66. Mythical Form "Over"!
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"Rouge, take down what I'm about to say."
"Aunt Tsuru, your staff department has a lot of heavy tasks coming up, and it's going to be tough on you."
"First, we need to polish the reasons we just discussed about why the era of great pirates can't be contained."
"This message is for the entire world, including all the officers and soldiers, so feel free to choose the right words. I only have one request!"
"Don't let the world underestimate the Marines because of our mid-to-high-level combat power, and don't provoke the opinions of those Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals."
"They're not afraid of life and death in the name of justice. They've worked hard even if they haven't earned any glory. It's not their fault they aren't as strong."
"Second, my next plan is to initiate the era of mass replication for everyone, starting with a pilot program at headquarters.
"Gather all the officers and generals and have them replicate the strong individuals they remember."
"There are no specific restrictions—whether they're martial artists, swordsmen, or Devil Fruit users, we need them all, and the replication device is sufficient."
"As for the copied characters, abilities, and strengths and weaknesses, you'll need to categorize them."
Akira leaned back in his chair, with his left arm crossed over his chest and his right hand pinching his chin.
As he pondered, he began to speak his thoughts out loud.
Secretary Rouge sat nearby, dutifully scribbling down his words with swift strokes of the pen.
The blank paper quickly filled with neatly written text.
Tsuru and Gion listened quietly, controlling their breathing.
No one dared to interrupt Akira's train of thought.
"Third, there needs to be a detailed plan regarding the employment of powerful individuals and pirates from around the world."
"Obviously, the strong ones will be peaceful, but those pirates might fear this is a trap."
"But that's fine; we can set up some factories on specific islands to recruit them for work."
"We'll pay them by the piece, with rates based on the strength of their replicas."
"Fourth, the pirates and prisoners in Impel Down who are just sitting around need to be put to use."
"These types can be heavily suppressed, and it doesn't matter how many shifts they have or if they have to stay up late working overtime."
"Aunt Tsuru, arrange for someone to go to Impel Down to discuss this matter with the director."
Tsuru nodded quickly, in agreement.
Those big pirates imprisoned in Impel Down can't be killed or allowed to roam free, so they're essentially being supported at a cost.
If we can really squeeze out their physical strength and use it for replicating the strong, it could ensure Impel Down's safety while also making some contributions to the world.
A win-win situation!
But...
"You mentioned that a few meals of hunger could make them cooperate willingly. It's reasonable and feasible."
"But I believe most of the LV6 prisoners would rather die than surrender."
"The strong don't take insults lightly!"
Tsuru reminded him.
Akira frowned but nodded in understanding.
Most of those imprisoned in LV6 have faced off in the New World, and many of them possess Conqueror's Haki.
Getting them to cooperate in replication won't be any easier than dealing with pirates from the other levels.
But we can't just give up on them.
These are all powerful individuals, with the physical strength of one equivalent to hundreds.
And in their memories, there should be traces of people with unique abilities.
It would be a waste not to replicate them.
Click, click, click...
Akira paused, tapping the table with his fingers as he mulled over his thoughts. After a while, he looked up at Tsuru and said, "Let's implement a reward system. Instead of treating them as prisoners, treat them like ordinary people who have lost their freedom."
"Reward system? I understand, but what kind of rewards would make them willing to cooperate?" Tsuru asked.
Akira was momentarily taken aback and shrugged, "That's a bit outside my expertise. After all, I've never been in prison myself."
Tsuru nodded thoughtfully, "Well, I'll draft the plans and then head to Impel Down myself."
"Thanks for your hard work, Aunt Tsuru."
"It's nothing," she replied, shaking her head. With the hope of curbing the era of great pirates finally in sight, there was no room for complaints. If it meant restoring the world to its former state, she'd be willing to work herself to the bone.
Akira continued, "Speaking of Impel Down, I just had an idea. We could add a competitive element to the reward system. For instance, whoever first replicates a brand-new ability user could receive additional rewards."
