One Piece: Saving Hancock with the Batto Batto no Mi

Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 71.

Inside a large villa study, the scent of old wood and paper filled the air. Sephiroth, clad in a pristine white suit with an elegant black cape draped over his shoulders, raised his hand and removed the white mask from his face. With a weary sigh, he sank onto the long sofa, casually crossing his legs, seeking comfort.

On the single sofa opposite him, Tesoro sat upright, buttoning his slightly disheveled white shirt, and complained loudly: "Boss, why do you always come here in your still-wrapped clothes and even enter through the window... Can't you use a more normal way?" There was a mix of frustration and amusement in his voice.

"Is this my fault? I interrupted you two..." Sephiroth shrugged helplessly, a faint smile playing on his lips. When he transformed into a swarm of black bats and arrived at the study balcony earlier, he had immediately seen Tesoro intimately embracing Stella, the atmosphere thick with romance. The sight at that moment was incredibly awkward for all three of them, and Sephiroth felt a little embarrassed. Fortunately, Stella was the first to react. She immediately adopted an expression as if nothing had happened, swiftly rushing out of the study, and closing the door behind her with a soft click.

Tesoro quickly cleared his throat awkwardly, his face slightly flushed, and changed the subject: "Cough! ...Boss, let's talk business! Some time ago, you asked me to help you find the technique to infuse Devil Fruits into weapons. Through some connections in the underground world, I've found the seller."

Sephiroth picked up an exquisite porcelain teapot, poured aromatic red tea into a teacup, and casually asked, "Oh!? Who's the seller..."

"You might not believe it, but the seller is your Marine's chief scientist, Vegapunk," Tesoro replied, a hint of caution in his voice.

"Huh!?" Hearing that, Sephiroth was stunned, and his action of raising the teacup in his hand halted mid-air. He thought the seller might be Vinsmoke Judge, or perhaps Queen the Plague, or even some mysterious underground organization, but he never expected it to be Vegapunk—the most mysterious genius in the Navy! This was a huge surprise.

"What's the asking price?" Sephiroth asked, his voice slightly hesitant.

"Two hundred billion Berries."

Agh!

Sephiroth suddenly spat out the high-grade red tea he had just drunk, startling Tesoro, who immediately stood up to dodge, narrowly escaping the spray of tea.

"How much did you just say?" Sephiroth asked again, his voice rising an octave, disbelieving what he had heard.

"Two hundred billion Berries..." Tesoro replied weakly, observing his boss's reaction.

"Damn it! Why doesn't he just rob someone!" After confirming the transaction price, the silver-haired youth immediately cursed, his expression filled with exasperation. Devil Fruits were no ordinary commodity. They were quite rare, something that could be found but not sought. In other words, the technique of infusing Devil Fruits into weapons was essentially a specialized technology, something that looked impressive but had low practical value for such an exorbitant price.

"I don't understand why the other party is asking such a sky-high price. The other party also mentioned that it includes the principle of Lineage Factor... So... should I search again to see if anyone else has this technology...?" Tesoro said hesitantly, trying to find other alternatives.

"No! Wait, are you sure it's really Vegapunk who wants to sell this technology...? With the Marines nearby, he shouldn't be short of money, right?" Sephiroth asked, trying to understand the motive behind this transaction.

"I'm not entirely sure about that. The rumor is he wants to research a certain project, but the Marines refused and did not approve the relevant funding, and I coincidentally found him through connections, so the other party offered this price," Tesoro explained, providing a bit of context.

"If we can connect with Vegapunk, these two hundred billion are definitely worth it..." Sephiroth murmured, realizing the immense potential behind the technology. "How much funding can the company currently allocate?"

"Without affecting the company's operations, we can allocate one hundred fifty billion Berries... But two hundred billion will be a bit difficult," Tesoro explained, looking anxious. "At that point, the company might not be able to pay salaries to employees, and commodity payments would have to be delayed, which would affect the company's reputation..."

"So, I need to raise at least fifty billion Berries?" Sephiroth gently rubbed his chin and muttered subconsciously, his brain starting to work hard to find a solution. He actually had a way to raise that much money... Tesoro had now eaten the Goa Goa no Mi. As long as he took the other party to Skypiea and plundered Shandora, the legendary 'City of Gold,' it would definitely yield more than two hundred billion Berries.

His idea was good, and its feasibility was also high.

But...

His holiday was almost over! If Sephiroth took Tesoro from Sabaody Archipelago, went near Jaya Island, rode the Knock Up Stream to Skypiea, and then returned to Sabaody Archipelago, the round trip would take at least a month! Where could he find that much time with the demanding Marine schedule?

"Did the other party give us a deadline to raise the money?" Sephiroth asked, trying to find a loophole.

"Hm? ...They didn't say..." Tesoro tried to recall.

"Alright! I must acquire this technology." Sephiroth said in a firm tone. "However, we still need to raise the money as soon as possible..."

"Boss, what's your plan?" Tesoro asked hesitantly, curious about what crazy idea his boss would come up with.

Hearing this, Sephiroth grinned, a cunning smile appearing on his face: "I, the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, will make some money!"

"Ah! This... Boss, are you planning to be a bounty hunter again? Isn't this too risky...?" Tesoro asked, slightly worried about this sudden plan.

"Don't worry! Don't worry! I have my own plans. How is the company's recent development..." Sephiroth waved his hand with an indifferent expression and shifted the conversation to something he was more concerned about, disregarding Tesoro's worries.

Hearing this, Tesoro seemed to remember something and slapped his thigh: "That's right! Boss, I just discovered a great talent at the Human Shop (human auction house). That person is named Fortes Jim, and he was originally a weapon designer for a small kingdom in the Grand Line. However, he was unlucky. When that small kingdom was attacked by pirates, he was captured and sold to the Sabaody Archipelago."

"After I redeemed him, he became the head of the company's newly built weapons workshop, developing new weapons for us. Thanks to him, I no longer have to worry about the construction of the armory in the Kingdom of Sardo in the future," Tesoro continued proudly.

Hearing this, the silver-haired youth gently stroked his chin and said with great interest: "Hmm! Is that so! It seems I no longer need to personally design weapons... By the way, I'll give you some weapon design concepts. You can let him... hmm? ...Jim try to develop them." A brilliant idea flashed through his mind, combining his brain with the new talent.

After a long discussion with Tesoro, Sephiroth reactivated his long-dormant alias: Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro.

During the remainder of his brief holiday, he stayed in the Sabaody Archipelago all day, using his bat abilities to patrol back and forth, meticulously searching for the whereabouts of pirates. From Super Rookie pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million Berries to small-time pirates with bounties of just one million Berries, he let none of them escape. He killed them all and sent their corpses to the nearest Marine Base to claim the bounties—blood for Berries. He even deliberately made time to search the ships of those pirate crews to maximize his profits, collecting every Berry he could get, like a tireless hunter.

For some time, news of the Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro reappearing in the Sabaody Archipelago and extensively hunting pirates once again entered the World Economic News, causing some timid pirate crews to halt their journey to the New World and choose to remain in the first half of the Grand Line, avoiding Zoro's terror.

This situation did not improve until the Marine Academy began, and Sephiroth returned to his busy and fulfilling Marine Academy life, leaving a trail of terror in his wake.

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