Chapter 120: Aftermath!

When the dust settled and the winds carried away the lingering remnants of destruction, Edie and Snake emerged high above the vast sinkhole, their forms flickering into existence amidst a faint white glow. The power of the Time Fruit had allowed them to leap into the future, narrowly escaping the devastating aftermath of the explosion. Kaido, however, had borne the brunt of the shockwave, his massive azure dragon form battered and bloodied, with patches of scales torn from his body. Yet, his resilience shone through, and he hovered above the scene, his colossal frame still imposing despite the damage. Gazing at the aftermath of the apocalyptic blast, Kaido let out a gravelly exclamation, his voice tinged with awe.

"How terrible!"

Edie spared him a glance, noting the superficiality of Kaido's wounds despite his outwardly tattered state. The dragon's regenerative capabilities meant he would heal with rest, though the scene below was another matter entirely. "Not as powerful as I expected," Edie muttered to himself, his analytical mind already calculating. He had envisioned a complete utter eradication of Mariejois, but much of the surrounding areas still stood, albeit heavily damaged. His thoughts drifted to the formula he had devised for the red flash, which he had likened to nuclear fission. The explosive radius hadn't met his projections. He recalculated mentally, adjusting the parameters of his energy yield equation.

Kaido, oblivious to the finer points of Edie's scientific musings, stared at the devastation. "Not powerful? If you dropped this on some islands, they'd be sunk to the seafloor!" he bellowed, his voice laced with incredulity.

Edie paused, suppressing the urge to educate Kaido on the comparative yield of nuclear devices from his past life. Instead, he mused quietly, "It's just a little better than the Little Boy." He smirked at his private joke, though Kaido, unaware of the historical reference, simply grinned.

"Do you think that Celestial Dragon King is dead?" Kaido asked, his gaze shifting to the epicenter of the explosion.

Edie's sharp eyes scanned the scene. The dust and debris parted, revealing Imu, her regal form battered but standing. Her spiked crown had vanished, her once-immaculate robes reduced to tatters. Blood dripped from her right arm, and her face bore burns, the entire right side stained crimson. Surrounding her lay the mangled forms of the Four Five Elders, two of them—Saint Mars and Saint Nusjuro—reduced to half their original bodies. Their sacrifice as shields for Imu had spared her the worst, but the price was evident in their broken forms.

Edie's gaze narrowed. Though their regenerative capabilities were formidable, the process was agonizingly slow this time. "Not unlimited," Edie mused, noting their labored recovery. Severe injuries seemed to tax their abilities heavily.

Imu's labored breathing steadied, and her crimson eyes burned with cold fury. "You've underestimated me, human!" she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. Even as she spoke, her wounds began to knit themselves together, the blood flowing back into her veins, her flesh regenerating with unnatural speed.

Before Imu could fully recover, a shadow moved behind her. A palm pressed against her back, and her crimson pupils widened in alarm. Edie's calm voice whispered close to her ear.

"Goodbye, Imu... You are indeed powerful, but your time here ends today. We'll meet again… someday."

The Time Fruit activated with a soft hum, encasing Imu in a pale white glow. Her form wavered, and in the next instant, she vanished, exiled into the future.

Kaido, witnessing the spectacle, roared in disbelief. "She's not dead? What did you do to her?"

"She'll return eventually," Edie said matter-of-factly, producing blood collection needles. With swift precision, he extracted samples from the unconscious Five Elders, ignoring Kaido's continued questions.

Realizing reinforcements were imminent, Edie gave Snake a nod, and the two of them vanished into the distance. Kaido hesitated, sensing the approach of powerful auras. With a reluctant shake of his massive dragon form, he too took to the skies, disappearing toward the New World.

Moments later, the charred earth beneath the explosion stirred. Eight spindly spider-like legs emerged, clawing at the ground. Saint Saturn, his Zoan hybrid form battered but intact, crawled free from the wreckage. His expression twisted into one of fury and frustration as he surveyed the ruin of Mariejois.

Turning back into his human form, Saturn approached the mutilated Five Elders, a flicker of greedy ambition crossing his mind. With all of them incapacitated and vulnerable, the prospect of seizing ultimate authority momentarily tempted him. Yet, he restrained himself. The destruction caused to the World Government by Edie and his group was far from over, and acting rashly now would only invite chaos.

Before Saturn could act further, figures began appearing around him—members of the Knights of God. At the forefront was Saint Figarland Garling, his crescent-shaped hair gleaming eerily in the dim light. His shock was palpable as he took in the devastation.

"What happened?" Garling demanded, his voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and anger as he surveyed the crumpled figures of the Five Elders.

