Chapter 43: The end of the Wanokuni War!

Off the coast of Wanokuni, the Moby-Dick sailed away, leaving the turbulent shores behind. The Whitebeard Pirates had finally departed safely, but not without cost. Whitebeard had ultimately agreed to Kaido's demands, relinquishing control of five islands under his protection. It was a bitter pill to swallow, but refusal was not an option.

Edie's parting words, "You are all my good brothers," lingered in Whitebeard's mind—a thinly veiled warning that any further conflict would be unwise. The scientist's message was clear: stop the fighting, at least for now. The battle with Kaido had already strained the Whitebeard Pirates, and continuing would only lead to more unnecessary casualties.

"Did we win this war?" one of the crew members asked, breaking the heavy silence.

"Of course we won! Almost all of Kaido's men were wiped out, and no more than two hundred survived in the end!" another responded, trying to lift the spirits of those around him.

"Sure, the fight was won, but we had to give up five islands to Kaido in the process..." someone else muttered, the victory feeling hollow.

The captains gathered on the deck, weary and disheartened. They couldn't shake the feeling that, despite their triumph in battle, they had still lost something important. Their thoughts quickly turned to Edie, the enigmatic scientist who had played a pivotal role in the day's events.

"It's all because of that scientist," one of the captains grumbled. "He's got so many powerful people under his command. Where did they all come from? It's outrageous!"

"Yeah, but the enemy was strong, and we were outmatched," another replied, resigned to the reality of their situation. "We killed so many of Kaido's men. If Andre were still alive, he'd be satisfied with that."

"But what about Oden's vengeance?" someone else interjected, bringing up the name of the fallen Kozuki Oden. The mention of Oden drew everyone's attention to Izo, the Captain of Division 16.

Marco, always the voice of reason, tried to soothe the tension. "Izo, you were Oden's retainer, and I know you want to avenge him. But now isn't the time. We need to be patient."

Izo, who had been quietly bandaging his wounds, looked up with a solemn expression. "Don't worry, Marco. I won't be impulsive. I will avenge Master Oden, but I'll do it in due time."

The memory of Kozuki Oden weighed heavily on Izo. He had once served as Oden's loyal retainer, following him aboard Whitebeard's ship alongside Nekomamushi and Inuarashi. But when Oden left to join the Roger Pirates, Izo had chosen to stay behind. Little did he know that the farewell would be their last meeting. Now, with Oden's death still fresh in his mind, the desire for vengeance burned deep within him. But for now, he would wait, biding his time until the moment was right to strike back at Kaido.

Wano-Flower Capital

Chenlong soared through the skies towards the Flower Capital, with Edie standing confidently atop the dragon's head. He raised his right hand and focused intently on the ring encircling his index finger—the Azure Dragon Ring. The ring, a vital piece of technology, was nearly depleted. Its reservoir of blue blood had almost run dry.

This ring was a Third Generation blue blood device, designed to operate for an hour when fully charged. However, in practice, its performance exceeded expectations, often delivering "redundant kill" capacity beyond its intended limits. Edie had used the ring twice during recent encounters, and its cumulative usage had already surpassed an hour.

"The remaining charge should last about ten more minutes," Edie mused, his mind already calculating the next steps. "I'll need to replenish it soon."

Fortunately, Edie possessed the knowledge and technology to produce blue blood himself. When Du Feld had been tasked with acquiring equipment and materials for his cloning laboratory, Edie had ensured that experimental devices for blue blood production were included. The most crucial ingredient for this process was Kaido's blood, a resource that Edie had secured in abundance.

"As soon as the laboratory on Beehive Island is operational, I'll be able to restock immediately," Edie thought, already planning ahead. "But the Third Generation ring's duration is still too short. I need to develop a Fourth Generation model, one that can last over a day."

His thoughts were interrupted when Wuma, the fifth earthly branch, approached him, holding two vials of blood.

"My Lord Heavenly Father," Wuma addressed him respectfully, "these are blood samples collected from the battlefield. One belongs to Marco, and the other to Jozu."

"Excellent work," Edie replied, nodding as he accepted the vials. These were not just ordinary samples. Marco's blood held the power of the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit, while Jozu's contained the essence of the Paramecia Diamond Fruit.

In this conflict between the Whitebeard and Beasts Pirates, Edie had emerged as the true victor. He had already collected Whitebeard's blood, which led to the creation of Wuma. And now, with Marco and Jozu's blood in his possession, his research could advance even further. Whitebeard had even agreed to sponsor his institute, ensuring a steady flow of resources. These new samples were just another step towards his ever-expanding ambitions.

As Chenlong descended over the Flower Capital, Edie gave a command. "Lower the altitude."

Chenlong obeyed immediately, bringing them closer to the bustling city below. The people of the Flower Capital hardly paid any attention to the dragon flying overhead—they were accustomed to such sights. They knew that this was either the work of the research institute or a show of force from their Shogun, Kaido.

For Edie, it was just another day of progress in his relentless pursuit of power and knowledge.

