By now, the Beast Pirates' overall combat strength had no real shortcomings.
The improved artificial Devil Fruits were being shipped daily from Dressrosa — the new Gifters Corps had already grown to over three hundred members.
Through relentless training in the triple-gravity chamber, their bodies had strengthened enough to withstand Tiger-Class Monster Cells.
So Luo Xing had them all take the serum.
Adding the original five hundred Gifters and the Mink Tribe's three hundred warriors, the Beast Pirates now possessed over a thousand elite fighters, each worth a bounty in the hundreds of millions.
Among them:
200–300 had the strength equivalent to a 300–500 million bounty,
dozens were at 500 million–1 billion,
and over 1 billion stood the twelve peak fighters — the Six Flying Talons, the Three Disasters, Luo Xing and Yamato, and Kaido himself.
In total, their power ranked them undisputed first among all Emperor crews.
And that was before accounting for the Senzu Beans, granting near-immortal endurance, or the Fusion Earrings, creating hundreds of double-Devil-Fruit-level combatants.
In real terms, the Beast Pirates' might had likely doubled again.
No wonder they'd crushed Shiki's Flying Pirates with ease.
Now, only the Navy Headquarters and World Government could claim to rival them — and even they would bleed dearly if they tried.
Luo Xing wasn't worried about manpower.
What did concern him was equipment.
Wano had the world's best seastone craftsmanship and fine weapon metals, but in sheer scale, its arms industry was no match for the Navy's or the Government's.
That gap was hard to ignore.
He'd even once considered seeking Ancient Weapons to fill it.
But now, he didn't need to — once his system leveled up again, the Cybertronian Project would handle it.
The Cybertronians — fully sentient mechanical lifeforms capable of transforming between ranged and melee modes — would surpass even the Pacifista the Marines were developing.
Luo Xing smirked, already picturing Sengoku and the Five Elders' stunned faces.
He stood and stretched.
Beside him, Yamato was still training.
She was busier than he was lately — as Wano's new Shogun, she handled endless affairs of state.
But instead of resting afterward, she went straight to the Time-Gravity Room to train harder.
She refused to be a burden to Luo Xing.
Sweat glistened on her pale forehead; her compression training suit was soaked and clung to her perfectly sculpted form.
Luo Xing didn't think indecently — he only felt tenderness.
He walked over, wiping her sweat with his sleeve.
"Take a break, love."
Yamato shook her head, eyes fierce.
"I must become stronger. I want to stand tall before any opponent… and earn true freedom!"
Clearly, Luo Xing's words from their battle with Shiki had struck deep.
He smiled faintly. "Then keep going. I'll be in the lab for a few days."
Leaving her to train, he stepped out — but instead of heading straight to the lab, he detoured toward Komurasaki's villa in the Flower Capital.
To his surprise, Komurasaki was training as well — a slender blade in her hands, moving with awkward determination.
Luo Xing chuckled, applauding softly.
"A beauty practicing swordplay… truly a sight for sore eyes."
Komurasaki stopped, glaring coldly.
"This sword is for killing you, not dancing for you!"
He walked closer, unbothered by her hostility.
She stiffened, pointing the blade nervously at him.
"I remember saying," Luo Xing murmured, smiling, "if you try to assassinate me again, I'll stay in your room for another hour."
Komurasaki flinched — an hour? That would be her undoing!
She lowered her sword, trembling with anger.
"You devil! Monster!"
Luo Xing only smiled, lifting her chin gently with a finger.
"A devil's favorite prey is a songbird. Didn't you know?"
Komurasaki closed her eyes in resignation… then froze, her expression shifting sharply.
"You were with her, weren't you?" she accused.
Luo Xing blinked, glancing at his own hand — the same sleeve that had wiped Yamato's sweat still held a damp trace.
He chuckled inwardly. Women's senses really are sharp.
Komurasaki's eyes narrowed. "Aren't you afraid she'll find out you came here?"
Luo Xing pulled her close, whispering at her ear,
"As long as you're not angry, nothing else matters."
Komurasaki trembled with rage — but what could she do?
Could she ever truly resist this devil?
Five or six hours later, Luo Xing finally left the villa.
Komurasaki lay exhausted, glaring after him with a mix of resentment and melancholy glimmering in her eyes.
Two days passed. Luo Xing emerged from his lab at last.
Waiting at the door were the Three Disasters — Queen, King, and Jack — their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"Master Luo Xing! You're finally out—so… the, uh…"
Queen could hardly form the words.
"The new… higher-level Monster Cell — is it done?!"
At the mention, even Jack's breathing grew heavier, and King's usually cold gaze sharpened with excitement.
Luo Xing didn't tease them; he smiled and nodded.
"Of course."
From behind his back, he produced a sealed case.
Inside were three pulsating purple masses, each the size of a basketball — like beating hearts, alive and throbbing.
Queen lunged forward, cradling one reverently.
"This is it? The Dragon-Class Monster Cell — stronger than the Demon-Class the Flying Talons took?"
Luo Xing nodded.
"It'll push your bodies closer to Mythical Zoan level. You'll see for yourselves."
Jack couldn't wait another second — he grabbed one and swallowed it whole.
Ever since Fuzz-Fu and the others had gained strength from the Demon Cells, Jack had been restless — fearing he'd fall behind and lose his spot among the top three.
Now that it was his turn, he wasn't going to waste it.
Queen and King stepped back, wanting to observe the results first.
They watched as Jack's skin began to bulge and ripple — his muscles expanding, his frame doubling in size.
A thunderous trumpet roar erupted from him, sending gales blasting across the hall.
Even Queen and King had to shield their faces from the force.
"What power!" King muttered — shocked.
Jack's aura had soared past even his own.
When the winds settled, Jack stood towering over them, over ten meters tall.
His tusks had grown into several-meter-long ivory blades, and every muscle in his body looked forged from iron.
Queen swallowed audibly.
He'd yelled at Jack countless times before — but now, not even a hundred lives would make him dare.
Jack's presence was primal, overwhelming — like a god-elephant from the dawn of the world.
"So this is the power of a Dragon-Class Monster Cell…"
Jack's voice boomed, deeper and rougher than ever.
He clenched his fists — the air itself cracked with sonic booms.
"Hahaha! What an incredible feeling! With this power— I'll crush ten Admirals!"
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