Ren had always intended to recruit Ace and Sabo.
Ace went without saying. As the son of the Pirate King, in a world that relied on bloodlines and reincarnation, he should have been an existence akin to a chosen one. However, it seemed Whitebeard had protected him a bit too well.
His lack of strong Haki was his weakness, but that didn't mean his talent was insufficient.
As for Sabo, he was the true Flame Emperor, capable of wielding a Fire Dragon King. His strength was at least Commander-level, not to mention he was only in his early twenties at the time. There would be no problem for him to eventually become an Admiral.
Actually, Ren had another good target in mind: Douglas Bullet, who was called the Devil's Descendant. However, he wasn't very familiar with the background of this movie character, so he had to abandon the idea.
"Enel, Sabo, Ace, and Shutenmaru... To be honest, this lineup already surpasses a Yonko." Ren smiled.
In the future, the Beast Pirates and Big Mom Pirates each consisted of one Emperor and three top commanders. And the combat power of the three top commanders should be slightly inferior to that of a Navy Admiral. From this perspective, the lineup Ren imagined had already surpassed a typical Emperor's crew.
However, this was still just his idea for now.
After returning to Wano Country, Ren's life returned to tranquility, usually spent on training and research. He and Tervin had ventured to the seabed of the inner sea to copy a great deal of data. Building an underwater research facility was no simple task, but it wouldn't be a problem at all once he fully mastered the Door-Door Fruit.
"This kind of structure..." The blueprints Ren found left him completely baffled. He wasn't an expert in this field—not that calling him that would be a compliment; he should say he was almost completely ignorant before this.
However, there was no need to worry about this. Kurozumi Higurashi acted quickly. Although this old fellow had made a foolish mistake in the last incident, his loyalty was unquestionable, and his actions were efficient.
Before long, a batch of scientists was sent back to Wano Country.
"Researchers from Karakuri Island?"
Ren looked at the large group of scientists in white coats kneeling before him and nodded slightly. The name "Karakuri Island" sounded very scientific, especially in the field of physics.
What he didn't know at this time was that the famous Vegapunk was actually born on this island, though he wasn't among these people.
Ren didn't hesitate and immediately used the Orochi's Mark on them.
Not all of these people came to Wano Country voluntarily. Higurashi knew Ren's methods, so he was only responsible for forcibly bringing them over. To ensure these people could work peacefully here, Ren felt it was better to use the Orochi's Mark.
And in terms of compensation, Ren wouldn't let them be shortchanged either.
Scientific research is not a simple matter. Even with the blueprints of Pluton placed before them, they couldn't immediately understand them, let alone actually apply them.
The consumption of funds was also a huge problem, but this particular concern didn't need special attention after renting back the Hidden Port. The source of income in Kuri was no longer agriculture but foreign trade. The most characteristic industries of Wano Country were weapons and Seastone products.
However, as for the latter, Ren had no intention of selling them in large quantities. Swords and the like, on the other hand, were of no concern.
The swords exported, though not famous blades, were of excellent quality and material, making them highly sought after overseas. Whether by pirates or the Marines, there was no corner of this world without conflict.
Moreover, to protect their trade routes, Ren had specifically assigned Shutenmaru to escort them, preventing a repeat of the previous incident. Kurozumi Higurashi's actions had also become more cautious. It was safe to assume that Rocks' crew now viewed them as a thorn in their side. If they met at sea, a battle would be inevitable.
However, the Rocks Pirate Crew was genuinely too preoccupied to focus on Ren at the moment. After their last voyage, they had set their sights on a new target: the Celestial Dragons.
The situation on the seas had grown incredibly tense, with various factions deeply embroiled. Even the Roger Pirates, who had previously remained on the sidelines, were drawn into this vortex.
Naturally, Ren was also keeping a close watch on the overseas situation.
It was against this tense backdrop that the battle in God Valley began. The conflict ultimately ended with the annihilation of the Rocks Pirate Crew, a colossal pirate force that had ruled the New World. As a result of the battle, God Valley vanished completely from the maps.
At the end of the year, Ren returned from overseas with an infant—a blue-haired baby with a red clown nose.
"Ren-dono, who is this?" Yukiko saw Ren carrying another child home and couldn't help but recall the time she had first met the infant named Enel.
"His name is Buggy. Let him grow up alongside Enel for now," Ren said as he handed the child to her.
In truth, Ren held considerable expectations for Buggy. Although Buggy was portrayed as something of a comedic character in the original story, his possession of Conquerors' Haki and incredible luck made him seem even more like the chosen one than Luffy.
Besides, Buggy had displayed remarkable talent even as a child, and with proper nurturing, he might prove to be Shanks' equal.
Though Rocks was dead, his subordinates still lived. After his remnants scattered and went their separate ways, they each carved out their own territories in the New World, fighting over what had once been Rocks' domain. This intensified the warfare in the New World.
Recently, the traffic at Hidden Port had increased significantly. The unending wars created an insatiable demand for weapons overseas, and food had become an incredibly scarce resource as well.
Kurozumi Higurashi and Shutenmaru had occupied several islands outside Wano Country, where they cultivated vast amounts of grain. Ren would occasionally visit these islands, and his constant use of accelerated growth caused the soil to degrade rapidly. At the same time, this practice brought Ren enormous profits.
Most of this money was funneled into research. Consequently, at the end of Sea Circle Calendar year 1487, the first "One-Eye Treasure" was created.
Following tradition, Ren named it the "cultivator."
"This is fascinating!" Matsuri was very interested in the machine because of its strange shape and ability to move. During one of Ren's experiments, he had it attack using a large pinwheel.
"How does it move?"
"For power, we use this," a researcher presented one of Ren's Lightning Gems. "These gems contain immense energy. Although they are quite inert, they can be harnessed and released with the right methods, serving as a stable power source."
"However, for now, the cultivator can only operate according to a pre-set program. Once activated, it will attack any detected enemies indiscriminately," the researcher explained helplessly.
The challenge of creating true artificial intelligence was proving to be quite a difficult one for them.
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