The world's greatest Festival Master

February 5, 1522, morning.

Somewhere in the New World.

Three naval warships sailed in formation, with the naval ensign fluttering in the wind on the flagship's mast. The white sails bore the large, prominent lettering 'G-5'.

On the bow deck of the flagship, three Marine Soldiers were huddled together. One held a newspaper, while the other two peered out from the left and right.

"The Great Angel got married again."

"This time it's the Princess of Alabasta, how infuriating! I'm so envious!"

"Logia Snow-Snow Fruit as Wedding... That's incredibly extravagant!"

The three were chatting animatedly when Smoker suddenly appeared behind them like a ghost.

He had short white hair combed back into a slicked-back style, wore Motorcycle Sunglasses, and had two Cigar dangling from his mouth.

The bodies of the three soldiers tensed up simultaneously.

" --Big Brother Smoker!"

"--Boss Smoker!"

"... Lying down... cough cough cough--"

The Navy of the New World G-5 Branch are indeed full of troublemakers, but Smoker is the biggest troublemaker among the Navy's younger generation.

After getting beaten up quite a bit, the G-5 sailors started to see him as their 'Big Brother'.

Smoker took a puff of his Cigar and slowly exhaled the smoke.

"Normally it's fine. But we're on a mission now, so we need to go back and practice more."

The G-5 crew members are unconventional and have a bandit-like air about them; compared to regular navy personnel, they're more like Pirates in naval uniforms. But in reality, they still have a strong Justice.

"Yes!"

The three men stood at attention, then quickly dispersed and returned to their respective posts.

Smoker stood at the edge of the deck, his gaze sweeping across the sea.

A Major rushed out of the cabin and stood behind Smoker.

"Vice Admiral, you are about to arrive at Apple Island."

Smoker did not turn around.

"All ships are on combat readiness."

"Yes!"

The Major turned and ran to the Bridge, loudly relaying the order. The decks of the three warships immediately sprang into action, with gunners turning the turrets and musketeers checking their weapons.

Not long ago, a naval Patrol Ship spotted the 'Friends Pirates' in the nearby waters. These guys were acting suspiciously, and then they disappeared.

Their Pirates ship was a green amphibious vessel, capable of both surface navigation and underwater exploration. The last sighting was reported near Apple Island.

The Friends Pirates are a subordinate Pirates crew of the Flying Pirates. In other words, they are also an outer force of Road Island. Smoker, increasingly suspicious, decided to come and capture them.

After the G-5 Fleet arrived in the waters surrounding Apple Island, Smoker left two escort ships to block the sea, while he and his flagship went ashore.

He himself used Geppo to jump from the warship to the Dock. The other soldiers, led by officers of various ranks, searched the island.

Apple Island isn't very large, with mountains shaped like apples. The island is covered in dense Forest, with Apple Tree and palm trees mixed together, and the ground is soft soil.

Smoker led his men into the dense forest, following the tracks. After walking for a while, he noticed something amiss on the ground.

There were drag marks on the soil, uniform in width and clearly oriented, not like they were formed naturally. Smoker crouched down to take a look, then continued his search.

After some time, a clearing appeared deep in the dense forest.

In the open space, dozens of people were busy at work. Dressed in black Mexican cowboy outfits and wearing white Mexican Straw Hat, they were the Friends Pirates. They were gathered together, erecting some Obelisk in the open space.

Made of Obsidian, its surface is as smooth as a mirror and is engraved with various geometric patterns, including intricate interlocking rings, nested triangles, and neatly arranged dots, resembling some kind of magic circle.

Smoker's pupils contracted slightly.

'--Could it be something belonging to Bondrewd!'

He did not hesitate.

"Everyone! Follow me!"

The navy soldiers rushed from the edge of the dense forest into the clearing. Gunfire and the sound of swords clashing erupted simultaneously.

The henchmen of the Friends Pirates were stunned by the sudden attack and scattered to both sides.

Smoker transformed into a puff of white smoke, High-Speed Flight as he plunged into the crowd. He easily dispatched more than a dozen Pirates, cutting them down as if they were vegetables.

"Enemy attack--! It's the navy--!"

Amid the chaos, a tall, thin man dressed in Mexican cowboy attire burst out from behind an obelisk.

"What happened?! What's going on?!"

He wore a large black Mexican Straw Hat, and his dark purple cape billowed in the wind. He held a Guitar- shaped Lily in his hand and gave it a rather flamboyant performance.

"Captain Rarugo! It's the White Hunter—! It's Smoker, the White Hunter—!"

