Extraordinary Pedigree.

Chapter 1040 East Sea, Seven Tides Leader, Black God's Blood.

May of the second year of the closed calendar.

East China Sea.

This sea area was called the Abelio Islands by Abelio's cartographers, but in the local indigenous language, its ancient name was the Antareo Sea.

This is the most complex sea area in the world of Abelio, where archipelagos, atolls and abysses stretch for thousands of kilometers, intertwine, currents are chaotic, and it is shrouded in blue-white lightning storms all year round.

The northern edge of the Antareo Sea is the Hedra Islands, a sea area composed of volcanic rock and crystalline floating islands, which are suspended low in the air and constantly churned by storms below; to the east is the Tilar Rift, a trench zone thousands of meters deep, known as the Abyss of the Forsaken; to the south is the Sharon Shoal, composed of hundreds of coral islands of varying sizes, a place where shipping routes converge.

At the very center floats the massive main island—Harmony Island, which is also the core stronghold of the Anti-Horizon Alliance.

The East China Sea is now completely in the hands of the Harmony Association.

This vast sea area known as the Antareo Sea, from the Hedra Islands in the north to the Sharon Bank in the south, and then to the Harmony Island in the center, is all covered with their flags, with the silver-blue tidal flag symbolizing the will to defy the law fluttering in the sea breeze.

They established a new government called the "Free Council" on Harmony Island, calling themselves "Guardians of the New Abelio Order".

They publicly proclaim their aim to "restore the world's balance, which has been stolen by the Golden Law"—but internally, they hold power as their sole belief, with the seven Awakened Ones being gods whose commands are higher than the law.

They are the core of the Harmony Society and the holders of the entire East China Sea order.

The seven were collectively known as the Seven Leaders of the Tide.

They combined their fruit abilities with technology and faith, transforming the entire Antares Sea into a mobile anti-law defense zone.

Under their rule, the Harmony Society controlled all shipping routes in the East China Sea and monopolized four major industries: the extraction of roving rule-forms (fruit generation), oil extraction, fruit crystal manufacturing, and the construction of armed fleets.

Their fleets flew the same flag—a broken ring with seven water droplets suspended on it.

That was their declaration:

The ocean, unprotected by constancy, will not submit to an alliance bound by the Golden Law!

In addition to the Seven Tide Heads, there are also Harmony Society's armed forces on the sea, with hundreds of armed fleets forming a crisscrossing defensive line.

These ships have a rugged appearance, are painted with dark anti-corrosion paint, have medium-sized psionic turrets on their decks, and are equipped with rune shields and heavy ballistae at their bows. They have both traditional sail structures and are equipped with new psionic steam engines.

When the engine roars, the waves are lifted several meters high, and the psionic energy flows under the ship, carrying a faint blue light, making the ship half-float on the water.

The entire fleet was like a pack of steel beasts roaring in the storm, guarding every waterway in the East China Sea.

……

……

Hedra Islands, West Coast Islands - Cape Kelan.

This place was originally a trading port on the edge of the archipelago, but now it has been transformed by the Harmony Society into a temporary military transit station, with the docks piled high with Chaos Technology creations, supplies, and fuel barrels.

The sea breeze carries the scent of metal and steam, and the air is filled with restless energy.

Lupercal, the son of the First Prince, stood on an observation platform on a cliff, wearing a long gray-white overcoat, his hair blowing in the wind, squinting at the sea.

In his view, the prosperity and chaos of the East China Sea were intertwined, while further away, a black armored fleet patrolled in formation, with psionic cannons and crossbow turrets arranged on the decks and runic halos flashing on the bows—that was the Harmony Society's Bone Fleet.

"The Liberty Council has discovered a massive oil field beneath Cape Kelan in the East China Sea. The seabed there has enormous reserves, and they are using these resources to drive so-called chaos technology."

The voice came from behind, low and hoarse, yet with a deliberate restraint.

The son of the first return turned his head and saw an ordinary-looking fisherman emerging from the shadow of the rock wall.

The man still smelled of the sea, his coat was covered in dried salt and fish scales, and there were two half-dead silverfish in a bucket at his feet. He looked completely ordinary, as if he were just a fisherman who had just come ashore.

But Lupercal knew he wasn't.

Those were the lurking shepherds on the horizon—intelligence agents of the Shepherd's Order.

They are not part of the legion's ranks, nor are they recorded by the clerks. Their purpose is to be unseen eyes among the people.

