-The next day.
The weather was clear, without the slightest breeze-a perfect day for a leisurely trip across the grasslands.
Disguised as Satellite Shining, Sephiroth strolled through the outskirts of town. Occasionally, he encountered startled passersby or fans asking for autographs.
To avoid blowing his cover, Sephiroth had also put some effort into each persona's personality and aura.
In public, the Great Angel was composed and approachable. Satellite Shining was livelier, with a bit of a rock-and-roll edge. As the Mechanical King, he feigned a mechanized mind.
Each persona had a different way of responding to scrutiny through Observation Haki.
As the Great Angel, he made no deliberate changes. As the Mechanical King, he altered his magnetic field. As the Inazuma Spirit, he deliberately circulated an electric current through his body.
...Every now and then, he found this idyllic countryside scenery rather pleasant.
Even on a concert tour, Kessoku Band was not out to speedrun sightseeing, checking off one destination before racing straight to the next.
They usually rested for at least two or three days. If the country or region had something distinctive to offer, they stayed a little longer.
Although the Marines' G-2 base was near the Lulusia Kingdom, they showed no sign of mobilizing.
Over the past month, the Marines had indeed never pursued Sephiroth and his companions. For one thing, with his 400-million bounty, ordinary Marines would accomplish nothing by coming after him.
For another, the so-called "Kessoku Band (pirate crew)" was currently just holding concerts everywhere. Aside from killing a Shichibukai, they had committed no other crimes.
Over dinner yesterday, Sephiroth had heard from Brook that there was a small ranch on the edge of town with exceptionally delicious milk.-He had guaranteed it on his own skull.
Walking along a country path through the grasslands, Sephiroth let out a relaxed yawn, releasing a stream of electricity that dispersed into the air.
There was almost no tall vegetation to block his view. The scenery stretched endlessly before him, allowing him to make out distant sights. At the farthest edge of his vision, he could see the ranch and the coastline.
Sephiroth followed the gravel path to the ranch's fence, where he came across a girl of twelve or thirteen standing on tiptoe to hang clothes on a washing line.
The sight of an elemental being like Satellite Shining startled her so badly that her hand shook, sending a wooden clothespin tumbling to Sephiroth's feet.
Perhaps Kessoku Band was fairly famous. Though the girl had not attended yesterday's concert, she had heard of him... the criminal with a 400-million bounty.
"...P-please don't kill me..."
Was crouching down with your hands over your head a professional skill passed down through generations of cute creatures?
"Little miss~ Don't get the wrong idea. I mean you no harm." Sephiroth picked up the clothespin and crouched down to face her, holding it out. "I'm here to buy milk. I'm your new customer."
"...Oh."
The girl gingerly took the wooden clothespin from Sephiroth's hand, as though afraid of being electrocuted.
Yet even when she brushed against the stray current, all she felt was a slight coolness.
Curious, she gently touched his "skin" with a finger. It felt like some sort of invisible, elastic gel, and was incredibly smooth.
"...Young lady, could you stop poking me for a moment?"
"-Eek!"
The bashful girl immediately stood up and gave an apologetic bow.
She had seen Satellite Shining's wanted poster. Although it listed many crimes, everyone had gradually come to accept him as Kessoku Band rapidly took the world by storm.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Shining. My name is Moda. My family owns this ranch."
Though the ranch stood on somewhat remote land, it consisted of a fine stone building, complete with iron doors and windows.
It looked quite nice, with no rubbish or animal dung in sight. For a ranch, it was almost too idyllic.
But when he saw the "dairy cows" ambling across the grassland, each only the size of a large dog... Sephiroth once again reminded himself not to look too deeply into things in this world.
Just then, the clanking of wooden and metal buckets came from the other side of the house, mingled with the cows' languid mooing.
"Moda~ Who's here-Whoa-!"
Well, the tall, thin man who came around the corner was startled by Shining too.
"Y-you, Lord Shining. What brings you here?"
After all, he was not the universally beloved Great Angel. Shining still had a 400-million bounty on his head.
The man before him, with naturally curly hair and a black crescent-shaped mustache, nearly pulled his own mustache out.
"...I'm just here to buy milk."
Even legendary figures needed everyday lives, all right? It was like assuming beautiful girls had no bodily functions. Pure prejudice.
After a brief conversation, Sephiroth also met the lady of the house, a kind, short, plump woman.
Interestingly, the father was called Kong Shi, the mother Kong Da, and their daughter Moda...
Sephiroth had no intention of digging into that. He had simply come to buy milk. After all, Brook had vouched for it on his skull...
"Yes. It's an honor that you enjoy our milk, but..."
Kong Shi sighed. The king had raised taxes year after year, leaving their dairy operation unable to make ends meet.
He and his wife were considering applying for work as cooks at the nearby G-2 Marine Branch once Moda was a little older and could look after herself.
They hoped that being employed by the Marines would earn them some tax exemptions.
"But then you'd only be able to see your daughter during those few days off each month."
"...Yes. That's why we're still hesitating."
"How about working at the Titans Franchise Store? I'd recommend it."
Titans had already established a franchise store in the Lulusia Kingdom, right here in this port town.
An eight-hour workday, and they could go home as soon as their shift ended.
"If you're interested, you can also choose to move to the Titans Kingdom, provided you pass their internal assessment."
