— — — — — —
『Hellish Blizzard』: Thanks for what you did for my sister.
In the chat group, Fubuki was thanking Veyron for giving Tatsumaki the Gene Lock.
『Hellish Blizzard』: I know this might not mean much coming from me… but if there's ever anything I can do, just say the word.
『Ordinary Human』: Don't be so formal—we're not strangers.
『Ordinary Human』: And besides... you didn't seriously think I was just talking big when I said "someone already paid the price for her" earlier, did you?
『Hellish Blizzard』: Uh… wait, wasn't that just a figure of speech?
Fubuki was genuinely confused—she didn't remember Veyron interacting with anyone else after arriving in her world.
『Ghost Spider』: What's going on?
『Earth's Cancer』: From what you're saying… Veyron, you actually did give Tatsumaki a Gene Lock too?
『Ordinary Human』: What else did you think I was doing when I made that quick trip back to my own world before heading out?
『Ordinary Human』: As for who paid the price for it…
『Ordinary Human』: That would be the will of your world itself. It offered me something so good—even I was surprised—just to get me to give your sister a Gene Lock potential.
『Hellish Blizzard』: The will of the world??
『Ordinary Human』: Yep. World Will.
『Ordinary Human』: So yeah, her Gene Lock is the real deal. Just like I told her—she can use it without worry.
『Hellish Blizzard』: ...…
Fubuki stole a quick glance at Tatsumaki, whose expression was already twisting into rage and embarrassment, clearly on the verge of going berserk.
Now she was really curious about what Veyron had said to her sister before leaving… but judging by Tatsumaki's mood, she didn't dare ask.
『Lady Avalon』: Hold on a second.
『Lady Avalon』: Are you saying you were already going to give her Gene Lock? Then doesn't that mean you basically got the benefit from the World Will… for free?? (serious.jpg)
『Ordinary Human』: Hey now, don't twist the story.
Back in the One Piece world, Veyron casually knocked his knuckles on the head of a certain white-haired succubus who was clearly just trying to be cheeky.
『Ordinary Human』: That's what we call "a fair trade."
『Ordinary Human』: Anyway, do any of you have someone on your end who wants a Gene Lock? I made a few extra batches of a special T-virus on my last trip. Think of it as a little something to share the joy. One slot per person. The only condition is—it has to be a pure-hearted girl~!
『Lady Avalon』: Oh, so now you don't believe in fair trades, huh? (Left-side-eye.jpg)
『Ordinary Human』: Geez, I didn't know you were this uptight. Just think of it as Fubuki's World Will already covering the cost for you guys too. (Right-side-eye.jpg)
『Lady Avalon』: Tch!
『Lady Avalon』: And what's this about "pure-hearted girls"? Don't tell me you're not actually a man but a—?
『Ordinary Human』: I'll give you one chance to rephrase that. (T-virus and Gene Lock upgrade serum in hand.jpg)
『Lady Avalon』: I'm sorry I was wrong please forgive me
『Earth's Cancer』: ...
『Catwoman』: That was way too real.
『Catwoman』: Honestly, I'd react the same.
『Ghost-Spider』: Can't be me—I know better than to mess with Veyron.
『Earth's Cancer』: She's got a point.
『Lady Avalon』: You traitors…!
『Ordinary Human』: Alright, enough messing around. Think carefully about who you're giving your slot to. You've got 24 hours to report back. After that, I'm taking it as a "no."
『Catwoman』: Got it! I'm out!
『Ghost-Spider』: Yeah… I'm heading off too. I'll come hang out again sometime. @Snake Empress @Lady Avalon
『Snake Empress』: Safe travels, Gwen-sis~
『Earth's Cancer』: I'm dipping too.
『Snake Empress』: Okay, take care!
Each person had one slot to grant a Gene Lock awakening—boosting the target straight to early Tier 4. With the stakes high, everyone quickly returned to their own world to figure out who deserved the spot.
Gwen (Ghost-Spider) organized an 18-hour internal tournament within The Web. The final winner would receive the Gene Lock.
Selina (Catwoman), on the other hand, just wandered the streets of Gotham, curious to see whether she'd bump into Harleen or Pamela first.
That decision may or may not have been influenced by a recent incident.
A while back, Selina had unknowingly caused a really tragic accident—while Harleen was treating a patient, she startled them by suddenly knocking on the window. Harleen's hand slipped, and the green-haired patient died on the spot.
Harleen Frances Quinzel, a former psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum. But ever since that "green-haired patient accident," her mind had changed.
She often rambled on about how their world was actually a comic book series… or maybe a rebooted movie universe.
She even performed bizarre, reality-breaking stunts—like grabbing invisible "speech bubbles" to leap from ground level straight to a skyscraper's rooftop.
Now, she'd taken over part of the green-haired man's former criminal empire and gone by a new name: Harley Quinn.
Thanks to her chaotic and unpredictable behavior—not to mention the eerie similarities between her and the poor guy she accidentally "killed,"—the underworld had already given her a new nickname: "The Joker Girl."
...
Meanwhile, Chika Fujiwara took a more straightforward route. After returning home, she sat her older sister Toyomi and younger sister Moeha down and explained everything—what the Gene Lock could do, along with all the risks, like potential gene collapse. Then she left the decision up to them.
Merlin's method was the simplest of all: she made a solo pick. She chose Artoria Pendragon directly.
As soon as Veyron finished explaining things in the group chat, Merlin returned with him to the Nasuverse, gave Artoria the injection herself, and even made her chug three bottles of the unlock serum for good measure.
Boa Hancock, on the other hand, immediately picked someone who had no clue what was even going on—Nico Robin.
"I thought you'd choose one of your sisters," Veyron remarked, clearly surprised by her decision. "After all, if you combined an awakened Zoan Fruit with a Tier 4 Gene Lock… you could basically create a true guardian Valkyrie for Amazon Lily."
"It still counts," Hancock replied, casting a calm glance at Robin. "We haven't known each other long, but I trust my instincts when it comes to choosing crew members."
"With her Devil Fruit and the processing power of a Tier 4 Gene Lock—practically a living supercomputer—it's not just about controlling a warship anymore. Give her a bit of time, and she could probably run an entire fleet."
Hearing Hancock and Veyron discussing something that probably involved her, Robin tilted her head in curiosity.
"Come here. Time to give you a shot."
Veyron smiled and waved her over, pulling out a custom vial of his special T-virus.
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