Night.
After finishing their training and enjoying a delicious dinner with the members of Dream House, El, while resting, called over Streusen.
"El-sama, did you need something?" Streusen asked curiously, glancing at El, who was leaning against a tree.
"You've spent many years in the New World. You must be familiar with the underground black markets and auction houses there, right?" El asked, getting straight to the point.
Though they had already caught the Navy's attention, the Fallen Angel Pirates were still in their phase of quietly accumulating strength. El wasn't yet ready to openly challenge for control of the seas. However, he could begin laying the groundwork for future plans.
"Of course! I'm familiar with many black markets and auction houses on different islands, and I still have Vivre Cards for some of them!" Streusen responded confidently, patting his chest.
"You're already aware of my Mythical Zoan ability, the Quetzalcoatl form..."
"In the next few years, we're not going to fly the Fallen Angel flag and recklessly rob or take over territories to establish a pirate nation," El said as he looked at Streusen. "For now, our priority is building strength. You understand that, right?"
"Absolutely!" Streusen nodded in agreement.
He knew El had grand ambitions, a keen mind, and remarkable wisdom. El was unlike any ordinary pirate, and certainly not someone to be treated like a mere child. Right now, what the Fallen Angel Pirates needed most was to accumulate power and wait for El to fully grow into his potential. Everything else was secondary.
"That's one thing," El continued, nodding in satisfaction, "but we can't just focus solely on training without doing anything else. Some groundwork and preparation are still necessary."
"What do you have in mind, El-sama?" Streusen's eyes sparkled with excitement as he eagerly awaited El's plan.
"Pillaging isn't a sustainable approach, and it's mostly a one-time deal."
El crossed his arms and said, "The initial plan is to find some uninhabited islands in the Calm Belt and develop large plantations. We'll cultivate crops, valuable herbs, and other economic products. Then, we'll establish a trading company to manage the sales."
"In the shortest time possible, we'll aim to monopolize the food and herb trade in the New World, expanding our influence while accumulating the wealth and resources necessary for future plans—like recruiting soldiers, conquering territories, and establishing a nation."
Originally, El hadn't planned to move into commerce so soon, but Gerd's mastery of the Soul-Soul Fruit had grown rapidly. She could now easily harvest souls and create various Homies. With enough souls, she might even be able to create a Sea King Homie army. Considering this, El felt that speeding up his plans was a viable option.
Not only could they dominate the food and herb business, but if they successfully built a Sea King Homie army, they could also consider entering the maritime transport industry. However, El wasn't rushing things—he would proceed step by step, knowing that moving too quickly could lead to problems.
"Tomorrow, take Oars and some treasure, go to the black market, and buy slaves and crop seeds," El said, patting Streusen's shoulder. "If you can't find seeds, buy live plants or branches, as long as they're still alive and not completely dried out or dead. Is that clear?"
With the plant-manipulating abilities of his Quetzalcoatl form, El could quickly rejuvenate those plants, making them bloom, bear fruit, and even reproduce rapidly. Seeds weren't strictly necessary.
"Understood! Don't worry, I'll take care of it perfectly!" Streusen responded enthusiastically, excited by El's trust in him.
"And when it comes to slaves, we'll need not only strong laborers but also skilled managers. Older ones are fine, as long as they have experience."
To set up the trading company, it needed to be separate from the Fallen Angel Pirates, at least until El was ready to fully reveal his plans and establish a pirate nation. For now, the connection between the two would remain hidden. Additionally, they would need a substantial number of outside personnel to act as guards and representatives, handling the company's affairs.
Buying a batch of slaves was essential. Having experienced despair, these slaves would be easy to control and turn into loyal workers with some basic kindness. Of course, some people might prove ungrateful or harbor ill intentions, but with El's advanced Observation Haki, it would be easy to identify and eliminate those who weren't truly loyal.
"Oh, and if you find any promising young talent, bring them back as well!" El added, thinking of something else. "If there's a Devil Fruit for sale, buy it no matter the cost!"
For the crew, treasure was a secondary concern. The primary goals were recruiting capable individuals and collecting Devil Fruits to strengthen the members of Dream House.
In summary, over the next few years, the Fallen Angel Pirates wouldn't make any major moves, allowing the trading company to grow gradually. However, their influence should spread throughout the New World and eventually reach the first half of the Grand Line and even the Four Blues.
"Understood…" Streusen asked excitedly, "What should we name the trading company, El-sama?"
"Call it the Hell Trading Company… You're talented in the arts, so I'll leave the design of the logo to you," El said with a shrug as he stood up to leave.
As a first-class chef, Streusen's artistic talents were well-refined, evident in his ability to design intricate dishes and pastries. El had full confidence in him and didn't feel the need to worry about these details.
"No problem, leave it to me! Hohoho…"
~~~
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Time flies.
Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye.
On a desolate island, marked by craters and uneven terrain, located within the Calm Belt of the New World.
