Greed

People were never content with loneliness; they possessed all manner of intense desires.

Bred saw it deep within Nishinomiya's eyes, and he saw it clearly—Nishinomiya was not satisfied with his idle life managing the Holy Land Treasure Vault. What he craved was far more than spending his days trapped in an empty tower, facing piles of lifeless objects he considered worthless. He wanted to truly join the World Government's official ranks, become part of the ruling class, and, like the officials he envied, be imposing, respectable, extravagant, and wield at least some control over the fates of living people.

After warming the bench at the Holy Land Treasure Vault for five or six years, Nishinomiya had still failed to become the sort of person he wanted to be. His background, his talent—too many factors constrained him. He could only fantasize about currying favor with those who came to the Holy Land Treasure Vault, slowly accumulating connections and building a network until he gradually achieved his goal. Unfortunately, who among those entitled to come to the Holy Land Treasure Vault and pick through its contents had not rendered tremendous service to the World Government, possessing both ability and status? Who would spare a thought for a nobody like him?

In truth, if Nishinomiya had not been the Imperial Arm wielder of [World Book: Longo Longo], and if Bred had not thought he might be useful in the future, he would not have bothered with him either.

"If Devil Fruits are like 'super gift packs'—mysterious and unknown, falling from the sky, and granting anyone power the moment they open one," Nishinomiya said, becoming even more attentive after reaching several verbal agreements with Bred, "then Imperial Arms are 'special lucky prizes'! Only those with certain special qualities can be fortunate enough to earn an Imperial Arm's favor and gain power from it."

Bred looked over the neatly arranged Imperial Arms. "Devil Fruits are a one-way choice. You obtain a Devil Fruit and eat it. Imperial Arms are a two-way choice. You obtain an Imperial Arm, gain its recognition, and use it... I know the basic common sense. What I most want to know is why Imperial Arms possess this trait of mutual selection."

"The primary materials used to forge Imperial Arms are the remains of Super Dangerous Beasts. In my humble opinion, Imperial Arms likely retain some lingering latent will or instinct from those Super Dangerous Beasts, and that is what causes it. They are willing to accept people they acknowledge and reject those they dislike." Though Nishinomiya was an utter bootlicker, he was at least a clever one.

Bred narrowed his eyes as he examined a golden urn. It was probably the crudest of the dozen or so—perhaps even all forty-eight—Imperial Arms in the Holy Land Treasure Vault.

"[Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract], that is its name! The urn contains the blood of an extinct Super Dangerous Beast that once occupied the far northern ice plains in ancient times. Drinking it grants one the power of that Super Dangerous Beast, but I personally witnessed six people go mad and die after drinking it, and there were surely many more I do not know about." Nishinomiya still felt lingering fear, yet he was exceptionally excited. "Based on deductions from the World Book, it was Dragon-class! The blood of a Dragon-class Super Dangerous Beast! When it finally finds its master, a terrifying monster shall be born!"

Bred broke into a brilliant smile. "Its aura is highly compatible with someone I know. I believe the two of them will have a wonderful encounter."

"Esdeath?" Joanna suddenly interjected.

Bred nodded. "Mm." Then he said, "Do you dislike the aura emitted by Imperial Arms, Joanna?"

"I wouldn't say I dislike it, but it really is uncomfortable, hee hee~" Joanna puffed out her cheeks and acted cute.

Bred said, "The idea that 'Imperial Arms retain some lingering latent will or instinct from Super Dangerous Beasts' also explains why an Imperial Arm wielder can only control one Imperial Arm."

"Imperial Arms use a human's mental and physical strength as their source of power. Supporting even one Imperial Arm is already strenuous enough, yet there has never been any shortage of people with boundless energy and exceptional stamina. Why, then, has no one been able to control two or more Imperial Arms? It is also because the lingering latent will or instinct of Super Dangerous Beasts is at work! It is the nature of beasts—perhaps one mountain cannot hold two tigers. The fact that battles between Imperial Arm wielders always end in death also indirectly supports this..." Nishinomiya opened the World Book and muttered as he wrote, adding to its records.

A moment later.

"Praise your wisdom, Lord Bred." Nishinomiya gave an exaggerated bow.

Bred looked left and right. "How many Imperial Arms still exist? Over eight hundred long years, plenty must have been lost or damaged."

"Yes. The government currently possesses a total of thirty-two Imperial Arms," Nishinomiya answered.

"Other than [Demon God Manifestation: Demon's Extract], which has never been successfully controlled by anyone, are there any others?" Bred asked.

"No. It is the only one," Nishinomiya said.

A curved-blade Imperial Arm, [Moonlight Beauty: Wind Cutter Sword].

A glove Imperial Arm, [God's Hand: Perfect One].

A flute Imperial Arm, [Military Music Dream: Scream].

"Where is [Dimensional Phalanx: Shambhala]?" Bred searched for a while, then frowned.

Nishinomiya sighed. "Minister Honest's son took it to play with."

Abruptly.

"Ring-ring-ring~~~"

"Someone else has arrived." Nishinomiya said apologetically, "I am terribly sorry, Lord Bred, but I have to..."

Before Nishinomiya could finish, Bred waved a hand and continued observing the Imperial Arms.

After Nishinomiya hurried away, Bred's gaze settled on an exquisite box bearing a sharp canine tooth.

"[Blood Collection: Rapid Absorption]." Bred read the description Nishinomiya had placed beneath the box. "The tooth of a Tiger-class to Dragon-class Super Dangerous Beast, the 'Bloodsucker Demon.' By sucking the blood of living creatures, it can heal injuries and increase one's strength... Joanna? Doesn't that sound like you?"

Mosquito Girl fell silent before saying, "The 'Bloodsucker Demon' was the prototype used to create me, but I am a Tiger-class to Demon-class Super Dangerous Beast. I am a failure."

"Stop thinking about such pointless things, Joanna! You are Joanna Hyman." Bred picked up [Blood Collection: Rapid Absorption] and examined it. With a strange expression, he muttered, "You're calling to me? You're not bad, and you suit my tastes, but the problem is that I think you're dirty. Do you know how many people have put you in their mouths? You're dirty yourself too—you've bitten who knows how many creatures."

Contempt aside, Bred still intended to choose [Blood Collection: Rapid Absorption], because he was greedy!

PS1: Please vote with recommendation tickets. Also, can you people stop being so lewd? (￣ヘ￣＃) Seriously, I threw out my back from working. I was helping out at home, carrying things after spraying the fields.

PS: Thanks to reader [Kong White] for the 1,000-point donation, and to readers [Passing the Torch Fire], [That Rain Drenched the First Night], [I Am the King], [esery], and [Your Name Is Wolf's Gaze] for their respective 100-point donations. Thank you.