The newly completed "Anvil Workshop" in Totto Land had its furnaces burning day and night.
The workshop was built at the foot of the western mountain on Cake Island, with its back against the cliff and facing the bay.
The building itself was constructed from black stone shipped from Wano — thick, heavy, and extremely sturdy. Twelve furnaces were lined up along the walls, each two stories tall. Special coke burned inside the furnace chambers, raising the temperature so high that the air itself seemed to warp and distort.
Kaizer stood in the center of the workshop, watching the first batch of Seastone products roll off the assembly line.
Seastone handcuffs, gray-white in color, with natural spiral patterns on the surface. They were three times heavier than ordinary handcuffs, but their structure was delicate, with anti-picking mechanisms built into the locks.
Seastone chains, linked ring by ring, each ring carefully tempered. These chains exerted an extremely strong suppression on ability users — once bound, even a Marine Admiral would have to behave.
Seastone short blades, narrow and long, with a strange gray gleam on the edge. While they couldn't cut iron like famous blades, their effect on ability users was outstanding — not physical damage, but direct weakening of their abilities.
"Mamama! Good stuff!"
Linlin picked up a pair of handcuffs and casually tried to bend them — they didn't break. She added a bit more force. The handcuffs let out a strained groan but still held.
"Not bad!" She nodded in satisfaction. "These can be used for Katakuri and the others! Make them wear them during training so they get used to Seastone and won't fear it in fights!"
Kaizer chuckled. Making her own children train while wearing Seastone handcuffs… only Linlin would think of that.
"Store these first." He took the handcuffs back from her. "Prioritize supplying the guard team and personnel going outside. Totto Land is now legitimate, but the pirates at sea don't care about that."
Longbread walked out from the depths of the workshop. His small figure moved nimbly between the massive furnaces. In his hand was a long blade that had just been quenched, its surface gleaming with a cold blue-black light.
"Look at this." He handed the blade to Kaizer. "Forged using Wano's tamahagane steel mixed with rare metals. Sharpness rivals a good-grade blade, and the hardness is even higher."
Kaizer took it and gave a casual swing.
The blade sliced through a nearby anvil — not chopped, but cleanly cut. A corner of the anvil fell away like tofu, the cut surface smooth as a mirror.
"Good blade." Kaizer praised.
"This is just the beginning." Longbread wiped sweat from his brow. "Once the craftsmen get familiar with the process, output can triple. Not only can we use them ourselves, we can also sell them — Seastone products are hard currency on the black market."
"Sell?" Linlin's eyes lit up. "Mamama! How much can we make?"
"One pair of handcuffs — market price three million berries." Longbread held up three fingers. "Chains five million, short blades eight million. That's a conservative estimate."
Linlin sucked in a cold breath — not because she had never seen money, but because the profit margin was ridiculously high. Totto Land's annual tax revenue was only a few hundred million berries, yet the workshop could produce dozens of handcuffs in a single month.
"Mamama! We're rich! We're rich!" She clapped excitedly. "Hurry up and hire more craftsmen! Run it 24 hours a day!"
Kaizer shook his head: "No. Output must be controlled. Seastone is a strategic resource. If too much flows out, it will attract the World Government's attention. We are now a 'Legitimate Autonomous Territory' — we can't openly sell contraband."
"Then…"
"Go the premium route." Kaizer said. "Produce only ten pieces per month and double the price. Sell to underground world middlemen and let them distribute. We only deal with a few fixed merchants to reduce risk."
Longbread nodded: "You really think things through."
Linlin looked a little disappointed, but she knew Kaizer was right. Those World Government watchdogs were currently staring straight at Totto Land.
"Oh right." Longbread remembered something. "What do you plan to do with those two old men from Wano?"
Kaizer looked toward the workshop entrance.
Semimaru and Yoru were standing there. Semimaru was still hunched over, leaning on his cane, looking like he might fall asleep at any moment. Yoru stood straight with sharp eyes, scanning every corner of the workshop.
"Come here." Kaizer beckoned.
The two walked over. Semimaru's steps were slow but steady. Yoru moved like a cat, completely silent.
"From today onward, you two are responsible for protecting Perospero." Kaizer went straight to the point. "Semimaru, use your Barrier Fruit ability to ensure no attack can harm him. Yoru, transform into the appearance of an ordinary guard and stay close to handle close-range threats."
Semimaru bowed slightly: "Understood."
Yoru asked: "Do we have permission to kill?"
"Yes." Kaizer said. "Any suspicious person who tries to approach Perospero — kill without hesitation. But pay attention — if it's a resident of Totto Land, capture first and interrogate later. If it's an outsider… deal with them directly."
"Understood." Yoru nodded.
Linlin added from the side: "Mamama! If my son loses even one hair, I'll turn both of you into cookies!"
Semimaru didn't even raise his eyelids: "This old man will do his best."
Yoru smiled — a cold smile. "Please rest assured, my lady. In the Kurozumi clan, protecting the master is a rule carved into our bones."
Kaizer knew she was telling the truth. The Kurozumi clan had endured in Wano for a hundred years precisely because of this near-pathological loyalty — or rather, survival instinct. Now that Orochi had become shogun, their branch had finally risen, so they would naturally fight desperately to maintain the current situation.
And maintaining the status quo meant protecting Totto Land's future heir.
"Go." Kaizer waved his hand. "Perospero is currently in the castle garden. Longbread will take you there."
The two followed Longbread and left.
Linlin watched their backs and suddenly said: "That old woman… her eyes are very fierce."
"Yoru used to be the Kurozumi clan's assassin." Kaizer explained. "She has many lives on her hands. But precisely because of that, she knows how to prevent assassinations."
