12 Chapter 12

On the deck of the Merry, the crew became fully engrossed in their designing tasks, their creativity flowing as their visions came to life. Ussop and Nami displayed remarkable imagination in their designs, while Zoro opted for simplicity and neatness, each catering to their individual needs.

Ussop fashioned a small workshop for his tinkering, Nami crafted an elegant bedroom complete with all her essentials, and Zoro constructed a training room where he could hone his skills.

Seph contributed by adding numerous entertainment buildings, reminiscent of the Thousand Sunny from the original.

Meanwhile, Luffy gritted his teeth in frustration as his body remained limp, unable to join in the festivities.

As the only unfortunate one among them, his teeth gritted in frustration as his body wriggled helplessly like a worm.

"You mean guys!" he exclaimed bitterly, tears welling in his eyes as he watched his crewmates enjoying themselves, building their dream spaces while he remained helpless. He cried out in frustration.

Seph, offering symbolic encouragement from the sidelines, called out, "Come on, Luffy, you can do it!"

Nami, Ussop, and Zoro eventually grew weary from their playful endeavors, casting amused glances at the worm-like Luffy.

Amidst their banter, a captivating voice suddenly echoed from the dock. "As expected, you are here!"

The crew turned towards the origin of the voice, their expressions a mix of surprise and disbelief.

Nami's mouth fell open, her eyes bulging at the sight before her. "Who are you?!" she exclaimed in astonishment.

Merry observed the newcomer with curiosity, while Ussop wiped his eyes in shock, his expression incredulous. "Are you Kaya?!" he ventured.

Zoro's demeanor turned solemn. After his breakthrough in the realm of swords, he could sense the aura and power levels of others instinctively. The current 'Kaya' made him break into a sweat. "This woman... how did she become so strong?!" he wondered aloud, sweat beading on his forehead as his scalp tingled.

Luffy, turning with difficulty, remarked casually, "Oh, Kaya! You got taller! Sugoi!" For Luffy, a man of simple perceptions, Kaya had only grown a bit taller and fuller. There was no surprise in that.

Meanwhile, Seph's lips twitched as he regarded Kaya with admiration. Her height had increased to about 184cm, and her figure was explosive, boasting an extreme hourglass shape that filled out her pajamas snugly. Her hair now cascaded to the ground, its blond color more vibrant and full of life. Although her facial features remained the same, she appeared to be an entirely different person. The only reason they could still recognize her was due to her clothing and some familiar features.

Zoro's eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked at Seph. He suddenly realized that Seph must have been responsible for Kaya's transformation, which meant they might also receive the same treatment.

Nami approached Kaya in shock, her gaze filled with envy and admiration. "What happened to you, Kaya?! You suddenly grew so... big!" she exclaimed.

Blushing, Kaya looked at Seph tenderly. "Thank you, Seph. I really don't know how to repay you," she said softly.

Seph shook his head. "It's nothing, really. In a way, I should be the one grateful because I used you as a test subject for my serum. You don't have to feel indebted," he replied.

However, Kaya wasn't swayed. She knew that the serum was something she couldn't have acquired even if her wealth had multiplied many times over. She understood that Seph's test was his way of alleviating her guilt, which warmed her heart even more.

Nami glanced at Seph with questioning eyes, while Ussop remained dazed by the sight of the transformed Kaya. Zoro nodded in agreement, his anticipation growing. The transformation of the once-weak girl into a formidable force filled him with excitement.

Meanwhile, Luffy remained focused on his struggle, still too weak to perceive Kaya's change. His body wriggled like a worm, consumed by his own challenges.

Seph turned his attention back to Kaya. "Have you tested your newfound strength?" he inquired.

Kaya shook her head. "I only feel that I am thousands of times stronger than before. I feel light and agile... it just feels comfortable," she struggled to explain her state.

Seph suggested, "How about trying to lift Merry?"

Kaya looked at him in surprise, and even the crew was taken aback by Seph's suggestion.

She nodded. "I'll try..."

Under the curious gazes of the crew, she effortlessly grasped Merry, a ship weighing tens of tons, with just one hand, lifting it from the sea. The water churned, and the deck trembled under her casual display of strength.

The crew's eyes widened in disbelief. Even Luffy, who was struggling with his weakened state, was shocked.

"Kaya... how did you become so strong?!" he exclaimed, his body rolling like a ball due to the ship's movement.

Zoro gripped the rail, along with the thrown-out Usopp, his expression solemn. "What monstrous strength!"

Nami's eyes bulged.

'Even Arlong isn't this intimidating?!'

In this world, while humans possessed considerable physical strength, few could reach such exaggerated levels.

Only beings with exceptional talents (Admirals/ Yonko) could achieve such power.

For example, Vice-Admirals and other exceptional talents relied on techniques and Haki to enhance their already impressive strength (around 10-20 tons).

