Chapter 69: Chapter 69: A Visit to the Umbrella Corporation's Weapon Factory
Sabaody Archipelago, Marine Base, Fifth Floor, Commander's Office.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Enter," a young voice called from inside the office. Sephiroth pushed the door open and stepped in, immediately seeing a man with a neat and serious appearance sitting behind a desk. The layout of the room was not much different from when Kizaru had been here. The only noticeable distinction was the plaque hanging on the wall with the inscription [Absolute Justice]. Every time Sephiroth saw that plaque, he couldn't help but wonder to himself, was absolute synonymous with extreme, was it synonymous with madness?
Killing pirates or whatever, being cruel and tyrannical wasn't the point for him. After all, in Sephiroth's view, when those pirates hoisted the black Jolly Roger and set sail, they should have been prepared to be buried at sea. Being a pirate wasn't a game of make-believe! If you wanted to pursue freedom and adventure, you could just sail without a flag, why raise a black flag? Because of that, Sephiroth never held back when fighting pirates! Hmm!... When fighting certain female pirates, his legs would go weak... He shook his head, dismissing the thought.
Back to the point, dealing with pirates was fine however you pleased, but what was the point of involving innocent civilians? In short, they were taxpayers, who paid exorbitant Celestial Dragon tributes every year. In the end, you still wanted to kill them? Are you kidding me!
"Major General Doro, hello! Please sign this document." Sephiroth was neither humble nor arrogant, maintaining a calm expression. He subtly observed the man wearing the cloak of Justice.
"Gilman, Viktor, Yatru Jones... 840 million Berries... Roronoa Zoro..." After confirming the photos of the corpses and the wanted posters, the young man swiftly signed his name with a steady hand.
"I greatly admire your methods of thoroughly eradicating pirates! Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro, are you interested in considering joining the Marines? With your strength, you would soon stand out in the Marines and eventually become an Admiral," Major General Doro offered, his eyes scrutinizing Sephiroth.
"I'm accustomed to a free and undisciplined life. Thank you for the Major General's kind offer!" Sephiroth politely, but firmly, refused.
"Alright! If you don't want to join the Marines, then so be it," Major General Doro immediately showed his displeasure. He tossed the document in his hand onto the table with a slight thud and waved his hand, signaling Sephiroth to leave promptly, feeling somewhat ruffled by the refusal.
"I have accurate information about a Supernova pirate. I wonder if the Major General is interested..." Sephiroth paused at the doorway, dangling a bait.
Hearing this, a flash of interested light crossed Major General Doro's eyes. He said with a serious expression: "Information about which great pirate?"
"I received accurate information that Dracule Mihawk, with a 600 million Berry bounty, will appear on Grove 52 at noon ten days from now," Sephiroth delivered, his voice calm and confident.
"Are you sure this information is true? No!... Why are you telling me this?" Doro narrowed his eyes, suspicious.
"Because I want to make friends with the Major General, and..." Sephiroth took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low, almost demonic whisper. "I know my limits. My strength is limited, and I absolutely cannot defeat Dracule Mihawk alone. Therefore, I am 'borrowing flowers to present to the Buddha,' as a form of assistance to you by providing this information to the Major General. Presumably, having just taken office, you must be in dire need of military accomplishments to prove yourself... Isn't this a prime opportunity?"
Sephiroth's words were like a devil's whispers, luring the other party step by step into an abyss of death. Major General Doro narrowed his eyes slightly, tapped the table with his right index finger, and said in a serious tone: "This information you have had better be true, or else I'll make you regret it!"
"Of course." Sephiroth smiled faintly and nodded, took the signed document, turned, and left the office to go to the finance department to collect his bounty.
The trap had been dug. As for whether Major General Doro would jump in and fall to his death, that depended on his luck. In any case, he didn't expect Hawk-Eyes to be killed by this lowly person. If that were the case, then this future World's Greatest Swordsman would be overly exaggerated.
As for this Doro, and the Marine soldiers who would be killed by Hawk-Eyes... Sorry! They got in the way. For those who got in his way, even if Sephiroth felt reluctant, he would still set a trap. Being soft-hearted also depended on the situation. After all, since those people chose to be Marines, hadn't they already prepared themselves to risk their lives...?
After leaving the Marine Base, Sephiroth immediately contacted Tesoro, saying that he wanted to visit the Umbrella Corporation's weapon factory and meet the Company's weapon designer, Jim. In response, Tesoro immediately said he would make the relevant arrangements and take him to visit the weapon factory.
Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 27, Lawless Zone.
