One Piece: The Celestial Dragons' Self-Cultivation

Page 22

This was the standard posture Spandam had painstakingly devised for himself in front of the Five Elders, one that neither overstepped the Five Elders' spatial boundaries nor failed to maintain a distance from which he could be summoned at any time.

His back was taut as a steel plate, his gaze was always lowered, but his fawning smile was welded onto his face like a mask.

It must be said that Spandain, as a sycophantic and bullying person, has his reasons for getting to where he is today.

Every successful person is extraordinary, even Spandam.

"Do those ants of Ohara really dare to provoke taboos?!"

Vochuli tapped the tabletop lightly with his fingertips.

He was facing away from the sun, and the sunlight shone on his round head, making the top of his head gleam.

The two mustaches twitched back and forth, giving it a rather comical appearance.

But his words were completely devoid of warmth:

"Are they really studying historical texts, attempting to uncover the truth behind the blank century?"

Cold sweat beaded on Spandam's forehead. He took a half-step forward while maintaining his attention posture, but his toes never crossed the pre-set position.

“My subordinates have arrested them all, but… they refuse to cooperate with the interrogation.”

"The archaeological team insists that exploring historical texts is a scholar's right..."

"They even...they even said the government was hiding the truth!"

Pitt slammed his hand on the table, startling Spandam.

"If they can't even handle a group of scholars, what use is CP9?"

"What rights do scholars have? No one has any rights except the World Government!"

Spandam's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly resumed his standard military posture, his voice rising abruptly:

"That's right, I suggest we launch the Demon Extermination Order!"

"Let the navy wipe O'Hara off the map with gunfire, as a warning to others!"

Maz narrowed his eyes slightly:

"Interesting... the Buster Call?"

His tall stature and already small eyes, combined with his long straight hair and beard, made his eyes almost disappear.

"Yes! Lord Five Elders! The authority of the World Government cannot be challenged!"

Spandane's legs remained firmly planted in the ground, his body maintained at the predetermined distance, and his tone was one of almost frantic flattery:

"Those idiots who study ancient scripts must be crushed, or other islands will follow suit!"

Satan suddenly raised his hand, and the conference room fell into dead silence.

"Spandam, you seem to have forgotten who you are."

His gaze pierced the other's spine like an icicle:

“CP9 is just a dog to us, and a dog should not decide for its master how to tear apart its prey.”

Spandam's legs buckled, and he knelt on the ground with a thud, saying in a panic:

"Your subordinate is foolish! Lord Five Elders!"

"But the Buster Call can also achieve another purpose."

"Steelbow Sky Marshal is getting old and has been defeated by pirates..."

"After waking up this time, my health is much worse than before..."

This time he was smarter and didn't finish his sentence.

But the Five Elders already understood what he meant.

Cyborg Kong was defeated by Baron Redfield in a one-on-one fight.

The impact of this incident has not yet fully subsided.

If we take this opportunity to get him out of the navy or even out of the sea...

This would both demonstrate the navy's power and bring an end to the Steelbone Sky defeat incident.

Nasujiro suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing throughout the room:

"What a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone strategy! Executing the Buster Call on Ohara will both intimidate the seas and rejuvenate the navy."

"Let other eager scholars see that O'Hara is their cautionary tale!"

He turned to look at the four people beside him:

"What do you think?"

Satan nodded slowly:

"It is indeed a good idea, but after Kong Kong retires, it seems that the only person who can succeed him as the Fleet Admiral is Sengoku Sengoku."

Pitt continued:

"Sengoku is fairly obedient, so let him be in charge of this Demon Extermination Order."

“Tell him that when the Buster Call ends, that’s when he’ll be promoted to Fleet Admiral.”

Chapter 31 The Scrap Recycling Station Has Come to Life

Between powers, in the room where the highest decision-maker on the surface of the entire ocean issues orders.

A conference that swept through Ohara and is poised to influence the future of the world is drawing to a close.

The five elders, having reached an agreement, turned to look at Spandam, who was kneeling on the ground.

"Spandam, this task is entrusted to you."

"If the result doesn't satisfy us, your head will be the first one thrown into the Holy Land's trash can."

Spandam's teeth chattered, and the sound of his clenching was clearly audible.

His right hand suddenly convulsed as if in a spasm, then quickly returned to its original position, as if resisting some invisible current.

Spandam banged his head on the ground:

"Your subordinate... will certainly do everything in his power!"