The fisherman-looking man gave a simple, honest smile. He rubbed his hands together, his tone carrying the humility typical of the lower classes, yet he spoke each word with utmost seriousness:
"It is my honor to meet you for the first time, great war commander... It is truly an honor."

I heard that you led your wolf pack to wipe out the Storm Alliance in the Southern Reach, making an outstanding contribution to His Majesty's establishment of Paradise in the South... You know, it was nothing short of a miracle.

Everyone knows that the world of the Southern Reach is being rewritten on another level.

The Lord of the Horizon reshapes the world's structure with the authority of [Constancy] in that land shrouded by the Golden Law.

Time and matter were decomposed, recombined, and gridded under his will—the earth was cut into perfect geometric blocks, every inch of land was defined, and every crop had its own growth formula.

The Lord raised his hand, and golden light slid from his fingertips, falling on the scorched earth, and the entire ruins were instantly restored to life;

The soil is reloaded, withered crops are reborn, and rivers flow from the ground, returning to the earth along the logical course of the river.
Thus, the southern region, which had been ravaged by war, became a paradise praised by the world.

The roots of the golden tree penetrate the city and the plains, flowing across the earth to form bright streams of energy, like the blood of the gods.

The sky is always azure, and the sunlight is fixed at a constant angle; the air is formulaic, and the temperature is constant, never violent, never frigid.

The farmland yields a bountiful harvest automatically, and cattle and sheep graze peacefully on the owner's pastures, their body shapes, coat colors, and even breathing rhythms perfectly synchronized.

Even the flapping of a butterfly's wings carries a certain regularity.

That is—"a land flowing with milk and honey".

The Universal Scripture records it as follows:

"Where the Dharma rings shine, barren land becomes fertile soil, and suffering is transformed into grace."

There, time ceases to flow, for everything has been perfectly defined.

The golden tree, with its drooping branches, shelters all living beings; all spirits drink its milk and eat its honey, for it is a paradise built by the hands of constancy.

The shepherd, who looked like a fisherman, grinned, his laughter carried away by the wind. He lowered his voice, his tone carrying an almost fanatical piety and reverence:

"Has His Majesty the Great Abraham... already reigned here?"

Lupercal looked at him, his expression indifferent, but without showing any impatience.

He didn't hate these lurkers—their existence was the hidden veins on the horizon in the darkness, his father's sharpest eyes and ears.

“Father has already arrived in the East Sea,” Lupercal replied simply, without revealing any details.

A flicker of excitement flashed in the man's eyes, and his face, roughened by the sea breeze, flushed slightly.

He instinctively gripped the fishing net in his hand, his throat bobbing as if he were trying hard to control his emotions. A few seconds later, he took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and gave an apologetic smile.

“Excuse me, sir.” He cupped his hands in greeting, his tone filled with respect and undisguised pride. “My name is Thorne Black, a field intelligence officer for the Seventh Division of the Shepherds’ Order in the East China Sea.”

He paused for a moment, then added in a low voice, "My civilian identity is that of a fisherman, living in a small town on the edge of the Hedra Islands. Every day I go out to sea to fish, mend nets, and drink a little bit of liquor. Nobody gives me a second glance."

Lupercal nodded slightly in response.

Next, he learned about the seven leaders of the Harmony Society from the field intelligence agents of this pastoral group. They were numbered one to seven.

-

【Number One】

Real name: Serun Klow
Codename: "God of Lightning"

Devil Fruit Ability: [Electric-Electric Fruit - Awakening]

It can manipulate the electrical conductivity of the entire ocean by using itself as a medium, transforming seawater into a giant electric field.

Under his rule, the entire Hedra archipelago was shrouded in thunderstorms, and he himself was known as the "walking thunderstorm core."

……

[Number Two]

Real name: Avar Lem
Code name: "Bottom of the Black Tide"

Fruit Ability: [Dark-Dark Fruit - Awakening] Can summon the gravity flow and void currents of the seabed, dragging an entire fleet into a deep-sea rift.

He resides permanently in the Tirra Rift, and is the true ruler of that abyss.

……

【Number Three】

Real name: Noel Euglin
Codename: "Ship Swallower"

Devil Fruit Ability: [White Whale Fruit - Awakening]

It can transform into a giant psionic beast, the "White Whale Form," which can devour any form of energy and matter to reconstruct its body.

He controls the Sharon Shoals and is the Harmony Society's strongest armed force.

……

Number Four

Real name: Livia Sain
Code name: "Phantom Wave Star Girl"

Devil Fruit Ability:

【Astral Fruit - Awakening】Can overlap the sea surface and the night sky, creating illusions and multiple realities in the astral projection.

