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Clang…
A cold gleam flashed across the golden sand.
Thick white smoke billowed from Brogy's body as he moved at astonishing speed, soaring and weaving through the air. His blade slashed relentlessly, but without the use of Haki, his attacks were useless against the Homie-type Pacifistas.
His movements were constantly being tracked.
Da-da-da!
Shhhhhh!
A deafening roar tore through the air.
Blinding laser beams lit up the battlefield, their power overwhelming. At the same time, a barrage of armor-piercing bullets from Gatling guns rained down in a relentless storm.
The bullets tore through his body, leaving gaping holes before continuing their trajectory, shooting into the distant sea.
Boom!
Explosions erupted as the lasers struck.
The air rippled with visible shockwaves, while violent gusts howled through the battlefield. Heat surged from the ocean's surface, sending waves crashing and churning wildly.
"The defense on these Pacifistas is ridiculous!"
Taking a deep breath, Brogy retreated.
His body, riddled with wounds that would make anyone's skin crawl, was already healing—white smoke rising as the injuries closed at a visible rate.
"Their defense may be tough, but their reaction speed is lacking…"
Smoothie, who had been gliding effortlessly across the sea, testing the Pacifistas' capabilities, smirked. "My Thunder-Thunder Fruit ability is a natural counter to them. Taking them down is too easy!"
"Only Logia users like Smoothie and Brogy can afford to ignore those terrifying, relentless attacks..."
Armand exhaled a puff of smoke, watching the battle unfold.
Armand shook his head.
Strictly speaking, a single Pacifista wasn't particularly strong in combat.
Even with five of these Homie-type Pacifistas combined, Armand, confident in his own strength, knew he could take them down with ease.
But what if there were ten? Dozens? Hundreds?
If they were deployed in formation, weaving together a dense net of firepower, even powerful fighters would struggle to get close. Ordinary warriors would be reduced to nothing but a sieve under their relentless assault.
Especially on a large battlefield, their impact would be unimaginable.
"Heh, their combat ability isn't far off from some Rear Admirals of the Navy…"
Shiryu of the Rain exhaled a cloud of smoke, then smirked at Wilhelm. "Even with the incredible durability of Hawkins' alloy, without strong enough Haki or a Devil Fruit with the right ability, most fighters wouldn't be able to break through their defenses."
"The key is quantity. The more of them there are, the stronger they become!"
"Hohohohoho~!"
Dr. Hawkins, who had been closely observing the performance of the Homie-type Pacifistas, grinned. "They're still not in the ideal state, but the fact that they can be mass-produced is already a huge advantage. It saves a lot of time and money."
Wilhelm nodded. "Even though these downgraded, mass-produced Homie-type Pacifistas can be manufactured in large quantities, further research is still necessary. Don't worry about the funding."
These models were cost-effective and could be produced on a massive scale.
If they built a proper army, these Pacifistas would have a major impact on the battlefield.
Still, they were far from the original vision of the Pacifista Project.
Moreover, cloned soldiers had a combat instinct that Homies could never replicate. Clones felt no fear, followed orders without hesitation, and had the sheer willpower that these artificial beings lacked.
Homies, by nature, were unstable. Even though they were encased in a powerful alloy shell, their spirits were weak. They were strong on the outside but fragile within.
Against someone with Conqueror's Haki, they would be easily intimidated and rendered useless.
Clearly, the project still had a long way to go.
"Understood," Dr. Hawkins said with a nod.
As long as Wilhelm was willing to invest unlimited funds and resources, Hawkins was more than happy to continue refining the project.
These mass-produced Homie-type Pacifistas were still flawed due to the nature of their implanted souls.
Their combat awareness was nowhere near ideal, and their reaction time was too slow. Against experienced Haki users, they could be destroyed before even firing a shot.
On top of that, Homies had minds of their own. They were too emotional.
When facing overwhelming strength, they could experience fear—some might even flee the battlefield entirely.
That weakness alone made them unreliable.
"If the soul of a powerful individual were directly extracted and injected into an Alloy Titan made from shape-memory alloy, it would possess incredible intellect and combat awareness. The level of strength it could display would be astonishing..."
Wilhelm stood in silent contemplation, watching the five metallic, low-grade Pacifistas that had been turned into Homie-like beings.
This alone was proof of just how terrifying the Soul-Soul Fruit's ability was.
There was no doubt—Charlotte Linlin had already awakened her Paramecia-class Devil Fruit.
Wind, lightning, fire, earth, sea, even slashes…
By infusing her soul's power, she could bring both tangible and intangible substances to life as Homies.
Yet, despite wielding such an overwhelmingly powerful ability, possessing an inhuman, monstrous physique, and being a master of Haki…
In the course of future events, Charlotte Linlin, one of the Four Emperors, would be defeated by two rookies who had only been at sea for a few years.
Outrageous!
A disgrace to the Yonko!
From a military perspective, the combination of science and Devil Fruit powers held immense potential.
The boundless creativity of the Munch-Munch Fruit, capable of consuming and reshaping matter at will…
The Soul-Soul Fruit, which could inject souls into lifeless objects, transforming them into Homies…
These two abilities were a perfect match.
"I've received word that the Marine's Grand Expeditionary Fleet has been mobilized. At the latest, by tomorrow afternoon, they are expected to depart from G-5 in the first half of the New World, setting course for Totto Land to strike against the Big Mom Pirates…"
"Taking into account the unpredictable climate of the New World and the speed of Marine warships, it should take them about five to seven days to reach Totto Land's waters."
Wilhelm turned to Dr. Hawkins, his tone serious.
"In five days, how many of the downgraded Pacifistas can you produce?"
Dr. Hawkins stroked his chin, calculating.
"Considering the required resources beyond just the minerals from Lover's Island, and the strain on my own physical strength... Even if I push myself to the limit and do nothing else, I can produce at most fifty to sixty of these Pacifistas."
He spread his hands.
"After all, while my stomach may be bottomless, I can't devour an entire island's worth of minerals in a single day. The extraction of steel, aluminum, copper, tungsten, and even shape-memory alloy isn't unlimited."
"On top of that, I also need to produce a massive quantity of armor-piercing rounds for their battlefield consumption."
"The Hawkins-type Gatling guns they wield are absurdly powerful, but their fire rate is extreme."
"If not for my Munch-Munch Fruit allowing me to synthesize ammunition at high speed, the cost alone would be astronomical…"
"And then there are the laser cannons—they consume an immense amount of energy. Since Smoothie is a Thunder-Thunder Fruit user, she'll also need to keep them charged."
"So in total, we'll have about 300 Homie-type Pacifistas?" Wilhelm confirmed.
He nodded.
"Not a huge force, but enough to launch a surprise attack."
Three hundred combat-ready Homie-type Pacifistas.
With proper strategy and coordination, their impact on the battlefield would be far from insignificant.
Marine won't know what hit them.