CHAPTER 261: [261] : SIGNING KIZARU! THE SOUL LEGION! THE JOY OF THE BATTLEFIELD!

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Kizaru stared in utter disbelief at the figure who had just appeared before him.

"KUZAN? The Marine HQ Admiral who was killed by Sky Sovereign during the Summit War?" Fujitora, hearing the name, also frowned.

As a newly appointed Marine Admiral, he was certainly no stranger to that name.

Former Marine HQ Admiral Kuzan, codename Aokiji.

In the Navy and World Government’s propaganda, Aokiji was a true hero who died honorably in the war against the Emperors Whitebeard and Sky Sovereign Rowen, all in the name of protecting Justice.

The World Government had even compiled his glorious service record into a book, widely distributed and promoted.

And the majority of his subordinates were ’Dove’ faction officers who had gathered under his banner because of his ideology.

The leader of the Navy’s ’Dove’ faction—was this man, Kuzan.

But now, this man, who had indisputably died under Sky Sovereign’s world-shaking attack during the live broadcast of the Summit War—a fact further confirmed when the Ice-Ice Fruit later appeared in Sky Sovereign’s hands—had appeared before them again?

And—

"What a strange presence... It’s like a block of pure ice,"

Fujitora murmured.

Even with Seastone cuffs on, Fujitora’s Observation Haki, trained to its absolute peak, was not completely sealed. He could still sense the man’s current state.

His aura, his very fluctuations, were completely different from a normal human’s.

He was, for all intents and purposes, a man-shaped block of ice.

A normal human, even after eating a Devil Fruit, even a Logia, was still fundamentally a carbon-based lifeform. Except when fully elementized, a Logia user’s aura and fluctuations were no different from anyone else’s.

But this man was completely different. In Fujitora’s perception, there was no trace of a human presence here, only a humanoid block of ice.

"Arara... I’d heard the new Marine Admiral was blind, and that his Observation Haki was exceptionally powerful, a rarity on these seas. It seems the rumors were true," Kuzan praised.

"You... what happened to you?"

Fujitora, being blind, could not see Kuzan’s current form, but Kizaru could see it with perfect clarity.

Ice.

Kuzan’s current body was made entirely of ice.

His entire being, every piece of skin, every bit of flesh, every cell—was ice.

Kizaru’s mind instantly connected the dots, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Soul-Soul Fruit... A Homie?"

The word came with difficulty from Kizaru’s lips.

This form... wasn’t it exactly like the special elemental Homies created by the deceased Emperor, Big Mom??

A body composed entirely of a natural element, infused with the power of a soul, capable of wielding the element’s power and creating fantastical attacks!

As one of the peak combatants on these seas, having been an Admiral for many years and having personally fought Big Mom, Kizaru hadn’t reacted at first only because he was too shocked by Kuzan’s resurrection.

Now, with a moment of calm, the truth was obvious.

"Mah... that’s about it. Rowen is a user of the Revive-Revive Fruit; he can bring my soul back from the underworld. Then, using the Ice-Ice Fruit and the Soul-Soul Fruit, he created an ice body for me and placed my soul inside."

"I can still use the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit, but I can’t use Haki anymore,"

Kuzan explained, habitually rubbing his head, though the sensation was unfamiliar—his body was now entirely ice, with no real hair.

This was a special Homie, created by the Ice-Ice Fruit’s ability.

Without a true physical body, without true physical energy to use, he naturally couldn’t use the combination of spiritual and physical power that was Armament Haki.

But the Ice-Ice Fruit’s power alone was enough for Kuzan to exert Admiral-level combat strength.

He just couldn’t fight on the same level as his prime, when he could combine his "Iron Fist," his Armament Haki, and his Devil Fruit to clash with Emperors for a short time.

But there was no doubt: even in this state, Kuzan was still one of the peak fighting forces on the sea. In his hands, the Ice-Ice Fruit was still the most powerful crowd-control ability in the world.

And the cost—was just Kuzan’s soul energy.

This soul energy could also be replenished. The underworld had vast reserves of residual soul energy.

With the Soul-Soul Fruit, which could completely control souls, Rowen could directly manipulate these residual soul energies to replenish Kuzan and the others’ soul power.

The only cost to Rowen was the stamina required to open the gate to the underworld and bring Kuzan’s soul to the real world.

Of course, if Kuzan’s soul energy was nearly depleted in battle, he would have to return to the underworld.

Because replenishing soul energy in battle required the simultaneous use of the Revive-Revive Fruit and the Soul-Soul Fruit.

The stamina cost—compared to the combat power Kuzan provided, was not as worthwhile for Rowen.

But Kuzan, with his soul power fully-replenished in the underworld, could still fight in the real world for nearly a day. Such combat time was more than enough for a war.

Kuzan was currently the strongest Homie in Rowen’s Soul Legion.

Enel was frantically training his Rumble-Rumble Fruit’s ’Desire’, one step away from Awakening.

And Crocodile’s Sand-Sand Fruit couldn’t compare to Kuzan’s Ice-Ice Fruit.

As for Whitebeard and the others’ souls, Rowen was still searching for the most suitable vessels.

"So, your current identity is..." Kizaru looked at Kuzan, his eyes shaking.

"Vice-Commander of the Sky Sovereign’s Soul Legion, Kuzan," Kuzan exhaled a plume of extreme cold air.

"Vice-Commander," Kizaru took a deep breath.

"If even you can be resurrected... then those monsters... Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom," Kizaru’s forehead broke out in cold sweat.

"Mah, that depends on their choices. Rowen has never forced any of us," Kuzan scratched his ice head.

"I came here to represent Rowen, to discuss your salary and benefits," Kuzan said, looking at Kizaru.

Though his eyes were made entirely of ice, Kizaru could feel Kuzan’s gaze was very strange.

"Cough... After all, I am a salaryman," Kizaru scratched his head.

To negotiate a contract for work, salary and benefits...

As a self-proclaimed salaryman, he had never had such an experience.

Though he had risen to become a Marine Admiral, since he was a Marine protecting the justice of the seas, contributing was one of his duties.

His benefits were uniformly stipulated by the World Government.

What Marine could negotiate their own benefits with the World Government, with the Navy?

For Kizaru, who saw himself as a salaryman, this was a dream come true, a completely new experience.

And it was his former colleague, Kuzan, with whom he had a good relationship, who was negotiating with him.

Soon, the two of them were haggling over the terms.

Kizaru didn’t really care about how much money or how good the benefits were—he just thoroughly enjoyed the feeling and treatment of being a real working man.

This was a brand new experience he had never had before, and it embodied his life’s philosophy.

Soon, they had reached an agreement on salary, working hours, vacation time, overtime pay, and bonuses, all stipulated in detail.

Looking at the contract in his hand, Kizaru was actually somewhat moved.

He had called himself a salaryman his whole life—yet it seemed he had never been a real one. Even after becoming a Marine Admiral, the World Government’s evaluation of him was nothing more than a mission tool.

And Sky Sovereign, this man who had defeated him, the true strongest this era... was treating him like a person.

Kizaru solemnly signed his name on the contract.

Vegapunk’s former laboratory.

This place had been completely transformed, thoroughly renovated.

"How is it, Franky? Can you manufacture a body like this?"

Rowen looked at Franky, who was intensely studying the subjects in the laboratory’s containment vessels: S-Hawk and S-Bear.

"Very difficult. Mainly, the technology here isn’t up to standard. Even with Vinsmoke Judge’s research on the Lineage Factor, it’s impossible to break through this technological barrier in a short time,"

Franky, when it came to researching combat machines, was extremely serious.

Germa 66, against the combined might of Sanji and Ace, had no resistance and was completely destroyed. Judge and the others were imprisoned.

Judge’s research Traits and research memories were all plundered by Rowen and expelled with the Paw-Paw Fruit for Franky to study.

Rowen’s reason for doing so was, of course, to create new Seraphim—for Whitebeard and the others.

Paramecia Devil Fruits couldn’t be recreated with elemental Homies, but could be with Seraphim.

But now it seemed, reaching this level of technology in a short time was very difficult.

"Vegapunk, hmm..." Rowen smiled.

"Looks like... you’ll have to wait a while longer to enjoy the joy of the battlefield—Kaido," Rowen said, looking at a soul.

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