Chapter 78: You Shall Be Called BT-7274 From Now On
Child Emperor received the technical blueprints.
He went back with a face full of bitterness.
Why are all of Mr. Aokiji's orders these kinds of massive projects?!
He's still just an elementary school student!
Is it really okay to exploit child labor?!
The propeller spun leisurely, carrying Child Emperor as he flew.
The boosting effect of the special lollipop hadn't worn off yet, so he pondered which upgrade method to adopt.
Deployment in various cities, mounting onto satellites, increasing the device size... Child Emperor gradually flew further away, becoming a small dot until he disappeared.
Meanwhile, Aokiji had already boarded the cockpit of the giant machine.
Its massive body, standing tall on the mountaintop, was quite eye-catching.
Even outside the villa district, many citizens were curiously gazing from afar.
A child who had been lingering at the construction site, watching the excavators work and refusing to leave,
rubbed his eyes and excitedly shouted to the adult next to him:
"Mama, look! It's a big robot!! So cool!!"
"Whoa! It really is!" the young wife exclaimed.
The workers at the construction site also came out one after another.
On that distant mountaintop, due to the distance,
the sci-fi-looking robot appeared somewhat hazy and blurred, its contrast with the mountain below making its gargantuan scale even more apparent.
"If I could Pilot that kind of robot just once, I'd be happy even if my excavator could transform!" the excavator operator said enviously.
"You want all the good things for yourself," a co-worker joked. "If an excavator could transform, wouldn't it become a Monster!"
Throughout Z-City, there were similar curious discussions and observations.
Oddly enough, even though they weren't sure if this giant robot was a disaster attack, none of them were worried or afraid.
If you asked why...
This city was being guarded by the hero—Lord Aokiji!
"Activate Annihilation Mode," Aokiji commanded.
Vroom——
Vroom——
The moment the command was given, the energy systems hummed and buzzed!
The arms, shoulders, torso, and legs all deployed their outer armor, and countless weapons emerged from within!
Missiles, cannons, lasers, and other launch ports appeared simultaneously.
The energy core in the chest area rotated slowly.
The machine's overall size grew by a whole margin due to the deployed weaponry!
"Interesting," Aokiji looked at the 3D projection of the machine's form with interest.
"From now on, this mode will be called Monarch Mode."
[Understood, name has been changed]
A mechanical voice sounded inside the cockpit.
This was the basic AI function added during the upgrade.
"I'll give you a name too. You'll be called BT-7274," Aokiji said, thinking of a game he had played before. "And call me Pilot from now on."
[Understood, Pilot. BT-7274 at your service]
"Switch to other modes. Before that..."
A massive amount of Armament Haki surged from Aokiji's body!
It wrapped around the surface of the machine, attaching and hardening!
Fun is fun, but Training must still proceed simultaneously.
[Special energy coverage detected. Analysis shows energy originates from the Pilot]
[Alarm cleared. Thank you, Pilot, for protecting the machine]
"Switch to Melee Mode."
The weapons on the machine's surface retracted, and numerous thrusters at different angles emerged.
The mechanical arms extended a giant chainsword, with high-temperature energy and majestic Haki flickering and swirling around it simultaneously!
"This will be called Ronin Form."
Flight Mode was changed to Northstar Mode.
Firepower Mode was changed to Legion Mode... The giant machine ascended, flying to high altitude.
The chainsword swung, slicing through the sea of clouds!
Lasers surged, piercing through the air!
The massive machine unleashed its power as Aokiji controlled and familiarized himself with the upgraded functions.
Piloting a giant robot really is a man's romance!
Just as Aokiji was having a blast,
he suddenly received a phone call.
————
Kiiro tilted her head back, quietly watching the silhouette of the giant robot grow larger until it landed with a boom!
The ground trembled violently!
Once Kiiro steadied herself, the massive mechanical arm had already opened and stopped in front of her.
Kiiro stepped onto it and was gently lifted to the cockpit area.
She seemed to have gone home to change her clothes; she wasn't wearing the decent but somewhat distant brand-name clothing she wore for work.
A simple T-shirt and hot pants revealed a large area of fair skin, and her long, well-proportioned legs stepped into the cockpit with one stride.
Her hair was tied into a high, energetic ponytail that swayed, further accentuating her heroic and beautiful features.
Kiiro walked to Aokiji's side.
Her tone was as gentle as ever:
"Lord Aokiji, the upgrade is finally complete. I hope it can assist you in your future hero work."
"Do you want to try?" Aokiji asked.
"Eh, me?" Kiiro paused.
Letting her Pilot such a massive machine, wouldn't something go wrong?
But to say she didn't want to—that was naturally impossible.
Kiiro, who admired heroes, had also imagined scenes of her piloting the mecha of a hero character she played to carry out justice.
"But..." Kiiro hesitated for a long while before giving up.
"I'm not even very skilled at driving a car. Piloting such a big robot will only cause trouble for Lord Aokiji, so I'll pass."
"It's okay," Aokiji raised his head slightly and called out.
"BT."
[Pilot, I am here]
"Authorize Kiiro. She will be in control next. Assist her and ensure no accidents occur."
[Authorization target added—Young Miss Kiiro]
Kiiro looked around curiously for the source of the voice, her blonde high ponytail swaying playfully in sync.
Then she tentatively spoke a greeting:
"Hello, BT."
[Hello, Young Miss Kiiro. I am BT-7274, the auxiliary AI of this machine. Please Pilot with confidence]
"An AI was actually added in the upgrade, how amazing," Kiiro remarked in awe.
At the same time, she couldn't help but feel a bit eager to try.
She turned her head toward Aokiji, her exquisite face showing a bit of confusion and hesitation:
"Then I'll... give it a try? But what should I do?"
"The machine will synchronize with your movements. For other operations, just talk to BT."
"As for what to do..." Aokiji had BT adjust the visual display screen.
The image zoomed in continuously, making the distant buildings clearer and clearer.
Finally, the display stopped on a street.
Several workers wearing hard hats were covering the escape of a mother and child.
"You and your big mouth! My excavator really did turn into a Monster!!"
"Hey, hey! Didn't you say it first?!"
"Wow Mama, the excavator has become so cool too!"
"This... Mama can't buy the same toy."
Behind them,
the excavator, which had transformed into a humanoid structure, was fiercely swinging the bucket on its head!
"Dig, dig, dig! Whether it's the ground or humans, I'll hollow them all out!!"
The tracks forming the legs rotated,
rushing rapidly toward the fleeing group!
The bucket was raised high!
Just as the mechanical arm pulled the bucket down!
Suddenly——
A small missile fell from the sky at a speed that defied reaction!
Boom——!!
The explosion tore through the Excavator Monster!
Intense firelight bloomed from within its body!!
After swaying twice, the Excavator Monster, with a large hole blown through it, collapsed.
"I did it! Lord Aokiji, did you see that!"
Inside the giant robot hovering in mid-air,
Kiiro showed such excitement for the first time.
It wasn't a script, it wasn't acting.
Under Lord Aokiji's witness, she had defeated a Monster and saved the people!
Although it was with the help of technological power, this action was undoubtedly completed by her.
Like a dream, she experienced the feeling of being a hero.
Kiiro went from her initial hesitation and refusal to an inexpressible excitement in an instant!
Her overflowing emotions almost left her at a loss for words.