Time and Power

In response to Kozuki Toki's request, Vegapunk simply scratched his head:

"Well... to be honest, I don't know where your daughter is right now,"

Previously, Kozuki Hiyori was indeed under Vegapunk's command, and even a member of Vegapunk's clandestine forces, the Umbrella Corporation.

However, because the relationship between the two sides was not good, and because Vegapunk had also captured Kozuki Toki, Kozuki Hiyori, although forced to work for Vegapunk for her mother's safety, did not belong to the core group at all.

While he did enjoy some of Vegapunk's enhancements, he was actually more like Mercenary, an outsider who carried out missions that were almost like spies. He was not even aware that Umbrella Corporation was actually controlled by Vegapunk, and he always thought that Umbrella Corporation and Vegapunk were just cooperating partners.

Kozuki Hiyori, who wasn't a core member, didn't know Vegapunk's whereabouts, she would only assume that Vegapunk had also died on the Future Island at the beginning.

However, this also means that Vegapunk will definitely not be able to contact her directly, so Vegapunk Kozuki Hiyori or what she's doing.

Perhaps Stussy, who controls Vegapunk's dark forces, knows Kozuki Hiyori's movements, but that's not certain.

"Is... is that so? Hiyori is no longer here?"

A look of sorrow appeared on Kozuki Toki's face as he slowly lowered his head:

"I understand, Lord Vegapunk ... Thank you for your help."

"What do you understand?"

Seeing Kozuki Toki's cautious yet desperately grief-stricken expression, Vegapunk rolled his eyes.

"I really don't know where your daughter is, and she's not dead!"

"There were some problems a while ago, and I haven't been in contact with my subordinates. Besides, you've noticed my appearance has changed, haven't you? Right now, I'm faking my death to escape!"

Upon hearing Vegapunk's explanation, Kozuki Toki, finally felt relieved and quickly apologized to Vegapunk.

Vegapunk didn't care. Kozuki Toki herself didn't have much fighting ability, nor did she have any other special talents. So as long as she honestly developed her Devil Fruit power, that was enough. Vegapunk didn't have any other expectations for her.

Although Kozuki Toki was born 800 years ago, he didn't know much about the technology and situation of that era, and he couldn't answer many of Vegapunk's questions.

Therefore, its only use is its Devil Fruit ability. The Time-Time Fruit has amazing potential. Although it can only travel to the future at this stage and seems useless, if the fruit's ability Awakening, even Vegapunk doesn't know what this fruit can achieve.

Regardless of the circumstances, anything related to time can be considered a high-level ability, which is why Vegapunk values it so much and even went so far as to exchange it for a replica of the Azure Dragon Fruit.

"Alright, next we need to give Dream Star some enhancements, and also contact Stussy... I wonder how Umbrella Corporation is doing these days?"

New World, Totto Land Cake Island.

Under a parasol, two women are leisurely enjoying afternoon tea.

One of them had blond hair, sea-blue eyes, milky skin, a voluptuous figure, and a rather alluring white stocking.

At this moment, this charming and beautiful woman is sitting in a chair, enjoying afternoon tea and snacks while chatting with the woman opposite her.

A ringing sound suddenly rang in his ears. Stussy, who was chatting with the woman opposite him who had an unusually long pair of legs, changed his expression slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his blue eyes.

"Smoothie, I'm sorry, I'm not feeling well and will have to leave a little early!"

The Longleg Tribe standing before Stussy was Charlotte Smoothie, the only woman among the Sweet Four Generals of the Charlotte Family.

After listening to Stussy's words, Smoothie slightly raised her hand, gesturing with the wine glass in her hand:

"No problem, Miss Stussy. Should I call some doctors to take a look at you?"

Despite being a pillar of one of the Four Emperors Pirates, Charlotte Smoothie showed no arrogance towards Stussy; instead, she subtly displayed a sense of respect.

Besides Stussy's own shrewdness, social skills, and excellent relationship with Charlotte Linlin, the captain of the Big Mom Pirates, Stussy's own strength and influence are also considerable.

