Chapter 136: Armor Warriors, Fruit Limits, and Distant Ambitions

“The potential of this Devil Fruit goes way beyond what you can imagine.” Karl wasn’t about to let Thompson underestimate it.

If Thompson didn’t fully develop this Devil Fruit, he’d never get to experience the glory of the Emperor Knight for himself.

“What do you think, Lord Karl?”

“Is there more to this Devil Fruit than what I can see?”

Thompson hadn’t expected things to take a turn in front of Lord Karl.

He really couldn’t think of any new ways to use this Devil Fruit.

The moment he ate it, he already felt the Fruit’s power.

Aside from turning into all kinds of clothes and accessories, nothing else came to mind.

Did he really miss some important detail?

“I can’t get into the details of this Fruit’s potential just yet.”

“But don’t worry—once the research lab invents the right thing, I’ll be the first to show you.”

For people who’d never seen Armor Warriors, it was hard for him to describe any ideas.

Tell him to conjure a belt? Summon a suit of armor? That was a stretch and might send him in the wrong direction.

That was way too abstract. If it led him astray, it’d be a disaster.

Thankfully, a television set wasn’t exactly advanced tech. If he handed it over to Vegapunk, he’d probably have it built in no time.

With technicians on hand, they could film the original cartoons, movies, and dramas from scratch. In the world of pirates, that stuff would probably sell like crazy.

That was a kind of cultural invasion too, in its own way.

And this would also solve the problem of Thompson’s Devil Fruit limits. The Fruit’s upper bounds would be as wild as anything in TV or film.

He might even end up seeing an army of Armor Warriors before long.

And honestly, Attorney Zhang’s Golden Armor Warrior was cool too—though who knew if the Super Beast Armor series would work here.

“Really? Then I’ll look forward to that day,” Thompson said.

“I’ll work hard to unlock this Devil Fruit’s full power.”

Thompson didn’t doubt Karl for a second—a man with power like Karl’s had no reason to lie.

Learning this Fruit was more than it seemed, his confidence returned.

Karl saw Thompson’s confidence restored and didn’t say anything more. He simply gathered up the rest of the Devil Fruits.

If they wanted to awaken the Suit-Suit Fruit, they might need to actually build the entire Armor Warriors lineup.

The moment they created the Emperor Knight, that would probably be when the Devil Fruit awakened.

“Looks like our mission in Wano is just about complete.”

Karl was thoroughly pleased with how things had gone.

Not only did he secure the Wano seastone mining site—Rabi Well—but he also got nine Devil Fruits.

By any standard, this Wano trip was a huge win.

Honestly, things were going almost too smoothly. Was he really this lucky?

“So, are we setting sail now, Lord Karl?”

Kozuki Oden jumped in eagerly. He couldn’t wait. Setting out to sea had always been one of his greatest wishes.

Now, setting sail for real was easily the happiest moment of his life.

He’d been looking forward to it for ages—his bags were packed long ago.

“Of course!”

“Krell, you and Halil stay behind.”

“Contact me by Den Den Mushi if anything happens.”

“Once everything here’s running smoothly, you two can leave as well.”

It wasn’t time for him to rest on his laurels yet, so Krell and Halil couldn’t stay in Wano for long.

Who knew what might happen next? He had to keep his crew strong and ready at all times.

With his instructions given, Karl stood up first.

Davis and the others followed behind.

“Safe travels, Lord Karl.”

Kozuki Sukiyaki watched as Oden left with Karl, a hint of reluctance in his eyes.

The other families lined up as well, seeing Karl and his group all the way to the harbor.

Karl boarded the ship, nodded to Krell in the distance.

“Set sail!”

At Karl’s command, Thompson hoisted the pirate flag and the ship slowly pointed toward open water.

Krell, Halil, and part of the fishman squad watched in silence as they departed.

…

“Oh wow, so this is the sea?”

All the way from Wano, Kozuki Oden couldn’t stop shouting and exclaiming.

He didn’t realize Wano was still a few hundred meters from the open ocean.

Staring at the rushing river, Oden finally understood why Wano had stuck to its closed-off ways.

No ordinary ship could ever make it out.

“Ha, country bumpkin.”

“Just wait—I’ll show you some real wonders.”

Notty crossed his arms beside him, swearing to show Oden what it really meant to be a man.

What fun was there in a backwater like Wano, anyway?

The outside world was sure to blow his mind.

Mermaids, girls with leopard ears, you name it.

“That’s Wano wrapped up, then. All settled for now.”

“Still, I wonder if things are going smoothly for Ledfield.”

As Karl’s group set course for Beehive Island, Ledfield was already arriving in Sleeping Ancient Town.

“Fresh sea fish! Get your fresh sea fish!”

“Are you sure it’s fresh?”

An auntie at the market rolled her eyes, seeing the fish in the bucket already belly-up.

“I’m a fishmonger. If it’s fresh or not, who would know better than me?”

“Your fish are floating belly-up. How do you call that fresh?”

“I’d never sell you dead fish!”

Ledfield reached the harbor of Sleeping Ancient Town in time to see this little scene, but it didn’t slow him down.

He quickly moved through the bustling port.

“This must be the place.”

He checked his map and nodded.

No doubt about it—the spot marked on the map was right here.

This used to be a mysterious village. Rumor had it a monster called the Vampire dwelled here.

As more villagers moved away, the place fell into ruin.

“So the vampire legend must be tied to a Devil Fruit.”

Ledfield had seen all sorts of races in the New World, but he’d never heard of actual vampires.

Though the Zoan—Mythical Beast Type—Vampire Form was something he knew about.

He walked into the deserted village, spreading out his powerful Observation Haki.

In the center of the village below a well, he soon sensed a vast cavern.

“Got it!”

A smile appeared on Ledfield’s lips as he shot toward the well.

He jumped in without hesitation.

It was pitch-black underground, but that meant nothing to someone whose Observation Haki was so advanced.

He pressed deeper and deeper into the cavern, soon entering a deserted hall.

The place looked like an old cellar the villagers once used.

Right in the center stood a battered table with a wooden chest chained atop it.

“Clack, clack, clack…”

“Hmm?”

He stepped up to the chest and was about to open it, when something felt wrong.

In an instant, he grabbed the chest and sprinted outside.

A thunderous roar echoed from the cavern behind him.

By the time he scrambled out of the well, the entire village had sunk several meters into the ground.

“That was close!”

If he’d been a moment slower, he’d have been buried alive.

The cavern above him had been completely rock. No way was he about to find out what being crushed felt like.

But thankfully, he managed to retrieve the Devil Fruit.

“So this is the Bat-Bat Fruit: Vampire Form.”

Ledfield didn’t wait—he swallowed it in one go.