Infinite Anime [167-169] (Patreon)

Chapter 167: Making A Name At Sea

“Holy shit, is he cheating!?”

“How did he do that!?”

“Did some Tier 4 or 5 bigshot sneak in!?”

The three explorers on the ship exclaimed in disbelief, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

After all, to reach the upper echelons of Tier 2, they were considered somewhat seasoned within the space, and had a decent understanding of the rules for deploying explorers.

A massive derivative world like One Piece only gets fully reset after a long interval. The general rule is: if no one clears it, it resets at the end of the story.

This time, it was a freshly reset One Piece world, and they were the first batch of explorers to enter. The world was in a pure, unpolluted state.

In this situation, the space wouldn't throw in high-tier explorers to sweep the field. The first batch would only be drawn from Tiers 1 to 3—no exceptions for powerhouses.

It was mostly Tier 2 explorers, with only a few from Tiers 1 and 3.

But even Tier 3 explorers were just bigger fish in the new world, unable to stir up real waves. At best, they could earn some respect in the Beasts Pirates.

So what was up with this Gusion!?

He was a Lead Performer—a Calamity, no less, and as the fourth Calamity, even got the title "The Thunderstorm", which left the explorers truly shaken.

A bounty nearing 800 million—how are the rest of us supposed to compete?

After fighting tooth and nail in the North Blue, they’d only managed around 30 million. Now, there was already an explorer with a hundred-million-level bounty, who'd become the Beasts Pirates' fourth Calamity.

“Is he from our side, or the End Space?”

An explorer from the Divine Space asked worriedly.

“Who cares. We're not heading to the New World. Let the monsters kill each other. Anyone who wants to play with a cheater like that can go for it.”

The leader rolled his eyes.

He thought, isn’t this basically cheating? No matter Gusion’s actual strength, as the fourth Calamity of the Beasts Pirates, who dares mess with him?

If a fight breaks out, he won’t fight fair—he’ll just call the whole crew for a brawl.

Meanwhile, explorers all around the world also received updates to their bounty lists. When they saw Gusion’s wanted poster, they were equally shocked.

Those Tier 3 explorers who’d just found some success in the New World fell silent, and several elite Tier 2 explorers who’d just entered the New World started to reconsider after seeing Gusion’s face.

Everyone had similar thoughts: How are you supposed to play with this?

Better not get involved—just avoid him.

…

On an autumn island in the New World.

“Wait! I can give you my inheritance…”

A Divine Space explorer with a third eye on his forehead begged for mercy, but before he could finish, black spots crawled over his body, turning him pitch-black.

When his last breath faded, he collapsed in terror, leaving only a treasure chest behind.

A petite woman stood under a red maple tree, her body wrapped in black bandages, giving her a strange look.

After the explorer died, she calmly walked over and picked up the chest.

This was the fifth Divine explorer she’d hunted in this world—not out of hatred, but purely for profit and position.

Soon, there’d be a battle for the world between the End Space and Divine Space. The vice-captain of the Botanical Garden had ordered them to hunt down as many Divine Space experts as possible.

But as soon as Black Lily picked up the treasure chest, her danger sense went wild. Her enhanced combat reflexes saved her life as she dodged an attack from above and behind.

Turning, she stared grimly at a man crouched on a tree branch, smiling at her.

He wore a white suit, gold earrings, dazzling blond hair, and a third eye on his forehead—a trait unique to Divine Space’s race.

“Even Tier 3s aren’t your match. Looks like you're worth hunting.”

He smiled, raising a gloved hand, sending a chill down Black Lily’s spine.

Boom—

After a brief clash, the dust settled and blood dotted the ground.

The man in the white suit fixed his hair. “You’re pretty good at running—not bad for a special type. Should I chase her, or continue collecting bloodlines?”

Already far away and sailing out to sea, Black Lily tended to her wounds, eyes grave.

She saw the man at the port, smiling and waving. She responded with a middle finger.

