On the fifth morning, Rati opened her eyes for the first time. They were green with flecks of gold. She looked at the world with curiosity.
Rhett crouched by the crib and grinned. "Little one, your uncle has a gift for you."
"Excited? I'm excited too. Hehehe." Rhett pushed the stroller. "Time for the little one to see the sun."
Morning sunlight fell on the open area outside the castle. Rhett pushed out a stroller that looked ordinary. Rati lay inside, her tiny hands and feet kicking occasionally. Her big, round eyes looked at everything around her with curiosity.
Rhett's blood mist swirled and pulled a strangely shaped "stroller" from deep inside the castle.
A sleek, golden stroller descended slowly to the ground. At first glance, it looked ordinary. But Rhett's expression clearly said, "This thing is definitely not ordinary."
Tesoro raised an eyebrow. "Captain, this wouldn't happen to be..."
Tesoro, Stella, Kureha, and the others followed behind. Perona floated in the air. Laboon leaned over the edge of the stroller, full of anticipation.
"Lord Rhett, what is this 'surprise' you've been talking about?" Perona asked, blinking.
Rhett grinned. He turned into a bright, sunny young man.
"Watch closely. It's very, very amazing."
He pressed a hidden button on the stroller's handle.
"Click! BOOM—!!!"
The stroller instantly disassembled and reassembled itself. Metal panels flipped and locked into place. Hydraulic systems hummed. In just three seconds, a six-meter-tall Titan mech stood before them. It had a red and gold paint job. Its mechanical eyes glowed with a calm blue light.
"I am BT-7275, Vanguard-class Titan." A deep, gentle mechanical voice spoke. "You may call me BT."
Rati's eyes went even wider. Her little hands grabbed at the air. She made sounds.
BT lowered its head slightly. Its mechanical eyes locked onto the baby. "New pilot detected: Gild Rati. Initiating scan. Protocol 3: Protect Rati."
Tesoro's jaw nearly hit the ground. "Judge made this?!"
Rhett crossed his arms proudly. "I provided the blueprints. He handled the construction."
Kureha had a cigarette in her mouth. She rarely showed surprise, but her eyes were wide. "You little brat. You gave a baby less than a week old a war machine? How is this a stroller?"
Rhett was completely unashamed. "Big sister, you don't understand. This is a stroller! BT has a fully automatic parenting mode!"
BT added, helpfully, "Lullaby database loaded. Diaper change guide loaded. Baby formula preparation program loaded."
Little Perona was very impressed. "Amazing!!!"
Perona floated over and curiously poked BT's armor. "Can it fight?"
"Heheh." Evil Rhett said, "I was waiting for you to ask."
"BT, activate combat analysis module."
BT: "Tactical analysis module activated. Threat assessment: Perona Ghost Princess. Combat capability —"
Rhett quickly covered BT's speaker. "No need to analyze that one!"
Laboon excitedly circled around BT. "Woo! (Can I ride inside?!)"
BT: "Apologies, Laboon. The cockpit is reserved for Pilot Rati only."
Laboon: "Woo... (Disappointed.)"
Moria stood eye to eye with the Titan. "Impressive! How's its destructive power? It's about as tall as me. Can it heal?"
BT: "Medical module not loaded. However, basic first aid advice is available."
"Rati is still very small. This height is more than enough," Rhett said to BT. "BT, open cockpit mode."
BT knelt on one knee. The cockpit opened, revealing a comfortable baby compartment inside. Soft padding. A temperature control system. Even a small bottle holder.
Rhett carefully placed Rati inside. "Want to try it out?"
Rati waved her little hands excitedly the moment she entered the cockpit. BT's mechanical eyes flickered gently. "Pilot status: Content. Initiating safety restraint sequence."
Several soft mechanical arms gently held Rati in place, keeping her from moving around and hurting herself.
BT slowly stood up. Its movements were so smooth it could have balanced a cup of water without spilling a drop. It raised its arm. A holographic starry sky projected from its palm. A gentle lullaby played.
Rati giggled. Her little hands reached for the twinkling stars.
Tesoro was so moved he had tears in his eyes. "It's perfect..."
Stella put a hand to her forehead. "Don't any of you think this is a little excessive?"
Rhett: "No."
Rhett suddenly smiled a dangerous smile. "Oh, BT, show us the 'self-defense mode.'"
BT: "Confirmed. Activating demonstration mode."
Its shoulder armor opened, revealing rows of small missile launchers. A chainsword spun out from one of its mechanical arms. Its eye lasers let out a beep as they locked onto a distant rock.
"Threat marked. Recommendation: Prioritize pilot protection."
Everyone: "..."
Stella: "Lord Rhett, that's too dangerous!!!"
Rhett spread his hands innocently. "What's the problem? You have to protect against the occasional idiot, don't you?"
BT retracted its weapons. "Rest assured. All weapon systems require manual authorization except under extreme circumstances. Current mode: Parenting priority."
Rati wasn't scared at all. Instead, she excitedly slapped the control panel and started giving orders.
BT: "Pilot command analysis: Request for rocking."
It began swaying gently from side to side. Rati laughed even louder.
Rhett crossed his arms, a playful smile on his lips. "Moria, want to give it a try?"
Moria blinked and pointed at himself. "Kishishishi... Captain, you want me to fight a machine? To be blunt, I could dismantle it in less than a second."
"People on your level don't need to get involved." Rhett raised an eyebrow. "The rules are simple. No Armament Haki. No Devil Fruit abilities. Use only a tiny bit of physical technique."
"Captain, you might as well just declare him the winner."
"Just try it. Otherwise, I won't feel safe either." Rhett pushed Moria forward. "Go on, go on."
Moria narrowed his eyes and looked at the red and gold Titan. "Fine. It's been a while since I stretched my muscles."
BT's mechanical eyes turned to Moria. It spoke calmly. "Challenger detected: Gecko Moria. Combat assessment — extremely high. Suggested tactic: Flee immediately. If necessary, BT will engage autonomous combat to allow the pilot time to escape."
Rati sat in the cockpit, excitedly slapping the control panel. She had no idea she was about to become the center of this "fight."
Moria grinned. He stepped forward and threw a punch at BT's chest.
"BOOM—!!!"
The dull sound of metal on metal echoed across the open area. BT was pushed back half a step. The armor was dented, but the dent quickly repaired itself as the memory metal returned to its original shape.
Moria shook out his wrist. "Kishishishi... You're pretty tough."
"Moria, take it easy. Don't break it. If you break it, you're going to the North Blue to get it fixed."
"Okay, okay, Captain."
BT's mechanical arm suddenly sprang forward and threw an uppercut.
Moria sidestepped and elbowed the joint.
"CLICK!"
BT's right arm slowed for a moment. But it immediately adjusted its stance and swept its left arm, forcing Moria to step back.