"It's all my fault, damn it. I really shouldn't have jinxed it."
"How unlucky to run into a terrifying guy like Beast Brian."
While retreating backward and muttering to himself, Chinjao felt a headache coming on.
Although he had been prepared, facing the reality felt completely different.
Soon, Chinjao arrived at a hidden room at the back of the mansion.
Outside the room, four members of the Happo Navy stood guard, maintaining vigilance and ensuring the room's security.
"Lord Chinjao!"
Upon seeing Chinjao approach, they promptly saluted and greeted him.
"How is the mermaid inside?"
"Everything's normal. That fish child was causing a ruckus until midnight and is now sleeping."
"Open the door. I want to take a look."
"Understood."
They nodded in unison, opened the door to let Chinjao in, and closed it again once he entered.
Inside, a massive fish tank filled with seawater stood in front of Chinjao.
In the water, a breathtakingly beautiful little mermaid with a golden tail was fast asleep.
She occasionally blew bubbles in her sleep, looking utterly adorable.
"Ah~~"
"So kawaii! As expected of a top-tier beautiful species. Too cute.Looking at such a mermaid, Chinjao instantly turned into an infatuated old man, his eyes turning into hearts.
A fatherly doting was inexplicably stirred within him.
If she were really his woman, Chinjao couldn't even imagine how much he would spoil her.
But immediately, the memory of the mermaid's lively antics when she was awake surfaced in his mind.
Instantly, a chill ran down his spine, and goosebumps rose on his arms.
Chinjao's lewd state vanished at once. "This little mermaid... asleep and awake, she's like two completely different people."
"Asleep, she's an angel; awake, she's a devil."Of course, even as a fool, it was from the perspective of a fatherly figure's affection, with not a hint of lust."
What he cared about more was how this little mermaid could help him advance further.
This desire for progress was so pure that it completely overshadowed any negligible trace of lust.
Chinjao: I just want to improve so badly!
At forty years old, his strength had basically peaked, and further improvement in the short term seemed unlikely.
In fact, just maintaining his current strength without decline would be an achievement.
Reaching true Admiral Level was simply too difficult.
For Chinjao, who had just experienced internal strife in Kano Country, he now craved progress in power even more.
He needed to grasp greater authority in Kano Country to have a louder voice.
Women? They're available anytime.
Besides, she's an underage girl—he wasn't a pervert; he didn't go for that sort of thing.
After confirming the mermaid was safe and sound, Chinjao left the room and instructed the guards:
"Prepare to move the fish tank along with her. Don't wake her up."
"Take her back to the pirate ship first. I'll join you shortly."
"Yes, understood, sir."
The guards, too, had been traumatized by the mermaid's awake state and certainly had no intention of waking her up.
The massive fish tank was carried by four people toward the dock, heading for the moored pirate ship.
After the crowd departed, Chinjao scanned the empty room and finally felt at ease.
"Now, it's time to deal with the tough nuts."
Thinking of the Beast Girl Legion already wreaking havoc on the island, Chinjao felt a headache coming on.
Whoosh—
His figure vanished, reappearing mid-air above the island, overlooking the war-torn landscape below.
He continued releasing his Observation Haki, sweeping it across the island.
"Tiger Girl, Dog Girl, Sheep Girl—all familiar faces that have appeared on bounty posters before."
"The first squad led by Da Qiang is going to have a tough fight."
"As for the second squad, they're up against another trio led by Leopard Girl."
"It seems they came with a premeditated plan, advancing straight toward the center with clear objectives."
"Ah, Da Qiang and A Dong are in for some suffering. Neither of them is easy to handle."
Chinjao wasn't very optimistic about his two sons, who also served as Vice Pillars.
Though they had numbers—a hundred men against three—the gap in strength was simply too large, making it truly difficult to handle.
Da Qiang and A Dong were only at Rear Admiral level at best.
The four officers following each of them were all at Captain combat strength.