"Really!?"
Kong Shi was tempted. The stories about the Titans Kingdom were famous. Everyone called it a paradise on earth, a beacon to the world.
"I've heard of the Titans Kingdom's franchise stores. The king wanted to raise taxes again recently, and one reason was to buy those things called 'Artificial Angels.'"
"...Oh... oh."
-Damn. Looks like some of this was my fault.
Sephiroth had no intention of continuing that discussion. He simply gave them a silver gear, then wrote a letter of introduction by hand.
Then he said goodbye to the family and left with the milk pail floating beside him.
The Artificial Angels they had mentioned were actually test models, as well as export versions with some of their technology stripped out.
The explanation given to the Marines was that they were used to collect data and train combat AI.
In reality, they also served as surveillance devices, capable of transmitting data to satellites at any time.
But he did not dare pull that sort of trick with the versions supplied to the Marines. Vegapunk was still over there.
The basic model cost 100 million and had combat strength equivalent to someone with a 20-million bounty. Even that was the result of technical exchanges with the Marines' research department. The main improvement was expanded battery capacity... apparently using Vegapunk's technology.
They needed charging and consumed a great deal of power. They could recharge themselves, but charging efficiency depended on the type of power source.
Titans Franchise Stores around the world offered fast charging, along with other maintenance and upgrade services.
Every Titans Franchise Store had a large signal tower, which could serve as a node for Sephiroth's lightning teleportation.
Default combat templates: gunner, swordsman, guard, fighter.
Their appearance could be customized, but not to resemble public figures.
Custom special combat templates cost extra.
...As for whether anyone might order an Artificial Angel with a female appearance and then use it for a special kind of combat...
For one thing, they lacked that function-in other words, the relevant equipment.
For another, Artificial Angels were heavy... a weak ordinary person could not handle one.
And anyone strong enough to handle one... would someone with that kind of strength lack women?
Of course, there might still be a few oddballs. That was why none of the export models had emotion modules...
-Marine G-2 base.
In the G-2 Marine Branch's conference room, base commander Comil sat upright at the head of the conference table.
He looked like an easygoing, portly man, and his hairstyle bore a strong resemblance to a programmer's.
In reality, he was a master of the Two-Sword Style, with considerable proficiency in two-color Haki. Even among vice admirals, he ranked solidly in the middle.
The calligraphy hanging on the wall behind him was written in his own hand-Unflinching Justice.
It showed that he was not merely a branch base commander, but also a Headquarters Vice Admiral.
Only someone of that rank could hang his own calligraphy in a Marine conference room and proclaim his chosen justice.
"Reporting!"
"Come in."
"Vice Admiral Comil-King Seqi of the Lulusia Kingdom has called again, requesting that we deal with the wanted criminal Satellite Shining..."
An ensign delivered the report loudly.
It was not that Sephiroth had actually done anything.
Some of his songs occasionally contained material that made the nobility uncomfortable. But they did not dare provoke a criminal with a 400-million bounty, so they could only ask the Marines for help.
"...There's no need to panic," Vice Admiral Comil replied calmly. "Everything will proceed according to plan."
So far, Satellite Shining had caused no harm, so Vice Admiral Comil did not want to alert him prematurely.
Neat rows of conference tables and chairs filled the room. Marine officers sat upright on either side, their attentive gazes fixed on Vice Admiral Comil.
Vice Admiral Comil gently raised his coffee cup, his brow furrowing slightly, apparently dissatisfied with its taste.
"This coffee is so bitter," he said. "I can't even hold a meeting in peace."
His remark eased the atmosphere in the room a little. The Marines exchanged glances, some wearing knowing smiles.
"In short, keep a close watch on the 'Kessoku Band Pirates.' That Rumble-Rumble Fruit User must not be underestimated. We'll act once reinforcements from Headquarters arrive."
Vice Admiral Comil belonged to the neutral faction, not the doves. He would not let "pirates" go merely because they had not directly harmed civilians.
After all, the very existence of a "great pirate" was a symbol of evil that inspired more evildoers to take to the sea.
Thus, even "great pirates who had done nothing wrong" had to be dealt with. Vice Admiral Comil simply did not want to rush when their direct threat was this small.
"Reporting!"
"Come in."
Another ensign entered with a document and reported to the officers present.
"Headquarters Vice Admiral Momousagi will be arriving shortly..."
In fact, the World Government had considered having Satellite Shining fill the vacant Shichibukai position. However, directly inviting him would cost them some face, and he had been virtually unknown before this.
So they had the Marines test him and put him in his place first. If he was willing to join the Shichibukai, his wanted status would be revoked. If not, they would eliminate him on the spot.
After studying the matter, Marine Headquarters concluded that an ordinary vice admiral might be no match for an opponent capable of defeating a Shichibukai.
Following a comprehensive assessment, they dispatched Vice Admiral Gion, an admiral candidate, to lead the force. She would rendezvous with Vice Admiral Comil of the G-2 Branch and deploy with him.
"Good-prepare all forces!"
This was the moment Comil had been waiting for. He had ignored the King of Lulusia's earlier pleas because there genuinely had been no emergency.
If Satellite Shining dared massacre civilians, he would rush to the scene even at the cost of his life.
His unflinching composure lay in the balance between caution and courage.
Before you continue