"Or if they reach milestones—like one hundred, five hundred, or one thousand copies—they could have a reasonable request granted."
"This should stimulate initiative and enthusiasm among the LV6 prisoners, pushing them to compete."
Akira glanced at the three women, but they were staring at him blankly.
"Ahem, that's all," Akira coughed, deciding to wrap up the topic. He'd seen that look before when he'd come up with the Honey plan and the God of Wealth plan.
"But what if someone asks for a woman, Shinma?" Tsuru suddenly thought of a potential issue and asked.
However, her choice of words revealed her inner thoughts.
"Ahem, ahem, Fleet Admiral Akira, don't get me wrong. I just slipped up and used your nickname," Tsuru explained awkwardly.
Akira sighed internally. There was no need for her to explain; she probably didn't believe it herself.
He shook his head and replied, "It's reasonable for someone to ask for a woman. After being locked up in a prison full of men for decades, even the idea of ten unattractive women might seem appealing."
"So, if they really make such a request, would you agree?" Tsuru inquired.
"Why not?" Akira shrugged. "We could spend some money to arrange for a few workers from Pleasure District to go in."
For men who have no hope of freedom, it's normal to crave female companionship. And of course, the Marines would never involve innocent women from good families, even if the prisoners begged for it.
In this case, the only option would be the women who work in Pleasure District. They're already in that line of work, so it's just a matter of who the client is. If we pay them well, we could even arrange for them to put on a performance in front of the other LV6 prisoners.
Akira believed that seeing or hearing such a spectacle would drive the other pirates to cooperate even more.
"As long as their replication contributions are sufficient, there's no harm in arranging it. In the end, the Marines profit from this setup, and we can compensate the women from Pleasure District ten or a hundred times over," Akira concluded.
"Oh, and make sure to protect their safety."
Akira finalized his decision.
The three women had no objections either. The living conditions in the world of pirates hadn't advanced to the point where everyone could afford to be picky about things like chastity. Places like Pleasure District were legitimate, and many families were sustained by that kind of work. It also kept many women from starving on the streets.
There were indeed some forced into such work, but in the era of the Great Pirates, many women willingly chose this path to survive. After six years in this world, Akira's values, shaped in a peaceful age, had been redefined by the harsh realities of the One Piece world.
"Alright, let's get back to the previous discussion."
"When we recruit people for replication, it's crucial to clarify that we don't want the weak, unless they possess abilities from a Devil Fruit that make up for it."
"If someone is physically strong enough to replicate powerful individuals but hasn't seen them due to vision problems, we need to take care of them."
"Identify the scope of their replication abilities, then have them demonstrate by exhausting their energy in front of replicas."
After saying this all in one breath, Akira exhaled deeply.
He reviewed the document written by Rouge, checking it thoroughly.
Satisfied that nothing was missing, he handed it to Tsuru. "That's about it. If anything needs to be added later, we'll discuss it."
"Understood! I'll get started right away."
Tsuru took the document and left without another word, eager to put the plan into action. Today's developments had surprised her, and she was eager to see it through.
Akira also breathed a sigh of relief. As Fleet Admiral, his task was complete, and now it was up to his staff to take over. All he had to do was watch the results unfold. If they didn't meet his expectations, well, then he'd start complaining… Cough, maybe not to the highly respected Tsuru, but definitely to Rosinante.
Leaning back in his chair, Akira turned to gaze out the window, sinking into his thoughts.
[Host: Akira]
[Age: 29]
[Physique: Monster Level (0/10,000)]
[Development of Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon (Enhanced): Monster Level (0/10,000)]
[Mythical Form "Over" Development: Normal Level (0/10,000)]
[Haki: Monster Level Conqueror's Haki (0/10,000)]
[Abilities: Gun Master, Six Forms Iron Body]
[Experience Value: 9,600]
One line on his personal panel had changed, and a new one had been added. The Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon development option had undergone a system enhancement when Akira received a significant upgrade. This enhancement included producing a large number of transformation leaves without consuming energy, along with increased endurance and an extended duration for the clones.
