"Mwahahaha! How about that? Impressive, right?"
Queen laughed loudly, "With this kind of power, that bastard Judge's so-called artificial Devil Fruit can't even compare!"
"If it weren't for that foul-mouthed Hancock girl, who ambushed me dishonorably, I would've never lost to her!"
Still stubborn.
Is this really a weapon issue?
Ian simply stroked his chin. "So, can this be mass-produced? Can it be installed on battleships and airplanes?"
Though the idea of equipping old-fashioned propeller planes and even older sail warships with beam cannons felt oddly abstract, like a beautiful Level 1 Garen with six items in League of Legends.
But Ian didn't care about that; strength was good! Strength was beautiful!
Queen casually responded, "Energy is always a big problem. To really make it mass-producible, I'll need to study the blueprints further."
"Thank you for your hard work," Ian said sincerely.
If these beam weapons could truly be mass-produced, Queen's contribution to the pirate crew would rival that of Judge.
Queen snorted arrogantly, meaning "At least you understand how hard I work!"
Next, they went back to Queen's lab, where they found Wapol and asked him to help make gear for the giants.
Of course, Wapol didn't dare refuse.
However, one day, the issue was that Queen Alloy—oh no, I mean Wapol Alloy—required a large amount of other materials to manufacture, and even Wapol had trouble mass-producing it.
At the alloy factory, which has not yet been fully established, production capacity is still limited.
It's impossible to make enough equipment for three hundred giants all at once.
Ian didn't mind though. He wasn't in a rush. Taking things slow was fine by him.
After leaving Queen's laboratory, he was on his way back to his room in the main building to rest when he saw Zoro and Sanji facing off downstairs.
Zoro even drew both his swords, glaring at Sanji with a fierce expression.
Standing beside them was Kuina, her expression somewhat strange.
Around them were the usual onlookers, including Law and other friends who liked to watch the drama.
"What's going on?"
Ian walked over.
"That guy Sanji went to flirt with Kuina," Law said teasingly, "and he managed to piss Zoro off. I can't believe it. I never knew this guy was such a pervert."
It was probably the Vinsmoke bloodline fully awakening.
Ian chuckled.
As everyone knows, none of Sanji's brothers have any human emotions, except for their perverted nature.
"Zoro's in trouble now," Law said with a grin. "How can he possibly win against Sanji?"
The difference in strength was too great.
"Maybe it's a good thing," Ian said indifferently.
Meanwhile.
Sanji looked at the fully prepared Zoro and snorted. "Moss-head, are you sure you want to fight me? Let me make it clear—I'm not holding back!"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Zoro gripped his twin swords tightly. "You shameless bastard, I'll fix you!"
Sanji immediately became angry. "I worked so hard to make a cake for Miss Kuina, and you threw it away, and you think I won't say anything about it!"
"This is what you call being shameless!"
Zoro charged at Sanji, shouting, "Take this!"
Sanji glanced at the twin swords in Zoro's hands and subtly shook his head.
He stood carelessly in front of Zoro, letting him swing the blades at him.
The sword strikes suddenly stopped mid-air, and Zoro froze. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean," Sanji shrugged. "You can swing all you want."
Zoro's eyes widened.
This bastard really doesn't respect anyone!
Six Power?
Then I won't hold back!
He swung both swords, instantly slashing at Sanji's body.
But the next moment, it was Zoro who was thrown back, his hands shaking as if he had struck an iron block.
"Damn it! An iron block?"
Zoro gritted his teeth inwardly.
This guy looks about the same age as me, but he can even use the Six Powers!
"No, no, no," Sanji said casually, "Although I can use the Iron Block, just now, that was just the hardness of my skin."
"What!"
Zoro stared in disbelief, his eyes wide.
Hardness of skin?
He stopped his sword with just his skin?
How could such a monster exist in this world!
"So, that's it for now."
Sanji gave Zoro a deep look. "You're still far from it."
Although he wasn't sure why he felt so irritated by this guy, and this guy had stopped him from showing affection to Miss Kuina, Brother Ian never taught him to bully the weak.
"What a joke!"
Zoro was full of unwillingness, shouting angrily, "I haven't lost yet!"
Sanji furrowed his brows, "You're the one who's being stubborn! How could you possibly beat me now?"
"Who cares about that!"
Zoro once again charged at him with his swords raised.
Then...
"Can't deal with you at all! Just lie down already!"
Sanji shot out in annoyance and then delivered a powerful kick.
"Ugh!!"