"99885, 99886, 99887…"
A tall figure, shirtless and drenched in sweat, was performing handstand push-ups. He stood nearly nine meters tall, with short gray-white hair, striking features, and a determined look in his eyes. His powerful muscles glistened under the sun, reflecting an immense, almost unimaginable strength.
Behind him were black wings, resembling those of a fallen angel, and a mysterious flame burned at the back of his head, flickering fiercely.
"Shkk, Boss El, you're incredible…"
Surprisingly, attached to his legs was an enormous iron shield, several meters thick, forged from molten iron. Sitting atop it was a giant figure, over ten meters tall. El's hands pressed down, sinking deeply into a half-meter-thick steel plate beneath him, which had cracked the rock surface below.
This display of strength made it clear just how much weight El was enduring.
"This is my limit…"
The giant youth sitting on the massive shield, bulky and rugged, tore into a huge piece of roasted meat. "Even with my Kilo-Kilo Fruit not yet awakened, I can adjust my weight up to tens of thousands of kilograms, and I still couldn't crush you!"
His name was Bask Witt, a giant from the West Blue, though not from Elbaf. Several years ago, while traveling, he had been captured by a human slaving team and sold at auction. The Hell Trading Company, secretly controlled by El, bought him at a high price. Grateful for being saved, Witt joined the Fallen Angel Pirates and was granted the power of the Kilo-Kilo Fruit. He often served as a "super dumbbell" for El's intense weight training.
"Go for it, El-Nii-chan! You're almost at 100,000 reps!"
Nearby, a giantess much larger than a regular human, around eight to nine meters tall with green hair, sat munching on a large apple. She cheered for El as he pushed the limits of his strength with intense training.
At the same time, she teased the young giant. "Witt, weren't you bragging about how you were going to crush El-Nii-chan?"
"You can't blame me! It's Boss El's strength that's beyond belief!" Witt said helplessly from atop the iron shield. His massive weight was no match for El's overwhelming power. "He's even stronger than the Ancient Giants!"
"Lily, stop being a backseat driver!" A voice called from nearby.
A striking young woman with a long-handled scythe, none other than the now-grown Gerd, walked over. Standing over twelve meters tall, she looked every bit the warrior, accompanied by the thundercloud Zeus and the sun Prometheus. "Don't disturb El while he's training!"
"Ow! Gerd, don't hit me!" grumbled the giantess named Lily, rubbing her forehead with a pout. "El-Nii-chan doesn't mind at all!"
Lily Enstomach, just fifteen years old, was Gerd's cousin. Two years ago, she had left Elbaf with her father, Panz Fry. After visiting Dream House with Gerd, she insisted on staying, wanting to join the Fallen Angel Pirates. After receiving her father's approval, El agreed to let her join.
"99,997, 99,998, 99,999…"
El, drenched in sweat and his face slightly flushed, took a deep breath and pushed through the final rep. "100,000!"
"Alright, Witt, that's enough!"
Still catching his breath, El signaled to Witt. For someone of El's monstrous strength, lifting a regular giant wouldn't have been much of a challenge. But Witt, a giant and a Kilo-Kilo Fruit user, had adjusted his weight to over tens of thousands of kilograms, enough to crush most warriors—even giants—under normal circumstances.
Though it wasn't overwhelming for El, completing 100,000 reps of this exercise was no small feat.
"Got it, Boss El…" Witt adjusted his weight, his massive frame lifting off the iron shield and floating lightly to the ground, landing nearby with a thud.
"Clang!"
With a light push of his hands, El performed a perfect backflip and stood upright. His presence was intimidating, like a primordial beast in human form, radiating power that made anyone observing feel a twinge of fear.
For El, this level of training was just a warm-up. Over the years, he had trained countless times on the Red Line, using its indestructible cliffs as massive sandbags to toughen his body and sharpen his combat skills and Haki. The scars and craters he left behind on the Red Line were shocking evidence of his intense regimen.
"Slash!"
Suddenly, Gerd stomped the ground, her towering figure turning into a blur as she charged toward El, her scythe gleaming with deadly intent as she swung it down.
"Oh?"
El, seeming to anticipate her move, tilted his head slightly and effortlessly dodged Gerd's attack.
"Clang!" With just a flick of his finger, he struck Gerd's scythe, causing it to vibrate violently and nearly slip from her grip.
"Gerd-sama…" Seeing this, Zeus and Prometheus immediately transformed into their combat forms, ready to assist.
"You two stay back… I'm not done yet!" Gerd stepped back, refusing their help, her eyes sharp as she focused on El's fallen angel-like figure, his black wings and burning flame. With determination, she swung her scythe again. "Reaper's Kiss!"
"Whoosh—" A fierce slash cut through the air toward El.
Remaining calm, El simply raised his hand and swatted the powerful attack away with a flick of his wrist.
"Boom!" The attack flew off course, slamming into the ground in the distance, raising a cloud of dust and leaving a deep, shocking scar in the earth that left everyone watching in awe.
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