As for the other Happo Navy members, they were even weaker, with the highest being only at Commander level.
How could they possibly win?
"Another new face. The Beasts' combat power is growing alarmingly fast."
Chinjao froze for a moment when he spotted the Cat Girl behind Leopard Girl.
Neither the intelligence he'd received nor the bounty posters previously issued by the Navy contained any information about this woman.
Clearly, she was another newcomer.
Ever since Brian's sudden rise led to two crushing defeats for the Navy, all major powers across the world had simultaneously begun an important task: collecting intelligence on Beast Brian.
Through continuous investigation by world powers combined with efforts from spies within the various factions of Rocks' organization, Brian's information had been largely uncovered.
Details about his Millet-Millet Fruit abilities, his three types of Haki, and more had all been identified.
His Beast Girl Legion had received particular attention, with records documenting their numbers, corresponding abilities, and combat strength.
The only uncertainty these powers might have was perhaps one question: How were the Beast Girls created?
They appeared to be Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, but the differences from normal ability users were substantial. Ability users who permanently maintained half-human, half-beast forms hadn't existed before.
As Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, they should be able to freely control their forms. Moreover, strength growth should require time.
Yet every time a new Beast Girl appeared under Brian's command, they all possessed Rear Admiral-level strength from the start—this was highly unusual.
These various inconsistencies still lacked definitive explanations, leaving everyone itching with curiosity.
On this matter, only Vegapunk, conducting various researches in the future country of Balgimoa, could currently provide answers in the entire world.
The Lineage Factor research had indeed begun with Vegapunk, though it later flourished more vigorously in the hands of the original body's parents.
However, even so, research on this scientific technology remained incomplete to this day.
The original body's parents died too early, and Vegapunk likely didn't have much time to devote to this project.
For a groundbreaking scientist like Vegapunk, who aspires to change the world and revolutionize it through technology, his focus should be on developing more accessible and civilian-friendly innovations.
In the original timeline, the Lineage Factor technology would not reach full maturity until over a decade later, only achieving complete refinement after he founded MADS alongside Judge, Queen, and others.
From this perspective, the Lineage Factor technology might be the most significant exploit Brian encountered after arriving in this world.
Since the origins of the Beast Girls remained unclear for the time being, various factions continued their efforts. However, they largely reached a consensus: they could not allow Beast Brian to acquire any more Zoan-type Devil Fruits.
With each new Zoan-type Devil Fruit he obtained, his forces gained at least one additional Rear Admiral-level combatant. If this continued unchecked, how could they possibly contend against him?
Among all the organizations studying Brian, the Navy was the most dedicated. Led by Vice Admiral Tsuru and supported by Fleet Admiral Kong, a specialized advisory team was established to analyze Brian. The level of attention devoted to this even surpassed that of the World Government, and this initiative was unanimously approved by all high-ranking Navy officials.
Unbeknownst to many, Brian had gradually become a major thorn in the Navy's side, second only to a handful of individuals like Rocks and Roger. The losses he inflicted on the Navy were unprecedented, nearly wiping out decades of accumulated strength. This was partly due to delays in intelligence sharing within the Navy. After much reflection and with unanimous agreement among top officials, Kong ultimately greenlit this operation.
Meanwhile, the Chinjao Pirates, backed by the major West Sea power Kano Country, were also a significant force in the New World. While their intelligence-gathering capabilities couldn't match the Navy's, they were still remarkably swift.
Chinjao kept a thick stack of documents on the Beast Girls, which he frequently reviewed. Aside from intensifying his study of Beast Brian, it was hard to ignore his more… colorful thoughts. The Beast Girls, as a species, were simply too alluring, with so many varieties that it was impossible to resist.
Every time he finished reading, Chinjao would quietly wipe away imaginary nosebleeds, his face flushed, feeling as though he had regained his youth. Ah, those risqué thoughts—truly the source of life's vitality!
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