I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 342 Celebration Banquet

"To be precise, they are two and a half great demons."

In the principal's office of Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Yu put down his pen and looked at Sora and Akira who came out of the lounge next door.

They participated in the Maluku Strait sniping battle by remotely controlling 'clones' and successfully repelled the 'Blood Hakama clones'; although that clone held back, as long as Yu didn't say anything, who in the world would know?

"What's it like in real combat?"

"That's terrible,"

Qiong Mei shook her head slightly.

"Our carefully prepared tactics were easily countered by the enemy; we don't know what attack will come next."

"If it weren't for the clones, we would have already been scrambling to escape, right?"

It was because they used clones that the two were able to hold out until the end.

"This is the battle,"

In response, You gestured for the two to sit down.

"Some people really enjoy the 'unknown' and 'excitement,' seeing it as the fun of battle."

Only battles between experts can get people excited; what's the point of stomping noobs?
Of course, this is the mindset of the strong; most people still enjoy beating the weak.

"It seems we are not suited for combat."

Xiao Ying also looked terrified. Controlling the clone to fight was so tense and exciting; wouldn't it be even more terrifying if she used her real body?
"It's alright,"

Yu simply waved her hand calmly in response.

"This is just to let you experience combat. Even with the 'secret technique' enhancement, you two Tiger-level warriors can't change the course of the battle."

The girls around him all had a lot of chakra injected into them, which is why they looked so strong.

But in a real fight, it might get overtaken by other Tiger-class vehicles.

Qiongmei and Xiaoying went to the battlefield just for fun.

The real breakthrough in life and death still depends on others: not only in battle, but also in the extraordinary beings in that sea area, who have secretly planned a lot of things that Yuu is 'watching' with great interest.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Maluku Sea,

This sea area is located south of the Maluku Strait.
Simply put, it's the rear of the battlefield where superhumans and the Commonwealth forces are fighting against the Nine-Tailed Fox.

On the high seas, various ships and warships circled around; on the large ground effect vehicle named 'Queen Anne's Revenge', a grand banquet was being held!

Western-style pastries, roasted and fried meats, stews and stir-fries—whatever the food, as long as anyone makes a request, top chefs from around the world will immediately prepare it and serve it to them; as for so-called fine wines? They are as readily available as water!
So-called 'luxury goods' are things that are valued by humans.

Besides, can the luxuries of the human world be compared to the treasures of the extraordinary world?
Fine wine brewed from Devil Fruits, cigarettes made from Hero's Water, and even diluted supernatural potions—these are the ultimate luxuries of the new era.

"Hahaha~~"

"Gentlemen, drink this cup to the brim!"

As the owner of this ground effect vehicle, Marshall Teach was in high spirits, raising his glass.

"Praise be to Captain Teach!"

"You are a hero of humanity!"

"Governor, we'd like to raise a toast to you as well—"

The extraordinary individuals on the deck also raised their glasses, offering a toast to the tall man in the center of the banquet.

Although many of those present would once they leave this place, it doesn't stop them from sitting together to celebrate this hard-won victory, after all, they are all human beings.

Faced with a common enemy, the Nine-Tails' forces,

Numerous nations and extraordinary forces had to unite to barely repel them and gain this much-needed respite.

"Will Luffy be alright on his own?"

At the table with Luffy's adventure team, the long-nosed sniper looked around nervously.

Eating and drinking on the territory of their 'great enemy'—it just doesn't seem right.
wow~
The 'King of the Nearshore' leaped out of the fish tank and swam freely in a pot of abalone soup.

"Don't worry, Luffy is very strong."

The navigator waved his hand.
Even when injured.

"Hahahaha~~"

"Eat, drink, and have fun to your heart's content, then head to the next battlefield!"

As Teach finished speaking, a group of beauties were brought aboard an escalator from the ship next to them.

People from all countries, of all body types, and of all personalities are, in a meaningful sense, representing the diverse beauty of all genders, from the rich and the poor to the beautiful and the delicate.

Not only were there beautiful women, but also handsome men; after all, there were women among the superhumans: seeing so many beauties, the eyes of the superhumans lit up.

Eating meat in large bowls, drinking wine in large gulps, having beautiful women in one's arms, and spending money like water.
What more could one ask for in a life like this?

Teach, however, had already left without a trace.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Long wait, everyone."

Pushing open the door to the reception room, Teach's gaze swept across the room.

