A pilot exiting a mech to fight sounds absurd, but it's not uncommon on this vast sea, like Franky, who has a somewhat skewed technology tree, does this all the time.
Of course, Lyliana exiting the mech to fight was just a test; theoretically, this large mech wouldn't be much help to her and would instead be a limitation. At least at the current stage, this won't be her primary combat method.
Fighting outside the mech is also not the ideal state.
The amount of Armament Haki has an upper limit; if overused, it will only deplete one's Haki prematurely.
The best time would be when Lyliana grows to a certain stage, capable of imbuing a massive body with Haki, similar to Bullet in his prime.
At that point, Lyliana might try to control the new mech and wield an even more terrifying Elbaf Spear with the giant mech.
An Elbaf Spear wielded by an Ancient Giant Race's physique might truly be able to part the Red Line like hair on that day.
After losing consciousness, San Juan Wolf's body also began to shrink, eventually returning to the height of a regular Giant Race. At this point, he sank directly to the bottom of the sea and became still.
"Dad, aren't you going to pull him up?"
"No hurry, let him soak a little longer. A Giant's physique can't drown. This guy is difficult to handle; ordinary people can't keep an eye on him."
Saying that, Oran maneuvered the mech to a suitable spot in the shallows and dug a pit just large enough to bury San Juan Wolf.
For a Devil Fruit user, the ocean is a ready-made prison. Buried in the sea, the seawater will render him powerless to struggle.
After burying San Juan Wolf, the second task was to draw blood.
A Devil Fruit user's blood is a good thing. Through the development and research of blood, related products can have miraculous effects in many places.
Perhaps a true dragon could be shaped through the Lineage Factor of the Big-Big Fruit.
Before long, the island's broadcast sounded again, this time with relaxing music.
This meant that the crisis on the island was over, and the residents of the shelter could return to their homes.
"Did you see the mech His Majesty the King was piloting? That thing is amazing! After we pass the assessment, will we also be able to pilot one? If so, I'd risk my life to be selected!"
"What are you thinking? Didn't Brand say it's just a regular patrol mech? Even the heavy mechs for the Royal Guards haven't opened up applications yet.
But you're right, I also want to pilot that big guy. It's simply a man's romance..."
At this moment, Steel Oz still stood by the sea. Residents leaving the shelter all saw the tall steel figure, and an undeniable longing arose in their hearts. This was not limited to male soldiers; many islanders shared this sentiment.
If there was truly such an opportunity, how many people could refuse the pleasure of piloting a mech?
"But I really didn't expect our new King to actually pilot a mech himself to face the enemy."
"Yes, he's different from the previous royalty."
The royalty not only didn't flee but actively went to meet the enemy. This act refreshed the local people's perception of royalty, invisibly increasing their cohesion.
They even felt that this country was much better than during its time as an Allied Nation. Even if an Allied Nation received protection from the Marine, it would take time for warships to arrive.
Compared to simply waiting for rescue, a country that possesses strong military power to counter external crises is the superior solution.
Compared to ordinary citizens, the happiest were actually the police cats who had just started their jobs.
San Juan Wolf was defeated before landing, causing no substantial damage to the island.
However, the aftermath of the Giant's battle, combined with Frankenstein's previous electrical discharge, caused countless fish and Marine creatures to faint, eventually being swept ashore by the tsunami generated by the aftermath.
The phenomenon of fish growing on trees transformed from a fictional story into a genuine objective fact. At this moment, the cat team was busy picking up fish everywhere, and it seemed there would be a grand extra meal tonight.
Meanwhile, at the sea where San Juan Wolf was imprisoned, Oran was extracting his blood and storing it in his book, preparing to extract Lineage Factor later.
"Oran, what do you plan to do with this guy? Are you going to keep him locked up forever?"
"No, how much food would it take to feed this guy? I don't have the resources to waste on him. Besides his blood, this guy's greatest value is in exchanging him for money.
370 million Berries, that's a huge sum."
On the sea, Kuma asked Oran about his future plans.
Aside from providing Lineage Factor, San Juan Wolf was a waste of food in Oran's eyes.
Oran currently lacked a specific experimental result.
That was whether the Lineage Factor in a Devil Fruit user's blood, extracted while they are alive and preserved using the Book-Book Fruit, would become inactive if the user later died.
If it became inactive, it would affect future research, so Oran didn't intend to take that risk. Having San Juan Wolf alive here wouldn't affect him.
