West Sea.
While sailing, Benedict received information feedback from Gourmet Island.
He was only slightly surprised that Lu Bu had defeated the Kuzan trio, but then, considering Lu Bu's current displayed combat power, it seemed only natural.
After all, he had already awakened Conqueror's Haki and could use Conqueror's Haki coating, which was something ordinary strong individuals could not contend with.
Such power was enough to fight Kaido.
Of course, whether he could win or not was another matter.
Being able to fight didn't necessarily mean being able to win.
"To have captured the Navy's most promising trio, that's quite troublesome."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku could ruthlessly initiate a Buster Call, but Sakazuki would not do so. As his capable subordinate after succeeding as Fleet Admiral, he would still be somewhat protective."
"We cannot engage in a full-scale war with the Navy Headquarters and the World Government yet."
Benedict rubbed his head, feeling a headache.
The capture of the Kuzan trio had completely exceeded his imagination.
Given their abilities, they should have been very good at escaping.
Well, Lu Bu was just too capable.
"Forget it, let's see what the Navy does next."
Benedict walked out of his office with a sense of helplessness.
"Brother Fleet Admiral, something's wrong."
"There are many pirate ships, and they've blocked our path."
As soon as he opened the door, an arm made of petals grew out of the wall, and in its palm, a mouth opened, from which came Nico Robin's anxious voice.
Upon hearing this, Benedict's Observation Haki instantly spread out, detecting many dense presences.
A moment later, Benedict arrived on the deck.
Concurrently, the pirate ships in the distance had already opened fire on the warship Benedict was on.
Benedict frowned, then his expression turned cold.
"Brother Fleet Admiral, their ships are numerous, and our warship can't withstand it. What should we do?" Nico Robin came to Benedict's side, grabbing his hand, her face pale with worry.
Benedict looked down at Nico Robin, a smile curving his lips, and said, "Don't be afraid, our warship can perfectly withstand it."
"However, we can't just be passively beaten."
Benedict released Nico Robin's hand and quickly formed hand seals, saying, "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu."
In an instant, hundreds of Benedicts appeared on the warship and the sea.
"Some of you, charge forward."
Having said that, Benedict then addressed the soldiers on the warship, "Artillerymen, aim and counterattack."
"Bring out the stones prepared for me."
As Benedict finished speaking, two people on each warship immediately produced two baskets of stones, each stone about the size of an adult's fist.
The Benedict clones on the warships picked up the stones and, using their Observation Haki, hurled them with great speed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The incoming cannonballs were all hit by the precisely thrown stones mid-flight, detonating them.
In a brief moment, the roaring explosions were like a fireworks display.
Dangerous and dazzling!
"As expected of the Fleet Admiral, but I can do that too."
Sakata Gintoki did not expect Benedict to steal the spotlight so quickly and said from the side.
As he spoke, a rain of swords shot out, incredibly fast and with astonishing effect.
"Wow, Brother Gintoki, you're amazing." Nico Robin clapped her hands in admiration when she saw that Sakata Gintoki could also do it.
Upon receiving Nico Robin's praise, Sakata Gintoki unconsciously glanced at Olvia beside him, his eyes lighting up with a touch of childlike joy.
Seeing this, Benedict's cheek twitched slightly, and he then cast a sideward glance.
If I had known you were so impure in your thoughts, I shouldn't have tried to comfort this girl.
The brilliant fireworks dissipated amidst the booming sounds, with almost nothing capable of damaging the Xuanwu warships.
Concurrently, Benedict's clones were rapidly moving across the sea, closing in on the pirates and the CP9 agents disguised as pirates.
"Attack them quickly, don't let them get close."
"As long as you hit their bodies, they will immediately disappear."
Those who understood the Xuanwu Navy would be shocked by Benedict's displayed power and familiar with it.
Walking freely on the sea, possessing immense combat power, capable of releasing hundreds of identical copies of himself, and possessing extremely high combat prowess.
Therefore, facing Benedict alone was like facing an army; he was an extremely dangerous individual.
Some recognized him and shouted, and the focus of the cannon fire shifted.
But soon, they found it to be incredibly difficult!
Benedict's clones were strong in speed, power, and overall skill.
In a short span, Benedict's clones had already boarded the ships, beginning to slaughter indiscriminately and destroy the vessels.
Facing Benedict's clones was equivalent to facing hundreds of Vice-Admiral level experts; a one-sided massacre began.
Without the bombardment of cannon fire, the Xuanwu Navy became quiet, calmly watching as Benedict single-handedly and effortlessly slaughtered the enemies.
"Brother Fleet Admiral, how did you do that?"
"Is this the power of a Devil Fruit?"
"Why are there so many of you, and why do you seem so powerful?"
Nico Robin stared with wide eyes at the pirate ships several hundred meters away, filled with disbelief and curiosity.
Benedict calmly replied, "This isn't a Devil Fruit ability; it's a cultivation system."
Upon hearing this, Nico Robin mused, "A cultivation system?"
"Can I cultivate then? Can I also become so many of myself?"
"This way, I could read many books at once and do many other things simultaneously."
"Perhaps you can," Benedict said, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "You are a user of the Flower-Flower Fruit, possessing a certain degree of creativity. Creating a clone of yourself should be achievable."
"However, whether the person you create can possess great strength is something you will have to explore yourself."
Regarding the Flower-Flower Fruit, Benedict recalled that it possessed the ability to create clones.
But he was unclear about the combat power these clones could wield.
Nico Robin hesitated, saying, "Explore? Does that also require cultivation?"
Benedict held up two fingers towards Nico Robin and said, "The development of Devil Fruit abilities lies in two points: imagination and action."
"Imagine the abilities you desire, familiarize yourself with your own power, and through practical action, through continuous creation and refinement, develop your own skills."
"The more powerful the ability, the greater the demands on your imagination and action."
"Therefore, you need to work hard."
"I believe you can do it."
Sakata Gintoki, who had walked over, and Buggy the Clown happened to overhear Benedict's words, and both showed contemplative expressions.
They were both Devil Fruit users, and apart from the initial skills gained upon obtaining their powers, they had very little special development of their abilities.
Especially Buggy, who had been lectured by Benedict about developing his Devil Fruit abilities numerous times.
For a moment, Buggy couldn't help but ponder the matter.