Chapter 168: The Big Event Of Sea Circle Calendar 1513
The rapid rise of the three Emperors, with only Kaido's return, left Kahn feeling a bit surprised and sensing a premonition.
Is the fall of the future Marine headquarters a sign of Marshall D. Teach's luck running out?
Could it be related to my high offer for the Logia Dark-Dark Fruit on the black market?
Or will Kaido end up as a stepping stone for Teach in the future?
Kahn wasn't sure which it would be.
However, in the next eight years, if Kahn succeeds in obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit, it will point to the first possibility.
If Teach ends up becoming the user of the Dark-Dark Fruit, then it will mean the second possibility.
Thinking about this, Kahn began to look forward to the upcoming chaotic times.
As for the rise of the other two Emperors, that was entirely within Kahn's expectations.
It's the same old belief—there's a theory of fate and luck in this world.
Just like how Naruto Uzumaki in the neighbouring Hokage world became the saviour of the ninja world, Luffy, as the liberation fighter chosen by the Nika Fruit, must have enough power backing him to stand against the final villain.
And Shanks and Monkey D. Dragon, even the Marine hero, are the forces supporting Luffy.
There are still eight years before the "Son of Destiny" sets sail and ten years before the horn of liberation sounds. Right now, Shanks and Dragon are the protagonists favoured by luck, and no matter what they do, it will go smoothly for them.
As long as Kahn doesn't interfere, he wouldn't be surprised if they became the dominant forces on the seas by next year.
Their rise doesn't bother Kahn.
The only ones nervous about their rise are the Marines and the World Government.
Moreover, the "Cross Family" currently has no conflicts with the Red-Haired Pirates or the Revolutionary Army.
Even if Shanks and Dragon had a hundred reasons, they wouldn't dare to challenge the "Cross Family," which controls the sea area around Wano Country, a region easy to defend and hard to attack.
And no matter how fast they rise, it won't match the speed at which the "Cross Family" is solidifying its foundation.
The Kuja Warriors have taken over the Ninjas' bodies and can now use the powers of the Paramecia Ripe-Ripe Fruit.
The clever Robin has also mastered the steps to create duplicates.
As long as the materials for making clones keep coming in, Robin and the Kuja warrior who took over Nin's body can create batches of fully developed cyborg warriors.
This year alone, the "Cross Family" has invested countless billions of berries into duplicating and transforming people.
The number of cloned and modified humans has already skyrocketed to 150,000.
That number is huge.
In the original Paramount War, 100,000 Marine soldiers filled the plaza. Now, with 150,000 clones and modified humans, each equipped with lasers, they could easily destroy the surface of a large island like Wano.
With powerful physiques and advanced weaponry, 150,000 clones capable of both offence and defence, as well as long-range attacks, could easily overwhelm even a kingdom like Alabasta, which boasts hundreds of thousands of permanent troops.
In other words, the "Cross Family" already has the combat power of a superpower with its current forces.
But Kahn wasn't satisfied with that!
His goal was to have 500,000 clones before he acquired the technology to produce Pacifistas and Seraphim, and then phase out the clones.
After all, these clones don't need food or water—just regular maintenance.
Kahn wasn't worried about the five islands stopping him.
With 500,000 duplicating and transforming humans, Kahn only actively uses about 300,000 of them.
The remaining 200,000 are kept as spares, stored underground in the palace's foundation.
The 300,000 active clones are spread out across the island ships and various islands in both the first and second halves of the Grand Line and the Four Seas.
As for Kahn's plans with his maids, after recruiting Nami and receiving the unexpected addition of Carina, he wasn't actively seeking more.
Even if potential candidates existed, Kahn preferred to leave it to fate.
The real issue was that Kahn's "stock"—referring to Devil Fruits—was running low.
Of the thirteen maids, only Kuina was about to undergo surgery, while Carina and Nojiko still lacked abilities.
Currently, Kahn only had one Logia Mera-Mera Fruit, the strongest of its kind, with no one assigned to it yet.
Initially, Kahn had planned to look for the Paramecia Slip-Slip Fruit on his trip to East Blue.
But the discovery of pure gold changed his mind.
After securing the pure gold, Kahn only wanted to return to Amazon Lily immediately to share his joy with Robin and the others. He no longer had the patience to search the islands around Shells Town for the Slip-Slip Fruit.
Among his non-ability maids, Kuina was a pure swordswoman who didn't want to eat a Devil Fruit.
So, only Carina and Nojiko remained without Devil Fruit powers.
Upon returning, Kahn had Carina and Nojiko follow Robin to receive training and expand their knowledge. He then presented them with the Logia Mera-Mera Fruit and gave them the choice to become a Mera-Mera Fruit user.
For Devil Fruits of significant importance, Kahn carefully selected the maids who would consume them based on their compatibility. But for less critical fruits, he wouldn't force anyone to eat them.
Despite the Mera-Mera Fruit granting the power to create fire and immunity to physical attacks, Carina declined.
Nojiko also refused, feeling the fruit was too valuable to waste on her.
Kahn didn't push them, instead putting the Mera-Mera Fruit away. He sent the two girls to Hancock to train them as Kuja warriors.
Since they lacked confidence, they would need to train to build it.
Time flew by, and the Sea Circle Calendar 1512 soon shifted into 1513.
However, just as the new year began, disaster struck in late January 1513.
Although the World Government and the Marines swiftly covered it up, various intelligence networks still uncovered the truth.
This event was the attack on Zephyr, the "Black Arm," one of the last three Marine Admirals while leading a Marine training ship. Pirates ambushed the ship, and aside from two students, all the others were brutally killed.
Even Zephyr himself lost his right arm.
The former Marine Admiral had his arm severed, and most of his students were slaughtered before his eyes.
It was an unbelievable event!
When the different forces across the seas learned of the incident, they were shocked.
This incident also pushed Zephyr, who had already lost his family to pirates, further down the path of darkness.
It seemed only a matter of time before Zephyr would fully turn against the World Government and the Marines.
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