Furthermore, there's a huge difference between the Giant Race and the Ancient Giant Race. Without the unique characteristics of the Ancient Giant Race, there's no possibility of modifications like Oz.
Let alone an ordinary Giant like this, even Little Oz is far different from his ancestors.
Keeping him would simply be a waste of food, and he'd need a weighty warden to watch him. Such a troublesome fellow is better off being handed over to the Marine for money.
This time, Oran didn't bother Zephyr. He usually sought Zephyr for private matters outside the rules. Exchanging bounty criminals for bounty money wasn't that complicated; he just needed to follow the procedures, so he directly called the Marine office.
However, this matter exceeded the scope of ordinary Marine's handling. 370 million Berries was not a small sum; they would have to report it through proper channels to acquire the funds.
Ultimately, this news still appeared on Sengoku's desk. Sometimes, Sengoku suspected that Kong groomed him to be the Fleet Admiral's successor just so Kong could be lazy and reasonably dump most matters onto him.
"San Juan Wolf, huh? He certainly saved us some trouble. Arrange for the G6 Branch to bring the bounty and handle the handover. It's safer to lock a guy like him in Impel Down."
It was just a bounty exchange; Sengoku didn't take this matter to heart. In remote branches in the four seas, some Marines might pocket a portion of the bounty, but Marineford wouldn't do such a thing.
The purpose of bounties was to encourage people everywhere to cooperate with the Marine in capturing pirates, not for pirates to view them as a benchmark of strength or even to show off to others.
Marineford would not only pay the full bounty but would even publicize the matter in newspapers, encouraging capable but cash-strapped bounty hunters.
"Yes, I will inform Vice Admiral Bluegrass shortly."
Bluegrass, a Marineford Vice Admiral and the current base commander of the Marine G6 Branch, was also a Marine officer Oran was quite familiar with.
After all, he had dealt with the G6 Branch quite a bit during this period.
[San Juan Wolf has been arrested.]
The next day, newspapers published the news of San Juan Wolf's capture, but compared to that news, the report on the second page was even more eye-catching.
[Destroyer or Guardian? The Unbeknownst Super Weapon.]
The accompanying picture was of Oran standing on Oz's shoulder, seemingly taken from a high-altitude perspective. As for the content of the article... it was better left unread.
Aside from the fact that Oz defeated San Juan Wolf, which was reported truthfully, the rest of the news was complete nonsense.
Undoubtedly, this newspaper was Morgans's doing, and that photo was taken by Morgans's subordinates.
It is well known that the photographers of this sea are highly skilled, capable of silently infiltrating various places and capturing unexpected photos, and this photographer may not even be human.
The one who took this photo was a News Coo. It was tracking and reporting on San Juan Wolf under Morgans's orders and happened to capture the image of the mech piloted by Oran.
"Oran, let me go kill that bird. That guy talks too much nonsense."
Oran naturally received the newspaper as well. Looking at the information reported in the newspaper, Kate had already started sharpening her claws.
As long as Oran had the thought, she would set off to try and kill Morgans, that talkative fellow.
"There's no need. From the day I started using Oz, I never intended to hide it.
This is our territory. I can't just blow everything up to hide my tracks like I did back then.
Even if Morgans's people hadn't captured this, I would have sent him the message and had him publish a report."
A weapon doesn't necessarily have to explode to be effective; it can also serve as a deterrent.
At the same time, this was also bait and a smokescreen, a tool specifically targeting the World Government.
Oran needed to create a false perception for the World Government so that he could better scam funds and, under Oz's "shadow," brazenly research more dangerous things.
Oran knew that the World Government possessed a very special item – the Mother Flame, which was the energy source for Ancient Weapons. The World Government itself couldn't figure out how to use it and eventually had to rely on Dr. Vegapunk to accomplish this.
Oran's previous persona seemed to have been overdone. He wanted to use this method to attract some of the World Government's attention, gain some trust, and then find an opportunity to drain their resources, ultimately achieving his further goals.
Find a reasonable excuse to stall, research for ten or twenty years, and he probably wouldn't lack funding in the future.
And in fact, Oran's plan proceeded smoothly. Morgans's newspaper also reached the Gorosei. Looking at the images in the newspaper, Satan's expression was very serious at this moment.
"Sidilier... what exactly has this guy been secretly creating?"
San Juan Wolf's combat power was nothing in the Gorosei's eyes; any one of them present had a way to instantly kill him.
What Satan was concerned about at this moment was the appearance of the modified Oz. This thing looked too similar to the Steel Oz that invaded Mary Geoise over 170 years ago.
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