The flaws were too great — insufficient intelligence, excessive beast nature. Though they could follow orders, their combat strength was quite limited.
The so-called first generation Seraphim was undoubtedly a failure. Other powers might have been satisfied with such results and immediately begun mass production for the battlefield, but Ren was not pleased.
Yet Ren didn't feel it was cruel.
Cruelty was a fact, but the "feeling" of cruelty depended on the subject. If these test subjects had been innocent ordinary people, he naturally would have felt uneasy. But in reality, these were all members of overseas dark forces who had burned, looted, and committed countless atrocities.
Using such people for experiments — Ren called it making good use of waste.
Of course, he wouldn't claim to be righteous, because these experiments had always been from a self-serving standpoint. Not for any greater contribution.
"It still needs improvement. What about other research progress?"
"The concept of making objects eat Animal-type fruits has been realized," Keiko answered.
But this success was more symbolic than practical — after all, Ren could do it directly with his own abilities. Now that Keiko and the others had achieved it through science, it only meant their research on Devil Fruits had deepened one step further.
"However, the Cyclops Treasure has been completed," Keiko added after a moment's thought.
There was no technical gap between the Cyclops Treasure and the Cyclops Mini — the delay had been entirely a materials problem.
Ordinary materials couldn't support the Cyclops Treasure's weight. Now with special alloys, that was no longer an issue.
The massive Cyclops Treasure, lying down even taller than mountains, had one unit completed. But it hadn't been tested — it was actually hard to find a suitable testing ground within Inazuma's territory.
Its destructive power was simply too great. Sometimes size and weight alone represented strength — like Zunesha, which could smash a warship just by swinging its trunk.
The Cyclops Treasure couldn't match a Yonko, but it could easily reach the level of a Yonko Commander or mid-tier Seven Warlord. It might even take several Warlords working together to defeat one.
But the Cyclops Treasure couldn't be mass-produced because the materials required were staggering.
A single unit's weight exceeded even the mechs from Pacific Rim — just thinking about it was terrifying.
But Ren didn't need these things for now, so there was no rush.
"Right, if you need people to test the products' strength, you can get them from Udon. Who's the daimyo of Udon again?"
"It's Yayoi. Lord Ren, you haven't forgotten who the daimyo of each region is, have you?" Keiko narrowed her eyes, her glasses reflecting light as she scrutinized him.
"Well, Yayoi spends more time with me, so it's understandable I forgot for a moment," Ren said, at a loss for words.
But speaking of which, this did need to be addressed.
Yayoi was nominally the daimyo of Udon, but he'd spent more time overseas than at home. The daimyo position had become purely ceremonial.
But in the coming years, there wouldn't be much need for combat strength overseas. It would be time to send Yayoi back to Udon.
"In any case, Udon's quarry prison holds quite a few prisoners. They can be used freely for testing. Remember that guy Moria?"
"The audacious one who burned our flag, right?" Keiko clearly knew about this. "I heard from the quarry prison warden that he's been trying to escape but can't find an opportunity."
"Next time you want to test a product's power on someone, give him an 'opportunity,'" Ren said. "A person struggling with hope in sight can push out even greater strength. He's perfect for testing the blade."
"But what if he actually escapes?"
"If he has that ability, letting him go wouldn't be a bad thing," Ren said.
He didn't exactly dislike Moria. Despite his many flaws, the way he treated his subordinates made him hard to hate.
If he really escaped, Ren would be willing to give him that chance.
Come to think of it, Impel Down had already had escapees, but since Ren took over Inazuma's quarry, not a single prisoner had successfully escaped.
Ren (leaning back): Now that's what you call the world's greatest prison!
But honestly, Impel Down was nothing special — it just used extra Sea-Prism Stone during construction, and Inazuma had plenty of that.
If mining and forging weren't so difficult, Inazuma's soldiers would already be equipped with Sea-Prism Stone weapons.
After finishing up, Ren took Keiko for some office role-playing before leaving Enkanomiya and returning to Seirai Island.
He happened to run into Yayoi and Qiyue, who were also on Seirai Island, so Ren told Yayoi what had been discussed at Enkanomiya.
"Send me back to Udon as daimyo?" The usually obedient Yayoi showed a trace of hesitation.
"What's wrong?"
"Well… I'd rather stay by your side, Lord Ren," Yayoi said, blushing.
Then the good sister's gaze fell on her younger sister.
"I think Qiyue should go instead. She doesn't have anything to do here anyway."
Qiyue: ???
Qiyue, who'd been peacefully watching the drama unfold, was stunned.
"No, no, Sister, I don't want to go either!" Qiyue quickly protested, afraid of being confirmed if she was a second too late. "I'm not smart enough for political affairs, and besides, if I went to Udon, it would be so inconvenient!"
She threw herself at Ren, hanging from his waist. "It's much more convenient like this."
"But what about Udon? We can't keep having someone else manage it."
Ren pinched his chin in thought.
At that moment, Qiyue's eyes lit up with an idea.
"Isn't it simple?"
"Lord Ren, you gave Udon to 'Kujou Yayoi,' right? So all Kujou Yayoi needs is an heir!" She put special emphasis on the name "Kujou Yayoi."
"So that heir is you, my dear sister!" Yayoi glared and reached to peel Qiyue off Ren.
"NO! Absolutely NO!"
Qiyue threw off her sister's hand and shouted, "I mean a real heir!"
"Lord Ren, hurry up and have a kid with my sister!"
[
Dear Readers,
I hope you are doing well. I am writing to you today because I need to be completely honest — things are genuinely tough right now, and I cannot keep going without your help.
My financial situation is the worst it has ever been. I am struggling to stay afloat, and every bit of support matters more than I can put into words. I do not say this lightly, but I really need your help as much as you can give.
Despite everything, I am still posting 5 chapters every single day across all my active fictions. That is a relentless schedule, and I am pouring everything I have into making sure you never have to wait. I love doing this, and I do not want to stop — but I cannot do it alone for much longer.
If you have been reading and enjoying the work, please consider supporting me. I have structured the tiers to give you incredible value in return:
Adventurer — $3/month
- 20 chapters ahead of free release for all my works
Warrior — $7/month
- 40 chapters ahead of free release for all my works
Immortal — $10/month (Best Value)
- 60 chapters ahead of free release for all my works
- Access to character images and visual references
- Bonus side stories and exclusive content
Special Note: On top of the early access above, every tier receives 150 chapters across all fics per month — a massive library of content waiting for you no matter which level you choose.
Important: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30% fee due to Apple/Patreon policy, and payments are delayed by 2–3 months. Please subscribe through your browser so more of your support reaches me when I need it most.
I am not asking for charity — I am asking because this is what keeps the daily chapters coming, what keeps the stories alive, and what keeps me from drowning right now. Even $3 makes a real difference. If you cannot subscribe, sharing my work with even one person who might enjoy it helps more than you know.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for your time. And thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for even considering it.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]