What?!
The expressions of everyone present froze as if struck by a shockwave. The atmosphere inside Marineford's meeting hall turned heavy in an instant.
Garp and Sengoku exchanged a glance. Neither spoke, but the disbelief in their eyes was unmistakable.
Haki.
Devil Fruits.
No one in this room understood the weight of those words better than they did.
Haki is the manifestation of one's spirit — the embodiment of willpower itself. It cannot be learned by machines. It cannot be programmed. It blooms through battle and conviction.
And Devil Fruits?
They are the "treasures of the sea," cursed powers that grant supernatural abilities at the cost of the user's ability to swim. Each fruit contains a unique power, reborn somewhere in the world after its user dies.
Now Natsume was calmly telling them—
A machine possessed both.
Vice Admiral Tsuru's sharp eyes narrowed slightly.
"Haki… and a Devil Fruit… Those are powers tied to the human will and the soul."
Her voice was steady, but even she could not hide the tension beneath it.
Sakazuki stepped forward, arms folded, magma faintly bubbling beneath his skin.
"A machine understanding Busoshoku?" he said coldly. "Devil Fruits are eaten. They choose a user. Since when can steel eat?"
Even Kuzan, usually lazy in posture, straightened slightly.
Kizaru, however, tilted his head.
"My, my… that's quite the accusation, Sakazuki. My little brother wouldn't joke about something like that."
His tone was casual, but his eyes sharpened behind the sunglasses.
"Brothers, stop arguing," Natsume said lightly. "I'll show you."
He turned toward the Seraphim.
"Seraph Bear. Show them your Armament Haki first."
The Seraphim stood still — white hair, dark wings folded, flame burning steadily behind its back like a Lunarian.
Then—
A layer of jet-black Busoshoku coated its arm.
Not paint.
Not alloy.
It was unmistakably Haki.
The sheen was deep and glossy like obsidian, exactly like the hardening used by seasoned fighters.
Garp's expression changed immediately. His Observation Haki spread instinctively, sensing the pressure.
Sengoku did the same.
The spiritual pressure radiating from the coating was real.
"This… is genuine Busoshoku," Sengoku said gravely.
Garp's eyes widened.
"And not just basic hardening. The flow… it's emitting outward."
He clenched his fist slightly.
It was the advanced application — what Wano samurai call Ryuo — the ability to let Haki flow and penetrate internally.
For a moment, silence fell again.
This was not simple reinforcement.
This was trained combat-level Armament.
Tsuru's voice lowered.
"If it truly possesses Kenbunshoku as well… then in combat standards, it already qualifies as a Shichibukai-class fighter."
Sakazuki's jaw tightened.
"Observation Haki can't be faked," he said. "I'll test it."
His arm transformed instantly into magma.
Unlike a full-power Meigo strike, this was a controlled launch — restrained, but still terrifyingly fast.
A magma fist shot forward, compressing the air with intense heat.
The temperature in the hall spiked.
The attack arrived in an instant.
The Seraphim's eyes flashed.
Before the magma fist fully reached its target—
It moved.
No hesitation.
No wasted motion.
Its body shifted with minimal displacement, perfectly calculating the attack trajectory. The magma grazed past its shoulder by centimeters.
The floor dozens of meters behind exploded upon impact.
Molten rock splashed outward, forming a crater in the reinforced ground.
The Seraphim stood untouched.
Not a single scratch.
Garp burst into laughter.
"Ha! Clean dodge!"
Sengoku exhaled slowly.
"Confirmed… Kenbunshoku Haki."
Even Kuzan muttered softly, "That wasn't prediction based on mechanics. That was sensing intent."
Sakazuki stared silently.
He had not increased the speed beyond a lethal threshold — but it was still Admiral-class speed.
And it was avoided effortlessly.
Even Kizaru seemed genuinely surprised now.
"Well now… this is getting interesting."
Natsume spoke again without pause.
"Seraph Bear. Continue."
"Show them your Devil Fruit power."
The senior officers focused instantly.
Most of them assumed it would be an artificial Zoan — similar to the lineage factor experiments Vegapunk had conducted.
Perhaps enhanced physical strength.
Perhaps transformation.
Instead—
The Seraphim raised its palm.
A translucent, compressed shockwave sphere formed in its hand.
The shape was unmistakable.
Sengoku's pupils shrank.
"That is—"
Before he finished—
The Seraphim thrust its palm forward.
A massive compressed air shockwave erupted, flying forward at extreme velocity toward a distant abandoned fortress over a kilometer away.
BOOM—
The structure disintegrated upon impact.
Not cracked.
Not damaged.
Erased.
The shockwave detonated outward, flattening the structure into rubble as the ground trembled faintly from the blast.
Silence consumed the entire hall.
No one spoke.
The ability was identical.
Not imitation.
Not similar.
It was the power of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi — the Paw-Paw Fruit.
Bartholomew Kuma's ability.
Sengoku's face hardened.
"This is impossible…"
Tsuru whispered, "The Paw-Paw Fruit is already in use."
Sakazuki's voice lowered.
"So not just Haki…"
Garp crossed his arms, expression finally serious.
"If that's really Kuma's ability… then its combat level is already on par with the Tyrant."
Natsume looked around, slightly puzzled at the silence.
Why were they quiet now?
They had been praising him moments ago.
After a long pause—
Sengoku spoke slowly.
"This isn't just Shichibukai level."
He looked at the Seraphim's burning Lunarian flame.
"It possesses Lunarian durability… Admiral-level laser lineage factor replication… advanced Haki… and Kuma's fruit ability."
Kizaru adjusted his glasses.
"My, my… combining my laser output with Lunarian defense and Kuma's repulsion ability…"
He gave a soft whistle.
"That's terrifying."
Tsuru concluded calmly:
"At minimum, its battlefield value equals a top-tier Shichibukai."
Sakazuki finished the thought.
"No."
He stared at the Seraphim with a hardened gaze.
"It surpasses the original."
Because this machine—
Possessed Lunarian resilience.
Possessed replicated laser weaponry.
Possessed advanced Haki.
And possessed the Paw-Paw Fruit's absolute defense and attack capabilities.
At the very least—
Its combat power had already reached Shichibukai-class.
And potentially beyond.