Clad in a white suit, carrying a briefcase, and wearing a white mask, Sephiroth, led by Tesoro, arrived at the entrance of a large complex surrounded by high walls. At the metal gate, two burly men in black suits, sunglasses, with bulging pockets where weapons were likely concealed, stood guard. Upon seeing Tesoro, they immediately bowed, opened the metal gate, and allowed the two to enter.
In the spacious square, numerous bubble carts were coming and going. There were two groups of people, one group offloading raw materials from carts, and the other loading finished weapons onto carts.
"After our Company opened its own weapon factory, we have gradually eliminated the constraints from weapon suppliers..." Tesoro explained proudly, a wide smile etched on his face. "Now our weapons are sold far and wide in the Four Seas and the latter half of the Grand Line. The Company has secured its place in the underground weapon world."
Sephiroth raised his eyebrows slightly, saying with a hint of surprise: "Wait, I can understand you selling weapons to the latter half of the Grand Line, but how can you sell weapons to the Four Seas...?" His curiosity was piqued.
Hearing this, Tesoro chuckled lightly and pointed his finger upwards. "Of course, it's the CP Organization! Isn't that ridiculous? After I connected with a certain high-ranking government official, I initially just tried to bribe him to get a backdoor... But I never expected that he would agree without hesitation... Just like that, with the help and protection of the CP Organization, our weapons can even be transported to the Four Seas via the Red Line without inspection."
Sephiroth's face took on a serious expression, which reminded him of the original plot where CP0 wanted to get Doflamingo's weapon trade list and take over his business. He mumbled to himself, dark thoughts swirling in his mind: "Perhaps... they are pursuing some kind of 'balance'? If the entire sea is peaceful and calm, the World Government cannot display its authority, and who will still listen to the World Government...? Who will continue to pay the exorbitant Celestial Dragon tributes to maintain a World Government that is only in name...?"
As the two walked and conversed, they had just entered the weapon factory when a young man, one meter ninety tall, thin as a bamboo pole, with a sparse mustache and a monocle on his right eye, ran over in a hurry. "I salute you both, sirs," saying so, Fortes Jim bowed deeply to the two, his countenance showing profound respect. Today, he had suddenly received notice from Tesoro that the Boss wanted to meet him, which made him feel somewhat flattered and nervous. The mid-level executives of the Umbrella Corporation all knew that Tesoro was the second-in-command of the Company, but no one knew who the true first-in-command, the Boss, the mysterious figure who controlled everything, actually was. Half a year ago, Tesoro was just a high-ranking criminal on the Sabaody Archipelago, but after gaining the Boss's appreciation, he began to rise rapidly and became a prominent figure on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Boss, this is Jim, the person you wanted to meet," Tesoro introduced, gesturing to Jim.
"Hmm! How's your progress with the weapon concept blueprints I gave you last time?" Sephiroth asked, his eyes sharply assessing Jim.
Hearing this, Jim immediately said with an embarrassed expression: "This... Due to craftsmanship and material issues, I have only completed a sniper rifle named AWM among the many weapon blueprints from the Boss..." God knows, he thought, he could make prototypes of many of the weapon blueprints the Boss gave him, but the actual parameters... hard to describe! He spent a long time researching and invested heavily in purchasing new machining equipment before he could barely replicate the power and range of the AWM sniper rifle. As for durability, limited by material technology... Let's not talk about that!
"Oh? Let me see..." Sephiroth said with great interest, his eyes gleaming.
Jim immediately turned and ran into the weapon factory, pulling out an all-black AWM sniper rifle from his private studio. After taking the sniper rifle, Sephiroth held it a few times, feeling its weight and balance, before continuing: "Is there a place to test the weapon?"
"Yes, there's a dedicated firing range in the factory, but the range cannot be tested there. The firing range has to be outdoors..." Jim explained. "However, I can guarantee that the effective firing range of this weapon can definitely reach over 1100 meters..."
Led by Jim, Sephiroth and Tesoro came to the factory's firing practice area. He quickly aimed, raised the AWM sniper rifle, and fired a shot at a target fifty meters away. In an instant, the twenty-millimeter steel plate was penetrated by the bullet and sped into the wall behind it.
"Boss, I'll go retrieve the target for you immediately..." Jim nodded and bowed, preparing to walk towards the distant target.