Rarugo's hand froze.

To say Smoker is bad depends on who you compare him to. Rarugo wouldn't dare face Logia Vice Admiral.

"... All personnel, retreat!!"

Rarugo had no intention of fighting and immediately ran away.

Smoker's body turned into smoke, gliding along the ground at high speed. Countless white 'smoke pillars' emerged from the smoke, simultaneously reaching for Rarugo.

Rarugo clasped his hands together, like playing cat's cradle, and pulled out a 'net'. As he threw it, it rapidly enlarged, covering Smoker.

"Net-Net: Enclosing Net!"

He is Devil Fruit User the Paramecia Net-Net Fruit. But the smoke passed through the net and caught nothing.

"... Damn it, this kind of Logia stuff!"

Although Rarugo also possesses Armament Haki, it's only at a mediocre level, and he doesn't believe he can defeat Vice Admiral.

Smoker continued his Pursuit. His lower body transformed into smoke, propelling him at high speed like a jet engine.

"White Fist!"

Smoker's arms turned into white smoke, and he unleashed a series of Rocket -like punches.

"Net-Net: Body Net!"

Rarugo transformed his body into a net, and Smoker's fist passed through the mesh.

Rarugo scrambled to his feet, immediately pulled Lighter from his shirt pocket, lit a small Torch, and then swallowed the Torch whole.

"Ah, it's so hot! -- cough cough, Net-Net: Blazing Fire Net!!"

Rarugo, like a juggler, spewed out a large net of fire, enveloping Smoker.

"--White Snake!"

Smoker spewed serpentine plumes of smoke from his arm toward Rarugo, only slightly disturbed as he passed through the fire.

Rarugo was engulfed by white smoke and struggled to get up, but the smoke had already wrapped around his limbs and neck.

"Big Brother!!"

In the midst of the chaotic battle between the navy and Pirates, a burly, rugged man bursts out of the fray. He is covered in a yellow Mexican cloak and wears a large yellow Mexican Straw Hat.

Let go of my Big Brother!

First Captain 'Kote' is also Rarugo's younger brother.

He fired the five Gatling on his wrists simultaneously, raining bullets down on Smoker.

Smoker didn't dodge. The bullet went through the smoke and hit the ground behind him. He was unharmed.

Smoker appeared in front of Kote in an instant. With a single blow, he sent Kurt flying, crashing into the Obelisk with a dull thud before sliding down to the ground, his eyes rolling back in his head.

The resistance of the Friends Pirates was quickly broken. G-5 soldiers pinned more than fifty henchmen to the ground and handcuffed them with Seastone Handcuffs. Smoker walked up to Rarugo and looked down at him.

"Did Bondrewd send you to get all this stuff?"

Rarugo looked up.

"... Cough, cough... Shiki and the Alliance Leader will avenge us."

Smoker didn't ask any more questions. He turned to look at the Obsidian Obelisk, their geometric patterns shimmering in the sunlight. Their shapes were almost identical to the Obelisk recorded in the Hachinosu incident.

'--Dawn Bondrewd is indeed preparing something.'

Smoker took a deep drag on his Cigar.

"Dismissal. Notify Headquarters; I need to report to Akainu Fleet Admiral Akainu immediately."

... In reality, this was just a pretense put on by 'Sephiroth' to maintain 'Bondrewd's' persona, making it seem like Bondrewd was 'plotting a grand conspiracy'.

After all, 1521 was the most active period for the Revolutionary Army. Sephiroth simply allowed Road Island to be moderately active, to restrain the power of the World Government, and to make the Revolutionary Army's activities more relaxed and develop faster.

In the future, the Revolutionary Army will still need to contribute greatly when 'besieging the Celestial Dragons' Holy Land '.

... while on the other side...

The Birka Island in Babylon, an open-air combat testing ground.

The field was only the size of a football field, with a flat and open surface covered in white Processed Cloud.

Scattered in the center of the field were human-shaped wooden targets, obstacles, and other facilities. At the edge of the field was a row of observation platforms, where several Red Robes Tech-Priests sat, with data boards and timers in front of them.

Sephiroth stood at the entrance to the arena, with Lilith standing beside him.

Kamachili walked over from the other side of the field. He was the representative of Shandia and the former second-in-command of the guerrillas.

He was tall and thin, with a red mohawk that fluttered slightly in the wind. He wore traditional Shandia clothing, a short knife at his waist, and soft-soled boots.

He walked up to Sephiroth, beat his chest, and bowed.

"His Majesty."