Zoro immediately spat out a mouthful of water, his body curling up like a shrimp as he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily onto the ground.
"Zoro!"
Kuina cried out in alarm.
"Don't worry, don't worry, Miss Kuina!"
Sanji quickly said with a grin, "I went easy on him, he'll just have a stomachache for a while!"
He wasn't lying, of course.
Because Zoro had already gotten up again, gritting his teeth in pain, holding onto his swords for support, and glaring fiercely at Sanji. "Come at me again!"
"You!"
Sanji's brows furrowed tightly.
How dare he say that I'm the one being stubborn?
"Alright, that's enough."
Ian walked over.
"Ian-nii!"
Sanji's mood instantly lifted, but then he felt a bit embarrassed.
He didn't want Ian to see him in such a state.
Ian patted Sanji's shoulder, speaking earnestly, "Sanji, girls aren't won through persistence."
Sanji's cheeks turned red instantly.
"Remember this, little brother," Ian smiled, "Instead of clinging to someone, focus on improving yourself. When you bloom, the butterflies will come."
Sanji seemed to ponder his words.
Ian then walked in front of Zoro. "Can you still walk?"
Zoro stubbornly raised his head and looked at him. "Of course!"
"Then follow me."
Ian turned and walked toward the main building.
Zoro was somewhat confused, but still quickly followed.
On the way, Ian asked, "How does it feel? Fighting Sanji."
"That guy, what kind of monster is he?"
Zoro asked in confusion, "His skin can block swords?"
"Sanji is a modified human, and this is just the beginning,"
Ian said with a smile, "As he continues to grow, his defense and strength will increase exponentially."
"Tch."
Zoro clicked his tongue.
He really is a monster!
"There are plenty of guys like Sanji on the sea."
Ian said, "They are born strong."
"Isn't that even better?"
Zoro grinned and laughed excitedly, "It's more interesting for me, an ordinary person, to be above those born monsters!"
Ian nodded in satisfaction, "Very good!"
He had already brought Zoro to a huge iron door and pulled out a key to open it.
"Come in."
Zoro followed him inside.
"Mm!"
The green-haired boy immediately widened his eyes.
The incredibly spacious room was filled with gold, silver, jewels, and all sorts of treasures.
"Hey, is it alright if I come in?"
Zoro swallowed hard, "This is the treasure room, right?"
"Doesn't matter."
Ian answered casually, while rummaging through a corner of the room.
Soon, he pulled out three swords.
"Hmm?"
Zoro's attention was instantly drawn to the three swords Ian was holding.
"Pick two."
Ian said, "The famous sword that can even slice through the sky, the Ame no Habakiri; the famous sword that can destroy even hell, the Enma; and the famous Cursed Sword series' second generation, the second generation Kitetsu known as Nidai Kitetsu."
"All three swords are on the same level as Kuina's Wado Ichimonji, a great sword."
The Ame no Habakiri and Enma were seized from Kozuki Oden back in the day.
Nidai Kitetsu was Kozuki Sukiyaki's collection, a Cursed Sword personally forged by his ancestors.
Zoro licked his lips, feeling a bit dry-mouthed.
These three swords before him would probably excite any self-proclaimed swordsman to the point of losing control.
"Are these for me?"
Zoro asked, slightly embarrassed for once. "They're really valuable, right? Is it really okay?"
Ian casually replied, "So, will you disappoint them?"
"Of course not!"
Zoro smiled confidently.
Then, he stretched out his right hand to Ian, raising his index, middle, and ring fingers.
"Oh?"
Ian raised an eyebrow.
"Three swords!"
Zoro said, "Give me all three! Since two swords couldn't defeat that guy, from today on, I'll be a swordsman of the Three-Sword Style!"
"You sure are greedy."
Ian couldn't help but laugh.
"But fine."
He handed all three swords to Zoro.
Zoro happily accepted them.
Then Ian said meaningfully, "But Zoro, these three swords aren't that easy to handle."
Enma is another matter, anyone without enough strength using it would be directly drained dry.
The Kitetsu series is even more famous for being Cursed Swords; a small mistake could lead to self-inflicted harm.
"Only Ame no Habakiri is a bit better."
"Really?"
Zoro, holding three swords, said confidently, "Then just watch closely!"
"Well, I'm looking forward to it."
The third day after arriving at Wano Country.
The farm in Kuri sent news that the first batch of artificial Devil Fruits had ripened.
**********
Support me on my patreon and read upto 20 early chapters.
patreon.com/PirateKing24