Within the ruins.
After Robin finished surveying the exterior, Enel volunteered to lead the way for Shiro and the others. This marked the successful completion of Shiro's mission on the Moon. Though Enel might not fully align with Shiro yet, this was at least a promising start.
Upon entering the ruins, Robin was once again captivated by the scattered frescoes, immersing herself in archaeology. As the only surviving archaeologist from Ohara, these ancient artifacts held great allure for her.
Shiro, however, paid little attention to the murals. Although some remained intact, suggesting they were still in relatively good condition, most had been deliberately destroyed. Who did this and why was not Shiro's concern.
"This is where you recharge your power bank, right?" Shiro asked after ensuring the ruins posed no threat.
"Yeah, haha, that's right—wait, hold on! I am not a power bank!" Enel laughed before realizing the mockery in Shiro's tone. He was the God of Thunder, not some mere energy source! But lately, with all the robots constantly drawing power from him, he had indeed felt like nothing more than a glorified power bank.
"Hahaha, just kidding. Come on, Enel. Let's go see the army you're destined to lead!" Shiro stopped teasing him, but his words were not baseless. After receiving the system's rewards, Shiro had gained insights into these mysterious robots left on the Moon. With the knowledge and methods of transformation, Shiro was confident he could create a formidable robot army—with Enel at the helm.
As they ventured further into the desolate underground palace, Enel continued, "Although there are nearly 100,000 of these robots, they're just tiny labor bots with no combat abilities."
Inside the palace, they were greeted by a sea of small, dormant robots that filled almost half the underground space. Each robot occasionally emitted an arc of electricity.
"Oh, really?" Shiro asked with a knowing smile. In truth, Shiro could already control and upgrade these robots but was curious about how much Enel understood their potential.
"Of course! I've been charging these things for ages, so I know them inside out. They're useless in combat," Enel replied confidently.
"Hahaha, it's good you're sure of that, but..." Shiro smiled mysteriously, his gaze thoughtful. Although Enel was correct for now, these robots wouldn't remain weak forever.
"What do you mean, Shiro? Are you telling me I'm going to lead these things? Are you seriously inviting me to be a walking power station?" Enel was puzzled, unable to grasp what Shiro was planning.
"Just watch!" Shiro focused his attention on the densely packed robots. Using his Observation Haki, he scanned them as if making a careful selection.
Moments later, a Thunder Spear shot out, pinning one of the robots. The selected robot quickly detached from the group and zipped toward Shiro and Enel with remarkable speed.
"Huh?" Enel was stunned. During his time on the moon, he'd tried countless times to control the robots using electricity but could only manipulate them as a group, never individually.
"Enel, take a good look. This is the type of robot you'll be commanding in the future!" Shiro said confidently. He then created a strange thunderbolt in his hand, which seemed to contain a core of pure lightning.
Without hesitation, Shiro thrust the thunderbolt into the robot's chest. Lightning enveloped the machine, and under Enel's astonished gaze, the robot began to transform. Its small frame expanded, becoming taller and more human-like, evolving into a formidable, armored warrior.
"Shiro, you can actually transform robots? How did you manage this?" Enel's shock was palpable. Although it seemed the robot's appearance had changed, he couldn't believe its combat capabilities had improved as well.
Shiro gazed at the newly transformed robot and couldn't help but smile wryly. It resembled an armored warrior, imbued with the power of thunder. The transformation, however, had drained a significant portion of Shiro's strength.
"Enel, why don't you give it a try?" Shiro suggested, looking at the robot with anticipation.
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+70 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg
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