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She was initially repulsed by such an order, but when she saw the undisguised solemnity on Trebol's face, she realized that the gravity of the situation likely exceeded her imagination!
"Maybe... this is an opportunity~"
Viola stretched out her smooth, soft hand and gently brushed the bounty poster in front of her. Above it was Hikaru's overbearing and indifferent gaze towards the world, yet his handsome face had a way of making people overlook his terrifying presence and desire to draw closer.
"Divine Emperor Hikaru... I hope my gamble won't be in vain!"
...
The next morning, Hikaru quickly freshened up with the help of the angels and wanted to leave the temple. He still had a multitude of tasks awaiting him!
"My dear husband, please return soon~"
The sweet voices of Kaya, Moda, Mikita, and the other girls who were reluctant to part were so enchanting that Hikaru's heart fluttered. After responding to each of them with affection, he departed from his palace.
He was in such a rush because he had important matters to attend to, and definitely not because he feared they would cling to him and be unwilling to let him go! After all, he now possessed the enhanced power of the Azure Dragon and was a vibrant and energetic young man!
With several flashes of lightning, he arrived at Ares Plaza in Arpaiado.
Brook was the only priest absent from the island. Under Kuma's guidance, he was traveling to prosperous regions around the world to hold concerts.
They were currently on a promising path and were expected to gain significant fame in about two months. However, to achieve the same level of financial success as world-class musicians, they would need more time to build their reputation.
The divine soldiers were training in an orderly fashion in Ares Square, their shouts echoing continuously. Their training regimen consisted of running laps around Arpaiado, weightlifting, and swimming.
Regardless of whether they were specialized recruits or not, they needed to become proficient in using at least three types of weapons: Iron Clouds, firearms, and swordsmanship… The purpose of all training was to strengthen their bodies and enhance their Busoshoku Haki.
Hikaru stood in mid-air above the square, silently observing the divine soldiers' training for a while, and nodded with satisfaction. In reality, his rule was not a "high-pressure environment."
The treatment of the divine soldiers was exceptionally good. In addition to basic food and accommodation, they also received basic wages, position allowances, housing subsidies, and other benefits.
Even after retirement, they had access to medical care and housing guarantees, and their offspring enjoyed preferential educational opportunities.
Although these benefits were just standard on the Blue Star, in the world of pirates, offering such conditions would likely entice even the navy from around the globe to "turn to the light" and become his divine soldiers.
Once he obtained the Healing-Healing Devil Fruit from the Tontatta Princess Mansherry, the medical benefits of the Kingdom of God would improve significantly.
The economic foundation of the Kingdom of God itself was sufficient for self-sufficiency.
Hikaru had also ordered them to increase the price of Sky Island's specialty shell dials, clouds, and other items sold to the Blue Sea tenfold or even a hundredfold.
The addition of Fish-Man Island also put the production of bubble coral on a "highway" of profit. These items were priceless in the Blue Sea.
As scarcity increased their value, the Kingdom of God had already amassed a considerable amount of wealth from the Blue Sea.
Just as Hikaru was momentarily distracted, planning the future development of the Kingdom of God, a captain of the Divine Soldiers who was overseeing the training spotted him and shouted:
"Lord God!"
Hearing the sound, the divine soldiers did not cease their exercises because, during training, they were not allowed to interrupt unless explicitly ordered to stop.
Hikaru nodded warmly and said, "Carry on, everyone. Don't mind me."
"Yes!"
The lightning dissipated, and Hikaru appeared somewhere on the shore of Arpaiado. In an open space before him, a massive red salamander in the shape of an axolotl was pinned to the ground by large Seastone nails. It was weak and completely immobile.
Several divine soldiers wearing protective gear and carrying a large canister stood around, maintaining strict vigilance. The canister contained an adsorption spray made of activated carbon, silica gel, and other adsorbents, specifically designed to neutralize toxins and poisonous gases.
"Lord God!"
Shura and the others had been waiting for a long time. They had brought all the spoils from Punk Hazard back to the Kingdom of God last night, including research data on artificial Devil Fruits and SAD, several artificial Devil Fruits themselves, jewelry, gold, Berries, etc. Of course, there was also the slime in front of Hikaru awaiting his "visit."
The power of the Salamander-Salamander Fruit, Model: Axolotl, was only average. It could transform the user into a salamander, granting enhanced regenerative abilities.
The mucus and other substances it secreted also contained toxins, making it suitable for individuals with strong physical prowess, providing them with considerable endurance and killing potential.
"Alright, are you all prepared?"
"The antidote and poison gas dissipation spray are ready. Even if an accident occurs, this location is deserted and has a unique terrain that creates a good windless zone. It won't cause any harm to the Kingdom of God."
Hikaru glanced at everyone and no longer hesitated. White lightning crackled around his inky black wrist. He took a few steps forward and mercilessly grabbed the slime…
Failed!
Hikaru frowned. What was going on? The slime had lost consciousness by this point and should be lying motionless. Could it still possess some residual awareness?
Boom! Boom!
Two large slaps, delivered with a strange sort of affection, struck the slime on the head, leaving two comical bumps on the already "fainted" creature.
Hikaru hesitated for a moment and inserted the white lightning into the slime's body again…
Still failed!
Try, try…
Beat the slime, beat the slime…
He even used Haoshoku Haki Impact!
Shura and the other priests and divine soldiers nearby retreated several steps, lowering their heads, fearing to incur Hikaru's wrath at this moment.
Finally, after numerous blows and Haoshoku Haki impacts, he still failed.
Hikaru was not discouraged and began to consider the various possibilities for his failure. In his experiments thus far, White Lightning had only one consistent effect: plundering Devil Fruit powers from unconscious individuals or animals.
He hadn't yet experimented on plants or inanimate objects. Now, it was the first time he had attempted to plunder from a non-living being. Even if it was unconscious (as Hikaru believed), his White Lightning couldn't extract its power.
There was also a situation he didn't fully understand. When he first arrived in the pirate world and struck down Enel, he didn't know how to use White Lightning.
How did he obtain the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? Was the emergence of White Lightning a result of his development of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities? Or was it something he possessed innately?
If White Lightning was developed from the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, then the reason he obtained the power of thunder was likely a gift from the goddess who sent him to the pirate world.
This gift might have involved the power of time and space dragging him to the pirate world, causing Enel's demise, and then the power of time and space absorbing the thunder power into his body.