Sephiroth pulled an injection gun from his waist. It had Silver Gray metal body and a transparent cartridge filled with green liquid.

"This is an 'Ability Drug' invented by the Moon Research Institute, which requires intramuscular injection. Clinical and performance tests have already been conducted on the moon. Now, you are needed to conduct a simulation test."

Kamachili took the syringe and glanced at the markings on the cartridge. The cartridge was only about 10% full, and he realized it was probably for safety reasons.

"Your Majesty, what are the effects of this? How should it be tested?"

Sephiroth answered.

"It can multiply your speed and strength. However, the higher the multiplier, the harder it is to control, and the faster it will run out. It's a consumable item."

Kamachili without asking any further questions. He pressed the syringe against his left arm and pressed the injection button. Liquid was injected into the muscle from the needle.

He walked onto the field and began to run. At first, he ran at a normal pace. After a few seconds, his speed gradually increased.

Then, Kamachili began 'parkour' in the test area, leaving afterimages as he ran.

Sephiroth and Lilith stood at the edge of the field.

Lilith looked at Sephiroth.

"I remember the effect of this ability; it should also make inanimate objects it touches move faster and have a larger mass, right?"

Sephiroth's Mantra, which was monitoring Kamachili's condition, lowered its head to meet Lilith's gaze upon hearing her question.

"This is the pharmaceutical version. Injected into the body, it can temporarily grant a portion of the ability's effects, but the ability is incomplete. If it's the implanted version, which involves undergoing modification surgery, it can grant a relatively complete ability. However, it's highly unlikely that the ability can be extended or Awakening, and the implanted version is extremely expensive."

Lilith nodded.

"I see."

A 'sample' of this thing was only recently completed in the lunar laboratory. Lilith only knows the general situation and is unaware of the technical details.

After a while, Kamachili ran back. He stopped in front of Sephiroth, breathing a little rapidly, but his overall condition was relatively stable.

"Your Majesty, I'm back."

He raised his hand and flexed his wrist.

"This potion is amazing. It can increase speed and strength tenfold. Even higher multipliers are possible, but it's difficult to adapt to, especially speed; you might not be able to react in time."

Sephiroth's Mantra scanned Kamachili as he asked a question.

"Have you finished using the medicine?"

"Yes. And I didn't feel weak or tired, it's just that the potion ran out very quickly at high doses."

Kamachili fists, deeply shocked by the 'power' he had just witnessed.

Sephiroth nodded and added a sentence.

"There's one more thing to note. When there's still 'potion' in your body, you're like Devil Fruit User —afraid of seawater and Seastone. But once the 'potion' is used up, you'll return to normal and won't be afraid of seawater or Seastone anymore."

The fact that it is afraid of Seastone, if associated with 'potions', could indeed raise suspicions among a very small number of people who know about 'Green Blood'.

Sephiroth had considered not mentioning it, but ultimately decided to reveal it; he couldn't very well not tell the user about this weakness.

Kamachili somewhat surprised, but didn't ask any further questions. He assumed it was a technology he was researching in collaboration with Germa.

"This will be deployed on a small scale among Holy Knight and Titled Knight in the future. Go and cooperate with the Tech-Priests to conduct inspections. Don't tell anyone yet."

Sephiroth patted Kamachili on the shoulder.

"Yes."

Kamachili knelt on one knee, somewhat excited, and pounded his chest in respect.

... a short while later.

Sephiroth and Lilith arrived at a meeting room inside the main Church on Birka Island. The walls were inlaid with soundproofing Processed Cloud. In the center was a Round Table with two soft chairs. On the table were a pot of tea and two cups.

Sephiroth and Lilith sat down facing each other.

Lilith picked up her teacup, took a sip, and put it down.

"Besides giving it to the Holy Knight, does Lord Sephi have any other plans?"

Sephiroth scanned his surroundings with his Mantra before answering. After all, he had recently witnessed the 'Supreme Eavesdropping'.

"After that, we'll produce a small number of 'Giants Edition' units. But it'll most likely be at an outrageous cost."

Sephiroth was also curious about what would happen if this thing were used on Giants. But considering the 'size' and 'dosage', the effect would probably be limited.

Lilith nodded, recalling the other fruits.

"The Invisibility and slowing capabilities are also quite good. Shouldn't we consider providing some for intelligence personnel or the Praying Hands?"

The Praying Hands is essentially Clones, and in a biological sense, it can be considered a 'living person' and can also use 'Green Blood'.

Sephiroth shook his head after hearing this.