Saint Saturn clenched his fists, suppressing his rage. His voice was cold as he replied, "First, report the casualties. Then we hunt them down."

As they flew back toward the New World, Kaido suddenly furrowed his brow, as though recalling something important. "Isn't someone missing?" he asked, his voice carrying over the rushing wind.

Snake, who had been silently trailing, replied, "Shiki. He stayed behind to hold off the Commander of the Knights of God. He may have been captured… or killed. Let's hope he's still alive."

Golden Lion Shiki had played a crucial role in the assault on Mariejois. With his beasts holding off the other Knights of God, he had ensured the operation could proceed, even if it meant risking his own life.

Edie, however, seemed preoccupied, his thoughts fixated on Imu. The brief encounter had left him curious but unsatisfied. While he had witnessed her ability to manipulate seawater and her immense Haki, the true nature of her Devil Fruit powers remained an enigma. The regenerative capabilities she shared with the Five Elders also puzzled him. How can they be permanently killed? The question gnawed at him.

Kaido broke the silence, his deep voice tinged with curiosity. "What exactly did you do to that woman, Imu?"

"I banished her," Edie explained flatly. "Used the Time-Time Fruit to send her into the future. I aimed for 13 years ahead, but her Haki was so strong it disrupted my precision. It might be 13 months, maybe 13 days. Definitely not 13 years anymore."

Kaido's brows knitted. "If she was at her peak, it wouldn't have worked at all, huh?" he muttered. Then, as though something else had dawned on him, he asked, "How do you even have so many Devil Fruit powers?"

Edie merely smirked as he flashed his Ability rings, brushing off the question. "Hahaha Just a Invention of Mine, don't dwell on it. Enjoy tonight's victory while you can."

Kaido laughed heartily but pressed on, intrigued by Edie's peculiar choice of numbers. "Why 13 years? Does that number mean anything special?"

"No special reason," Edie said, smiling cryptically. He refrained from explaining that 13 years from now, Monkey D. Luffy would arrive in Wanokuni, guided by the will of the people and destined to awaken as the Sun God Nika and defeat Kaido. He mused silently. Would Luffy still clash with Kaido in this timeline, especially now that Momonosuke is out of the picture?

Despite these questions, one thing was clear: Luffy's nature wouldn't allow him to ignore a suffering country. Whether for a bite to eat or the pursuit of the Poneglyph, he'd inevitably confront Kaido in some type of form.

Edie's gaze turned to Kaido, a glint of mischief in his eyes. "If you ever meet a pirate wearing a straw hat, don't lose. Otherwise, my efforts to help you awaken will have been wasted."

Kaido snorted dismissively. "Lose? To some brat? Who do you think I am?!"

"Good, good," Edie replied, chuckling. His mind wandered to the prospect of an awakened Kaido battling Nika Luffy in the future. It would be a sight to behold.

Kaido, reveling in the aftermath of their raid, roared with laughter. "Let's go back and throw a banquet! We've earned it tonight!" His carefree enthusiasm was infectious.

Edie, however, sobered quickly. "Don't get too comfortable. The World Government will retaliate, and they have the Ancient Weapon Uranus—or something equally destructive."

Kaido paused, his laughter fading. "What kind of weapon is Uranus?"

"An attack from the sky," Edie explained, his tone eerily calm. "Dozens of light beams capable of wiping out an entire island. Numerous Countries vanished without a trace in the past because of it. The sea levels even rose afterward."

Kaido's initial shock gave way to determination. "Then we need to unearth Pluton as soon as possible!"

"You do that," Edie said with a dismissive wave. "For now, go enjoy your party. I have more pressing matters to handle."

Kaido grunted in agreement, but Edie's mind had already shifted to his research. The Five Elders' immortality remained a mystery worth unraveling. Only by understanding their regenerative abilities could he hope to eliminate them permanently—and Imu, too, whenever she reemerged from her exile.

Hours later, deep in the New World, Edie returned to the Hive Institute on Beehive Island. It was nearly dawn, but Hancock and the others were still awake, anxiously awaiting his return. Ginny, using the Queen Bee monitoring system, had tracked the battle in Mariejois until the destruction of [White] severed their connection. Relief washed over them when Edie appeared unscathed.

Hancock, her tone sharp with concern, chided him. "Don't take such risks again, Edie. Next time, take all the Earthly Branches with you."

Edie smiled reassuringly. "It was just reconnaissance. Don't worry." He gently urged them to rest before heading to the underground lab.

In the monitoring room, Ginny greeted him. "Doctor, the Knights of God—every moment of their movements is recorded. Their commander, Saint Figarland Garling, and eight others fought tonight. Excluding the one you killed, there are nine confirmed."

