The Potential of Wood Clones?
[Boom!--]
"Ah, I'm finally back!"
The warship, shrouded in bubbles, broke through the water and gazed at the familiar clear sky and the still bustling and beautiful Sabaody Archipelago in the distance. Vidal exhaled a long, relaxed breath.
At this moment, he was alone on the deck again; the little manatee had already vanished into a parallel dimension.
"Now that we're back, we should make it clear to the whole of Sabaody that their base commander is back!"
With that thought in mind, Vidal, without saying a word, smiled and took out a Navy Den Den Mushi from his coat pocket to notify Lieutenant Isoka, the Lieutenant at the base.
[Poluporu, Polluporu]
"Hello?"
A pleasant female voice rang out from the Den Den Mushi.
"It's me." Vidal's lips curled into a smile.
"Base Commander!!"
With a joyful shout from Isoka, five minutes later, the gates of the naval base in District 60 of the Sabaody Archipelago suddenly opened. Brigadier General Eller and Major Rogers, who were on leave that day, led a hundred privates behind them and hurried toward District 70.
Meanwhile, at the naval lookout towers on the main thoroughfares of the "Inn Street" in Large District 70, squads of marines began to emerge amidst the astonished gazes of the surrounding residents and tourists.
And the leaders were none other than Major Vincent, the Paramecia Overload Devil Fruit User, who was in charge of maintaining order here today; Captain Simpson, who wore brass knuckles on both hands; Lieutenant Weini, the Zoan White Bear Devil Fruit User; and a Lieutenant Mote Mott who was carrying a sword.
As per Vidal's previous agreement with the various dark forces on the island, the marine patrols were canceled and replaced with automated Den Den Mushi (snail-walking Den Den Mushi).
However, the watchtowers that could monitor the surrounding area remained firmly stationed at the intersections of the main thoroughfares with the highest pedestrian traffic. Each district had approximately four such towers, and each district was staffed with at least one general, three lieutenants, and two hundred marines, which is equivalent to fifty marines per watchtower.
"Broadcast Announcement: The esteemed Base Commander Vidal has returned to Sabaody. Large District 70 is temporarily Road Sealing. Please give way to other vehicles along the route!"
The radio Den Den Mushi in areas 70 to 79, in coordination with Major Vincent and his team, began to repeatedly alert people to what was happening.
This kind of Road Sealing is commonplace for the island's residents. The marines do this every time the Celestial Dragons need to pass through, but a long, magnificent imperial Imperial Way will appear on the ground, and occasionally a grand melody called 'The Bible Future: The Descent of God' will be played.
Meanwhile, the pirates who had just sneaked into Sabaody and those who were doing shady things hurriedly hid in corners and shadows with panicked expressions, watching cautiously as the strong marines blocked off both sides of the main road.
Meanwhile, the port of the Inn Street, which is usually bustling with ships, was now being forced to vacate its central area under the command of Captain Simpson, Lieutenant Weini, and others.
"The warships are here!"
Just as everything was ready, Lieutenant Weini immediately spotted a brand-new-looking Marine warship on the sea. Needless to say, it must be Captain Vidal's ship.
It seems the base commander didn't take any warships with him when he left. Could this one belong to the G-1 Branch?
Soon, Brigadier General Eller and Major Rogers's team arrived. The officers lined up to await the arrival of the warships, while the one hundred marines automatically joined the ranks of those maintaining order.
Just then, a tune that people had heard before suddenly rang out on the island: 'The Giant Fortress!'
This time, it wasn't just the Large District 70 of the Inn Street that was playing this music; it was played on radio Den Den Mushi throughout the entire Sabaody Archipelago.
"They really like to go to such lengths. Why not just bring it in from the port inside the base?" Inside the base, Nacil, dressed in a white lab coat, muttered to herself as she listened to the music playing all over the island.
"And he was only gone for three days, right?"
"Shh--! Dr. Nacil, don't say that about the base commander. It'll be troublesome if someone hears us!" A male doctor next to him quickly advised.
"Snort."
Nacil snorted coldly. Ever since that intimate encounter, she had noticed that Vidal hadn't been contacting her much. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to distance himself, and without a doubt, it was because of her age!
She just didn't understand. Although she was old, as long as she had the "Goryeo Newcomer" prescription, even in her seventies or eighties, she could maintain the youthful body of someone in their twenties. Where could Vidal find such a wonderful woman?
Other women, no matter how young or beautiful, will eventually grow old and lose their beauty!
What happened?
Inside the prison cells, Fish-Men wearing explosive collars listened in astonishment to the music drifting in from outside. Their eyes were much more lively than when they were in Mary Geoise; at least they were no longer lifeless and numb.
"It seems like Base Chief Vidal has returned," a marine guard outside the cell casually remarked.
"It's Vidal!"
In an instant, the Fish-Men's feelings became complicated. They didn't know how to face the human navy who had saved them from hell and become their new master.
At the port of the Inn Street, the warship slowly docked. A smooth wooden plank automatically extended from the hull, and Vidal's tall figure descended step by step, under the gaze of countless eyes and surrounded by the background music 'Giant Fortress'.
Meanwhile, on the deck behind them, there was a wooden cart full of black boxes and wooden crates. They had arrived at their destination, and these things could no longer be left in the parallel space; they had to be brought into the base openly.
"Welcome back, Commander!"
Brigadier General Eller, the highest-ranking officer in the group and standing at the very front, spoke first. They now understood Vidal's preferences; he simply liked this kind of formality and spectacle.
"Okay, send a few people up to unload the wooden cart, then sail this warship back to the base port. While you're at it, have the shipwrights inspect it; from now on, it'll be one of our base's ships."
Vidal gave the order, then nodded to Major Rogers behind Aile.
"Yes!"
Brigadier General Eller immediately ordered Lieutenant Mott to take fifty marines up, then quickly stepped aside, and the officers and soldiers behind him also tacitly made way for him.
Vidal glanced at the dark mass of people standing behind the marines, then looked away and walked over with a serious expression.
He wanted to use this method to brand his presence onto the Sabaody Archipelago like a mark; this was his home turf, and it was only right to do so!
Since it only required passing through one large district, Vidal quickly traversed the entire Inn Street. As his figure disappeared from sight, the solemn music stopped, and the navy withdrew, returning the road to the public.
"Have Noel Colonel here. I have something to tell him!" As soon as he returned to his base commander's office, Vidal gave the order to Lieutenant Isoka.
He wanted to see how well the other person had trained their Wood-Wood Fruit ability. If it was good, he would have them create the 'body' of a 'Magical Creatures', and then he would add the finishing touch by giving it a seed of intelligence and consciousness.
"Yes!"
Vidal sat in his chair watching his little secretary close the door and leave, but he was soon exasperated by the pile of documents and reports on his desk that looked like two small mountains.
"Wow, it's only been three days, and it's already accumulated this much?"
He felt he should further develop the potential of the 'Wood Clone' skill; otherwise, even if he became Admiral or Fleet Admiral, he would spend too much time on these things.
However, this means I have even more things to do, many of which are quite overwhelming. Fortunately, I have plenty of time, since it's only the 1494th year of the Sea Circle Calendar.