Edie gracefully dismounted from the dragon's head and soon found himself at the entrance of a grain store. The store's owner, upon recognizing him, greeted Edie with a mix of fear and respect. To the citizens of the Flower Capital, Edie had become a figure even more terrifying than Kaido himself. The memory of three blue dragons appearing in the sky over the capital, controlled by Edie, had left a lasting impression of fear.

"Good morning, boss," Edie greeted with a disarming smile. "I have a few questions for you."

The store owner, trembling slightly, responded, "Please... please ask!"

"These rice and noodles you sell," Edie inquired, his tone casual.

The boss hurriedly explained, "Dr. Edie, the rice in my store is all purchased from grain buyers."

"I don't care where you source it from," Edie replied, rolling his eyes at the man's fear. "What's the yield per mu?"

The owner, relieved that the questions were not accusatory, answered, "It varies depending on the field. In the suburbs of the Flower Capital, the yield in the upper fields is about 150 kilograms per mu, while the lower fields yield around 90 kilograms."

Edie was surprised. Wanokuni's climate was favorable, yet the agricultural yield was surprisingly low. He began to ponder the reasons—perhaps the issue lay in outdated planting techniques or the lack of chemical fertilizers. Given Wanokuni's underdeveloped chemical industry, they likely relied on compost, commonly known as "human daddy."

Curious, Edie asked, "How much do you sell your rice for?"

"The lowest price is 1 silver per kilogram," the boss replied.

"Thank you," Edie nodded, mentally calculating. One silver was equivalent to about 100 beli, with 1 gold equaling 100 silver. After thanking the store owner, Edie turned and left, leaving the man puzzled—he hadn't purchased anything.

As Edie wandered through the market, he gathered more information about the local economy. A small pot sold for 30 silver, a large one for 60 silver, and the living expenses of a poor family were about 5 silver per week, roughly 20 silver per month. With such meager earnings, they could barely afford 20 kilograms of rice.

While Edie wasn't particularly concerned about the plight of Wanokuni's poor, his mind was already strategizing how to help Whitebeard achieve his dream. The solution wasn't difficult. Even without relying on his systematic simulations, Edie was confident that, given time, he could find a way to increase grain production significantly. If he did decide to use the system's simulations, he could aim for an ambitious yield of 10,000 kilograms per mu, ensuring Whitebeard's satisfaction and securing his support.

"Forget it, I'll focus on that later. There are too many pressing matters right now," Edie muttered, shaking his head as he returned to his research institute.

His current research projects were extensive. Whitebeard's dream could wait, but the Evil World Government, which thrived on maintaining hunger and oppression, was a more immediate concern.

Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates were busy cleaning up the battlefield, collecting the bodies of their fallen comrades. The air was thick with the smell of blood, and some corpses were so mangled that they couldn't find all the body parts.

Kaido surveyed the devastated battlefield with a stoic expression. King approached him with a report. "Sir Kaido, we've counted the casualties. 641 were killed, 422 injured, some seriously. About a dozen are missing."

Missing didn't necessarily mean they had fled; some bodies were simply unidentifiable or unrecoverable.

Queen, standing nearby, frowned. The casualty numbers were high.

Kaido, however, remained indifferent. The loss of these "small fry" didn't concern him; such forces could easily be replenished. "Reward the survivors with artificial Devil Fruits."

"The failure rate is still high," Queen reminded him. "Those who fail to awaken lose their expressions and can only giggle. They also can't consume another one."

"It doesn't matter. Do as I say," Kaido ordered, transforming into a blue dragon and taking off. "Contact Caesar afterward. I want a product with a higher success rate!"

"Yes, sir," Queen replied.

The conflict between the two Emperor crews had temporarily ended, largely due to Edie's intervention. The news of the events in Wanokuni spread, but as a closed nation, the details were sparse. Reports stated that the Whitebeard Pirates had clashed with the Beasts Pirates, resulting in Kaido's defeat. However, the appearance of a strong third party, the mysterious scientist Edie, had quelled the conflict, leaving the world in uproar.

Despite this, the power structure in the New World remained unchanged, still dominated by the Three Emperors. The only significant shift was the rise of Beehive Island as an independent power, separate from the Three Emperors, under Edie's control.

After the conflict, Edie returned to his routine in the Flower Capital, focusing on his various research projects. Yamato would occasionally visit the institute, and each time, she ended up in a brawl with Hancock. When Edie learned that the two young women were fighting over him, he could only shake his head in amusement. "These two kids are something else," he thought, chuckling.

Ironically, the more they fought, the closer their bond grew. On the other hand, Caesar continued his research on artificial Devil Fruits. Kaido demanded a higher success rate, and Edie tasked Caesar with solving the giggling issue among those who failed to awaken. Additionally, Edie was interested in studying how to use special fruits to harvest Devil Fruits.

Caught between these demands, Caesar spent almost all his time in the lab, his hairline receding as the stress mounted.

The New World remained "quiet" for a long time—until four months later, when Edie received two pieces of good news.

First, Kaido's 20 billion beli research funding had finally been collected. Second, the cloning laboratory on Beehive Island was fully completed.

Upon hearing this, Edie wasted no time. He immediately gathered his team and set off for Beehive Island.

"It's time to start mass production of human clones!" he declared, ready to embark on his next ambitious project.