I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

Sieg smiled slightly and replied:

"Barrett, I've heard you crave the power of Hades. You know the answer to that question yourself, don't you?"

"Do you think that, in Impel Down mode, your full-power punch is comparable to the legendary Hades, who could destroy an island with a single blow?"

Barrett pondered for a moment, then shook her head again.

Sieg continued:

"The combined form is not necessarily better the bigger it is."

"If it can combine with sufficiently powerful weapons and tools, instead of blindly expanding its form, then it can possess both destructive power and evasive ability."

“That makes sense.” Barrett nodded.

"So, should I really merge with Hades after all?"

“It’s not that simple,” Sieg shook his head and continued:

"Barrett, assuming you had the blueprints for Hades, could you really replicate it and build the Hades warship?"

These words surprised and delighted Barrett.

"Is Sieg's statement implying that he wants to give me the blueprints for Hades so that I can build Hades?"

While secretly pleased, Barrett pondered for a few moments, but ultimately shook her head.

"I'm not sure."

Hades's cannon shot was powerful enough to destroy an island, which suggests it was a rather advanced weapon.

Barrett is an excellent soldier, proficient in various weapons and firearms, and able to create the catapult submarine using the power of the Fusion Fruit.

But how do we build an extremely advanced Pluto according to the design drawings?

"Then I won't build Pluto myself. Isn't Tom the world's best shipbuilder? He can definitely build the Pluto! Let him build it!"

Barrett glanced at Tom from afar, a dangerous smile spreading across her face.

Sieg was startled; Barrett's answer was a bit dangerous... This was not the answer he wanted to hear.

He could only continue to patiently guide him:

"So, what if you encounter an even stronger enemy in the future, and Pluto is destroyed or damaged? Are you going to turn back to Tom?"

"Barrett, how could a man like you place his hopes for becoming stronger on someone else?"

These two sentences immediately enlightened Barrett, and he suddenly realized the truth.

"I understand."

Barrett's smile grew increasingly dangerous as he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking as he pressed them against the ground.

"I'll bring Tom aboard right away!"

Chapter 572 Knowledge is Power

Seeing that Barrett was about to make a move against Tom, Sieg was in a real bind.

"It can't be that bad..."

He quickly stopped Barrett and then laid it all out:

“What I mean is, instead of going to Tom, you should learn the shipbuilding technology yourself.”

"In this way, once you merge with Pluto, you can repair or even strengthen Pluto's ship yourself, without Tom's help..."

"Imagine if you mastered the technology to build Pluto, even if Pluto is destroyed, you could easily rebuild it, just like your submarine."

"This is your true personal power!"

After Sieg said that, Barrett finally looked enlightened.

"I understand..."

Before Barrett could finish speaking, Sieg interrupted to summarize:

"Knowledge is power!"

"Barrett, when you inherit Tom's skills and become the world's number one shipbuilder, that will be the time when you become the strongest in the world!"

Barrett remained silent for a long time before finally nodding slightly.

“That makes sense. I’ll go find Tom and learn shipbuilding right now.”

Barrett acted swiftly and decisively. She had just finished speaking with Sig when she leaped onto the deck of the Ironclad Pirate Ship and, disregarding her previous grudge with Tom, began to ask him for advice.

Seeing this, Sieg finally breathed a sigh of relief.

His rambling was merely an attempt to divert Barrett's excess energy.

Barrett was just a former soldier, not an engineer. How could she possibly learn shipbuilding so easily? Let alone master the technology to build Hades.

Creating Hades? Even a self-taught soldier like Barrett might not be able to learn it in a lifetime.

As long as Barrett can keep her focus on shipbuilding, she shouldn't bother Sieg, and he can be safe for a long time.

Even... it's not impossible to find a way to trick Barrett into staying in Water Seven and learning shipbuilding from Tom.

At this moment, Wei Ben, who was standing next to him, asked:

"Mr. Sig, what about me? Should I also study shipbuilding?"

Sieg quickly came up with an excuse to get away with it:

"Your weapon-weapon fruit is different from Barrett's ability."

"Barrett needs to use her abilities to change and reorganize the structure of matter."

"But you are different. Do you think you can turn yourself into a sickle and a gun and then learn how to make sickles and guns yourself?"

After dealing with Viben, heavy footsteps sounded again behind him, and a huge black shadow enveloped Sieg.

The giant Sauro walked to Sigur's side and whispered:

"Sig, about Robin..."

“Sauro, it’s you…” Sig scratched his chin and explained:

"Robin is currently with the Revolutionary Army, and I tried to contact them a couple of days ago."

"If nothing unexpected happens, you will be able to reunite with her soon."

Saul was a little excited, and his voice rose a bit:

"I'm strong, so I'll help modify the pirate ship too."

Giant Saul also strode towards Tom and the others.

.........

Day two.

boom!boom!

The heavy footsteps echoed far across the derelict ship island.

The giant Saul, carrying a broken piece of steel from the ship in one hand, trotted toward Tom.

Barrett reached out and took the ship from Saul's hands, while her other hand touched Sig's armored pirate ship, quietly activating the Fusion Fruit.

Instantly, half of the metal hull flowed towards the ironclad pirate ship like water. With a flash of light, the hull of the ironclad pirate ship suddenly became much thicker, and a new cabin was built out of thin air.

Tom, Franky, and the others watched this scene from afar, and they couldn't help but be moved.

"Incredible! What amazing power!"

"This is simply the perfect Devil Fruit for us shipbuilders!"

Even Tom, who had seen and experienced much, was deeply shocked at this moment.

Barrett's Fusion Fruit ability allows her to do far more than he imagined.

The ships he built, such as his own submarine, the Catapult, required no rivets or welding; the entire submarine was a single, seamless piece.

Moreover, using the Fusion Fruit's abilities is as simple as eating and drinking, and Barrett's work efficiency far surpasses that of Tom and the others.

"Amazing?" Barrett grinned.

"So Tom, do you think I can become the world's best shipbuilder?"

“This…” Tom hesitated for a moment before saying:

“In a sense, you’ve already surpassed me, for example… in modifying this pirate ship.”

Tom looked at Sig’s armored pirate ship with a sigh.

This is a pirate ship that was already fully built. Even Tom, the world's best shipbuilder, could only do some mending on the already completed framework.

But Barrett is different.

Using the power of the Fusion Fruit, Barrett can modify the ship at will. If he so desires, he can easily transform it into a submarine or a tank.

Even with Tom's exceptional skills, it would be impossible for him to do that.

Tom raved about Barrett:

"Your abilities are too great. You don't need to learn shipbuilding technology step by step. You can change the hull structure at will. Your work efficiency is greater than that of a hundred shipwrights!"

"With your fusion fruit, as long as you are determined to learn and master the knowledge of shipbuilding engineering, you may be more worthy of the title of the world's number one shipbuilder than I am."

"Really?" Barrett grinned, thinking to herself:

"It seems I'm one step closer to becoming the world's strongest."

..........

As the ironclad pirate ship underwent modifications, the day Tom faced trial drew ever closer.

CP5 Commander Spandam stood before a group of CP5 agents, preparing to head to Shipwreck Island.

"Has this day of judgment finally come? That stubborn merman should probably hand over that thing by now..."

Spandam muttered impatiently.

But just as he was about to set off with his men, a large group of people walked up beside him, led by his father, CP9 commander Spandam.