Only when the ship sailed far away did she relax a bit. “Looks like the other side’s thinking the same. Trouble figures, huh…”

She knew who he was—Body Killer, a rising Tier 2 explorer from Divine Space, whose power had grown since entering this world.

Most of the Tier 3 explorers here had just reached that level, but Body Killer might be the strongest explorer in this world.

Even so, she was puzzled—why was he so strong!?

She’d gained many benefits since entering, her stats surpassing Tier 2 limits, but Body Killer was even more ridiculous.

According to her intel, he shouldn’t be this strong. Even eating a Devil Fruit in the One Piece world shouldn’t boost you this much—he was defying logic.

As she frowned in thought, a news-delivering seagull flew by. Black Lily raised her hand, and for some unknown reason, the seagull stopped flying and fell.

She picked up the wanted poster and scanned it. Her current bounty was 90 million Berries—not high for a side quest, so she felt she needed to work harder.

While flipping through, she froze at one face. “Gusion?”

…

While the One Piece world was in turmoil, Gusion was oblivious to the outside chaos.

He’d been busy helping build up Wano, enjoying himself.

Of course, he hadn’t neglected his training—daily sparring with Yamato, and now, thanks to his higher status, even asking Kaido for pointers when Kaido was in a good mood.

Kaido teaching was no exaggeration.

After a few sessions of tough love from Kaido, Gusion’s Armament and Observation Haki had grown rapidly. If he’d eaten a Devil Fruit, he felt his fruit powers might have improved greatly too.

Besides skill growth, his stats had also improved a lot thanks to daily “Soul Devourer,” passive meditation methods, and constant physical training.

After lunch, Gusion glanced at his current stats:

[Pioneer No.008, your base stats (with equipment and title bonuses):]

Constitution: 49 (+5)

Strength: 42 (+5)

Agility: 42 (+5)

Spirit: 48 (+8)

Charisma: 5

Luck: 2

[]

In just two months, his stats had transformed dramatically—a result of many factors.

The “Seimei Kikan” eating, spiritual pressure training, daily workouts, and high-pressure sparring.

Now, if he went all out, he could one-shot 99.99% of Tier 2 explorers, and even early Tier 3s.

Even sailing solo, he’d be considered a heavyweight in the New World.

And with the Beasts Pirates backing him, he could basically walk anywhere in the New World.

He could command everyone in the crew except the other Lead Performers—few explorers could stand against him.

For the first time since entering End Space, Gusion truly felt the joy of having a powerful backer. With a Yonko as his boss, and authority in hand, there was little he couldn’t do.

Kaido didn’t mind that he hadn’t eaten a Devil Fruit, and even sent people out to find him a stronger Mythical Zoan fruit after Gusion said he wanted one.

Gusion gave a simple reason: he felt the T-Rex fruit didn’t suit him, and believed Haki was king. Kaido was delighted—he shared the same view.

Of course, Kaido wasn’t stingy. If Gusion didn’t eat the fruit, Kaido wouldn’t take it back. It was already Gusion’s personal property, a reward. If Gusion didn’t eat it, it could go to one of his trusted subordinates—Kaido wouldn’t interfere.

“Lord Gusion.”

Fukurokuju’s voice interrupted Gusion’s thoughts.

“What is it?”

Gusion put down his bowl, already full.

Fukurokuju respectfully handed over a stack of wanted posters. He’d become more and more obedient lately. “We received these at the port—they have your name.”

“From the Navy?”

Gusion was curious. Flipping through, he saw the Beasts Pirates’ officers all had their bounties raised.

When he got to his own page, Gusion marveled at the World Government’s intel network. He’d never left Wano, and had been in seclusion these past two months.

Kaido hadn’t announced the new Lead Performer, but the wanted poster’s description of him was spot-on.

Fourth Lead Performer, The Thunderstorm: Gusion.

“Not a bad bounty…”

Gusion smiled. Compared to other Lead Performers with billion-plus bounties, his seemed modest, but this was his first bounty.

In One Piece, first bounties are always conservative. Like how Luffy’s real strength at the start of the Grand Line was far above 30 million, but his first bounty was set carefully—making it more meaningful.

