Dark Dragon Guard Cadre

Then Julian said to the squadron leaders who hadn't received a Devil Fruit: "From now on, any Devil Fruits we acquire will be given to you first. You all need to be patient and not slack off on your duties, or you'll be dismissed. Understood?" All the Dragon Guard officers nodded cooperatively and replied, "Understood, Captain."

Then Julian said to these squadron leaders: "Go pick your personnel. Your team members can be regular crew or logistics staff. As long as they're skilled at gathering information and can defend themselves, that's enough. Focus mainly on scouting for Devil Fruit leads, with intelligence on other pirate crews and the Marines as secondary."

All twelve Dragon Guard squadron leaders nodded and said in turn, "Captain, we understand our mission." Julian continued, "From now on, for accurate Devil Fruit intelligence, a small squad gets ten million Berries as a reward. If you can personally retrieve a fruit, the squad gets one hundred million." All the Dragon Guard officers spoke up: "Thank you, Captain. We'll work diligently."

Julian had all the Dragon Guards first recruit their squad members in full. Then he said to Herbert, "First Mate, from now on keep an eye on news about Dragon General Talilun. If there's word of a Devil Fruit, Old Sen, you handle it directly." Herbert replied, "Captain, rest assured! I understand."

Julian thought about the four powerful Devil Fruits he still had left. When he had children later, he could keep one fruit for each son. He also considered the importance of intelligence work and had Pablo allocate startup funds to the Dragon Guard officers—a direct outlay of one hundred million Berries. Julian believed that since ancient times, money—Berries—worked miracles.

These squadron leaders would gather intel during peacetime, but if a battle broke out with other pirates, they'd join the fight. Julian said, "This is one worker doing two jobs. The Dragon Guard squad members gathering intel don't need to be that strong—ordinary people will do. They can disguise themselves as merchants, explorers, or beggars."

Julian also ordered that these squadron leaders must not wear the Flame Dragon Pirates' standard uniform while gathering intel. But if they were engaging other pirate crews or the Marines, they had to wear the uniform. The twelve squadron leaders nodded cooperatively and said, "We understand, Captain."

Julian had these workers' arrangements crystal clear. Then he had Herbert assign each squadron leader a Den Den Mushi. Every time Julian arrived on an island, his first task was to buy Den Den Mushi—this thing was really convenient for communication. The current count of Den Den Mushi had reached over sixty, including some that could record video. Every division captain already had one each. Julian felt it was time.

He distributed these Den Den Mushi and said to Herbert, "Later, give one to each squadron captain too. Squad leaders won't get any—supply is limited." Julian also instructed Herbert, "Tell these squadron leaders and squadron captains to take good care of them." Julian had Pablo assign someone to properly raise them—fresh vegetable leaves, no mistreating these versatile Den Den Mushi.

Julian told Pablo to keep an eye on the shops selling Den Den Mushi. If they had stock, buy it all. Den Den Mushi could also be caught on deserted islands or in the wild. Julian felt relaxed now. Everything was arranged. What he needed to do now was daily training to improve his strength.

Then the whole crew would take Jaya Island and quickly secure territory on Sky Island. Once there, they'd start a major training camp. That way, they could quietly astonish everyone on the sea. With matters here settled, Julian prepared to leave this island for the next. He said to the crew, "We're setting off for the next stop." The other division captains asked excitedly, "Captain, how much farther is that Sky Island?"

Julian said, "Sorry, I don't know exactly how far, but it's above Jaya Island in the Grand Line." Herbert said, "Captain, our fleet is getting bigger and bigger. We really should secure our own territory soon. Sailing around everywhere makes it hard to grow the fleet."

Julian said to Herbert, "The First Mate is right. Our strength now is enough to take Jaya Island and Sky Island with ease." All the division captains in the meeting room, along with over thirty squadron captains, agreed with the First Mate's words. They all said, "We all want to see Sky Island." Julian said, "Let's focus on the present first. Our next island is a deserted one. All you officers and core members need to stay alert. In the Flame Dragon Pirates, from top to bottom, the Captain charges first. You all need to be the ones charging second. So we still have to keep training hard, carrying forward the spirit of not fearing hardship or fatigue." Everyone replied, "Understood, Captain. We won't let your kindness go to waste."