Ruff, Old Man Song, Anne, Roman, General Horatio Nelson, Director Takeya, Fujiko
The real 'experts' are all here, each occupying a spot. As leaders of their respective factions, they certainly can't sit at the same table as those 'ordinary' superhumans outside: besides, they don't care about food and drink, they're more concerned about the future.

"Mr. Teach, is Mr. 'Empty' not attending the meeting?"

Director Zhu Ya, who had the 'Exploding Blade' beside him, spoke first. The 'Kong' he mentioned was naturally Jiu Kong Yao Ai.

However, given that her identity is too special, everyone pretends not to know who she is, even though they know it. Since Jiu Kong Yao Ai has taken the initiative to hide her identity and join the battle, why expose her?
"His Excellency does not like to communicate with people,"

"The same applies to Lords Qing and Xuan."

As Teach spoke, he walked to his seat and sat down.
His massive body sank into a specially designed sofa, his unfathomable posture leaving everyone puzzled.

It sounds like this 'Captain Teach' is quite familiar with those three mysterious people: Jiu Kong Yao Ai, known as 'Kong', is one of his honored guests.

"Everyone,"

"Cheers to the success of our first collaboration."

Teach raised his glass of 'Devil's Wine' and downed it in one gulp. He then put down his glass and, as the host, started the conversation.

"However, we also exposed a lot of problems in this cooperation; if other powerful demons had come, I don't know how many of them would be sitting here now."

This is the truth,

Sea serpents are incredibly strong, but they lack any kind of 'intelligence' and act entirely on instinct.

After being held back by Jiu Kong Yao Ai, Director Zhu Ya arrived and unleashed a barrage of attacks with her explosive blade, unleashing tons of damage with a continuous barrage of extraordinary explosions. With Teach also contributing, they finally killed the possessed giant python and forced the sea serpent back into the ocean.

The two "generals" created by Aiqiao Ailing—Neko-mata "Kumitsu" who loves to play and Kafka Illusion who insists on justice—are not the type to go all out and kill.

If it were someone with the 'Eye of God' like Toneri, or someone with the strongest bloodlust like Guren, the battlefield would already be littered with corpses.

This gave everyone present the possibility of fighting back. "We're still too weak,"

Luffy, the one-armed man, spoke first. His entire body was covered in 'cracks' filled with ointment, giving off a strong medicinal smell.

This is a side effect of his all-out attack; if the battle drags on any longer, Luffy's body will collapse first.

"At only the Tiger level, it is not enough to fight against a great demon, let alone drive out the Nine-Tailed Fox's forces."

The boy was clearly dissatisfied with his own abilities.
No no no,
You are already very strong.

The others cast curious glances over, and among everyone present, Luffy was undoubtedly the strongest in a one-on-one fight. With his 'Four Gates' open, his strength and speed were above average for a Tiger-level fighter; if he drank the 'Hero's Water,' he would soar to the level of a Strong Tiger, capable of going toe-to-toe with Kafka in his normal state—simply terrifying!
In comparison, their 'records' pale in comparison.

"But improving one's strength isn't so easy."

Old Man Song spoke up. He was the kind of martial artist who was meticulous and had been practicing hard for decades since childhood, advocating the accumulation of knowledge over time.

The current situation is that the Nine-Tailed Fox forces are attacking and conquering territories every day, with tens of thousands of casualties every day. They simply don't have any time to slowly improve.

"The Cervantes family does have some solutions to this problem."

Wearing a black suit, red tie, brown sunglasses, and blond hair, Roman interlaced his fingers and slowly opened his mouth.

?

Everyone turned to look at them.
To be honest, while Romain Cervantes' abilities are indeed formidable, his fighting prowess lies in his extensive network of connections, which allows him to acquire various high-tech weapons.

But now, with the promise of England, everyone can buy all of England's weapons at a cheap price!
Including the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier, if someone can provide enough extraordinary supplies.

England doesn't mind betraying its 'Queen'.

“My family has already cultivated ‘artificial Devil Fruits’.”

? !
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present had their pupils contract.

slap slap slap,

Roman clapped his hands.

Soon, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

After Teach, as the host, nodded, the door to the reception room opened; under the watchful eye of Teach's first mate, a man in a black suit strode into the cabin carrying a suitcase and walked straight to Roman, bowing deeply.

"Master,"

"Open it."

After receiving Roman's signal, the man in the suit opened the box he was carrying.

The box contained a pile of fruit, which at first glance looked like ordinary apples, but had rings of cloud-like patterns on them.

