https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-629-The-Rising-Sea-Levels-Are-My-Fault/13464590/
Chapter 628: Petroleum!
Chapter 628: Petroleum!
Wano.
Several ships were anchored around Wano, which had been transformed into a fortress. A thousand Fishmen jumped into the sea, equipped with propulsion devices, and headed to the seabed to reach the foundation of Wano.
"First, we need to pry open the foundation."
Big Mom stood at the bow of the ship and said to Renee, "This device can pry open the foundation and then push it forward. Of course, we also need to consider that Wano itself is a weapon, not just a sea bed foundation."
Renee crouched down and tapped the device, which looked like a drill but was equipped with a propulsion system, nodding thoughtfully.
"It’s similar to my design concept. Is it about prying open the foundation by extracting energy from the seabed and then propelling it forward? What’s that black, gooey stuff?"
With a powerhouse like Big Mom around, Renee would be forced to learn even if she didn’t want to, especially since she was already very interested in this field.
Her dream was to build a ship that could navigate steadily and freely in any dangerous environment. The technology she learned could be directly applied to the Damnation Star.
These days, building ships with just good materials wasn’t enough. The old traditional methods had quietly become obsolete. Now, the trend was to build ships using cutting-edge technology.
After all, materials have their limits, but science can push those limits to infinity.
Big Mom was also eager to take on a young, energetic, and intelligent disciple, especially one who was only twelve years old and whose Devil Fruit ability was highly suitable for scientific research.
Power.
That’s the highest level of application.
"Mother Steel is used. It’s a material that can regenerate and cycle, and it only naturally forms once every three hundred years. It’s an excellent material. However, it has a drawback, do you know what it is?" Big Mom asked.
Renee was taken aback, "What drawback? I’ve studied it for a long time and haven’t found any abnormalities."
"Everything has its limits, and everything comes at a price. Even Devil Fruits, which are products of desire, come with the price of being shunned by Mother Nature."
Big Mom smiled, "Mother Steel’s characteristic is its ability to split and regenerate, with a virtually infinite capacity for transformation. It can be considered a ‘divine artifact.’ However, its price is ‘lifespan.’ It’s not meant to be a legacy item. No matter how much it splits or how much it contains, its lifespan is only two hundred years."
"After two hundred years, Mother Steel will wither and merge with nature, and then, after a hundred years of accumulation, it will ‘reborn’ in a new place. Because it needs to contain enormous energy, it usually appears in high-energy areas, such as lava fields or flowing magma, which inherently contain vast amounts of energy."
"Admiral Akainu’s Lava Fruit is called the most powerful in terms of attack, not because of its temperature, but because it represents the immense force and explosive power of a volcanic eruption. This is why Akainu is known as the most powerful attacker."
"As for that black, gooey substance, its essence is ‘petroleum.’ I call it ‘oil.’ It’s a material extracted from the seabed using sea beast machinery. Since it’s extracted from rocks, it’s actually formed from the remains of various organic matter buried deep underground under high pressure and low oxygen conditions."
"Simply put, it’s formed from dead bodies."
Big Mom’s eyes sparkled, "This is a recent discovery, but I had to put the project on hold due to the Primordial Fire Seed. Now that I’m here, I’ve started a new project. Unlike the Primordial Fire Seed, which won’t have practical applications for a while, petroleum can be used immediately."
He pointed to the substance inside the machine, "After refining, the oil can be used as fuel with simple processing. It can also be used to lubricate equipment and even to create road materials and waterproofing materials."
"Synthetic materials, cleaning products, pharmaceuticals, and even cosmetics can be made from it. It’s the ultimate ‘all-purpose’ material and the best energy source!"
"In a sea where even cola can be used as energy, it’s a marvel, but it’s still a low-grade energy source. It might be enough to handle ordinary ships, but to advance to the next level, we need a high-quality energy source."
He spread his arms excitedly, "Petroleum is a high-quality energy source! It’s definitely the future of the sea! Renee, you shouldn’t overlook the applications of Mother Steel. You understand applications better than I do, but I can suggest new methods. As for petroleum, you need to learn about its applications too. It definitely represents the future!"