Julian called all the officers and core members up to the fourth floor. Over thirty people followed behind him. On the open deck of the fourth floor, Julian said to everyone, "I've developed a gravity barrier made of mud that can accelerate training. Everyone, come on in."

After Julian activated the Gravity Mud Space, he left an entrance open. The first to walk in was First Mate Herbert. The second were the division captains, along with many squadron captains and Dragon Generals, all following behind Julian. Julian activated the two-hundred-meter Gravity Mud Barrier, enveloping everyone inside.

Julian covered everyone's bodies with mud. The Earth Weight-Bearing Suit applied five times gravity—red mud. Julian said, "Everyone, practice your ultimate moves here. The gravity here is five times the outside." Julian also thickened the mud walls by over twenty meters, leaving the interior space very large.

Julian also activated the Swamp Mud's devouring and absorption ability, making training harder for everyone. Then they all began training. Even Herbert started working on his stamina—there was no better place than this. Julian began training his Devil Fruit ability, while the other officers trained their physical strength and endurance.

All the division captains were still taking Flame Potions to enhance their physiques. Julian had thought about giving them to the squadron captains too, but supply was limited for now. For the time being, he prioritized giving one daily to Dragon General Talilun and the twelve Dark Dragon Guards. The other squadron captains would have to wait.

Julian kept strengthening the Gravity Mud, making it more solid. The other division captains kept attacking the red mud walls, but basically just scratched the surface. Herbert's every slash left a huge gash over ten meters deep, but even he couldn't break through.

Julian continued developing the Gravity Mud, improving his Devil Fruit ability. If this fruit awakened, he could use the mud to alter the geographical environment, easily wielding the power of an Earth-type Devil Fruit to reshape an entire island—as if Julian were the mud and the mud were Julian.

Julian's second Devil Fruit, the Flame Dragon Fruit, would also require daily training to awaken—improving his physique, strengthening his power, and developing the Fire Dragon Fruit. He also needed his own strength and willpower to gain the recognition of the Fire Dragon Soul within his body, thereby achieving awakening. Once awakened, it would be a leap to the top—becoming a top-tier emperor-level powerhouse on the sea.

But to gain the recognition of the Fire Dragon Soul in his body, his conviction and willpower had to be acknowledged by the Devil Fruit. His Dao heart had to be unshakable. His physical fitness, spirit, and Haki all had to reach their limits. Most crucially, awakening could only happen at the brink of life and death.

Julian said, "In the future, I might need to upgrade the Dao heart training to version 1.0. Version 0.5 probably won't cut it anymore." Julian began his daily training. The other division captains and Dragon Guard officers were all exhausted in the Gravity Mud Space. Herbert also looked tired—he had been swinging his sword continuously all morning.

The other division captains, including George, were sitting on the ground panting. George had activated his Devil Fruit, the Great White Bear Beastman Form, and had been unleashing many Bear King Million-Ton Impacts, punching at the mud sandbags like hitting a punching bag. But these mud sandbags were especially heavy. After a whole morning, even he couldn't hold out. Bear-type creatures relied on their incredible endurance and immense strength to become powerful attacking mammals, with outstanding damage resistance too. The only thing that could kill an adult great bear was another even larger great bear.

But George was truly exhausted now. The Earth Weight-Bearing Suit was wrapped around his body, and the barrier's pressure was five times normal. The other division captains had collapsed from fatigue. The squadron captains had long since given out. Even Doronsa, with the Bird-Bird Fruit Ancient Zoan Archaeopteryx Form, and the Lizard Fruit Ancient Zoan Deinosuchus Form, had collapsed one after another. Julian saw those who had fallen and removed their Earth Weight-Bearing Suits, letting them go rest on their own.

Julian looked at the Mud Gravity Space, which was extremely difficult to train in, and smiled. "Another great way to overtake on the curve. From now on, I'll have them train here every day. This is a five-times-gravity Mud Gravity Space, perfect for practicing Marine Rokushiki or other skills. This is a rare blessing you can't just stumble upon."