One Piece: Awaken The Replication System

On Cake Island...

Leno stood poised, sword raised, as smoke and dust swirled around the towering figure that had come between him and the tearful Charlotte Linlin.

"Kaido?!"

Robin's eyes widened, the sight surprising her. Kaido of the Beasts has come, too?

As the smoke cleared, the prosthetic tip on Kaido's left leg slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, leaving deep pits behind. His massive form made the ground tremble with each step.

"For old times' sake?" Leno muttered dryly, swinging his sword to cut the tension. "You, Kaido, want to talk about old times' sake?"

In a flash, Kaido raised his massive mace, both hands gripping tight, and met Leno's descending sword with full force. His Haki—both Armament and Conqueror's—enveloped the mace in a thick, ominous black aura.

BOOM!

Their weapons collided, sparks crackling between them as power surged and burst outward. The entire island shook under the impact, waves reversed their course, and winds roared skyward, swirling in a colossal vortex.

"Hissss… These monsters are terrifying!" muttered Katakuri, shielding his siblings, Smoothie and Daifuku, from the shockwave. Even their strongest Haki defenses seemed barely enough to protect the younger members from being overwhelmed.

In the heat of their clash, Leno's sword edged ever closer to Kaido. Kaido, pushed back, let one foot skid against the ground as he steadied himself. His gaze narrowed.

"You're really not interested in what I have to offer?"

"Oh?"

Kaido leaned in, mouthing two words with a silent nod, "Road Poneglyph."

With a sly wink, he tipped Leno off to his real intention. Each of them—Kaido and Charlotte Linlin—held one of the four essential road poneglyphs, each with a vital piece of the map to Laugh Tale. Although their alliance was firm, the two guarded their own paths.

Kaido owed Charlotte a debt, one he didn't want to face head-on. Here was a way to repay her and claim her Road Poneglyph in one swoop. Leno's eyes narrowed, recognizing the opportunity.

Leno smirked. Kaido, for someone with such bushy eyebrows, you're quite the schemer.

Without a word, they reached a silent agreement. Leno would allow Kaido to make his move with Charlotte Linlin's poneglyph, and in return, he'd gain Kaido's cooperation with Seastone—a rare weapon in the One Piece world, capable of subduing Devil Fruit users.

Seastone was Kaido's ticket to power in Wanokuni, and Leno had no desire to compete for it, at least for now. After all, Kaido's hold over Wanokuni was bolstered by the World Government and the Five Elders, who needed a steady Seastone supply for Marine cages and handcuffs.

Besides, the Kouzuki Family was another issue entirely!

With Leno and Kaido both pressuring Charlotte, Katakuri and the others had no choice but to stand by as Kaido leveraged the rubbing of Charlotte's road poneglyph. Once she came to, furious, Charlotte would seethe—though Kaido and Leno had left the physical stone intact, they'd gotten what they needed.

Leaving Totto Land behind, Leno and Kaido swapped their own rubbings, each gaining another step toward Laugh Tale.

A profitable deal for both.

As part of their arrangement, Leno secured 15% of Wanokuni's annual Seastone production, buying at the same rate as the World Government. Kaido valued their partnership enough to easily increase production if needed. Both came away feeling they'd made a tidy profit.

The only one who'd lost, perhaps, was Charlotte Linlin. She awoke with a searing rage, her fury turning the room stiflingly hot as she snarled Leno's name, vowing it would never be spoken in her presence again.

Back on his ship, Leno examined three copies of the poneglyph's road signs. With the coordinates on New World charts, Raftel's location seemed within reach.

But his calculations were off. The four points on the map weren't on a flat plane—they were in three-dimensional space.

A realization hit him.

"Looks like I need a fourth piece."

Leno's gaze drifted to the sky, where Zou, the Island of Elephant, held the final piece.

The coordinates on these Road Poneglyph weren't meant for land. They appeared to suggest something greater—perhaps for navigation among the stars.

He recalled Enel's journey to the moon, where he discovered remnants of the civilization and space pirates.

Could the One Piece world be only one of many planets inhabited by life?

Leno's thoughts drifted back to the Void Century, the lost era when the world was perhaps invaded by moon people, a hundred-year darkness only now surfacing.

He looked out, only to catch Robin's eye as she glanced up from her book. She'd been relaxing with a light-colored shirt tied at the waist, her gray-black trousers adding to her calm, elegant look.

She blushed slightly at being caught, the book slipping from her fingers as she straightened up, her cheeks slightly flushed. She quickly resumed her work, muttering to herself.

This boss has his good points... but could he be any stricter?

Leno ignited every rubbing and translation of the "Road Poneglyph" text with a flick of his wrist, watching as they transformed into a heap of ashes.

He scanned the system logs.

[Ding! You've defeated your opponent. Available talents to acquire: Iron Balloon (SSS level), Soul Soul (SSS level), Conqueror's Haki (SS level), Observation Haki (SS level), Armament Haki (SS level), Gluttony (S level), sword skills (S level)…]

[Please choose a talent to acquire!]

