Whole Cake Island, Central Castle.
In the vast main hall, Lucien sat upon the main seat, one leg crossed over the other, a cigarette resting between his fingers. Smoke curled lazily around his face, partially obscuring his sharp features and those cold, amethyst eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light.
Below him, gathered in distinct groups, were the most notorious forces of the sea.
The Whitebeard Pirates.
The Beasts Pirates.
The Big Mom Pirates.
The Blackbeard Pirates.
The Revolutionary Army.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea.
The Impel Down forces led by Magellan.
Crocodile's Baroque Works.
The core members of the Donquixote Family.
Every single person seated in this hall was a figure whose name alone could shake the seas. Outside the castle, tens of thousands of pirates, jailers, thugs, and underworld fighters filled the island, standing by like an army awaiting conquest.
Lucien took a slow drag before speaking.
"I have several tasks for you."
His tone was calm, but no one dared treat it lightly.
"First. The Whitebeard Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates, together with the Seven Warlords of the Sea, will move against the Red Hair Pirates. I want to see Red Hair Shanks, Benn Beckman, and the rest standing before me."
His gaze shifted toward Doflamingo, Crocodile, Jinbe, Moriah, Hancock, and Kuma. With the addition of Whitebeard's and Blackbeard's forces, such a lineup was more than enough to crush the Red Hair Pirates.
"Yes."
Those designated all nodded without hesitation.
Lucien exhaled another stream of smoke.
"The New World now belongs to us. Return to your territories and expand your subordinate forces. Anyone with potential must be turned into a Demon. Spread the news across the entire sea."
His lips curved slightly, cruel amusement flickering in his eyes.
"Magellan, Katakuri, the two of you will go to the Underworld. Cooperate with Stussy. Control the Underworld emperors and expand our influence further."
"Search for powerful individuals. Redfield, the Golden Lion Shiki, World Destroyer Bundy World, Devil's Heir Douglas Bullet. Any powerful pirate crew must be found."
He continued issuing orders one after another. For more than twenty minutes, instructions flowed from his mouth with ruthless clarity. Each command tightened his control over the sea.
Eventually, the hall began to empty.
Only a handful remained, Jinbe, Hancock, Garp, Kuma.
Next, Lucien would head to Fish Man Island, then to the Sabaody Archipelago. Pluton was too valuable to ignore. If such a weapon could be turned into a Demon asset, its destructive power would multiply.
Dragon led the Revolutionary Army away as well.
Once the lower ranking members adapted fully to their Demon bodies, their expansion speed would become terrifying. Like an infection, they would only need to bite and inject Demon blood. The transformation would spread endlessly.
The stronger the Demon, the harder it was to kill.
As time passed, Lucien's influence would grow without limit.
When the World Government finally fell, it would be time to harvest.
In his eyes, these so called strong figures were nothing more than ripe crops waiting to be reaped. Minor supporting characters yielded steady rewards. Important ones yielded even greater profit.
Once the hall stood empty, Lucien opened the familiar light screen.
His amethyst eyes brightened.
Zoro, Nami, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook, and Sabo had granted him twenty one Dice rolls and plus seven Luck.
But the true surprise had been Luffy.
"Successfully hunted Monkey D. Luffy, Son of Destiny of the One Piece World. Reward, 4 Dice rolls. VIP Luck plus 1."
"Successfully hunted the reincarnator Monkey D. Luffy. Reward, 4 Dice rolls. VIP Luck plus 1."
Lucien burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the hall.
Luffy had been a fat sheep, and Lucien had sheared him twice. The gains were almost embarrassing.
When he first realized Luffy was a reincarnator, he had been irritated. Now, his satisfaction was undeniable.
The Dice spun.
The model airplane crossed three squares. A familiar white light erupted.
Lucien immediately used one VIP Luck.
"Any Breath."
"Description, can breathe in any environment."
He tilted his head slightly.
Not extraordinary at first glance, but far from useless.
Even as the progenitor of Demons, he still needed to breathe. He still ate. He still excreted. In many ways, he remained bound to biological limitations.
This ability removed that weakness.
Water, earth, fire, even space. He could survive in any environment.
Saiyans could not survive in space.
Now, he could.
The value of this VIP reward was far greater than it appeared.
The Dice spun again.
Without hesitation, he used the second VIP Luck.
"Armament Haki Level plus 1."
"Description, increases Armament Haki by one level."
Lucien's expression sharpened instantly.
If Armament Haki had tiers, he had been stuck at an awkward middle ground.
Beginner. Intermediate. Advanced.
He had only reached the Intermediate stage.
That had been the reason Whitebeard and Kaido could pressure him repeatedly. Even with his Demon immortality, Iron Body, and hardened defenses combined, he had suffered setbacks.
Now, that limitation shattered.
Power surged through his body like molten iron.
He raised his right hand and clenched his fist. It darkened instantly, turning pitch black and glossy, solid like forged steel.
He plucked a strand of hair.
Armament Haki surged into it.
The hair stiffened and transformed into a black blade. In the next moment it shifted again, a spear, a halberd, a club, an axe. All eighteen traditional weapon forms cycled through his hand effortlessly.
A single strand of hair had become a deadly weapon.
Anything he held could now be shaped and hardened at will.
He threw a casual punch.
A condensed shockwave erupted forward, blasting through the castle wall and carving a five meter wide trench across the island before dissipating in the distance.
The roar startled those outside, but Lucien waved them off dismissively.
He continued testing.
Shigan became more lethal.
Rankyaku sliced with greater density.
Every technique empowered by Armament Haki had grown drastically in both offense and defense.
He could feel it clearly.
In the past, he had relied heavily on immortality to overpower Kaido and Whitebeard. Without that regenerative advantage, the outcome would have been far bloodier.
Now, even without relying solely on regeneration, his raw combat power had leapt forward.
He sensed that Armament Haki still had room to evolve further. Of everyone he had seen, Garp's Armament Haki felt the most terrifying, possibly beyond Advanced yet not fully transcendent.
Armament Haki had reached a satisfactory stage.
Only Observation Haki remained lacking.
Foreseeing a single second into the future was insufficient.
Still, the two VIP Luck rewards had exceeded expectations.
He now had seven regular Luck rolls remaining, and even the option to synthesize more.
The One Piece world was truly a treasure vault.
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