The three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates didn’t start out with billion-level bounties either; their bounties were raised as their fame and feats grew.

Also, bounty amounts aren’t purely based on combat strength.

It’s the Navy’s assessment of threat. You may not be the strongest, but if you’re a huge threat to the world, your bounty will be high.

Like how Nico Robin had a 79 million bounty at age 8—not because she could fight, but because she could read Poneglyphs and threatened the World Government.

The World Government probably thought Gusion was helping Kaido and having a big impact, so they set his first bounty so high.

As soon as he got his wanted poster, Gusion triggered a new side quest.

[Side Quest: Fame at Sea]

Mission: As a pirate, your bounty represents your strength and notoriety—raise it as high as possible and become a legendary pirate! Rewards are given for different bounty tiers.

Difficulty: Easy to Deadly

Rewards:

Under 10 million: 10,000 End Coins

10–30 million: 30,000 End Coins

30–100 million: 1x Medium Legacy Crystal

100–300 million: 3x Medium Legacy Crystal

300–600 million: Special Title, +6 Free Attribute Points

600 million–1 billion: Random Devil Fruit Chest

1–2 billion: Conqueror’s Haki Aptitude Awakening

Over 2 billion: Special Return Reward

Failure Penalty: None

Chapter 168: Even Housing Is Assigned

Gusion’s eyes lit up when he saw the mission—as he’d already heard the End Space’s notification sounds.

[You have completed Side Quest: Fame at Sea, Stage 1 reward issued…]

[You have completed Stage 2…]

[You have completed Stage 3…]

…

The continuous notifications and the rewards appearing in his storage space left Gusion dizzy with happiness.

The mission was settled in stages, like an achievement chain in a game—claimable as you meet each goal.

With his current bounty of 790 million, he could claim up to the Random Devil Fruit Chest reward, plus all previous rewards.

He never thought that just by looking at a wanted poster, he’d instantly gain 40,000 End Coins, 4 Medium Inheritance Crystals, 6 Free Attribute Points, a special title, and a Random Devil Fruit Chest.

Except for the title (which would be finalized after returning), all the other rewards were delivered instantly. Gusion couldn’t wait to open the Devil Fruit Chest.

With his doubled luck, maybe he’d pull a Mythical Zoan!

“Well done. You can go now. Report the reservoir progress to me tonight.”

Gusion waved Fukurokuju off, then took out the chest.

He wasn’t worried about being seen—space-exclusive chests couldn’t be seen by people of the derivative world. At most, they’d just see him reaching into thin air.

Gusion rubbed his hands in anticipation and opened the chest.

[You have obtained Paramecia: Shadow-Shadow Fruit]

At first, seeing “Shadow” excited him, but when he saw it was Paramecia, his enthusiasm faded.

He checked the details: all Devil Fruits were epic-level bloodline items, giving a direct boost, but this one was underwhelming.

Its ability—turn invisible in shadows, but visible in strong light—seemed like a weaker version of the Clear-Clear Fruit.

Still, Devil Fruits’ true value depends on development. Who knows, maybe on awakening it could get stronger. As a base ability, it suited assassin-type explorers, so at least it could sell.

“Not great…”

Gusion sighed. While it wasn’t worthless, it was clearly less powerful than Kaido’s Ancient Zoan T-Rex Fruit, and probably wouldn’t fetch a high price.

Selling it wasn’t the main thing. He’d hoped for a lucky pull—a powerful Mythical Zoan—so he could eat it himself to strengthen his position and plan further gains.

Even though he didn’t get his dream fruit, Gusion felt better seeing the progress reports on his desk.

Now, all sectors in Wano were on track. The Numbers had dug canals connecting factories, solving pollution issues. Factories were operating, and the unemployment problem was being resolved.

At Gusion’s suggestion, a central reservoir was under construction—the Numbers were unstoppable, like living construction machines.

The ancient Giants, tens of meters tall, really could move mountains. In just over two weeks, the reservoir was taking shape.