"This is an artificial Devil Fruit cultivated by the Cervantes family—it has the same effect as a 'Devil Fruit,' and can improve one's physical condition after consumption."

As Roman raised his hand, the man in the suit walked up to the crowd carrying a box: the meaning was clear.

Each of the experts took out a cloud-patterned apple and took a bite.

"That feeling is right."

It definitely feels the same as when you eat a Devil Fruit, but:

The feeling of improvement was much weaker.

"nice one!"

What is an apple to an ordinary person is nothing more than a cherry to the three-meter-tall Teach, who simply pops it into his mouth.

"Brother Roman, I never imagined you could create something like this so quietly! How did you do it?"

"Trade secret, no comment."

Roman did not respond to this.

He certainly wouldn't answer. Although the effect wasn't as good as the original 'Devil Fruit', it was a secret treasure that could improve one's physique!
Artificial Devil Fruit.
Roman, with his blond hair and sunglasses, had a serious expression.

This will be the opportunity for the Cervantes family to rise in this era.

Despite the fact that countries have been researching supernatural powers for so long, they still haven't found the key, but they have summarized quite a few factors that influence spiritual power.

Physical constitution and mental state both affect the improvement of spiritual power; simply put, a strong physique and an indomitable will will unleash stronger spiritual power!
Devil Fruits, which can enhance physical fitness after consumption, are naturally treasures sought after worldwide. Unlike extraordinary potions and extraordinary pearls, which have restrictions on consumption, Devil Fruits have no restrictions; one can truly become stronger simply by eating them.

The origin of this fruit is actually the food version of 'interstitial cells'!
Hashirama cells can be considered a panacea in the Naruto world.

Sharingan conflict? Hashirama cells!
Want to use Wood Release? Use Hashirama cells!
Not enough chakra? Use Hashirama cells!
It's practically a miracle cure for illness and a health tonic for those who aren't.

Its essence is the abundant change of Yang attribute: the injection of a huge amount of life force can indeed solve most problems.

While researching the 'Yang Release Nature Transformation', someone combined it with Wood Release and created these byproducts: they can indeed improve the physique of superhumans, with a huge improvement at the Dog level, an improvement at the Wolf level, and less noticeable improvement at the Tiger level. As for consuming Demon level...?
It's not impossible, it's just that we don't know how many years it would take.

Meanwhile, a member of the Cervantes family, led by Roman, happened to draw the water-based ability 'plant growth', an extremely rare ability.

Through continuous efforts, and with the assistance of modern technology, the family finally cultivated artificial Devil Fruits!
Moreover, the quantity is substantial and can be used as a bargaining chip.

As for why he doesn't eat it himself?
Of course I'm eating!
However, family members can't just eat and do nothing else.

Moreover, how much to eat each day and when to eat it to achieve the best effect were also topics that Cervantes' family studied.

"Everyone, I don't need to say more about how precious artificial demons are."

"The Cervantes family has shown its sincerity in order to resist a common enemy, so—"

Roman looked around.
what about you?
"I think your family should use better equipment."

Director Zhu Ya spoke first. Given his position, the so-called 'better equipment' naturally wasn't some technological creation, but rather:

"Weapons incorporating extraordinary alloys, vehicles made of extraordinary wood, and various extraordinary tools—whatever your family's needs, the Logistics Department of the Extraordinary Countermeasures Division can meet them."

Don't be fooled by the fact that Director Zhuya often works overtime to the point of fainting and looks like the ultimate corporate slave.

But as the highest-ranking official in charge of the island nation's extraordinary forces, he naturally possesses considerable extraordinary resources.

"We possess a batch of extraordinary pearls."

"Exchange with the Hero's Water"

Others chimed in, saying that this secret treasure, which could continuously improve one's physique, while not producing immediate results, could help one climb to higher levels.

In addition, this sea area will not lack battles in the foreseeable future, so there is no need to worry about the 'digestion' problem.

very good!

Roman remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was overjoyed.

In fact, his family had been researching and cultivating this artificial Devil Fruit for some time.

But he dared not take it out! Because the profits were too great, and he, a mere Shichibukai, simply couldn't protect it. He could only give it to the core members, and even then, they had to eat it secretly!

It was like having a golden bowl but being forced to beg for food while covered in mud—but now it's different. With numerous forces gathered in this sea area, they are mutually restraining each other and will not act rashly. As long as the Cervantes family survives this initial dangerous period and obtains various extraordinary resources, they will be able to grow rapidly.

The King of this Sea
The Cervantes family could certainly have a chance to compete.

(End of this chapter)