Headquarters (Part 1)

The person in charge of the Salt Beach Island base was One-Eye. As one of the Vongola Trading Company's upper echelons, he naturally knew its true nature.

He personally piloted the Swordfish Submarine and waited for Lucifer and the others in the Palm Great Trench.

After Lucifer set Laboon down, he and Brook entered the submarine and met One-Eye, who had been waiting for some time.

"Minister Lucifer." One-Eye hurriedly greeted him.

Lucifer waved a hand and instructed, "That whale outside is Brook's companion. It will be living nearby from now on, so keep an eye on it. Don't let anyone target it."

"Understood." One-Eye nodded.

Lucifer turned his head and asked, "Brook, are you really not planning to modify Laboon? With the organization's technology, the procedure would be completely safe."

Brook shook his head. "No. I want Laboon to live safely, not become a weapon of war."

"All right, then. But you can use your Mecha to create a clone and station it here on Salt Beach Island. Whenever you want to visit Laboon, you can control the clone remotely through brainwave synchronization." After speaking, Lucifer transmitted the method for creating clone bodies to him.

Brook closed his eyes. A moment later, his back writhed, and a clone identical to Brook appeared behind him.

Lucifer instructed One-Eye to store Brook's clone in a Life Support Pod on Salt Beach Island.

After Laboon woke up, Brook implanted a biological communicator into his brain, allowing them to speak with each other regularly.

At the same time, he used the Den Den Mushi's video feed to show Crocus Laboon's condition and put his mind at ease.

Once that was done, Lucifer and Brook teleported back to the headquarters at Mist Sea Tree—Black Mist. The three Mist Sea Trees were named Black Mist, Gray Mist, and White Mist according to their ages.

Back at headquarters, Brook continued his physical adaptation training, allowing the Mecha to constantly adjust and gradually bring his body and soul into complete harmony.

If they could not fully harmonize, Brook would have no way to use Observation Haki or Armament Haki. He would only be able to rely on swordsmanship and Yellow Springs Freezing Air, which was detrimental to his overall growth in strength.

Additionally, Wang Gao needed his help researching this world's underworld.

Lucifer continued renovating the base. Not only did the inside of Black Mist need to be modified; Gray Mist and White Mist required the same treatment.

During this time, Wang Gao successfully created several new Devil Mechas: Crystal Mecha, Magic Box Mecha, Balloon Mecha, and Illusion Mecha.

Of those, the Crystal Mecha was given to Mammon, while the Illusion Mecha was given to Asmodeus.

After receiving the Crystal Mecha, Mammon quickly brought its abilities into full play.

On the training ground.

Brook swung his longsword, sending out one razor-sharp slash after another.

Mammon's body might have looked small, but he was covered from head to toe in a layer of composite armor. It was super armor made from special crystalline carbyne. Not only was it far harder than diamond, it also possessed strength and elasticity that diamond lacked.

Brook's slashes against Mammon were like a gentle breeze brushing his face.

"Ice Blade." An ice blade condensed in Mammon's hand.

The Crystal-Crystal Fruit was incredibly versatile. After all, ice and snow, sand and stone, diamonds, sugar, and salt all had crystalline structures.

"Sandstorm," "Candy Marsh," "Salt-Out," "Concentrated Light," "Mirror Illusion."

"Ice Age," "Ground Secco," "Candy Swamp," "Pickling Factory," "Hell Thorn Forest," "Asbestos Demon Dust," "Mirror Sky Death Ray"...

"Cough, cough! I surrender!" Brook hurriedly raised his hands. Unable to stop himself, he complained inwardly, What the hell kind of Devil Fruit Ability is this? It can practically do anything.

Though Mammon had already held back, the Crystal Mecha's terrifying abilities still made Brook hard-pressed to contend with.

What was more, Mammon's Two Colors of Armament were highly advanced, and the Mecha could also load combat techniques.

The combat techniques loaded into a Mecha would appear stiff and unpolished at first, but after a period of adjustment, they would become increasingly proficient.

Martial techniques learned this way were much faster than being taught step by step. Once they became instinctive, they could become truly terrifying.

The standout among them was Cook of Impel Down. Even relying solely on martial techniques, he could unleash unimaginable power.

Mammon stopped and said with a wicked grin, "Wasn't I just helping you get familiar with your body?"

"Yohohoho... I don't want to have to make another body." Brook spread his hands helplessly.

In truth, Wang Gao had given the Crystal Mecha to Mammon because Mammon possessed a greedy nature and served as the Human Reform League's Minister of Finance. The Crystal Mecha could also be used to create artificial diamonds and gemstones, or pan for gold in deserts.

Furthermore, when building underground bases in the future, Mammon could directly mold them in one piece, rapidly producing large numbers of rough base structures. After secondary refinement, they could quickly be put into use.

In the hands of someone who knew how to use them, Devil Fruit Abilities were absolutely terrifying powers.

As for Asmodeus's Illusion Mecha, its abilities were equally formidable. To ordinary grunts without Observation Haki, it was simply a nightmare.

Creating illusions over a large area could make enemies slaughter one another during battle.

The Illusion Mecha also had several other special avenues for development, which Asmodeus was currently exploring step by step.

Among the Seven Deadly Sins, Lucifer, Mammon, and Asmodeus already possessed Devil Mechas, while Leviathan, Samael, Belfinger, and Beelzebub did not yet have them.

In fact, even without Devil Mechas, the Seven Deadly Sins were extraordinarily powerful. At the very least, the biological abilities carried by the Mechas themselves were formidable.

With Mammon's addition, the renovation of the main base proceeded faster and faster. Mammon could design the construction blueprints in advance, then activate his modification ability to rapidly create rough frameworks.

At the same time, Wang Gao began modifying the Mist Sea Trees. First, he reinforced their bark, making it exceptionally tough.

Then came the control of the symbiotic organisms living on the Mist Sea Trees, such as Mist Crabs, Poisonous Mushrooms, Phosphorescent Jellyfish, Pufferfish, and the like. These creatures were all symbiotes of the Mist Sea Trees.

The Baron Pirates, who had accidentally entered the Devil's Triangle years ago, had approached the Mist Sea Trees too closely. After inhaling the spores of Poisonous Mushrooms, they had all been poisoned to death.

This was also why, over the years, so few people who came near the Mist Sea Trees had managed to leave alive.

Even fish-men had to contend with poisonous Phosphorescent Jellyfish and Pufferfish in the sea.

For roughly fifteen kilometers outward from the edge of the Mist Sea Trees, both the surface and seabed were filled with toxic spores, Phosphorescent Jellyfish, and Pufferfish. Together with the Big Claw Crabs capable of using Armament Haki, it formed a terrifying defensive system.

Wang Gao enhanced the toxicity of the Poisonous Mushrooms, Phosphorescent Jellyfish, and Pufferfish, adding hallucinogenic and paralytic effects.

He also implanted the animal version of the simplified Base Armor into the Big Claw Crabs, turning them into more well-rounded combat pets. The three Mist Sea Trees alone hosted as many as 86,000 Big Claw Crabs.

No wonder the future Moria only dared to operate in the middle region of the Devil's Triangle and never approach the inner region. He had probably been taught a lesson by the Mist Sea Trees.

Wang Gao's modifications did not stop there. Using the Small Leaf King Lotus as the mother plant, he created a Sea King Lotus with enormous leaves.

The Sea King Lotus's leaves could reach a maximum radius of 120 meters. The central portion could be as thick as eight meters, while the edges rose in a regular pattern, reaching a maximum height of eighteen meters.

Thank you all for your support (ω｀)