Soon, Mashi arrived.
As soon as she appeared, she ran straight into Mio's arms.
"Brother."
"Thank you for your hard work. Use your lightning power to activate all the robots here." Mio gently rubbed Mashi's head and smiled.
"Okay." Mashi nodded, but scratched her cheek and asked, "But brother, where should I release the electricity?"
"Anywhere is fine," Mio chuckled. "These robots are linked to an internal network. The ruins themselves are built to absorb lightning and convert it into activation energy—they won't break."
"Got it!"
Mashi nodded again, then no longer hesitated. She raised her hand, and bright blue lightning crackled around her body, surging forth into a nearby wall of the ruin.
The lightning spread rapidly, snaking along the ancient stonework like veins, pulsing through channels embedded in the walls. The energy traveled deep into the complex, reaching the robots scattered throughout the chamber.
A moment later—
Click! Click! Click!
One by one, the robots activated. With mechanical precision, a groove beside each opened, and a long, spear-like weapon emerged. Each robot seized its spear, turned toward Mio, and then—
"Sir!"
Their voices rang out in unison. Despite being machines, they saluted Mashi with human-like respect, then marched in perfect formation to stand before her.
"S-Sir?" Mashi blinked in confusion and pointed to herself, glancing up at Mio in bewilderment.
"No need to look at him. You are the 'Sir,'" one robot explained. "You have energy. We only acknowledge those with energy as our superiors."
Mio stood nearby, arms folded and smiling faintly. "Interesting."
These robots not only mimicked human behavior but also responded intelligently. Curious, he asked, "Were you created on this planet?"
The robot looked toward Mashi again.
Mashi quickly said, "Answer my brother's question."
The robot nodded. "Yes. We were all created by the scientists of Piruka. But when resources ran dry, a war broke out. Only one faction survived. They exterminated the others, then left the planet. We had no power supply left… so we entered stasis."
Then the robot turned to Mashi again and asked, "Sir, if your energy permits, please awaken the rest of our kind. They're still dormant in our city."
Mashi turned again to Mio, clearly overwhelmed. "Brother, what do we do?"
"Your city is Piruka, correct?" Mio asked.
"Yes. Deep underground. But we know where to guide you."
Mio's eyes gleamed thoughtfully. He was indeed interested in awakening the rest of the army. These robots could be incredibly useful—not just in battle but for their technological knowledge.
But before anything else…
"You were created for a reason, right? What's your function?" Mio asked directly.
"Our roles are varied," one short robot replied with pride. "We retain the core technologies of Piruka and its combat systems. Even though we couldn't defeat you, we are strong. And if you provide us with materials and energy, we can reproduce most of Piruka's technology. Our databanks preserve all of it."
"Combat, huh?" Mio smirked. "Then show me. I want to see how you fight."
The robots once again turned to Mashi.
She nodded.
In unison, they replied, "Please be careful."
The next moment, jets of blue fire erupted from their feet as they launched forward. In an instant, they were upon Mio, wielding their spears at blinding speed.
Whoosh—
Spears sliced through the air.
Mio calmly twisted his body, narrowly evading the strikes. At the same time, his eyes flicked toward a robot positioned in the distance—its eyes glowing ominously.
A pulse of light emitted.
Zzzap!
A laser beam—just like the Pacifista's in the original series—fired from its eyes, cutting across the moon's surface with explosive force.
The ground erupted where the laser struck.
Mio's expression didn't change. He coated his fist with Armament Haki, raised it, and punched through the beam with brute force, dispersing it.
But in that moment, his thoughts were racing.
"These lasers… Are they the precursor to the Pacifistas?" he wondered. "Did Vegapunk really invent them alone? Or did the World Government recover this ancient technology and task Vegapunk with restoring it?"
"Did they know about the existence of these robots on the moon… or have they forgotten their origin entirely?"
So many possibilities.
Yet one thing was becoming clear: the World Government has roots tied to the Piruka civilization.
And perhaps, just perhaps, Vegapunk's genius was only partially his own—an evolution of ancient knowledge.
The battle continued briefly, but to Mio, the robots' power was negligible. Against an ordinary pirate crew, they would be terrifying, but to him, they were like sparring partners.
After fifteen minutes, the robots halted their attacks.
"Apologies," one said. "We're running low on energy. We must conserve power for essential operations."
"It's fine," Mio replied, brushing dust from his coat. Then, calmly, he asked, "One last question."
"Do your databanks contain anything about the King? Or the most powerful weapon or creature?"