One by one, everyone finally snapped out of their shock and began venting the thoughts exploding inside their minds.
"This is unbelievable! Kid, how on earth did you do it?!" Garp stared blankly, swallowing hard in disbelief.
"Bartholomew Kuma isn't dead, so it's impossible for another Paw-Paw Fruit to exist in this world. Could it be… an artificial Paw-Paw Devil Fruit? You actually managed to create something like that?!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru narrowed her eyes, her face full of astonishment. "Unbelievable… truly unbelievable!"
"A machine that possesses both Haki and a Devil Fruit ability… isn't that basically a perfectly obedient Warlord of the Sea?" Aokiji said, his mouth hanging open in exaggerated shock.
"At first I didn't believe it, but now I'm completely convinced. To think something like this can actually be created… are you some kind of monster, kid?"
Sakazuki lit a cigar. After taking a deep drag to steady his emotions, he spoke slowly.
Kizaru, on the other hand, was grinning proudly.
See that? That kid is my little brother!
A once-in-a-thousand-years technological genius!
"Well, it's nothing special really," Xia Yu said calmly, sounding like a miniature adult.
"A robot should naturally have human-like characteristics."
"The reason previous machines couldn't possess Haki or Devil Fruit powers is simply because they were too weak."
"As for the Paw-Paw Fruit ability, I extracted that power from Kuma's Lineage Factor. You can think of it as an artificial Paw-Paw Devil Fruit."
Although they didn't fully understand the technical explanation, Sengoku was already extremely excited.
Mass production!
These powerful humanoid weapons absolutely had to be mass-produced!
Once mass production began, which pirate would dare oppose the Navy anymore?
In the future, he could finally retire peacefully!
Sengoku grabbed Xia Yu's hands excitedly.
"No need for formal procedures. You're hired! From now on, you'll work in the Navy Science Division. Do your best!"
Then Sengoku leaned closer, his voice filled with anticipation.
"If these humanoid weapons were mass-produced… how much would they cost?"
Xia Yu smiled faintly.
"If we mass-produce these humanoid weapons… it would cost roughly fifty billion Berries."
A barely noticeable hint of cunning flashed in Xia Yu's eyes.
"Huh?!"
"That expensive?!"
Even Sengoku clicked his tongue in shock.
The other high-ranking officers were equally stunned.
Kizaru even began calculating in his head.
Even if I slacked off for my entire career, I probably wouldn't earn that much money…
"Listen to me first," Xia Yu continued calmly.
"These Warlord-level Seraphim are actually quite cheap—only two billion Berries each. Ten of them would cost just two hundred billion."
"That's right! Two hundred billion is completely reasonable!"
While two hundred billion Berries was a massive sum, a single Navy warship already cost over one billion Berries to build.
The Navy spent astronomical amounts of money every year just maintaining world order.
For two billion Berries, obtaining a completely obedient Warlord-level combatant with zero risk was absolutely worth it.
For two hundred billion Berries, acquiring power equivalent to the entire Warlord faction—one of the Three Great Powers of the sea—was practically a bargain.
But fifty billion…
That number was simply too large.
The Navy's budget had been extremely tight recently.
"Don't rush. Let me finish."
"I also have Admiral-level Seraphim."
"However, the first time developing them requires significant research costs—about twenty billion for research. Once the technology is developed, production costs can be reduced to about ten billion each."
"Add everything together, and it totals fifty billion Berries."
Xia Yu explained calmly.
In truth…
He was making it up.
With the advanced technological knowledge in his possession, the real cost for everything would barely reach twenty billion Berries.
The reason Xia Yu asked for fifty billion was because—
Unlocking the next technological tier in his system required possessing five hundred billion Berries in research funding.
It didn't matter whether the money was actually spent or not.
But he had to secure fifty billion in Navy funding to unlock Admiral-level Seraphim technology.
So Xia Yu demanded fifty billion.
After contributing so much to the Navy, skimming a little extra funding wasn't unreasonable, right?
Wait…
What did you just say?
Admiral-level Seraphim?
Everyone present stiffened instantly.
If Xia Yu truly managed to create something like that, the entire world would be turned upside down.
Especially if Admiral-level Seraphim could be mass-produced.
Not only would pirates in the Grand Line be wiped out—
Even the Four Emperors of the New World could be eliminated by the Navy.
