
To be continued...
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