The giants exchanged glances.
Then, a few giants eagerly stepped forward. "We want to give it a try!"
The giants were a race that pursued power. Although they revered their own strength more, occasionally relying on external things wasn't out of the question.
Though they wouldn't be able to swim anymore, getting stronger was enough!
Ian, of course, didn't hesitate, allowing them to choose for themselves.
The production of artificial Devil Fruits would only increase in speed from now on. The first batch took six months, but the second batch had already been planted three months ago.
If it weren't for the fact that the efficiency of converting genetic factors into seeds was still a bit low, the number of artificial Devil Fruits in the first batch might have already exceeded expectations.
But that was fine. The first batch of artificial Devil Fruits had already proven to be usable, so larger factories were ready to be built.
Both Ian and Kaido were planning to speed up the manufacturing of the artificial Devil Fruits.
It could be expected that in the next few years, the Beast Pirates would organize a large-scale army of Devil Fruit users.
The giants happily and eagerly ate the fruits they had chosen.
Soon, seven Beast Giants appeared in front of everyone.
There were lions, gorillas, tigers, crocodiles...
"Not bad."
Ian chuckled, thinking they could easily guest-star as Beast Giants in the Attack on Titan set.
"Devil Fruit users who are giants, this is the first time I've seen this!" Black Maria grinned.
"Quick, let's test them!"
Yamato was more eager than anyone else. "How much stronger have you gotten?"
"Hee hee hee hee! Let me do it!"
As the leader of the giant mercenaries, Solem stepped forward without hesitation, grinning as he spoke. He held a war hammer and glanced at the seven beast giants. "Who wants to spar with me?"
"I do!"
The seven giants stepped forward together, their eyes burning with excitement.
"Emon, it's you!"
Solem pointed to one of the giants.
"Boss, don't get scared!"
Emon's neck sprouted a mane, transforming into a massive lion giant. "I'm stronger than ever now!"
"Hee hee hee hee, really?"
Solem waved his hand. "Then let me see your power!"
"Here I come!"
Emon stopped talking and swung his battle axe, charging straight at Solem.
Solem raised his left hand's shield, blocking Emon's heavy strike.
With a loud crash, Solem's expression slightly changed. "You really have gotten a lot stronger!"
"Hehehe, Boss! I told you! I'm super strong now!"
Emon's free left hand swung fiercely toward Solem's face with a left hook.
However, Solem just smiled and stood still, not dodging, letting Emon's punch land heavily on his face.
"Tsk."
Himir couldn't help but click his tongue. "That must hurt, right?"
There was no muscle or fat on his face to cushion the blow.
Yet, after taking the punch, Solem only tilted his body slightly backward, his face turning away from the impact. Other than that, nothing seemed to happen.
"Hee hee hee hee! That really hurts!"
Solem grinned wickedly and kicked Emon in the stomach, sending the lion giant flying across the air. He almost fell into the sea.
"You've indeed gotten stronger, but you still have a long way to go, kid."
Solem said proudly, "If you want to surpass me, you'll need to train for a few more years!"
"OH!!"
The giants cheered for his performance.
Ian also clapped lightly.
Solem, the giant hailed as a hero, was indeed much stronger than the average giant warrior.
A single artificial Devil Fruit wasn't nearly enough to close that gap.
No wonder Solem had lost interest in the artificial Devil Fruits.
Realizing that challenging the big brother was hopeless, the beast giants began to spar with their comrades who hadn't eaten a fruit.
At this point, they demonstrated absolute dominance, with their strength and speed far exceeding that of their peers.
Thus, the giants truly recognized the power of the artificial Devil Fruits.
The giants who hadn't eaten the fruits now looked at the artificial Devil Fruits on the deck with burning eyes.
In the end, the number of beast giants aboard the Golden Dragon ship surged to twenty-eight.
Aside from Himir and Solem, the two leaders, all the other giants evolved into beast giants.
Ian began to worry about one thing—now that they all had abilities, what would happen if they fell into the sea? Given their size, even the fishmen couldn't save them, could they?
However, the giants' enhancements were far from over.
One day later.
"Oh! Oh!! Oh!!!"
Solem cried out in astonishment.
At this moment, he was wearing heavy full-body armor that tightly wrapped around him, with special lenses even covering his eyes.
Although the armor was heavy, it fit his body perfectly, shining with silver light, making it clear that it was extraordinary.
Himir, standing next to him, was similarly clad in heavy armor, his massive body completely covered.
"How does it feel?"
Ian looked up at the two of them, smiling lightly as he asked.
Although time was tight, and the output of Queen Alloy was limited, it was enough for Wapol to personally craft two sets of battle armor for the two giant leaders.
"Awesome!" Solem clapped his hands in front of him with a loud bang, but the armor on him remained undamaged. "Such sturdy armor!"
"And it's so lightweight!" Himir, now transformed into a nimble, fat man, hopped around on the deck of the Golden Dragon ship. "It doesn't affect our movements at all! Truly impressive technology!"
No, although Queen Alloy was indeed lightweight, the scale of such armor made it heavy—only your strength was exaggerated enough to make it feel light.
Ian chuckled softly. "This is just the prototype. For the final version, I'll have them add assistive devices inside the armor and equip it with various weapons."
These two sets of armor didn't come with weapons.
As for close-combat weapons, the giants' own weapons were already top-notch, so there was no need for new ones.
Regarding the promised long-range weapons, Ian didn't think Uncle Queen could currently make any long-range weapon stronger than the giants' Divine Departure.
For these two giant leaders, having armor that increased their defensive capabilities was more than enough.
However, the heavy armor would certainly affect their mobility to some extent, even if Himir claimed it didn't.
Maybe they should learn the Six Powers?
That might even teach them how to use Haki.
"Now, there's nothing to be afraid of!" Solem clenched his fists and laughed loudly.
Ian also nodded in satisfaction.
With the twenty-eight Beast Giants and two heavily armored giant leaders, what could possibly stop them on the battlefield?
However, getting all the giants equipped with heavy armor would still take some time.
The Queen Alloy manufacturing plant was still under construction, and mass production of this metal hadn't begun yet.
These two sets of armor almost emptied out Uncle Queen's inventory.
After this, it was time to return to Hive Island.
Since the decision to put on a show had been made, there was no reason to stay in Wano for too long. The purpose of coming back had already been perfectly achieved.
However, when they arrived, there was only the Golden Dragon ship. When leaving, Ian was accompanied by a fleet, carrying over 10,000 Beast Pirates who were willing to follow him.
Among them were many key members. Ian distributed the remaining artificial Devil Fruits to the giants.
Though it was a performance, in truth, the Beast Pirates had already split into two factions.
Based on the geographical locations of Wano and Hive Island, they could loosely be called the West Beast and East Beast factions.
News of this quickly reached the World Government.
"As soon as Ian returned to Onigashima, he challenged Kaido, leading to a split in the Beast Pirates. A large number of pirates chose to follow Ian and wage war against Kaido!"
"Although it was officially a drill, both sides fought almost with full force."
"The battle between Ian and Kaido nearly destroyed the entire Onigashima, and in the end, they stopped without a clear winner."
"In the end, Ian left Wano with the pirates who were willing to follow him and headed toward Hive Island."
The Five Elders received such a report.
The leaders who wielded the highest authority in the world couldn't help but smile.
"Why didn't anyone die?!"
"Don't worry, Ian has already begun to gain the upper hand. His commanders are stronger than Kaido's! Once he becomes stronger himself, there will be another battle!"
"By then, only one person will survive!"
This was what the Five Elders believed.
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