After all…
A group of Admirals wasn't something to joke about.
However, most people present still felt doubtful about the idea of Admiral-level Seraphim.
Could such artificial machines really be created?
After all, Admirals weren't just powerful because of Devil Fruits.
Their physical abilities and Haki were already among the strongest in the world.
Even among humans with exceptional talent, very few could ever reach the level of an Admiral.
Yet a machine could?
Warlord-level Seraphim were barely within the realm of possibility.
But Admiral-level ones?
That was something they couldn't even imagine.
To be fair, the claim was coming from an eight-year-old child.
What if it was just childish exaggeration?
After all, Admiral-level strength sounded far too outrageous.
"That seems unlikely," Sakazuki said suspiciously.
"Kid, with your level of combat ability… do you even understand what Admiral-level strength means? If you don't, you shouldn't make such bold claims."
He didn't doubt Xia Yu could create stronger Seraphim.
What he worried about was that Xia Yu simply didn't understand the true power of an Admiral.
What if the result ended up being only Vice Admiral-level?
In that case, spending ten billion Berries each would be a terrible deal.
They'd be better off producing five Warlord-level Seraphim instead.
Vice Admiral Tsuru remained silent, but her gaze shifted toward Sengoku.
Fifty billion Berries was not a small amount.
It represented half a year of the Navy's entire budget.
If things went wrong, Sengoku would face severe consequences.
The Five Elders would definitely hold him accountable.
"Yes, Xia Yu," Kizaru said nervously.
"You should think carefully before saying something like that."
If the Seraphim didn't actually reach Admiral-level…
And the Navy blamed me as the older brother…
If they dock my salary, I'm doomed!
Xia Yu simply waved his tiny hand.
"Don't worry, brother."
"If I say they'll have Admiral-level strength, then they will."
"My brother himself is an Admiral. And I've watched the Navy's recorded battle footage of Admirals fighting to the death. I understand Admiral-level power."
Xia Yu spoke with complete confidence.
Hearing this, Sengoku finally began to waver.
Of course he understood—
No matter what Xia Yu said, Admiral-level Seraphim would always carry huge risks.
But…
The temptation was simply too great.
Even producing just two or three Admiral-level Seraphim would be an enormous boost for the Navy.
At the very least, the Four Emperors of the New World could finally be suppressed.
The temptation was overwhelming.
To hell with it.
If I win, glory awaits.
If I lose… I'll deal with the consequences later.
"How long would it take you to produce these Seraphim?" Sengoku asked.
"The Warlord-level Seraphim are already fully developed. Ten units can be produced within three days."
"As for the Admiral-level Seraphim… research will take about half a month. Once the development is complete, production afterward will be much faster."
After hearing this, Sengoku clenched his teeth and finally made his decision.
At the very least, they already had guaranteed Warlord-level Seraphim.
Even if the Admiral-level project failed, the Five Elders probably wouldn't punish him too severely.
"Good kid!"
"I'll figure out a way to get you those fifty billion Berries."
"Go ahead and research boldly. If it fails, the responsibility is mine!"
Hearing Sengoku's declaration, Tsuru, Garp, and the others all looked toward him.
It was obvious.
Sengoku truly loved these machines.
He was willing to face the wrath of the Five Elders for them.
Sengoku was gambling.
Xia Yu smiled slightly.
Fifty billion secured.
"Don't worry, Uncle Sengoku," Xia Yu said in his childish voice.
"All I need is a dedicated laboratory where no one will disturb me."
"As for the results—you can trust me. I guarantee I'll complete the mission."
"Good kid!"
"In that case, report to your post immediately!"
"You don't need to worry about any administrative procedures. I'll handle everything. You focus entirely on research!"
Sengoku was extremely excited.
Soon afterward—
Kizaru and Sengoku personally escorted the young genius scientist Xia Yu aboard a warship and headed straight for the Navy Science Division.
Now, not only for Xia Yu—
Even Sengoku himself couldn't afford to waste a single minute.
That was why he was so eager to bypass all regulations and have Xia Yu report directly to a private laboratory in the Science Division to begin research immediately.
Of course—
He would assign Vice Admirals to stand guard in shifts.
Such an important genius could not be allowed to suffer even the slightest accident.