"Truly worthy of being a scientist in the world of pirates, he's really 'dark'!"
"With just two ordinary Kabane 'corpses,' he managed to dissect them so thoroughly and even extended the method to create 'Kabaneri.'"
Inside the Tree House of the Chamber of the Moon, Imu marveled at the report submitted by Dr. Fritz. He never expected that the director of the Biochemical Research Institute, who didn't even appear in the original manga, would possess such capabilities.
"However, it's clear that due to the lack of a sufficient number of Kabane, many things remain unexplored, and there's still a certain level of deficiency in the understanding of Kabane."
But he didn't mind. Since he had decided to let the World Government use this world as a training ground, he should let things take their natural course. This process would be a valuable experience for all levels of personnel, including the Five Elders, and various departments.
Of course, the main reason was that this Kabane world didn't have overly powerful combat forces, and the transmission routes of the Kabane virus were relatively simple.
Imu continued to flip through the report expressionlessly, reading in silence.
"The entire report is about viruses, blood, and tissues. He's truly a pure biologist, with no mention of the value speculation regarding the Kabane Heart Membrane."
In Imu's view, the importance of this material was no less than that of the so-called 'Kabaneri,' which was referred to as the Living Dead Warrior in the report.
Thinking carefully about the characteristics of the Kabane Heart Membrane:
Thin and soft like skin, transparent like glass, with the hardness of steel, and heat-resistant! Based on his recollection, this material could be applied to blades, granting them the ability to easily penetrate steel heart membranes without any damage, thanks to its hardness and wear resistance.
It was equivalent to giving an ordinary blade the quality of a renowned sword! What if there were enough of this membrane to cover the outer armor of warships? "This supernatural material that can enhance the strength of any object, and Dr. Fritz didn't even realize it. This must be what they call specialization in one's field."
Imu felt that if it were Vegapunk, the focus of the report might have been different.
"Speaking of which, should I let Vegapunk get involved with the Kabane world?"
It wasn't that he was wary of Vegapunk. He had already realized the principle of not doubting those he employed, and he had enough confidence in himself. After all, he had already sent the Munch-Munch Fruit to Vegapunk, and the World Government had embarked on the path of multiverse exploration, so the improvement of technological power couldn't be ignored.
So the point he was considering was whether Vegapunk could handle the additional workload.
Let's tally up the research projects he's currently handling.
The embedding of Seastone into the bottom of warships is not worth mentioning, as it's really not a technical challenge—it's just a matter of whether one can break through the window paper.
The main focus is on the research of Devil Fruits, such as feeding Zoan-type Devil Fruits to objects, the study of Vortex Language Encoding, biological semi-mechanization, biological modification technology, precision guidance technology, wireless network technology, satellite technology, and the development of 'Pacifistas.'
In addition, Vegapunk also has to find time to ponder the climate improvement plan for the future kingdom.
It's not that the vast Academy of Science has only one scientist, but he is the head of all these important research projects.
After all, he is the director of the Academy of Science, a level higher than Dr. Fritz. One can imagine how busy he is every day.
If he were to get involved in the research of another world at this point, "Ah, forget it. I'll just have someone send some of the Kabane's Heart Membrane to Punk Hazard. How to prioritize and allocate resources will be up to Vegapunk himself."
Imu thought that since he was said to surpass human intelligence by five hundred years and had such a large head, there shouldn't be any major issues. However, this also reminded him that the Academy of Science was still lacking in top-tier experts.
"Let me think. On the Mechanical Island in Vegapunk's homeland, the Future Kingdom, there's Dr. Tsukimi, who specializes in creating 'intelligent robots.'"
"In the Shiki movie, there's Dr. Indigo, who developed 'IQ.'"
"On Swallow Island in the North Blue, there's Dr. Wolf, who attempted to build airplanes and eventually created a submarine for Trafalgar Law."
Imu stroked his chin as he pondered, "Dr. Indigo seems young, so he might not be very old now. But Dr. Tsukimi and Dr. Wolf should be easier to find."
Just then, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Oh, it's already that time, is it? Time for some light tormenting of Mihawk~"
Imu teased in his heart while maintaining his usual cold demeanor on the surface. He stood up and walked over. His daily routine now consisted of playing tennis during the day and teaching Mihawk the Way of the Sword at night, followed by listening to a few songs sung by Tesoro before bed.
Honestly, compared to before, life wasn't as boring now, and his mood wasn't as heavy or irritable.
This allowed him to focus more on the upcoming reforms for the World Government's local governance and further contemplation of his own strength.
For example, had his Haki and swordsmanship truly reached their peak?
Ever since discovering that the other side of the Stargate was a world from familiar anime, he had been pondering this question.
Swordsmanship.
There were countless ridiculously strong swordsmen across the myriad worlds, which was enough to prove that his swordsmanship hadn't reached the pinnacle.
Next, Haki.
The essence of Haki is willpower, or mental strength, which is the 'heart' in the trinity of heart, body, and spirit!
The reason his Haki was far stronger than the top-tier fighters in the outside world was because the eight hundred years had honed 'his' will to be even more resolute, naturally increasing his mental strength.
Although this was all the merit of the previous Imu, as long as his beliefs didn't conflict with those of his predecessor, this power would remain unchanged.
This belief was to make his power eternal!
And the World Government was the external manifestation of this power. The two were mutually reinforcing.
Power comes from strength, but the stronger the World Government's influence, the more stable the belief, the firmer the will, and the more Haki would benefit, thus increasing his strength.
From this perspective, there were four ways to enhance his own strength.
First, further improve his willpower and mental strength. The intensity of his Haki would naturally increase, becoming harder, broader, and stronger! Second, while ensuring the World Government's rule over the local planet, expand its dominion as much as possible, feeding back into his 'heart' to make it even stronger.
Third, continue to delve into swordsmanship, striving towards the so-called Way of the Sword. But this would mean walking the path of a pure swordsman. Could he do it?
This doesn't seem reliable. His mind couldn't possibly be fully devoted to the Way of the Sword.
The fourth point is to increase his sources of power. If he hadn't opened the Stargate, there would only be two options: one, eat a suitable Devil Fruit, or two, use black technology to modify and enhance his body.
But now that he has access to the myriad worlds, his future choices will undoubtedly increase.
However, power lies in refinement, not in quantity.
Imu also didn't want his power to become a chaotic mess. First, his appearance should at least remain human—turning into a monster would be pointless. Second, the energy within his body shouldn't be overly complex; it would be best if it harmonized well with Haki.
"My power foundation is the three types of Haki. This is something I must remain true to."