"Let's put other abilities aside for now. After all, the 'Momo Drug' only increases speed and amplifies strength; it doesn't have any particularly noticeable Special Effects, so it's still acceptable."

Lilith nodded in understanding. The visual recognition of the slowing ability was too obvious.

Currently, Shura is Devil Fruit User. If others also use the Slow-Slow Beam and it's seen by outsiders, it will be difficult to explain. Green Blood is Vegapunk's latest achievement, and exposing it would cause a lot of trouble.

"Invisibility is plausible, but some abilities are excessive."

Sephiroth tapped the desktop.

He developed stealth technology under the name 'Titans,' but this was 'optical stealth' based on Electromagnetic. Germa's Invisibility technology is based on a similar principle.

Anyone with a certain level of Observation Haki can detect 'optical invisibility'.

The 'invisibility' of the Clear-Clear Fruit is Supernatural ability; as long as there is no intention to attack, it is almost impossible for ordinary Observation Haki to detect it.

"This ability is merely icing on the cake for mid-level combatants. Those who can detect optical invisibility using Observation Haki are beyond their capabilities."

Sephiroth added another sentence.

"Invisibility and slowing effects, if implemented, will require even greater stealth and caution. Other aspects can be set aside for now."

Other Devil Fruit Ability that were studied were used for testing purposes, resulting in the production of some 'Green Blood'.

However, for the Knights who widely equip themselves with 'Sky Island Shell Weapons', apart from the issue of 'identifiability', there is not much need for them in terms of functionality.

Lilith smiled.

"Should we turn these drugs into injection bullets?"

Sephiroth tapped her forehead.

"Things haven't gotten to that point yet, and it's become somewhat of a dilemma."

Those with Devil Fruit User cannot use Green Blood, as it will cause a rejection-like reaction. The severity varies from person to person depending on their physical constitution.

Turning unused Green Blood into injection bullets to deal with Devil Fruit User can be considered a special weapon. However, injection bullets have difficulty penetrating Armament Haki, and using this weapon may expose the nature of its technology.

Just then, Sephiroth received a communication from Kalifa in his mind.

"Lord Shining, a message has arrived from the Staff Member in Water 7. They say a special guest wishes to see you. He identifies himself as 'Buena Festa.'"

Kalifa was strolling through Heaven's Gate Town when she received the call. She immediately ran back to the Kessoku Band House before contacting The Shining Den Den Mushi.

"Kalifa, what does he do?"

Sephiroth couldn't immediately recall who this person was.

"Yes, Lady Shining, this person has been missing for 20 years..."

According to Kalifa, this 'Festa' was known as 'The Festival House' and was once the world's greatest Festival Master. He died 20 years ago in Sea Kings accident.

Upon hearing this, Sephiroth vaguely remembered what Festa did—he was the organizer of the theatrical film 'Stampede'.

"Tell him to wait for me at the studio this afternoon."

"Yes, Master Shining."

... It was four o'clock in the afternoon.

The Shining Studio in Water 7 is a six-story Rock- style building and the original 'base' of the Kessoku Band.

Floors one through five are the company area, with offices, rehearsal rooms, and recording studios. The Level 6 is the exclusive activity area for the core members of the Kessoku Band.

In the second-floor Reception Room, Festa, with his dark skin and afro, sat leisurely on the sofa. He wore a white shirt, a purple tuxedo jacket, pinstripe trousers, and black gentleman's boots.

Shining pushed open the door and entered. His Silver Gray Hooded Trench Coat emitted faint Electric Arc, and on the head of the black Ball Lightning, blue and white Electric Arc outlined a lazy smile.

"Oh my, isn't this the Festival King?"

Shining walked to the sofa opposite Festa, sat down, and crossed her legs.

Festa stood up and spoke in a very theatrical tone.

"I'm flattered, I'm flattered. Thank you for granting me this meeting, Lady Shining. Meeting you today, I can say you truly live up to your reputation as the Strongest Shichibukai of the new generation, you are full of vigor and spirit!"

Shining waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

"No news for 20 years, his fate unknown. Now he suddenly appears, what does he want with me? Is he turning himself in?"

Shining is Shichibukai, Festa is Pirates. In principle, it's normal for Shining to capture him.

I don't like beating around the bush. Tell me your purpose.

Festa sat down, his smile unchanged. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his large mouth slightly parted, revealing a 'strategist'-like smile.

"I wonder... Lady Shining, are you interested in destroying 'Road Island'?"

Work got busy after the National Day holiday. Things haven't been very stable lately.

For more information about [Festa], please see the comments.