Charlotte Linlin's greatest strength lay in her monstrous physique and her devil fruit powers.

"Choose Iron Balloon!"

[Ding! Talent successfully copied: Iron Balloon]

[Talent description: Your body is as resilient as iron, tough as steel, and can endure like a balloon!]

[Strength: SSS level]

[Ding! The Host's talents Gluttonous Demon King, Overlord Body, Shark Muscle, Iron Balloon, Bull Power, Strength, and Barbarian are detected as compatible. Integrate and upgrade?]

Leno paused, surprised to see that his Gluttonous Demon King talent could finally evolve.

"Begin fusion!"

[Ding! Choose a primary talent for the evolution direction, other talents will serve as fusion materials.]

"Enhance Gluttonous Demon King!"

A mysterious light appeared on the system panel as each talent was drawn into a swirling vortex, merging into a golden flame that wrapped around Gluttonous Demon King.

After a long fusion process, different lights flared, filling the system screen with energy.

Finally, after ten minutes:

[Ding! Evolution complete. Host has gained the "Gluttony Demon God (SSS level)" talent!]

Meanwhile, cannon shells whizzed across the sky, roaring as they exploded on the ground.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The explosions were deafening, shaking the earth and setting the horizon ablaze. Sakazuki stood at the bow of his warship, wearing his Marine coat with grim determination, flames flickering in his gaze as he looked toward the distant shore.

A few days prior, the Revolutionary Army had seized control of the island in an armed revolution. The royal family, part of the World Government, wasted no time calling for aid. In response, the Five Elders dispatched Sakazuki from the Naval Headquarters through Mary Geoise straight to the South Blue.

As flames devoured houses and civilians fled in panic, the island turned into a living nightmare.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki, civilians are on the shore. Shall we cease fire?" a Rear Admiral asked, troubled.

"Civilians?" Sakazuki sneered, unfazed, a cigar between his lips. "There's no mercy on the battlefield. Those 'civilians' would kill you the moment your back is turned. Keep firing!"

"Understood, sir!" The Marine artillery opened fire again, tearing the coastal town apart. Nearly a thousand townspeople perished simply because Sakazuki suspected Revolutionary Army activity.

Sakazuki's ruthless "scorched earth" tactic brought terror to the Revolutionary Army. Used to fighting Marines who exercised restraint around civilians, they struggled to withstand Sakazuki's relentless advance.

In a short two days, the Revolutionary Army's hold on South Blue crumbled. Sakazuki left nothing but ruin in his wake, and the once-thriving capital became an empty wasteland. Even the local populace had fled, aware of the Marine's merciless reputation.

As the lava scorched the ground, a group of crows descended nearby, coalescing into a man with a black feathered cloak.

"Dragon!" The figure looked toward the walls.

"Marine forces led by Sakazuki are now five kilometers away," he reported solemnly.

Dragon, cloaked and hooded, felt the intensity of Sakazuki's presence even from afar.

"Is everyone onboard?" he asked.

"Yes, everyone is ready to sail."

"Then, Karasu, tell them to depart for Baltigo at once. Sakazuki is no fool, if he's brought backup, it'll only complicate things the longer we wait."

"The leader!" Karasu replied, then scattered back into a flock of crows, dispersing into the sky.

Moments later, the Marines drew near, and Dragon found himself facing thousands of Naval Headquarters' elite soldiers alone. Sakazuki met his gaze, unflinching.

A surge of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Dragon, knocking many Marines unconscious with the sheer force of his will.

"It's you, Dragon," Sakazuki spat. Without Conqueror's Haki of his own, he could only grit his teeth and hold his ground.

"You're as ruthless as ever, Sakazuki," Dragon said, his voice steely. "You think your methods will bring change? You're on the wrong path!"

Sakazuki's eyes narrowed as he exhaled smoke slowly, readying for battle.

"Marines! Attack!" His men charged at the city walls, but a sudden gust of wind blew through, halting them in their tracks.

"Great Eruption!"

Sakazuki leapt, transforming his arm into a colossal, molten fist that barreled toward Dragon with volcanic fury. Dragon raised his own hand, forming a whirlwind that condensed into a ferocious wind dragon.

The two attacks clashed, wind and lava colliding in an explosive display that shattered the city wall and sent rubble flying.

In the nearby sea, a fleet of revolutionary ships sailed as Ivankov and others watched the violent battle from afar.

The sky burned red with the clash of elements, while waves rocked their ships with the force of the fight. Revolutionary soldiers looked on with anxiety as Belo Betty raised her banner.

"Do not falter! Dragon will not die here. Our dream lives on!"

Ivankov then took the lead, preparing to cover the others as Marine warships closed in on the revolutionary fleet.

"Go!" Ivankov urged Betty and Karasu. "Return to Baltigo, I'll hold them off!"

"Where's the revolution without sacrifice?" Ivankov shouted as he stepped forward to shield their retreat.

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+30 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg