LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 23: 23: Girls
"Mm, there are already over 1,300 people now. After the Warriors assessment ends, the crew will continue recruiting."
Hancock adjusted her position slightly, her slender fingers tracing irregular circles on Kizaru's chest.
Kizaru sighed helplessly. The growth potential of the Kuja Pirates was far too limited. Even with his support from behind the scenes, they simply couldn't compete with the large pirate crews of the New World.
Fortunately, every warrior eligible to join the Kuja Pirates was an elite proficient in Armament Haki. With over 1,000 members, they were at least capable of serving as a surprise force in critical situations.
"Let's go. I'm free anyway, so I might as well check out the Warriors assessment."
Kizaru shook his head. Since expanding the Kuja Pirates' numbers in the short term wasn't feasible, he might as well focus on improving their quality.
The Warriors were already among the elite of the Kuja warriors. With a little training, they could become far more useful.
However, since Amazon Lily was officially still a pirate force, Kizaru—despite being a Marine Admiral—couldn't afford to act too brazenly.
For instance, he definitely couldn't teach them something as conspicuous as the Rokushiki techniques. Fortunately, Kizaru had other options up his sleeve.
"Hancock, do you still have that Zoan-type Devil Fruit I sent last time? I recall it was the Ancient Model: Giant Ape Fruit?"
Kizaru helped Hancock to her feet.
In a sense, Amazon Lily served as his personal treasury. The majority of Kizaru's wealth and resources were stored on the island.
The remaining portion was managed by Nami.
Some of these items were too sensitive to keep at Marine Headquarters, as it was somewhat inconvenient, even for someone of Kizaru's rank.
Despite being a Marine Admiral, there were still some unspoken rules he had to abide by.
"Of course, dear. Everything you send, I keep stored safely," Hancock replied, her tone brimming with pride as though she were seeking praise.
She didn't care whether the items were meant to enhance the Kuja Pirates' strength or not. If something belonged to Kizaru, she wanted to collect it.
Of course, what she truly wished to "collect" was Kizaru himself—though, unfortunately, that was the one thing she could never have.
"Good. Have someone bring it over later," Kizaru instructed.
As he walked alongside Hancock toward the Warriors of the Nation training grounds, Kizaru opened the Dimensional Chat Group interface in his mind...
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[Blizzard: I didn't expect your taste to be this good. These handbag styles are quite nice.]
[Haibara Ai: Hmph, same to you. Your taste isn't bad either. Too bad my collection ended up in someone else's hands. Otherwise, you'd have been able to see a few of my treasured classic pieces.]
[Blizzard: Is that organization still after you? Do you need me to come over and beat up all those bad guys for you?]
[Haibara Ai: That organization isn't as simple as you think. If it were that easy to track down and destroy, the global police would've wiped them out long ago…]
[Blizzard: Well, there's nothing I can do then. Just make sure you stay safe. If you're ever in danger, call me, and I'll help.]
[Kizaru: Huh? Did I miss something here? When did they get along so well?]
[Kobayashi: Meh... I'll never understand the friendships between girls~]
[Random Guy: Uh… Kobayashi, you are a girl. Sweatdrops.jpg]
[Kobayashi: I'm a salarywoman who can handle triple the workload!]
[Random Guy: Kobayashi, take it easy. If you keel over from overwork, the consequences could be catastrophic. You might accidentally cause the end of the world.]
[Kobayashi: Huh? What do you mean?]
[Random Guy: Your girl, Tohru! You should be a little more aware. That dragon maid of yours could destroy the world if she went berserk—she's no different from Godzilla!]
[Kobayashi: You're exaggerating…]
In Kobayashi's world, as she looked toward the kitchen where Tohru hummed cheerfully while cooking and occasionally swished her large tail back and forth, it was impossible not to scoff at the chat group's words.
How could such a cute maid possibly be a world-destroying dragon of doom?
[Kizaru: @Random Guy, Hey, kid. The Devil Fruit you wanted is ready—Zoan-type, Ancient Model: Giant Ape Form. I'll send it to you soon.]
[Random Guy: Whoa! Thanks, Kizaru-san! You're the best! An Ancient Zoan type… That must've cost you a fortune!]
[Blizzard: What's a Devil Fruit?]
[Haibara Ai: It seems to be a specialty of Kizaru's world. Eating one grants all kinds of unbelievable superpowers…]
[Blizzard: That's impossible! Does that mean even ordinary people can become superhumans?]
Even in the One Punch Man world, where heroes and monsters run rampant, true superhumans are extremely rare.
For example, among the S-Class heroes of the Hero Association—excluding Blast, whose abilities remain unknown—only Tornado could be considered a true psychic in the literal sense.
So, it wasn't surprising that Blizzard was so shocked upon hearing that eating a Devil Fruit could grant superpowers.
[Kizaru: By the way, everyone, @Everyone, does anyone have a way to train a large number of subordinates quickly? It needs to be fast, have no significant side effects, and produce results that aren't too strong but not too weak either. Something that works for a few hundred people would be ideal.]
[Random Guy: Uh… just to clarify, Kizaru-san, when you say "not too strong but not too weak," how strong are you talking about exactly?]
[Kizaru: Hmm, how should I describe it… You know about Marine Headquarters, right? I need a method that can turn subordinates with the strength of Headquarters Lieutenant Commanders into those at the level of Colonels or Rear Admirals.]
[Random Guy: Whoa… Could Stands work? Didn't you bring an Arrow back from Jotaro's world, Kizaru-san?]
[Kizaru: That won't do. Using the 'Arrow' could cost a lot of lives, and I can't let my subordinates take that kind of risk.]
[Haibara Ai: Hey, "Marine Lieutenant Commander"—how strong are we talking about here?]
In the Detective Conan world, Haibara Ai, sipping her afternoon tea, stared intently at the virtual screen in front of her. Ever since she joined this miraculous dimensional chat group, she had been quietly thinking of ways to gain some self-protection abilities through the group.
But… compared to those members who casually fought vampires or kept dragons as maids, Haibara Ai had little of value to offer.
The only remotely useful thing she could think of was APTX4869, but she didn't even have any on hand. Finally, an opportunity arose—one that didn't seem to require immense power—and Haibara suddenly came up with a bold idea.
From what the chat group member had mentioned before, Kizaru's world had rather unbalanced technological development. For instance, the Navy still relied on sail-powered ships.