"Universal Oil? Such a convenient energy source, doesn't it have any limitations?" Renee asked.
If there was an issue with Mother Steel, a universal material, why wouldn't there be any problems with petroleum, a universal oil?
"Reserves, it's non-renewable, or rather, its renewal process is extremely slow, taking millions of years. However, the good news is that the ocean is vast, and the seafloor definitely contains a large quantity. At least in the foreseeable future, we won't run out of this abundant energy source!"
Big Mom said, "By the time I can foresee the future, the Primordial Fire Seed will be in full use! Our future is definitely worth looking forward to!"
Renee blinked, even though she understood the old man's expectations, the gleam in his eyes still momentarily blinded her.
"About this."
She thought for a moment and said, "Does Sagel know?"
"Um..."
Big Mom scratched his head, "I haven't had the chance to tell him yet."
...
In the palace.
Sunlight filtered through the stained-glass windows of the banquet hall, casting a golden glow on the gilded lanterns that swayed. When the shamisen from Wano vibrated the air, two mermaid singers from the Dragon Palace Kingdom tapped their tails on the stage, their scales reflecting rainbow light that swept over the surrounding dance troupe and orchestra. The notes they sang seemed to materialize as light bubbles, rising and bursting into a shower of stardust upon touching the ceiling.
Carina stood in front of the two mermaid singers, leading the chorus with the accompaniment of various instruments.
Several dancers appeared in time with the drumbeats, their ankle bells ringing like a curtain of sound. A small mermaid dancer suddenly spun to the front, her toes touching the raised bow of a musician and then leaping to the piano keys, dancing to the music.
At the highest point, Sagel swayed to the music and the dancers, occasionally accepting snacks from the serving girls around him, who were dressed in various outfits but all revealing large patches of snow-white skin and ample curves.
"Sagel."
The lively and sensual atmosphere was momentarily dampened by the arrival of a tall, blonde woman. Everyone bowed their heads in reverence, staring at the approaching figure.
"I mean, Lily, I've entrusted everything to you, and you've handled it well. You can manage some things on your own. I've been fighting for years; can't I enjoy myself for a bit? What important matter could be so urgent that you need to tell me during a banquet?"
Sagel, who had been enjoying himself, didn't look up when he heard Lily's voice. He just took the wine glass offered by a nearby serving girl with a sigh.
"Do you know how overwhelming your aura has become? You've been killing too much, and your killing intent is almost tangible. I told you the way, but you need to hide it appropriately. It's also a form of training. Look, everyone is afraid of you the moment you arrive."
Lily's training was ongoing. Besides honing her 'Breath of All Things' and combining it with Haki, Sagel had mysteriously discovered a new path from the Golden Mist and had Lily try it out. Although the mist had only appeared briefly and then vanished, Sagel somehow knew about it and had Lily test it. The results were quite promising.
Cultivating and materializing killing intent.
Killing intent is a form of Haki, but its application differs. Most people's Haki is a manifestation of willpower or combat spirit, and very few use killing intent as their Haki.
The main reason is that there aren't that many people to kill, and the ocean isn't full of helpless lambs. Life is resilient, and while most can defeat their opponents, they often lack the resolve to kill.
Moreover, merely brutalizing the weak won't generate enough killing intent to serve as Haki.
But Lily is different. She never tortures her victims; she only kills those she deems worthy. Regardless of their strength, from a human perspective, they are 'strong.'
Lily has always had a lot of kills and natural killing intent. After Sagel gave her the suggestion, she redirected her killing intent to enhance her Haki, which led to her current state where her presence is suffused with killing intent.
Ordinary people might not fully sense it, but the instinctive fear and chill it induces in them are undeniable.
Thus, the moment she arrived, the atmosphere turned cold.
"I'm still in control", Lily said, taking a wine bottle from a serving girl and turning to the paused dancers and musicians. "Continue playing and dancing. There's no need to stop."
The music resumed after a brief pause.
