Rocks Band: I have 48 Imperial Arms.

"Hmm~"

"Ok!"

"Um……"

Locke nodded calmly, without much change in his expression. For Locke, the situation Esdeath reported to him was not a major problem.

“Esdeath,” Locke said after a moment’s thought, “These things are all manageable for now, but you still need to be more vigilant and avoid any problems, otherwise, that will be the real trouble.”

"Hmm~"

"Your Highness."

Esdeath smiled and nodded, while the phantom vanished without a trace.

Locke rubbed his temples slightly and murmured, "Given Esdeath's strength, there shouldn't be any problems under normal circumstances. Besides, the four seas are in complete chaos right now. Neither the World Government nor the Marine Headquarters has the time or inclination to deal with so many things."

"but……"

Locke was still carefully considering the various situations. In any case, although there seemed to be no problem at the moment.

But!

Everything still needs to be thought out accurately to ensure that no problems will arise; this is absolutely crucial.

"But!"

"We still need to consider this more carefully, whether any problems might arise. This is an extremely important matter, and we need to think it through carefully to see what the outcome will be..."

Locke's expression was very sharp, and he had considered many things very clearly. All of these things definitely needed to be carefully considered.

It can be said!

Locke understood all of this perfectly! He knew exactly what the core of the situation was and how to deal with it.

“Another point!” Locke suddenly looked up and asked, “Leone, how much longer until we return to the Black Pearl?”

"what!"

Leone sat cross-legged on the sofa with a carefree attitude and said, "Your Highness, it will take at most three days to reach the Black Pearl. If we speed up, we can arrive in just over a day."

"Ok!"

Locke nodded and said, "Speed ​​up! I feel like something's not right! There's something important coming up, so let's hurry and get back immediately."

"Your Highness!" Leone leaped up and landed lightly on the ground without making a sound, then confidently said, "Your Highness! Don't worry, I'll have them speed things up. It should take them a little over a day to reach the Black Pearl."

"Ok!"

Leone left, while Locke pondered, "This feeling..."

That's right!

Locke's intuition reminded him that his situation, and indeed the situation ahead, would be quite different. For many people, such a feeling would be meaningless, but for Locke, it was a completely different matter.

the reason is simple!

Locke was very clear that his senses were extremely sharp. Since he sensed that a problem might occur, then the probability of a problem occurring was very high, or even absolutely certain. The specific situation was something that deserved serious attention.

"Whoo~~~"

Exhaling a deep breath, Locke's expression was extremely solemn. He muttered to himself, "Strength, influence, everything is insufficient! This is completely inadequate to maximize our gains in this chaos!"

"With Esdeath, Akame, and Yoru, the situation in the North Sea is more than enough!"

"and……"

"After this operation in the North Sea, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Esdeath will truly break through to the Admiral level. At that time, it will be a more appropriate situation."

That's why Locke was thinking about how to increase his strength in the shortest amount of time.

"no!"

"no!"

"Simply having power is still completely insufficient..."

"Unless..."

Locke squinted, a bold idea forming in his mind. He thought to himself, "Could I give it a try? If it succeeds, then everything will be much easier. But if it fails..."

"Hehehe~~~"

"What's there to fail at! It was all part of the plan. This idea was simply to maximize profits. Even if it fails, the profits will just be about the same as what I had originally envisioned. And if it succeeds..."

"Humph!"

A smile appeared on his face; Locke was not afraid of such a gamble.

joke!

If Locke didn't even dare to gamble, then he would be utterly shameful. This is not a joke, but a stark reality! For Locke, he was a gambler, and absolutely someone who would take the plunge.

after all!

The path to becoming a strong person is never entirely smooth sailing. Therefore, the path to becoming a strong person also has its share of problems. And since that's the case, then everything is naturally beyond question.

"Whoo~~~"

Exhaling a deep breath, Locke narrowed his eyes and muttered to himself, "Let's give it a try!"

Muttering these words, Locke began summoning his Imperial Arms.

just now!

He had a total of 6 Devil Fruits in his possession. However, although Rock did not return to the Rocks Pirates, he still managed to get his hands on the 3 reward Devil Fruits. According to Captain Rocks, there was another big mission, and he hoped to return to investigate.

Locke's expression turned very sharp. "Are you kidding me? Of course, I'll have to study this carefully; the benefits will be enormous."

But!

Locke knew very well that his current strength was insufficient to reach this point. Therefore, he needed to further improve himself. Only by improving himself could he truly reap sufficient benefits—this was absolutely undeniable. Otherwise, the existing gains would only be enough to initially realize his ideas, and to fully launch his ambitions, time would be essential.

hum~~~

hum~~~

Strands of energy were released, and the five Devil Fruits were absorbed in an instant, while a phantom image appeared.

Apparently!

This was a newly summoned Imperial Arm, and a sharp glint appeared in Locke's eyes as he muttered, "Not enough! Not enough! Absolutely not enough! This power is simply not enough! In that case..."

Without hesitation, Locke consumed the energy of the remaining four Devil Fruits, allowing them to be completely absorbed. A terrifying energy burst forth from the Imperial Arms.

That's right!

Locke doesn't plan to summon two Imperial Arms or two Imperial Arms users because! The lower limit of Imperial Arms is what it is, and what he needs to do is raise the lower limit of Imperial Arms so that the Imperial Arms users will have stronger power from the moment they are summoned.

What is this method?

Very simple!

That is to improve by summoning Imperial Arms! That is, to improve by using Imperial Arms users. This is the best way, even the most suitable way. If it succeeds, then the benefits will be absolutely undeniable.

just now!

As energy was injected, sure enough, a powerful burst of energy erupted instantly, causing the Imperial Arms to begin to crack. The terrifying energy seemed to be raging out, and Locke couldn't help but narrow his eyes slightly at these terrifying forces.

"This is……"

Has it evolved?

Locke blinked as he felt the feedback from the Imperial Arm. He hadn't expected that the Imperial Arm would actually evolve directly! This was something he hadn't anticipated either.

after all!

The situation with Imperial Arms is rather special. Each Imperial Arm has a very unique core. In that case, theoretically, as long as there is enough energy, each Imperial Arm can evolve. However, I didn't expect that by absorbing the energy of just four Devil Fruits, the Imperial Arm would undergo its first evolution.

hum~~~

hum~~~

A violent surge of energy churned before their eyes, and at that moment, Leone pushed open the door, saying nervously, "Your Highness..."

"It's nothing!" Locke raised his hand to stop him, "I'm fine, it's just a newly summoned Imperial Arm."

"A newly summoned Imperial Arms?"

Leone was stunned, because! This is illogical! Does the newly summoned Imperial Arm possess such terrifying and violent energy? Isn't this a bit strange?

Anyway!

Leone found it very strange, but! Looking at the Imperial Arm that appeared and the figure that gradually emerged, she blinked curiously. It seemed that she might recognize this figure.

Snapped!

Snapped!

Snapped!

With the sound of footsteps, the figure of a heroic woman appeared.

"Whoo~~~"

A wisp of smoke escaped her lips as she smoked a women's cigarette. Her right arm was entirely mechanical, and she had short silver hair and a black eyepatch over her right eye. She was dressed in a black suit, giving her the appearance of a dashing and heroic woman.

Najendan!