Chapter 127: Kahn's Second Legion
Sea Circle Calendar, June 1510.
Kahn's underground base had been renovated, and through black market channels, along with Mary's Paramecia-type Replication Fruit ability, the materials needed to manufacture replica soldiers were successfully transported to the base.
Only the blood factor material for the replica soldiers was missing before Kahn could begin large-scale production.
It takes just five years for the clone soldiers to mature to the physical age of twenty.
The principle behind creating these soldiers involves transforming the blood factor and then generating clones.
Similar to an alchemist's process, the human body can be replicated with just a few materials.
By taking some blood, modifying the factors within it, and using machines and materials, a large number of clones can be produced from that blood template.
Vinsmoke Judge initially started creating replica soldiers using the blood of infants.
By the time Kahn approached him, the cloning process had evolved significantly.
Additionally, Kahn not only accessed Vinsmoke Judge's memories but also indirectly read Queen's memories through Sonia's Mythical Zoan Vampire form.
The combined knowledge of these two great scientists allowed Kahn to enhance the upgraded human blood without needing to take it from normal or enhanced humans in the future.
The replica soldiers created by Kahn, with this enhanced blood, would be stronger than those made by Vinsmoke Judge.
Furthermore, Kahn could also use the laser technology obtained from Queen to turn these clone soldiers into modified humans. They would have not only strong physiques but also the ability to change weapons from their bodies and release laser beams.
Yes, Kahn planned to mass-produce a weakened version of the Pacifista.
In the original story, the Pacifistas were so powerful because their template was Bartholomew Kuma, who had a special physique.
Unlike replica soldiers, they were full-fledged robots with extremely expensive machinery inside. Even a 300 million bounty Supernova would need the help of their crew to defeat one.
The cost of building a Pacifista was equivalent to that of constructing a warship.
If Kahn could make a Pacifista, even if it cost 100 million berries, he would mass-produce it without hesitation.
After all, a Pacifista is equivalent to a Supernova with a 300 million berry bounty.
Though such a machine is vulnerable to a strong Haki user, even in the Four Emperors' pirate crews, Haki users are a minority.
If Kahn goes to war with the three monsters, he and his cadres, along with the Haki-wielding Kuja warriors, could occupy the enemy's captain, top cadres, and Haki users, allowing the Pacifistas to enter the fray and deal a devastating blow to elite and ordinary pirates.
Unfortunately, Kahn isn't yet capable of producing full-fledged Pacifistas.
Even after digesting the memories of these two great scientists, he can only create a weakened version.
Even so, Kahn's replica soldiers would still be elite warriors, second only to strong Haki users.
Moreover, these elite soldiers can be mass-produced and implanted with the concept of not fearing death and never betraying.
To get back on track.
Before the materials for making replica soldiers and laser devices arrived, Kahn found an upgraded human corpse at the shooting range when the golden ship was delivering rations to Robin and Hancock and took a blood sample.
So, after the materials were transported to the underground base, Yien began production at the future "Cross Second Army Factory."
While Kahn was producing the second legion of the "Cross Family," significant events began unfolding at sea.
Sea Circle Calendar 1510—this year was destined to be recorded in history.
In June of this year, three years after he climbed Mariejois with his bare hands, freed thousands of slaves of different races, and was the culprit behind the Mariejois arson, the Fish-Man Tiger, known as a hero, was declared dead, and the "Sun Pirates" were disbanded.
Among them, the Fish-Man Arlong, one of the "Sun Pirates" cadres, was captured by Marine Vice Admiral Borsalino and sent to Impel Down.
The perpetrator of the Mariejois arson case was executed, restoring the lost "face" of the World Government.
In response, the Five Elders, who had dealt with the Fisher Tiger incident, decided to reinforce the defences of the Holy Land. They dismissed the former Commander-in-Chief of the Three Armies due to his failure in duty and appointed Marine Marshal Kong as the new Commander-in-Chief.
With Kong's promotion, the vacant Marine Marshal position was filled by the most suitable candidate, Sengoku the Buddha.
Following Sengoku's promotion, a Marine Admiral position opened up. Zephyr, who had previously retired after making great sacrifices, filled the third Admiral slot, although it soon became vacant again.
After discussions between the Five Elders, the Commander-in-Chief, and the new Marine Marshal, it was decided to promote three Vice Admirals—referred to as the "three monsters"—among the five Admiral candidates to Marine Admirals. These were Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
Their Admiral code names became Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, respectively.
Thus, the Marine ushered in a new era, transitioning from Kong's leadership to the era of Sengoku.
With Sengoku at the helm, the overall strength of the Marines visibly increased.
During Kong's era, Sengoku was the only Admiral actively working. Zephyr remained at the Marine Academy, focusing on training the next generation of Marines, while the other two Admiral positions were not filled due to a lack of suitable candidates.
This left Sengoku handling many tasks on his own.
If it weren't for Garp, who guarded Marineford and the first half of the Grand Line, Sengoku would have been even more overwhelmed, likely turning his hair white from stress.
Now, with Akainu and the others, who were already powerful enough to become Admirals, officially taking on their roles, Sengoku suddenly felt a great sense of relief.
He only needed to oversee Marineford, while the three Admirals handled most of the heavy lifting.
As long as the powerful figures in the New World didn't cause significant disturbances, Sengoku could afford to relax, making his job much easier.
Perhaps for this reason, Sengoku would appear younger than Garp in the following decade.
The renewal of the Marine leadership had a profound impact on the entire world.
Even the pirates of the New World felt the shift, as the Marines, now with more Admirals, made them less likely to provoke weaker allied nations recklessly.
However, the three great pirates and the Yonko were largely unaffected by the Marine's upgrade.
The same principle holds: unless the Marines find an opportunity to strike a decisive blow, they must work alongside the Yonko to maintain balance on the seas.
Moreover, most of the Marine forces are spread across the four seas and the first half of the Grand Line, leaving the New World forces unable to match the Yonko's power.
This imbalance is why the World Government created the Seven Warlords of the Sea, recruiting seven powerful pirates capable of destroying a nation to assist Marine Headquarters in managing the New World and balancing the power of the Yonko.
These three major forces—Marine, Yonko, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea—would form the pillars that check and balance the world under the World Government.
After taking office, Sengoku's most pressing task was to gather the seven Warlords together.
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