Lily poured a glass of wine for Sagel and said, "Renee called. She said Big Mom discovered a new substance that can serve as an energy source before the Primordial Fire Seed is fully utilized. It's a superior energy source, very effective. I should have reported this to you about the raw materials."
"Energy? Materials?"
Sagel raised his wine glass to his lips and chuckled, "You’re not going to tell me you found petroleum, are you? As a complete substitute for the Primordial Fire Seed?"
"How did you know?"
"Ha!"
Sagel had just taken a sip when he immediately spewed it out, the wine splashing onto the tablecloth and splattering onto several dishes in front of him.
"Lady Sagel."
A few nearby maids wanted to come over to clean up, but they hesitated, seeing Lady Lily standing there.
"Out, out, out! Everyone, stop! All of you, go!"
Sagel waved his hand, dismissing everyone in the hall. He calmed himself down, took another large gulp of wine, and then, with a sense of urgency, looked at Lily.
"Really petroleum? What color? Have you refined it?"
"Blackish-brown. As for refining, apparently it comes in various colors, even transparent. Big Mom says different colors have different uses. Do you know about this?" Lily asked, puzzled.
Not just know about it!
He was intimately familiar with it!
Back home, countless evils were committed for this very resource!
"It can’t be. How could petroleum suddenly appear in the sea? If it were here, it would have been discovered long ago."
Sagel was puzzled. "Where did you get it from?"
"From the ocean floor", Lily replied.
"Oh, that makes sense." Sagel nodded.
After all, the current world was once submerged. The places people now inhabit, to put it bluntly, are the tips of mountains over two hundred meters high.
Even so, these areas are vast enough for a lifetime of exploration.
Moreover, people in the past likely wouldn’t have dug deep underground, as the sea’s resources were so abundant that they lacked nothing. The richness of these resources also determined the future of the sea itself.
The Great Voyage was something only the poorest and most desperate would undertake.
And now, even if Fishmen dive to the ocean floor, they wouldn’t think to look beneath it for anything, naturally leading to the undiscovery of petroleum.
"Great stuff! Have Big Mom keep the technology and teach it to the people below. Renee must master the application of this energy! With this, both civilian life and warfare can reach a whole new level!"
"Sagel, what exactly is it used for?" Lily asked, curious.
"Plenty of uses!"
Sagel was excited. "First, fertilizer. Volcanic ash and bird droppings will eventually run out, but with petroleum, we won’t have to worry about fertilizer anymore."
"For mechanical wheels, we use rubber, right? With petroleum, we can produce synthetic rubber. We won’t have to worry about resources; we can just ramp up production. The vehicles we found in the Golden Ship won’t need biological power anymore. I never liked that idea, but with petroleum, we can replace that energy source and mass-produce these things for larger areas."
"Building materials, pharmaceuticals, fuel, chemicals—all of these require petroleum! I’m sure Big Mom can figure out the related technologies. Tell her to put other research projects on hold, except for the Primordial Fire Seed. Focus all efforts on petroleum applications!"
Sagel stood up, stretched out his hand, and clenched it tightly. "With this, the Great Pirate Era and the Age of the Four Emperors will be a thing of the past. This will be my era! If we use it well, humanity will be divided into two! One will be human, and the other..."
Either kill him and stop the petroleum applications, keeping the sea as it is, or let Sagel lead the sea into a new era with petroleum.
"...will be savages!"
Either become savages or fall completely under Sagel’s control!
"Bururu bururu bururu!"
The Den Den Mushi rang out. A servant approached, holding the Den Den Mushi and bending down to lift it.
Lily took the receiver, and soon the Den Den Mushi crackled to life.
"Sagel. This is Worley."
"Oh? The Five Elders? What do you want now?"
"I represent the World Government. We formally invite you to Marineford for negotiations. We will be waiting for you there."
With that, the call abruptly ended.
"Good news just keeps coming!"
Sagel laughed heartily. "Everything is prepared. Not expanding outward would be a disservice to myself! Lily, prepare the ship. We will set foot in Marineford once again!"
(End of Chapter)
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