"Nine?" Edie echoed thoughtfully.

Ginny hesitated. "I can't be certain there aren't more. But these nine were occupied most of the night dealing with Shiki's beasts and protecting the surviving Celestial Dragons."

Edie nodded. "Good work, Ginny. Go rest. I'll review the footage."

As she left, Edie turned his attention to the monitors, his mind already racing with strategies. The coming battles would demand even greater preparation—and the Hive Institute would be ready.

"Doctor, you should go to bed early," Ginny said with a playful wink as she stood up to leave.

"Wait a moment," Edie called out, his smile both curious and mischievous. "Do you want children?"

Ginny froze mid-step, her delicate frame stiffening as she turned back, her wide eyes betraying her disbelief.

"Doctor," she began, a mixture of shock and amusement in her voice, "are you really interested in a woman of my age? I mean… isn't it difficult to deal with at this point?" She paused, her cheeks flushing slightly. Was he serious? Surely he couldn't have remembered my offhand comment from two years ago!

Edie chuckled lightly, shaking his head. "Not like that. I mean using your bloodline factors to clone a child."

Ginny's expression shifted from incredulity to curiosity. "You mean, like you did with the Hancock clone?" she asked, her eyes lighting up with interest. Yet, somewhere in the back of her mind, she felt a twinge of regret. A small part of her had hoped he was serious, if only to affirm her own feminine charm.

"Exactly," Edie replied. "And I was thinking of naming her Bonney. She'll even inherit the Age-Age Fruit."

Ginny's excitement bubbled to the surface as she heard the name. "Bonney! I love it! Please, Doctor, let Bonney be born!" She bowed deeply, her enthusiasm nearly infectious.

"Let's start with drawing some blood," Edie said with a soft smile.

Not long after, he extracted a tube of Ginny's blood and sent her off to rest. As soon as she left, Edie set to work in the lab. The bloodline factors were carefully extracted and merged with the Age-Age Fruit he had acquired during the raid on Mariejois. Finally, the embryo was placed into the No. 2 special cloning chamber, a marvel of biotechnology.

By dawn, the process was complete. Edie stood before the glowing chamber, his voice a quiet murmur. "I hope you'll live happily with your 'mother' in the future."

Bonney would emerge from the cloning chamber in two years, with pink hair and the features she naturally would have inherited. Her possession of the Age-Age Fruit would ensure continuity in a timeline where she no longer existed due to Edie's intervention. This act wasn't born of sentimentality but of responsibility—to restore what had been inadvertently erased.

Still energized, Edie moved on to another task. He retrieved a vial of Golden Lion Shiki's blood from storage. Turning his focus inward, he activated his system.

[Number of remaining simulations]: 3

[This simulation research project]: Research on Biological Cloning in the Pirate World: Shiki's Bloodline Factor Cloning

[Necessary conditions]: Bloodline factor theory, Lunarian clan's bloodline factor

[Conditions met. Simulation begins.]

[Year 1]:

Using advanced cloning technology, you merge Shiki's bloodline factors with Lunarian DNA and place the embryo in the No. 3 special cloning chamber.

[Year 2]:

The World Government retaliates with devastating force. Beehive Island is destroyed by a barrage of light beams from the sky. You use the Time-Time Fruit to transport your forces into the future, narrowly avoiding annihilation.

[Year 3]:

You relocate to the North Blue and forcibly take over the Vinsmoke family's kingdom, Germa. Modifying their cloning facilities, you clone Shiki once more. Vinsmoke Judge, awestruck by your skill, pledges allegiance to you.

[Year 5]:

The first Shiki clone is born. You command him to self-terminate, ensuring the process is perfected for future iterations.

[Year 7]:

The second Shiki clone is successfully born.

[Simulation ends.]

Edie scanned the simulation rewards, noting the successful outcomes. Safety precautions validated. His suspicions about Beehive Island's vulnerability to retaliation had been confirmed, and his plans could now adapt accordingly.

Finally, he selected his reward: the Shiki No. 2 clone.

A flash of light illuminated the room, and before Edie stood a 10-year-old version of Golden Lion Shiki, his golden hair styled into a neat comb. The young boy immediately knelt, his voice firm yet reverent. "Lord Heavenly Father!"

Edie's expression softened into a rare gentle smile. "You are the ninth of your compatriots. From now on, your code name will be Yuji."

He gestured toward the window overlooking the sprawling Hive Institute. "Now, Yuji, we need your power to move Beehive Island into the skies. Let's make it untouchable."

The young Shiki nodded resolutely, his eyes gleaming with determination. "Yes Father!"