As Vegapunk's subordinate and the first Vegapunk he created, Stussy was always favored and underwent numerous enhancements and modifications.

Putting aside other things, Stussy received an even more advanced version of the exoskeleton modifications, such as those used by the Vinsmoke Family, which enhanced strength and endurance. While his talent may not be comparable to those sea monsters, he was definitely a first-rate figure second only to them.

In addition, the advanced training equipment provided by Umbrella Corporation, the scientific training given to her by the World Government's CP Organization, and the replica Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit tailored for her by Vegapunk all pushed this seemingly delicate beauty's strength and potential to the limit.

Charlotte Smoothie knew very well that she was no match for this seemingly delicate young woman. Even her most respected Katakuri, was not entirely confident in defeating Stussy.

For these pirates, strength is the foundation of respect, Stussy, with his formidable strength, naturally earned Charlotte Smoothie's respect.

"Ah, it's nothing... it's just a common problem for women!"

Stussy smiled and said something, then picked up a small bag next to him and took out a pack of tissues. Charlotte Smoothie was slightly taken aback, but then she realized what he meant and didn't say anything more.

After leaving the snack table, Stussy found a restroom and then gently pressed a button on a watch on his wrist.

A strange fluctuation spread out, and many living creatures around her, including Homies, a specialty of Cake Island, seemed to be affected by something, and they all yawned and fell asleep on the ground.

"This hypnosis watch is quite effective. It's not only incredibly effective against Den Den Mushi (snail Den Den Mushi), but it's also quite effective against these Homies!"

Stussy glanced around, smiled, and then gently pressed his earring to connect to the miniature headset phone.

Soon, a familiar voice that hadn't been heard for years rang out... Hmm, it doesn't seem familiar either? Oh right, it seems my boss went to get "plastic surgery".

The exchange was quickly completed. Inside Dream Star, Vegapunk lost contact somewhat sadly, his expression a little helpless.

"Time moves faster in the Pirate World than in the Ninja World! Hokage has only been about six years, but eight years have already passed in the Pirate World!"

"Shouldn't this be the time when Fire Fist Ace sets sail?! No, the bounty has already been issued, so he's been at sea for a while already?"

"They've even made a name for themselves with the name Fire Fist. I remember Ace only discovered and ate the Devil Fruit during his voyage!"

"In other words, there's a little over a year left before the story begins!"

With the timing set, another thing to know is the current strength of the forces under one's command.

Although the three of them— Hancock, Nico Robin, and I—have all greatly increased in strength after going to the Pirate World of One Piece, especially Hancock, who should now be able to take on the World Government single-handedly without any problems.

However, in terms of power, even if the Umbrella Corporation is transferred to Stussy after it leaves, whether it can ultimately be maintained or whether it can develop well is uncertain.

Fortunately, Stussy did not disappoint Vegapunk's expectations. He was extremely intelligent and had high emotional intelligence. In particular, he was very shrewd and socially adept, able to get along with any force.

Although Umbrella Corporation Organization was not expanded and strengthened, its stability and development were maintained.

Well, in reality, if the Umbrella Corporation Organization wants to grow bigger and stronger, it needs to develop into a separatist force like the Four Emperors. Without sufficient strength, Stussy wouldn't do something so foolish.

On the other hand, thanks to Stussy's hard work, Umbrella Corporation has now taken root in every aspect of the Pirate World. Whether it's the World Government, the Four Emperors Pirates, the Revolutionary Army, or some major maritime powers, almost all of them have become integrated with Umbrella Corporation.

If it were to be forcibly removed, even the most powerful World Government would likely experience turmoil, and might even suffer serious damage.

After learning about the current situation, Vegapunk felt relieved. Although with their current strength, even if all their subordinate forces were wiped out, it wouldn't have a huge impact on them, but it would still be somewhat difficult to manage.

Vegapunk's arrival in the Pirate World this time is definitely aimed at completely ruling the world, seizing all resources, and destroying the World Government!