Next, they’d use the Stone-Stone Fruit to build dams and finish the project.

Speaking of Pica, the Donquixote Family officer, he’d been working in Wano with his heart in his mouth.

Pirate information security was poor; soon after Gusion had announced the closure of the Devil Fruit factory, Pica had caught wind.

He worried that his boss would be targeted by Kaido, and as a family officer in Kaido’s base, he felt he couldn’t escape.

But after a few weeks, Gusion just had him work—no retaliation. This made him even more uneasy, thinking Kaido was plotting something bigger.

But whatever Pica worried, he couldn’t change things. In the New World, he might be strong, but in the Beasts Pirates, he was average.

Any Lead Performer could easily defeat him, so he just focused on his job.

How did Kaido really feel about Doflamingo?

After the meeting, Kaido was furious and drank heavily. If not for King stopping him, he might have flown off to deal with Doflamingo.

…

The next day, Gusion talked Kaido down, explaining that now wasn’t the time to break ties.

Doflamingo was cunning but still useful to the Beasts Pirates. Even if they stopped the Devil Fruit business, and were cheated, killing him now would be pointless. Better to intimidate him and keep using his network.

Wano’s weapon and seastone factories still needed Doflamingo’s distribution—now wasn’t the time to burn bridges.

Kaido realized this and, though annoyed, decided not to kill Doflamingo—for now.

Gusion, of course, didn’t tell Pica any of this. The Donquixote Family was cruel in Dressrosa, but Gusion didn’t have the energy to deal with them yet—though he could scare them.

With the Giants and Stone-Stone Fruit, the reservoir was progressing daily and should be finished by month’s end.

Meanwhile, Gusion didn’t let idle people sit around—he sent the jobless to work on real estate construction.

Early digging didn’t use the Stone-Stone Fruit, so Gusion used available manpower, having Pica build a new city, plus lots of houses in the countryside.

Pica’s powers had limits—without steel frames, the buildings weren’t earthquake-proof, so only low-rise buildings could be made. High-rises risked collapse in earthquakes.

Thus, the new city had mostly low-rise houses, with a business district and some residential areas, planned as a future commercial center.

Houses in the countryside were just homes for the people, to be distributed later.

Pica could only build rough shells; finishing required lots of labor and basic furniture.

Gusion assigned unskilled people to rough work, and skilled ones to finishing and furniture.

Most houses were 90 sqm, three-bedroom units, with two beds per room.

At first, people wondered what these houses were for, and if for sale, how expensive.

But when Gusion announced yesterday that all factory workers would be assigned a free house (right to live, not to sell), the people of Wano erupted.

Suddenly, factory workers became upper class.

Many in the capital had thought factory work was dirty and menial, but now, they were all moved.

Gusion was giving so much: high wages, great benefits, and even free housing!

The new houses were stone, not wood—warmer, better sealed, sturdier, fireproof, and much better than their old shacks.

Some even larger, more comfortable houses were for managers and skilled workers.

Now, everyone wanted to join the factories—but slots were limited and requirements high.

Want to join the weapon factory? Do you know what a lathe is? Do you understand steel processing? If you know nothing, why would we hire you?

With people eager to learn skills, Gusion pointed them to a newly built technical college beside the new city, with two programs: weapon making and seastone processing.

Crude for now, Gusion thought a smarter manager could split weapon making into a dozen specialties, but he just let the old craftsmen teach.

With the success seen from factories, Kaido no longer questioned Gusion’s weird projects—he trusted him completely.

The new school opened and many signed up, even with tuition. Three months of training covered all courses, costing 7 silver—recoverable in a month’s factory wage.

No money? The school offered student loans and full refunds if you couldn’t keep up in a month. Graduates could pay back in installments.

Gusion had set the bar low—almost anyone could attend, even beggars. Kaido might've seen that as a loss, but Gusion wasn’t running this for profit—just to train the people’s habits.

He couldn’t let them think everything from the Beasts Pirates was free forever. Otherwise, workers would grow lazy and unmotivated.

