The Strongest Lunarian in One Piece

"Woohoo—"

Out at sea…

Three figures spread their wings and flew off into the distance.

"Dad, you're absolutely incredible!~"

Thor's face was filled with excitement; he was still brimming with energy.

"Heehee, I've already snapped pictures of Dad's unbeatable style!" The third son, Dal, grinned widely, waving around a camera Den Den Mushi along with a few photos.

"So, the two of you must keep working hard!"

Eyeing his two exceptionally talented sons, El smiled and said, "Among all your brothers and sisters, you two are among the most gifted. One day, you'll also be able to reach this level!"

In terms of talent, perhaps Thor and Dal aren't the strongest out of the entire Kukulkan Family's children. After all, leaving aside Ares, who's an absolute natural-born monster—his innate power possibly surpasses even Linlin's—there are also the first daughter Sif, the ninth son Hyde, the tenth daughter Athena, the eleventh son Arcas, and others whose abilities might be on par with, or even greater than, theirs.

But given Thor and Dal's age advantage, it's highly likely they'll be the first among the Kukulkan Family to rapidly grow stronger in the near future.

"Yes, Dad, I will do my best!"

"Dad, I'll work hard too!!"

The two teenagers, eyes full of longing, nodded firmly. Such extraordinary strength was indeed mesmerizing.

"Dad, shall we send these photos to the Totto Land Daily?"

Dal fluttered over, blinking playfully, and asked with a grin.

"Sure, that's no problem. Once we reach the stronghold in the first half of the Grand Line, we'll send them back by fax…"

El patted Dal on the head. With a meaningful look, he added, "And while we're at it, let's give those three a little 'surprise'!"

Chatting idly, the Dad and sons picked up speed. In no time, they silently crossed the towering Red Line and arrived at the Calm Belt in the first half of the Grand Line.

Following the pre-arranged Vivre Card, they touched down at a hidden outpost of the Hell Trading Company in the Calm Belt. It was a large weapons factory, constantly busy with "Homies workers" who had no human rights. Only a small number of people were on-site to supervise and guide, saving on both labor and resources—and, of course, there was no need to pay those Homies workers any wages.

This sort of factory wasn't unique to this location: across the resource-rich islands under Totto Land's rule and various secret factories set up in the Calm Belt, they were everywhere—producing snacks, clothing, medicine, mining operations, steel, firearms, and all sorts of other goods. The cruelty of the capitalist model was taken to the extreme.

As for where the souls for creating Homies came from? They were sourced from the islands and towns under the Totto Land Kingdom, as well as from nations and islands not formally ruled by the Fallen Angel Pirates but who flew the Fallen Angel flag for protection against pirate attacks.

Typically, "protection fees" meant paying money if you had money, or handing over resources if you had resources. If you had neither… that was fine, too. The populace of those regions would each forfeit two years of their lifespan or soul to cover the next ten years' protection fees for their nation or island. Though heartless, such measures were unavoidable for Totto Land Kingdom's rapid development. If they didn't do this, with so many territories to manage and so many expenses, Totto Land's finances would have collapsed long ago.

After all, the size of the Totto Land Kingdom lags far behind that of the World Government, which rules over half the world. The World Government can collect the "Heavenly Tribute" from countless kingdoms, occupies numerous resource-rich islands, and can create endless streams of wealth. Surpassing them economically without employing "unconventional methods" would be next to impossible.

"El-sama, Your Highnesses… You must be exhausted from your journey. Please, come inside and rest!"

Having received word in advance, the on-site supervisors hurried out to greet them. Most of them were orphans originally rescued from slave markets or from around the world by the Home of Dreams project. Raised under the care of the Fallen Angel Pirates, they grew into adulthood; after a series of evaluations, even if they weren't very strong, they were at least loyal and dependable. Those who lacked talent in combat but had aptitude for management were assigned as officials in the Totto Land Kingdom or appointed to managerial positions in the Hell Trading Company.

Seeing El—King of Totto Land—arrive in person, along with Princes Thor and Dal, they were visibly moved. To those who had once been abandoned by fate, destined to have no future, El—leader of the Fallen Angel Pirates—was their savior, the one who had given them everything, transforming them into valuable individuals, perhaps even people of status. Grateful and devoted, they would lay down their lives for Totto Land's grand vision if required.

"No need to rest just yet… Are there any other islands nearby?" El waved his hand dismissively, cutting to the chase.

"Yes. Tain-sama has already given instructions… we also have seeds of the Yarukiman Mangrove ready!" one of the supervisors answered respectfully.

"Take me there now!" El had always been swift in action and disliked dawdling.

"Understood!"

Somewhat startled, the supervisor immediately arranged for a ship to depart. These newer-model vessels have Seastone embedded in the hull, emitting an energy akin to the sea, thus minimizing attacks from the giant Sea Kings dwelling in this so-called Sea King lair, the Calm Belt. They also carry powerful cannons specifically designed to fight Sea Kings, along with well-trained guards. With such preparations, Hell Trading Company's armed merchant ships generally navigated the Calm Belt smoothly, with few incidents.

"Splash—"

In less than ten minutes, a merchant ship gradually left the harbor, heading for a nearby island that had already been scouted. At the stern, the science division had installed numerous artificially cultivated Jet Dials—creatures nearly extinct otherwise—ensuring the ship could move quickly yet quietly, so as not to attract the Sea Kings' attention.

"Dad, how long are we going to be out this time?" asked Dal, a figure over five meters tall, brimming with excitement as he peered around from the bow. Thor, who stood as tall as a young Giant, also gazed at El with anticipation.

"Since we're already out here, we might as well look around a bit!" Sensing their enthusiasm, El ruffled the two young rascals' hair and smiled. "When we're finished here, I'll take you both to see a real Sky Island!"

"Yay! That's awesome!"

"Hooray for Dad!!!"

The two youths beamed from ear to ear, pouncing forward to hug El in delight.

~~~

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