"I heard this from my colleagues as well," Vergo replied. "Whether the information is completely reliable still needs to be verified."
"But there's one thing I can confirm for certain."
"The war machine this kid developed—Seraphim—is extraordinarily powerful. Otherwise the Navy wouldn't go through such lengths, assigning four Vice Admirals to guard the place every single day."
A war machine… Seraphim?
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes with interest.
If the Navy had truly developed a war machine even stronger than the Pacifista, then it could indeed have a significant impact on the entire world.
"How strong is this machine?" Doflamingo straightened slightly in his seat, his tone becoming serious. "Do you know?"
"The new war machine possesses the characteristics of the Lunarian race and resembles Kuma in his younger years," Vergo explained.
"It also has all the abilities of a Pacifista."
"But that's not the most frightening part."
"The most terrifying thing is that this machine can use Haki… and it even possesses the power of the Paw-Paw Fruit."
"…What?"
Even someone as formidable as Doflamingo opened his mouth in shock.
Normally, news about giant experiments, artificial Devil Fruits, or poison gas tests wouldn't even make him blink.
But hearing that a robot possessed Haki and a Devil Fruit ability genuinely startled him.
A machine with Haki…
That was already beyond his imagination.
And the Paw-Paw Fruit?
What was going on there?
Doflamingo himself controlled the SMILE factories that produced artificial Devil Fruits.
So he understood the artificial Devil Fruit industry better than most.
Creating a basic artificial Zoan Devil Fruit might be possible.
But producing a truly top-tier Devil Fruit artificially?
That was nearly impossible.
The Paw-Paw Fruit was one of the most exceptional Paramecia abilities in existence.
And now…
Someone had managed to replicate it?
If even a high-grade Devil Fruit like that could be produced artificially, then manufacturing ordinary Zoan-type artificial fruits in bulk would be trivial.
Would that affect my business in the future?
For the first time in a while, Doflamingo felt uneasy.
This machine sounded far too bizarre.
"You've personally witnessed these abilities?" Doflamingo asked carefully after thinking for a moment.
"…No, I haven't seen it myself," Vergo admitted.
"But according to my intelligence, the machine underwent testing earlier."
"And Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself concluded that the machine possesses combat power equivalent to a Warlord of the Sea."
"That's why the Navy assigned four Vice Admirals to guard Xia Yu. They even approved a research budget of fifty billion Berries."
"Yes—other information might be inaccurate, but the fifty billion funding is absolutely real."
"In fact, the Navy has even postponed construction of newly ordered warships just so the first batch of Seraphim can be produced in three days."
Vergo's voice carried a hint of excitement.
Even Doflamingo swallowed nervously.
Fifty billion Berries?
That was equivalent to ten years of profit from his SMILE factories.
If the Navy was willing to invest that much money, then the machine must truly possess extraordinary value.
Even if it didn't fully reach Warlord-level strength, it couldn't be far from it.
If that were the case…
The Seven Warlords of the Sea—including himself—might eventually be replaced by the Navy.
After all, between unpredictable Warlords and perfectly obedient war machines…
Anyone would choose the latter.
And the person responsible for creating such machines…
Was an eight-year-old child.
The information today was simply too explosive.
Even Doflamingo needed time to process it.
He fell silent in thought for a long moment before finally speaking again with a grim expression.
"Listen carefully, Vergo."
"This information is extremely important."
"No matter the cost, keep a close watch on the Seraphim and that eight-year-old scientist, Xia Yu."
"If you discover anything new, report to me immediately."
Vergo understood the gravity of the situation and didn't waste any words.
"Understood."
With that, the call ended.
Now alone in the palace, Doflamingo sat motionless on his throne.
The amount of information he had just received was overwhelming.
A new era might be approaching.
But what he hadn't expected…
Was that the first victims of this new era might be the Seven Warlords themselves.
These terrifying machines directly threatened the authority of the Warlords.
Moreover, such advanced technology would inevitably affect Doflamingo's own business empire—especially his artificial Devil Fruit trade.
Think about it.
If someone had the option to purchase a perfectly obedient killing machine that possessed both Haki and a Devil Fruit ability…
Why would they risk eating unstable artificial Devil Fruits?
Damn it!
At that thought, veins bulged across Doflamingo's forehead.
He smashed the wine glass in his hand into pieces.
"So your name is Xia Yu…"
"You're turning out to be quite the troublesome little brat."
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally, the day of delivery arrived.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and the three Admirals gathered eagerly outside Xia Yu's laboratory.
They waited anxiously.
Creak…
The laboratory door slowly opened.
Sengoku and the others immediately stepped forward.
Especially Sengoku.
He had gambled his reputation by withdrawing such a massive amount of funding from the Navy's budget.
If Xia Yu failed to deliver…
His lifelong reputation would be ruined.
"How is it, Xia Yu?" Sengoku asked excitedly. "Did everything go smoothly?"
"Little brother, how did the research go?" Kizaru asked curiously. "Where are the Seraphim?"
Xia Yu waved his tiny hand casually.
"They've already been completed."
"Follow me. I'll show you now."
Hearing this, Sengoku finally let out a breath of relief.
His face filled with joy as he followed Xia Yu into the laboratory.
The others quickly followed behind, their expressions filled with excitement and curiosity.
They soon arrived at the center of a chamber surrounded by ten sealed pods.
Xia Yu took out a remote control.
With a press of the button—
One by one, the Seraphim stepped out from their pods.
Each of them appeared in the form of children, with gray skin, black wings, and the signature flames of the Lunarian race burning behind them.
Sengoku's face filled with excitement.
"These are… Boa Hancock, Dracule Mihawk, Gecko Moria, Crocodile, Doflamingo, Bartholomew Kuma…"
"And even Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu!"
Although they looked like children, it was easy to recognize who they were modeled after.
Kizaru stared at the Seraphim modeled after his younger self in shock.
"Little brother… how did you do that? It looks exactly like me when I was young!"
Aokiji and Akainu were also visibly surprised.
"They really do resemble us when we were younger. Xia Yu, you've done something incredible."
The three Admirals laughed.
"Haha, since the Navy already has your Lineage Factors stored, I simply made use of them," Xia Yu said calmly.
"I hope you don't mind."
Garp and Tsuru were equally excited.
"Don't worry. You're all part of the Navy. They're probably happy about it."
"But…"
Garp leaned forward slightly.
"How strong are these Seraphim?"
Sengoku's eyes lit up with anticipation.
"That's right."
"It's not enough that they look the part."
"What matters most is whether their combat strength can truly reach Warlord-level."
After all, these were war machines.
As Fleet Admiral, Sengoku cared most about their combat power.
If these machines truly possessed Warlord-level strength, then he could confidently report to the Five Elders and justify the massive funds he had secretly used from the Navy's budget.
So Sengoku was extremely eager to see the results.
"That's easy."
Xia Yu smiled.
"Which one of you would like to test them?"
At that moment, Akainu stepped forward.
"I'll do it."
Akainu licked his lips, his expression filled with excitement.
Ever since witnessing the power of Seraphim Kuma, he had become increasingly interested in these war machines.
These machines had the potential to shatter the balance of the Three Great Powers of the seas.
And now—
Sakazuki wanted to see for himself just how powerful they truly were.