She is the defensive core of Harmony Island and is regarded as "the star of the East China Sea".

……

Number Five

Real name: Kleia Vanya

Code name: "Sea Witch"

Devil Fruit Ability: [Coral Fruit - Awakening]

She can absorb psionic energy and create a sentient coral army using coral as a medium. She controls the coral defense line in the southern part of the Sharon Shoals, and is the simultaneous controller of marine ecology and warfare.

……

[Number Six]

Real name: Jero Brann
Code name: "General Shattered Tide"

Devil Fruit Ability: [Tide-Tide Fruit - Awakening]

He can generate tsunami-level shockwaves, enough to capsize islands. He is the commander of the naval fleet and is known as the "King of Ship Destruction".

……

【Number Seven】

Real name: Ian Lucia
Codename: "Voice of Dawn"

Devil Fruit Ability: [Light Tide Fruit - Awakening]

She can fold light into waves of energy, triggering mass hallucinations or destructive light bursts. She is the spiritual symbol of the Harmony Society, and also their diplomatic representative.

-

After listening quietly to Thorne's report, the son of the first son raised his hand and, imitating his father, thoughtfully stroked his chin.

"Seven Level 5 Awakened beings, each with their own independent Devil Fruit abilities, yet able to work together... It's quite reasonable that they could construct such a ring-shaped defensive line in the East Blue."

He muttered to himself in a low voice, his tone steady, but his eyes were so sharp that they seemed to see through the underlying logic of the entire ocean.

He then turned to Thorne, his tone calm: "Besides that, is there any other intelligence?"

Thorne remained silent for a moment, his expression somewhat hesitant.

There's something... I'm not sure if I should say it.

Lupercal looked at him, his tone unchanged: "Speak."

Thorne swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on the distant horizon illuminated by the morning light.

"After the Harmony Society discovered the oil field near Cape Kelan, they established a temporary extraction base. Everything was normal until a few days ago, when things... changed."

He paused, then lowered his voice.

"The workers who were involved in drilling said that the oil field was 'breathing'."

Lupercal raised an eyebrow slightly, not interrupting, but simply gesturing for him to continue.

Thorne swallowed hard, his fingers unconsciously gripping the edge of his fishing hat.

“I asked a few pastors who went down there, and they said—that oil is not ordinary oil. It is alive.”

"Specifically, it is... a black liquid that can flow, wriggle, and even 'aggregate' on its own."

Suddenly the wind picked up, and the waves crashed against the rocks with a low rumble.

“Some say it’s not an oil field, but a living entity,” Thorne said with an uncertain tone. “People within the Harmony Society call it the Devourer. They say that the oil field… swallowed a fruit.”

Lupercal's pupils contracted slightly.

"Swallow...the fruit?"

"Yes."

Thorne nodded, his voice becoming even more serious.

"They say that in a failed experiment, Harmony threw a core crystal of a fruit's power into an oil field, and the oil field absorbed it."

Within days, energy readings across the entire area skyrocketed, overloading all the psionic towers and melting down the drilling rigs. After that, the oil field began to 'eat the workers,' even swallowing up the machinery.

"As for why the oil field can reap the rewards, nobody knows, and nobody dares to ask."

Some say it's a fusion of Devil Fruit power and local rules, others say it's discarded remnants of godhood. But whatever it is, it's now... alive.

The wind blew past Thorne's clothes, bringing with it a chilling sensation.

"The people of the Freedom Council have now sealed off that area."

"Level 6, huh..."

Lupercal repeated the level in a low voice.

"Yes, my lord."

Thorne nodded, his expression growing increasingly solemn; he looked like a witness who had seen something unspeakable.

He lowered his voice and continued:

"The Harmony Society members said that the thing is no longer just an oil field."

"They believe that it is the sublimation of the fruit itself, a kind of...conscious resource."

"They call it—Black God's Blood."

“Black God Blood?” Lupercal frowned slightly, his tone flat.

Thorne nodded and continued, “Nobody dared to go near it. The earliest workers who participated in the extraction almost all went crazy. They said that the oil field… moved. It was like breathing. The surface would undulate, and sometimes the shape of a human face would emerge.”

“A human face?” Lupercar’s voice was even lower, devoid of emotion.

"Yes, they say it's not an ordinary oil flow, but a spiritual entity. Some claim that they can hear a low murmur coming from the bottom of the oil field in the dead of night—like breathing, or like imitating human speech. The sound can be heard even in dreams, as if the oil itself is inviting them to come closer."