Headquarters (Part 2)

It did not rely on photosynthesis. Instead, it used its roots to parasitize the Mist Sea Tree, allowing it to absorb nutrients while anchoring itself to the sea surface around the tree.

The Sea King Lotus had many uses. Its leaves could serve as foundations for Buildings. By planting a ring of Foam Cacti along the edges of a leaf, the Foam Cacti could produce a layer of foam that enveloped the entire portion of the leaf beneath the water.

They could also serve as cultivation sites for special plants and insect nests.

Its nectar was extraordinarily sweet, roughly fifteen million times sweeter than sucrose. It released a special fragrance that attracted animals, but the nectar contained something else as well: a sleeping agent.

Even large Sea Kings would quickly fall asleep after consuming this sleeping agent. Clearly, it was a powerful weapon designed specifically to lure Sea Kings over before slaughtering them.

Under Wang Gao's catalysis, huge lotus leaves began growing across the sea within fifteen kilometers of the Mist Sea Tree.

Foam Cacti also grew along the edges of some leaves. The Foam Cacti, which possessed Sabody Mangrove genes, rapidly produced bubble membranes that resembled hemispheres inverted over the leaf surfaces.

Wang Gao then planted all sorts of modified plants on the Sea King Lotus leaves, along with Skull Bees, building their hives atop the leaves.

Under Wang Gao's modifications, this stretch of sea became increasingly strange and terrifying, filled with all manner of Poisonous Creatures.

Without the Human Reform League's unique biomecha protection, it would be difficult to safely pass through the poisonous lotus sea.

Of course, Wang Gao had not created these Poisonous Creatures solely for defense. He had another purpose as well: to provide food for headquarters.

Inside the headquarters cafeteria, several chefs transferred over from Gourmet Island were busily preparing ingredients. The creatures modified by Wang Gao all contained immense amounts of energy inside their bodies.

One chef took out a specially made molecular sieve and filtered the Sea King Lotus nectar, removing its sleeping components and obtaining nectar fifteen million times sweeter than sucrose.

He picked up a Phosphorescent Jellyfish and, with flowing, practiced movements, removed its venom sac. The Phosphorescent Jellyfish was still alive as he soaked it in Sea King Lotus nectar.

Poisonous Cuisine—Phosphorescent Jelly—was complete.

Next came Dolphin Whale sashimi, another ingredient of extreme toxicity. One mistake in its preparation, and eating it meant certain death.

Creamy mushroom soup: Poisonous Mushrooms, plant cream from paralyzing Gluttony Flowers, and composite rock salt ground from the molted shells of Big Claw Crabs.

Charcoal-grilled Aqua Regia Eel.

Wang Gao picked up a slice of Dolphin Whale sashimi and dipped it into ink soy sauce made from a Red Crested Octopus. This octopus's ink was a natural soy sauce, but without special processing, it contained a unique substance capable of causing spontaneous human combustion.

Once dipped in the ink soy sauce, the sashimi displayed an ultimate freshness, sweetness, crispness, and tenderness, followed by a faintly salty fragrance.

The energy hidden within it caused Wang Gao's calorie reserves to rapidly rise by 120,000 units.

The others also dug in without hesitation. Even Brook could not stop eating.

The specially prepared ingredients, combined with the enormous energy they contained, made everyone's bodies feel incomparably delighted.

After eating their fill, everyone returned to their various tasks.

Before they knew it, time had entered the final month of Grand Line Era 1499.

By then, Wang Gao and the others had completed the initial modification of three Mist Sea Trees. To prevent the Devil's Triangle waters from being exposed, Moria's former Thriller Bark was put back into service.

Using the abilities of Shadow Mecha and modified organisms, Lucifer combined biomecha and Android Technology to create the Black Shadow Legion.

The Black Shadow Legion's android soldiers used an extremely unusual modification method: their shadows, bodies, and biomecha were completely fused together, forming a new kind of creature capable of freely traversing the real world and the Shadow World—Shadow People.

Not only could Shadow People travel through real-world shadows, they could also split their bodies in two. One part could operate in reality, while the other operated in the Shadow World.

The advantage was that Shadow People were extremely difficult to kill. Unless their souls were directly annihilated, or both their real and shadow-bound halves were completely destroyed at the same time, a Shadow Person would not die.

If the part in reality was destroyed, the Shadow Person's soul would return to the Shadow World. Without external acceleration, it would naturally recover in roughly two to three months.

Shadow People could not control shadows other than their own. They could only manipulate their own shadows, though they could also hide, move, and enter or exit through shadows.

Lucifer Stationed five hundred members of the Black Shadow Legion aboard Thriller Bark—the strength of one battalion.

However, for headquarters' android incubation pods to produce androids with sound personalities and no Genetic Disease, each pod required roughly half a month to cultivate one person.

Of course, this cultivation speed could be increased, but accelerating it required manual intervention and adjustment, just like when Wang Gao had created Lucifer and the others.

There were currently one hundred android incubation pods at headquarters.

Therefore, the Black Shadow Legion's First Battalion, the Ghost Shadow Camp, currently had only one hundred Shadow Person soldiers.

Shadow People could also be created by modifying Ordinary People. This modification was not permanent. If someone no longer wished to be a Shadow Person, they could explain their reasons to Lucifer and have their shadow state removed.

In truth, being a Shadow Person did not interfere with normal life. In any case, the dozen or so soldiers who had successfully become Shadow People had not shown any resistance to remaining Shadow People for the time being.

After all, becoming a Shadow Person meant becoming very difficult to kill. They were not fools, so naturally they knew which choice to make.

Lucifer had also developed the Shadow Bracelet. Ordinary People who wore a Shadow Bracelet could likewise enter and exit the Shadow World, and could even use it to request teleportation from Lucifer.

Brook led the hundred-plus members of the Ghost Shadow Camp and was responsible for work related to Thriller Bark.

This was also where androids fell short. Although their intelligence was not low, they were far too rigid in dealing with people and situations. They needed to work alongside Ordinary People to avoid certain problems.

Brook stood atop the castle roof of Thriller Bark. On the surface, they were members of the Ghost Pirates, Nestled here to plunder passing Ships.

In reality, they were there to stop Ships that accidentally entered the Devil's Triangle waters on behalf of headquarters. They also observed passing pirate crews in order to recruit useful personnel for the organization.

As for merchant Ships, passenger Ships, and the like that wandered in by mistake, as long as they paid sufficient tolls, the Ghost Pirates would escort them safely out of the Devil's Triangle waters.

Considering Thriller Bark's excessively slow speed, Brook applied to headquarters for a more mobile sailing fleet and formed the Ghost Fleet.

The twelve sailing Ships, made from biological materials and similar to the Black Pearl, appeared to be ghost ships on the surface, but were actually highly maneuverable sailing vessels.

Although there were no steam engines or internal combustion engines, ships pulled by beasts were not slow. The Human Reform League's biotechnology was highly advanced; creating sea beasts suited for towing ships was More Than Enough.

From then on, terrifying legends of the Ghost Fleet began to spread along the outskirts of the Devil's Triangle.

On December 22, Wang Gao brought Mammon and Asmodeus to the crown of the Mist Sea Tree—Black Mist.

This place stood 5,273 meters above sea level.

Wang Gao looked above the clouds and mist. Waste-heat water vapor filled the air here, making it much warmer than the ground, with an average temperature of around 50 degrees Celsius.

An extra chapter—Thank you, everyone, for your support! (ω｀)