The moment the door closed, Spandam slumped against the corridor wall like a puppet with its strings cut.

His fear stemmed not only from saying the wrong thing in front of the Five Elders.

Furthermore, the captain of the Ohara archaeological team, Nicole Olvia, had disappeared.

With the archaeological team members refusing to cooperate, Spandain didn't even know when Olvia disappeared.

In order to cover up his work mistake, he chose to keep the news a secret.

In his opinion, the Five Elders, those high-ranking figures, probably had no idea that someone as insignificant as Olvia existed.

And that was indeed the case; the Five Elders did not inquire about the archaeological team's situation at all.

Spandam staggered away from Pangaea.

The members of CP9 were already waiting for him outside. When they saw Spandam's condition, they immediately went forward to help him up, but Spandam pushed them away.

"You bunch of useless idiots! You can't even interrogate a criminal!"

"Now! Immediately! Draft the Buster Call application!"

"And... contact Marine Headquarters for me!"

"Hey? I'm in luck today!"

Blake looked at the cards he had just drawn in the system space:

Douglas Barrett (middle age)

That is, Barrett in his forties after escaping from prison in the movie.

In the past, drawing a card of this caliber would certainly not be considered good luck.

However, Blake is no longer the same person he used to be.

Having mastered Observation Haki to foresee the future and Armament Haki to destroy internal structures, and possessing Conqueror's Haki, he already possesses combat power that is one level below the Emperor.

As long as they are not experts whose mental and physical skills have all reached their peak, Blake can have a go at them.

And Douglas Barrett is a suitable opponent.

Barrett's Armament Haki and Observation Haki have not reached the advanced stage of application.

However, his Armament Haki is extensive and widely applied.

Furthermore, Barrett is known as the descendant of the devil because his Conqueror's Haki is mixed with demonic energy, making it stronger than ordinary Conqueror's Haki.

However, unless one's technique reaches the level of being enveloped in Conqueror's Haki, the role of Conqueror's Haki in battles between top-tier fighters is negligible.

Barrett possesses an extremely strong physique, his combat skills are honed to perfection, and his Fusion Fruit has been developed to the point of awakening.

Overall, he is stronger than Doflamingo and Katakuri, who also awakened their Devil Fruit abilities.

He can be considered one of the strongest individuals below the Emperor.

"What a formidable opponent."

"System, enter battle!"

In an instant, Blake disappeared, and when he reappeared, he was on an island.

Blake frowned:

"It's a bit unlucky. If we were on a ship, Barrett would have lost at least 30% of his abilities."

The sea breeze suddenly stopped among the reefs of the nameless island, and Blake swung his longsword, drawing a silver arc.

In the distance, a tall figure could already be seen emerging; it was Barrett.

"Can't you AIs say a few words? This kind of battle is so boring."

"Could you do something like Kaido and shout 'Thunder Bagua' before you start attacking?"

Barrett did not answer and began to unleash his abilities.

His right arm, which was wrapped in Armament Haki, suddenly swelled to three times its normal size, and the wreckage of the building burst forth from the ground, clinging to his body like living things.

Within three seconds, the fifty-meter-tall steel giant had taken shape.

Suddenly, the giant's chest cavity split open, revealing a honeycomb-shaped cannon muzzle, and a storm of lead bullets swept across the entire coastline with no blind spots.

Black's figure twisted and flashed between the bullet trajectories, maneuvering with his Observation Haki, which was at the level of foresight.

If there was no way to avoid a bullet, Blake would use the blade to precisely cleave it in two.

Let's find a way to get a different fruit!

"Your awakened skill looks like a junkyard come to life!"

A barrage of comments failed to harm Blake in the slightest.

Barrett plunged his right hand into the ground and yanked it up.

The entire rocky coastline was transformed into a massive, metallic wave that crashed towards Blake like a tsunami.

It was covered with a huge amount of Armament Haki, which surprised even Blake.

Although Black's Armament Haki can achieve a similar effect, he does so by using the power of his card space.

Barrett achieved this solely through his own training.

"This guy got off the ship too early."

"If he learns advanced applications of Haki, he'll definitely be a Yonko."

With the attack imminent, Blake stopped thinking about it.

He holds a knife in his right hand and makes a fist with his left.

Armament Haki shimmered on his fist.

Unlike Barrett's Armament Haki, which is overwhelming, it is clearly more solid.

He slammed a powerful punch into the oncoming wave of metal.