In short, people had to see factory jobs as honorable and hard-won, so they’d study and work hard.

Coming from a modern society, Gusion disliked extreme competition, but a society with zero competition would stagnate and stop developing.

..

Time passed, and in just over two weeks, the first batch of housing was ready.

Yesterday, Gusion had just finished the ribbon-cutting for the reservoir. Normally, Yamato would’ve done it, but she was away visiting remote villages, so she’d asked Gusion to handle it.

With everything on track, Gusion decided to suggest something new to Kaido.

After that, he could start planning his next move in this world.

Chapter 169: Kaido’s Speech

“What!? Build a sewage treatment plant?”

Kaido, sitting at the head of the table, looked unhappy at Gusion’s proposal.

“Why is Mr. Kaido so against it?”

Gusion was curious—he hadn’t even mentioned the cost yet.

“I’ve seen how factories handle this in some countries—complicated, expensive, and it cuts into profits.”

Kaido grumbled.

Gusion was surprised Kaido even knew wastewater should be treated. But Kaido just didn’t want the trouble or loss of profit.

“Kaido, you’re thinking about this the wrong way.”

Gusion explained, “In normal countries, treating industrial waste is a big expense—mainly manpower. But here in Wano, labor is cheap.”

He produced a document with his calculations.

Kaido glanced at it, surprised. “It’s that cheap?”

Gusion nodded. “Yes. Like I said, food is cheap. Our only real cost is grain, and our products are hugely profitable, so allocating labor for sewage barely affects profits.”

“Labor maybe, but doesn’t it require technology?”

Kaido reasoned.

“True, technology is the main cost. People alone can’t purify sewage. We need high-tech equipment at each factory for primary purification, then large-scale equipment at the river’s end for final treatment.”

Gusion spread out a map of Wano, showing the network of factories.

“That many devices will cost a fortune.”

Maria frowned at the map.

Kaido didn’t care much about the exact numbers, but waved his hand, “Let Doflamingo get the equipment. I’ll give him one hundred million Berries.”

Gusion grinned. “That’s the pirate spirit.”

“He’ll agree.”

King, sitting beside Kaido, added coolly, “He’s made plenty from artificial Devil Fruits. He knows what this means.”

Kaido wasn’t a pushover—he knew when he’d been cheated.

Now, they could squeeze Doflamingo for the equipment, making him pay back what he’d earned.

By Gusion’s estimate, that equipment was worth over five billion Berries in the One Piece world. Kaido would never have agreed to spend that on environmental protection.

But now, with Doflamingo as the target, he had no choice. As Joker of the underworld and Caesar’s direct contact, he could get the equipment cheap.

Whether Doflamingo wanted to or not didn’t matter—he was smart enough to be terrified by now.

“Glad you agreed, Kaido. I thought it’d be hard to convince you—I haven’t even mentioned the long-term benefits yet.”

Gusion smiled.

“There’s more benefit?”

Kaido was puzzled. He wouldn’t have agreed months ago, but now he fully trusted Gusion, believing every plan was in his favor.

“Of course. I said before, to achieve your dream, you need momentum. If foreigners come to Wano for tourism, they’ll see our prosperity—and our factories. If they see us dumping sewage directly into the sea, what’ll they think?”

Gusion explained, “That would hurt Wano’s reputation, and make it hard for you to recruit strong allies.”

“I see. If we anger other countries, rumors will work against us. When we raise an army, we’ll have no support.”

King mused. “Mr. Gusion, you really think ahead.”

For their grand plan, spending a little now was worth it.

“That’s settled then. Anything else today?”

Kaido was in a good mood, ready to drink.

“Yes, one more thing, Kaido: you need to visit Wano yourself.”

Gusion smiled. “The new houses are ready—I need you to hand out deeds to the workers without homes.”

Kaido was confused. “Can’t a subordinate handle that? Why me?”

Gusion was speechless. Kaido really didn’t get the value of appearances, but sometimes showmanship is necessary for a leader.