Even average talents with raw physical strength of 5-8 tons were considered remarkable. Comparatively, Fish-men possessed strength ten times that of normal humans, but in the eyes of exceptionally talented individuals, they were not considered overly powerful.

Despite variations in physical abilities, other stats are not much different from normal humans, not to mention that the ceiling level of power is fixed and never changes. Normally, the serum should enhance Kaya more, but there seems to be a kind of shackle on her body that the serum just couldn't overcome.

Seph considered that the last shackle might have something to do with the god-status in the One Piece world. Such a god either needs faith or extraordinary willpower. Seph didn't have any problems in this area because he wasn't from this world at all. Therefore, the so-called limits wouldn't affect his combat power.

While his basic body stats weren't as exaggerated as later versions of Superman, he had no trouble moving ten times the speed of sound or lifting thousands, even tens of thousands of tons easily. Other stats were on the same scale, already surpassing everyone in the world. However, he wasn't sure if he could defeat them (Yonko/Admirals), because in this world, willpower was supreme.

Indeed, the power of willpower/Haki in the One Piece world is nothing short of remarkable. With a basic force of ten tons, it can exponentially explode to ten thousand tons under the influence of strong willpower. The potential of such a concept is truly extraordinary and opens up a world of possibilities for those who harness it.

He looked at the excited crew, their fiery eyes fixed on Kaya, and thought, "If there is someone who could break those shackles, then it's definitely these guys..."

Kaya gently placed Merry back in the sea, marveling at her own strength. Nami hugged her excitedly. "Kaya, you are so strong!"

Zoro and Luffy nodded solemnly, while Ussop seemed stunned and still unable to process the current scene.

Seph looked at the excited crew, a glint of determination in his eyes as he added, "Want to gain power like Kaya?"

At first, everyone was petrified for a second, but then a strong desire ignited in their eyes as they nodded eagerly.

Nami carried a heavy vendetta on her back, Zoro bore the weight of his dreams and promises, Luffy was beginning to understand his own weaknesses, and Usopp felt worthless after witnessing Kaya's power-up. Each of them was eager to level up.

Luffy hastily asked,

"If I become powerful, can I ignore the effects of sea stone?"

Seph nodded in affirmation. Then, he turned to Zoro and added,

"You can also advance your swordsman skills to the next level, mastering flying slashes."

Zoro trembled in shock, realizing that cutting iron was just the beginning. It dawned on him that he had been blinded by the lack of powerful adversaries in the East Blue.

Nami hurriedly hugged Seph, her eyes brimming with anticipation.

"Can I truly become as powerful as Kaya?"

Deep within her despair, a spark of hope was about to erupt. Seph gently patted her head, reassuringly answering,

"Certainly!"

The crew soon prepared tubes of water in their own rooms hurriedly.

Luffy was the only one who was assisted by Seph due to his weak body. Each of them received a drop of ApexGen boost liquid from Seph before walking towards their respective rooms with eyes full of agitation.

Kaya, standing beside Seph, asked him, "What about you? Did you take it before?"

Seph was also intrigued. A single drop could potentially perfect genes, but he knew that his doomsday gene couldn't be perfected by such a liquid. At most, it could help with energy accumulation. Nevertheless, he placed a drop of the liquid in his mouth, causing Kaya to look on in shock.

As expected, his body vibrated slightly, and his face flushed a little. Under Kaya's worried gaze, his body began to undergo transformation. His hair grew longer, his height increased by 6 centimeters, bringing him to 195cm, and his muscles bulged to the extreme before returning to their symmetric form. The only downside was that his tuxedo suddenly tightened in the process and exploded, leaving him in nothing but a pair of underwear.

Kaya shouted in shock and hid her eyes between her hands, but she couldn't help but peek through the gaps, swallowing nervously. In her eyes, Seph was incredibly charming!

Looking at his current embarrassing state, he suddenly remembered the custom clothing he had acquired before. Certainly, the crew would undergo a huge transformation, and their previous clothes would definitely not be suitable.

Therefore, with a thought, Sephiroth FF Costume suddenly appeared in his hand.

(Long black leather trench coat with shoulder plates.)

He had always wanted to cosplay in this outfit, and now his dream was achieved. With skillful movements, his sexy body was finally hidden under his badass black costume.

Kaya looked at his clothes in amazement. "Seph-sama, you look so handsome!"

He smiled at Kaya as he patted her head, which she clearly enjoyed with closed eyes.

His brain hurriedly made calculations. According to his own and Kaya's data, he concluded that Luffy would reach 180cm, Zoro 190cm, Ussop 184cm, and Nami 183cm. He even calculated Nami's three measurements, which were definitely much more generous than her measurements from two years later.

He didn't make any innovations on their clothes. He simply copied their attire from two years later and modified some parameters, sending the clothes to their respective rooms.

Kaya, who had watched the whole process, also asked for a set.

It was evident that the clothes created by Seph's talent were extraordinary. Even Seph didn't expect that this ability came with features like indestructibility, resistance to fire, water, and dust, high defense, and high comfort.