The added line represented the new ability after the Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon's upgrade—a feature the system had particularly focused on enhancing.
Akira focused his consciousness on that option, instantly understanding the ability.
"This is too powerful! If I had gotten this two months ago, Sengoku wouldn't have been able to compete with me!" Akira took a deep breath, absorbing the information.
He opened his eyes, raised his right hand, and tried to channel the "Over" energy within him.
Hum!
Colorful lights emerged from his hand. The moment this radiant, soft light appeared, it overshadowed the sunlight streaming through the window, drawing everyone's attention like a powerful magnet.
Gion and Rouge, who had their backs turned, immediately noticed.
Soldiers marching in the square and knowledgeable officers working downstairs all turned their gaze toward Akira.
"Strange, why am I looking over there?" one of them muttered, unable to tear their eyes away.
"I don't feel like there's any harm or anything happening. Am I just being too sensitive?" one Marine wondered aloud.
"Rouge, is Akira up to something behind our backs?"
"That's the Fleet Admiral's office... Ah, maybe I just admire him too much, so I can't help paying attention to it."
As they saw no further movement from the office, everyone scratched their heads and assumed it was just nerves, turning back to their tasks.
Meanwhile, Akira ignored the commotion outside. His full attention was on the palm of his right hand, where a colorful boat, the size of a transformed leaf, slowly materialized. His face grew pale, and despite his enhanced monster-level physique, his physical strength was draining at an alarming rate.
"Does it really take this much energy just for a test run?" Akira thought, shocked by how quickly his stamina was depleting. "And this is with me controlling how far the 'Over' ability goes... It's terrifying."
Finally, the boat appeared fully formed in his hand, leaving him breathless.
"Fleet Admiral-sama, are you alright?" Rouge, noticing something was off, approached him with concern.
"I'm fine, just have the kitchen bring me more meat. I need to replenish my strength," Akira replied, holding the boat while trying to catch his breath.
Understanding the urgency, Rouge quickly relayed Akira's request to the two soldiers nearby. As Akira's secretary, she had seen him exhausted like this before and knew that he needed high-calorie food quickly.
"When the large-scale replication plan is complete and I hit 10,000 experience points, I'll need to boost my core strength immediately," Akira thought, his throat dry as he considered his next steps. Both his enhanced Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon and the Mythical Form "Over" required massive amounts of energy, so improving his physical strength was crucial.
Haki and other abilities could be focused on later, especially once the era of great pirates was under control. After all, as Fleet Admiral, he didn't need to fight pirates directly. He'd be well-protected by strong subordinates and warships when out at sea. Even with emperor-level strength, opportunities to engage in combat would be rare.
"Besides, increasing my physique is also a form of strength. With a monster-level boost, I could easily take down a large beast. Who knows what kind of power, speed, and defense I'll have if I push it even further," Akira mused.
"But then again, the rewards after completing the third ultimate mission are supposed to be extraordinary. It seems really valuable," Akira thought, his eyes gleaming with anticipation.
Suddenly, a soft hand touched his back gently. Gion's pleasant voice whispered in his ear, "Is this because of copying a large number of transformed leaves? Don't push yourself too hard. It's not solely your responsibility to solve the era of great pirates. You need to take care of your body."
Akira turned his head and met her worried gaze. He smiled, nodding as he patted the back of her hand. "Don't worry, I'm not one to overdo it. And the exhaustion isn't just from the transformed leaves."
"Then what caused it?" Gion asked, curiosity evident.
"Eh... Oh, Gion, your outfit looks really nice today," Akira said, quickly changing the subject.
"Really? You think so?" Gion blushed, a hint of red spreading across her cheeks at the compliment.
Soon, a large amount of food was brought in, and Akira began eating to regain his strength. Meanwhile, the nearly thousand transformed leaves scattered on the ground were carefully collected and organized by the soldiers, then stored in a treasure box and taken to the staff headquarters.