Wano was in recovery, and people were benefiting—but their only concern was their ruler’s reputation as a notorious pirate.

Even though Yamato was officially the shogun, everyone knew who the true power was—the Yonko, Kaido.

Kaido’s ferocity was legendary. To be a Yonko, people assumed he had to be terrifying and brutal.

But that image hurt Wano’s long-term rule. Gusion needed the people to change their view of Kaido, just as they liked Yamato as a good shogun.

If Kaido could be seen as a benevolent protector, recruitment of workers and soldiers would go much more smoothly.

Gusion explained a bit, and Kaido, though confused, followed along.

…

The next day, under bright sunshine, crowds gathered outside the new city.

With Gusion’s reforms, factories now had a two-day weekend—today was a holiday.

Kaido had initially resisted giving days off, but Gusion patiently explained the benefits of work-life balance, and Kaido reluctantly agreed.

In front of the crowd, a temporary stage had been built for speeches.

The eager crowd waited in order, not crowding the stage or shoving.

This was not just because soldiers kept order, but because everyone remembered what kind of country they lived in, and dared not make trouble.

“Look! Lord Gusion is here! He didn’t lie—we’re really getting houses!”

“Heavens above, I’ll finally have my own home—and not a wooden shack. It should last for years.”

“I can’t wait to move in. My wife and kids have suffered in the cold for years—we’ll finally be safe.”

“Long live Shogun Yamato! Long live Lord Gusion!”

…

As Gusion appeared, cheers broke out.

But the excitement quickly faded to silence.

Because behind Gusion, a huge figure climbed the steps—Kaido, dressed today in a black Wano-style robe.

Even the wide robe couldn’t hide his muscles, but compared to usual, he was dressed quite properly.

As he stepped onto the stage, everyone fell silent, a faint fear spreading through the crowd.

Everyone recognized him—the pirate who broke through Wano’s gates, Yonko Kaido.

“Everyone, calm down. As you can see, this is our country’s Guardian, Mr. Kaido.”

Gusion stepped forward. “This housing plan was carried out under Kaido’s orders. Now that the houses are built, the first distribution should be handled by Mr. Kaido—a historic event.”

Kaido stood beside Gusion, tall and silent, a stern face.

Actually, he was silently reciting the speech Gusion had taught him.

“Now, please, Mr. Kaido, say a few words.”

Gusion retreated a step.

Everyone focused on Kaido, but most looked down after a few seconds—he was simply too intimidating.

Not because of his looks, but because of his reputation and the aura he carried.

Kaido saw the reaction and silently praised Gusion for predicting it. He began speaking as planned: “Everyone, lift your heads.”

He tried to sound gentle, but his booming voice still made the front rows tremble.

“Why do you fear me so? Is it because I am a dreaded pirate? Or because I broke through this country’s gates?”

Kaido couldn’t memorize long speeches, and stumbled on the second line, but Gusion, hidden behind Kaido’s massive body, quietly prompted him.

“But think—who ruled this country these past years? Who invited me here?”

Kaido’s strong voice carried far: “I only sought a place to stay, never claimed to be shogun, never interfered with Orochi’s rule. But you all know how Orochi abused this land.”

At this, many in the crowd clenched their teeth in anger—they hated Orochi.

“Yes, I’m a pirate, one of the Yonko, ruling with strength. But even I couldn’t stand Orochi’s actions anymore.”

At this, Kaido’s face looked awkward—truthfully, he’d never cared about Orochi’s abuses, but he forced himself to keep reading as Gusion had told him.

“I too come from a poor country. I’ve been oppressed, and seen many oppressed people. My heart told me I could not stand by, so I overthrew Orochi, stepped forward, and vowed to liberate this country and bring happiness to everyone.”

With Kaido’s words, many in the crowd looked up, meeting the so-called King’s gaze for the first time.

They were just ordinary people, not versed in politics, and many were seeing Kaido for the first time.

They’d thought Kaido was just a cruel villain, but now, he didn’t seem so bad after all.