Even though Vegapunk was confident in his strength, it would be very troublesome to extend his rule without his own trusted confidants.

We can't each have our Kotoamatsukami!

Hmm, that seems like a good idea! While Kotoamatsukami probably wouldn't be very effective against certain Conqueror's Haki users, I don't need any Conqueror's Haki subordinates...

His thoughts veered in a dangerous direction for a moment, but Vegapunk shook his head and began to seriously consider his next move.

Should we set off fireworks for the World Government first? Take down those disgusting Celestial Dragons? Or perhaps subdue those Four Emperors?

Having completed the Ninja World, the Pirate World is only considered easy. Apart from things like the World Government's trump card that weren't fully revealed in the original work, Vegapunk can easily crush everything else.

However, even if the World Government has some trump cards, Vegapunk has nothing to fear. For example, he can easily dodge those devastating super weapons using Space-Time Ninjutsu.

Unless Imu's fighting power is several times greater than Kaguya Otsutsuki's... if he really had that kind of strength, the World Government wouldn't need to hide it anymore; they would have already wiped out Four Emperors and other such figures.

The only uncertainty is whether the World Government, or Imu, possesses some kind of abnormal Devil Fruit ability. After all, many Devil Fruits are unreasonable, and if given the chance, they can often ignore the difference in strength and instantly kill the opponent.

Even if one possesses Haki that can counteract the rules of Devil Fruit, it still depends on the level of development of that Haki. For example, with Hancock's current Petrification Ability, if you summon powerful figures like Garp or Kaido who have cultivated Haki to its extreme, they would still be instantly killed without question once they get a chance to touch her.

Similarly, if there really were someone in the World Government who had lived for hundreds of years and whose Devil Fruit abilities were incredibly powerful, after hundreds of years of development, it was possible that even Hancock could be instantly killed!

"Let's tone it down a bit! But not taking any action at all isn't good either... We need to test the World Government!"

On the azure sea, an old-fashioned sailboat that looked quite ordinary was traveling at a speed far exceeding that of normal ships. The waves it cut through and the high-rising bow undoubtedly demonstrated how terrifying its speed was.

On the deck of the ship, Vegapunk was lying on a deck chair, enjoying the gentle breeze with a contented expression.

"Most of the wind that reaches the ship has been converted into energy for reuse... But it definitely feels more like sailing at sea if you leave a little bit of wind behind!"

"Sir, your juice!"

A soft, sweet voice sounded in her ear. Kozuki Toki, dressed in a maid outfit, walked over gracefully with a slight blush on her face, carrying a tray with a glass of juice and two glasses of wine.

"Hey, being a maid is one thing, but don't forget to train your Devil Fruit ability!"

Vegapunk spoke lazily, Kozuki Toki quickly interjected:

"Don't worry, sir! I've been working on my abilities all along!"

"These wines are the result of my hard work and skill development!"

Huh?! Vegapon paused slightly, observed carefully, as if he had discovered something:

"I see... so the grape juice skipped the fermentation stage and was directly converted into wine?"

"If it could be used on living things, it would be similar to that Mature-Mature Fruit, directly accelerating aging..."

"They didn't develop time travel, but they did develop this ability?"

It's not uncommon for Devil Fruit to develop similar abilities. For example, the useless Silence-Silence Fruit was completely overshadowed by a small branch developed from the Op-Op Fruit.

The Time-Time Fruit is such a high-level thing that it's perfectly normal for it to be able to cover the Mature-Mature Fruit Return-Return Fruit. In fact, if the Time-Time Fruit is developed well, it can theoretically completely cover the abilities of other fruits like the Age-Age Fruit and the Rewind-Rewind Fruit as well.

To put it simply, Devil Fruit evolved in accordance with the wishes of their developers. As long as the ability isn't too outrageous, it can basically be developed, depending only on the developer's talent and effort.

Furthermore, as a kind of spiritual wish crystallization, Devil Fruit are also related to the public's understanding, and the Time-Time Fruit is undoubtedly the most advanced ability in everyone's mind.