"No need, the weapon's power is excellent, I'm very satisfied!" Sephiroth stopped him. After this period of training, under focused conditions, the range of his Kenbunshoku Haki had reached over a hundred meters. Without obstruction, he could quickly sense any disturbances in the area. If he used a blurred perception, he could expand this range threefold.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't fully activate his Kenbunshoku Haki. Generally, he would only maintain a certain sense of danger prediction, which allowed him to cope with sudden attacks. After all, who was lazy enough to constantly observe the surroundings with full concentration, paying attention to every minute disturbance? That was very mentally taxing! In a truly evenly matched intense battle, he would only use Kenbunshoku Haki to observe every movement of the opponent and would not be distracted by irrelevant things in the distance. Human attention has its limits! He couldn't maintain high attention to his surroundings while also engaging in a fierce battle with a powerful enemy. This feeling was like you are looking at your phone, playing a game, while simultaneously thinking about advanced math problems in your head, and at the same time trying to watch a live football match. The more you are distracted, the lower your concentration, and the slower your reaction. In an intense battle, this was tantamount to seeking death.
After realizing through Kenbunshoku Haki that the bullet had penetrated the steel plate and gone into the wall, Sephiroth fully confirmed the sniper rifle's power. The weapon made by Jim could already be a threat to him. If the number of shots was sufficient, it could even kill him. If combined with Busoshoku Haki, its power could increase by one or two levels! The range and power of this AWM sniper rifle were far stronger than other sniper rifles currently on the market!
A satisfied smile appeared on Sephiroth's face. He placed the sniper rifle in his hand on the table and turned to the green-haired youth beside him, saying: "Tesoro, don't sell this type of weapon externally for now. This weapon is only for internal use within our Company..." He paused for a moment. "In the future, you can consider training some snipers for our Company. Then the overall strength of the Company can be significantly increased." Currently, the Umbrella Corporation only had Tesoro as a formidable combat force. Every firefight required him to lead the charge, or Sephiroth himself had to perform assassinations. This made the two high-level executives seem somewhat lacking, with no strong middle-level force.
After testing the sniper rifle's power, Sephiroth went to visit Jim's private studio. The twenty-square-meter room was filled with design blueprints, as well as a number of scattered equipment and weapon parts.
"Fortes Jim, I acknowledge your talent..." As he spoke, Sephiroth placed the briefcase he was carrying on a table in the room, opened it, and pulled out the Baku Baku no Mi from inside, a distinctive purple fruit with spiral patterns.
"This is the Baku Baku no Mi. As long as you eat it, you will gain the ability to devour and synthesize any objects. Of course, once you eat it, it means you must be loyal to me and work for me... Are you willing?" Sephiroth offered, his expression serious.
"Willing, I am absolutely willing! From now on, I will follow your footsteps, sir," Jim was overjoyed and did not hesitate at all. With a 'thump!' he knelt on one knee on the ground and bowed his head, his eyes sparkling with hope. After being kidnapped by pirates and then becoming a slave, a strong desire for power grew in his heart. Now that an opportunity to become stronger had been presented to him, how could he remain indifferent?
"Good, remember what you said today." Sephiroth nodded in satisfaction and handed him the Baku Baku no Mi. "Later, don't forget to give me some of your fingernails. I will use these things to make Life Cards..."
Life Cards were special papers that feared neither water nor fire. After mixing body tissue like fingernails, in addition to reflecting the nail owner's vitality status, the card could also find and track its owner, continuously moving in their direction. In other words, this thing was a tracking device that disregarded distance. Wherever the Life Card owner fled, they would be found! Many organizations in this world used this method to restrain their members, so that they dared not betray them easily. After all, if they didn't get their Life Cards back, they might face endless pursuit...
"Ugh~! It's so hard to eat..." After taking a bite of the Baku Baku no Mi, Jim's entire face contorted, his expression crumpled from the horrible taste of the fruit.
"Eat it all!" Sephiroth commanded, his tone firm.
"Understood!" Hearing this, Jim could only grit his teeth and swallow it bite by bite, his eyes closed.
At this moment, Sephiroth slowly removed the mask from his face, revealing his true appearance, allowing the other person to see him clearly. Since he planned to make the man his subordinate, he had to let them know what he looked like, otherwise, it wouldn't be good if misunderstandings occurred later.
"Develop and utilize your Baku Baku no Mi ability well. You can try combining metals like copper, iron, and chromium, or even combining biological and non-biological materials..." Sephiroth instructed. "In a week, I have an important task for you. Don't disappoint me."
Sephiroth patted Jim's shoulder and put his mask back on. After getting Jim's fingernails, he turned and left the studio. Finally, before parting ways with Tesoro, he urged him to quickly finalize the technology purchase transaction with Vegapunk, a crucial step for his grand ambitions.