"Mamama! That's good then!" Linlin nodded in satisfaction. "My son deserves the best protection!"
She paused and touched her own belly: "This one too!"
Kaizer smiled and reached out to gently touch her swollen abdomen — it was already clearly visible after only three months. Linlin's special physique made her pregnancy progress much faster than normal.
"The second child…" he said softly. "Will it be a girl?"
"It definitely will!" Linlin grinned. "I've already picked the name — Compote! Mamama! I'm going to raise her to be the most beautiful princess!"
Kaizer didn't reply. He knew that in the Charlotte family, there was no such thing as a "princess." Every child was a warrior, a future backbone of the family.
But that was fine.
In this world where the strong preyed on the weak, beauty was a sin. Strength was the only thing that mattered.
Three days later, in the port district.
Three people wearing white masks stood on the roof of a warehouse, overlooking all of Totto Land.
They were the CP0 inspectors sent here, codenamed "White Crow," "Gray Falcon," and "Black Owl." White Crow was the team leader, Gray Falcon handled intelligence analysis, and Black Owl was responsible for combat assessment.
"The Seastone processing plant has begun production." Gray Falcon held a notebook filled with dense data. "Current output is unknown, but based on raw material inflow and outflow estimates, they are producing over thirty pairs of handcuffs, twenty chains, and ten weapons per month."
"They are going the premium route." White Crow's voice came through the mask with a metallic quality. "They only trade with a few fixed merchants at three times the market price. The buyers are all underground world middlemen, making it very difficult to trace the final destination."
Black Owl stood with his arms crossed, silent. His gaze remained fixed in the direction of the castle.
"That man called Kaizer…" Gray Falcon flipped a page. "Former Marine lieutenant who defected and joined Charlotte Linlin. His ability is unknown, suspected to be a Paramecia-type Ghost-Ghost Fruit, but the characteristics he displays far exceed those of a normal Ghost-Ghost Fruit."
White Crow was silent for a moment.
"Continue observing." he finally said. "But do not make contact. Orders from above: Totto Land is now a Legitimate Autonomous Territory. As long as they do not cross the line, we only record and do not intervene."
"What about the Seastone?" Gray Falcon asked. "Such a large outflow of strategic materials…"
"Record it. Report it. But take no action." White Crow repeated. "Our mission is surveillance, not enforcement."
Gray Falcon nodded and closed the notebook.
Black Owl suddenly spoke: "Charlotte Linlin is pregnant."
White Crow turned to look at him.
"Three months." Black Owl's voice was hoarse. "The fetus has extremely strong vitality and abnormal soul fluctuations. It may inherit special traits from both parents."
"Record it." White Crow said. "This is important intelligence."
The three jumped down from the roof like three feathers, landing silently on the ground and blending into the crowd.
Meanwhile, in the study on the top floor of the castle, Kaizer was sitting with his eyes closed.
Two IBMs — Shadow and Phantom — floated behind him. Their shared vision allowed him to "see" everything happening in the port district.
"They really are monitoring us…" Kaizer murmured.
He saw the three white-masked figures, saw them recording data, saw them discussing. Although he couldn't hear their voices, their body language made it clear that they were professional and extremely restrained.
This actually made him more uneasy.
If CP0 were investigating openly, it would mean they were only doing routine work. But this careful, cautious surveillance instead showed that the World Government took Totto Land very seriously — seriously enough to send their most elite intelligence agency for long-term infiltration.
"Kaizer."
Linlin's voice came from outside the door. She pushed it open, her massive body nearly deforming the doorframe.
"Mamama! Kaido sent people with gifts!"
Kaizer opened his eyes: "What gifts?"
"Several ships full!" Linlin said excitedly. "There's grain, ore, and… look!"
She pulled a fruit out from her chest.
It was a golden fruit with flame-like patterns on the surface, radiating intense heat.
"The Flame-Flame Fruit." Kaizer recognized it. "Where did Kaido get this from?"
"He said he found it in Wano's national treasury!" Linlin grinned. "Mamama! He said it was useless to him, so he's giving it to us as a gift!"
Kaizer took the fruit. It felt warm in his hand, like holding a piece of burning charcoal.
The Flame-Flame Fruit — Ace's ability in the original story, later inherited by Sabo. A Logia-type with powerful offensive capabilities and extremely high development potential.
"Who should we give it to?" he asked.
Linlin tilted her head and thought for a moment: "Mamama! Give it to Perospero? No, he's still too young. Give it to the child in my belly? No, we don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet…"
"Keep it for now." Kaizer stored the fruit in his storage space. "We'll decide when we find the right person."
He paused: "What else did Kaido say?"
"He said everything in Wano is going smoothly and you don't need to worry." Linlin said. "Kurozumi Orochi is very obedient, the samurai class has settled down, and the common people have food and aren't causing trouble. Mamama! He also said once the Beasts Pirates are formed, he'll invite us over for drinks!"
Kaizer nodded. It seemed Kaido's side was indeed stable.
But Roger and Oden would return sooner or later. That would be the real test.
"Oh right." Linlin suddenly lowered her voice. "Those three masked people… I've been feeling like they're watching me lately."
"They are monitoring us." Kaizer said. "But as long as we don't cross the line, they won't take action."
"Mamama! I'm not afraid of them!" Linlin glared. "If they dare cause trouble, I'll turn them into Homies!"
Kaizer chuckled, but his expression was serious.
"Linlin, promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Before you give birth to this child, don't clash with the World Government people." Kaizer said. "Your Soul-Soul Fruit ability will be affected during pregnancy. And… I don't want our child to be born in the middle of a war."
Linlin stared at him for a long time, then finally nodded: "Mamama! Got it! I'll listen to you!"
She touched her belly and grinned: "For my Compote!"
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