"Naruto-kun's body is truly incredible!"
"The complexity of his genetic information far surpasses that of ordinary humans, yet it doesn't exhibit reproductive isolation with humans."
"Honestly, I'm really curious... if one day he'd let me study him, that would be great."
Dr. Vegapunk was still excitedly describing his discoveries during the cultivation process when he noticed the maternal look in Stussy's eyes.
At that moment, the highly excited Vegapunk's voice suddenly lowered, as if unwilling to disturb this mother.
Even for him, it was the first time seeing his [Project 01] behave this way.
It really was surprising.
Despite being a clone with no past, no identity, she could now, as a mother, reveal genuine emotions.
This way, this child would become Stussy's third 'anchor point' for living in this world.
Right from the beginning of creating Stussy, Vegapunk had discovered her insistence on finding meaning for her own existence.
Back then, to give this new life a reason to live, he, as the 'father', assigned her a duty, a mission.
To act as an inside agent within the World Government.
Actually, Vegapunk's situation at that time wasn't that precarious… you could even say he was in a 'honeymoon phase' with the World Government.
But on one hand, to give Stussy a reason to live, and on the other, to prepare for the future, he chose to let Stussy use her most proficient skills.
Later, she met Naruto.
Stussy hadn't told Vegapunk the details of her story with Naruto.
But from subsequent interactions, Vegapunk could easily see that Stussy had indeed fallen in love with this remarkable young man.
Vegapunk was also pleased to see this.
Until now—
"He's so tiny... look at that hand."
The smile at the corner of Stussy's eyes was like a gentle breeze, impossible to hide, causing both Vegapunk and Lilith in the room to stare in a daze.
Coming back to his senses, Vegapunk also softly explained.
"Regarding the genetic repair, it went more smoothly than I imagined."
Upon hearing this, Stussy turned her head towards Vegapunk with pleasant surprise.
And he didn't beat around the bush.
"As I said before, Naruto-kun's genetic information is not only far more complex than an average person's, but it also seems to possess a 'self-repairing' quality that 'mortals' don't have."
"Ordinary people have a limit to the number of cell divisions. Each division shortens the cell's telomeres, which also leads to a limit on human lifespan."
"But Naruto-kun's cells can self-repair this telomere shortening caused by division."
"No... not just that. He can even compensate for the deficiencies in your genes."
Seeing that Stussy didn't quite understand, Vegapunk tried to explain in a more accessible way.
"Simply put, Naruto-kun's lifespan is almost infinite, like a true 'god'. Isn't that am... azing?"
In a sense, the identity of the son of a god was exactly the origin of the name 'Adam'.
And Vegapunk's words immediately made Stussy understand.
The first thing Stussy felt upon understanding wasn't surprise or happiness, but worry and... heartache.
"Meaning... after that woman and I die, Naruto will still live alone in this world?"
Even Vegapunk, with his low emotional intelligence, realized his blunder now.
He hurriedly tried to make amends, but couldn't think of a better way to phrase it.
Sensing Vegapunk's concerned gaze, Stussy quickly adjusted her mindset, shaking her head gently at him to indicate she was fine.
"It's okay, I just..."
Gurgle—
Whether by coincidence or not.
Just as Stussy was about to say something else, a bubbling sound came from the glass incubator holding Adam.
All three instinctively turned their heads, just in time to meet a pair of half-blue, half-green eyes.
"Adam!"
Vegapunk couldn't help but exclaim.
"This shouldn't be! The cultivation program isn't like this. Adam's cultivation period isn't over yet, there's still..."
"Calm down! Calm down, Vegapunk!"
Lilith also tried to help from the side.
But now Stussy had no time to pay attention to the flustered duo. She instinctively placed her hand gently against the glass wall.
At the same time, Adam, with his eyes open, slightly raised the small hand curled in front of him, as if wanting to touch his mother.
This scene deeply moved Lilith and Vegapunk.
But moved or not, the necessary parameter checks couldn't be skipped.
Finally, after a chaotic flurry, Vegapunk, panting, spoke to Stussy.
"Ev... everything is... normal. Little Adam is... healthier than I imagined."
"The originally estimated one-week time will also be shortened. Possibly within the next few days."
"Mhm."
Vegapunk's words went in one ear and out the other for Stussy. She only nodded mechanically, her gaze never leaving Adam.
Adam had closed his eyes again, his arm instinctively retracting to his chest, as if everything that just happened was an illusion.
But Stussy would absolutely not forget.
That heart-stirring feeling etched into her soul when she met Adam's eyes.
Perhaps because he was still so small, it was hard to tell whether Adam's appearance favored his father or mother more.
Adam was like a Persian cat… his left pupil was the blue color of Naruto's eyes, and his right was the indigo color of Stussy's eyes.
"He's so cute..."
In the past, Stussy had said similar things more than once while toying with her prey.
But this time, when she said it, it was filled only with gentleness and overflowing maternal love.
Perhaps even she hadn't expected to be completely captivated by this child at first sight.
Thoughts of comparing the child with Hancock to gain an upper hand were unknowingly cast aside.
Now, Stussy only wanted to watch her child grow up well.
Seeing the look in Stussy's eyes, Vegapunk seemed to remember something, hesitating to speak.
Because he inherited Naruto's genes, this little one's cells also possessed a certain self-repairing ability.
Whether he could 'live forever' like Naruto was unclear, but his lifespan would definitely be far longer than an ordinary person's.
'Forget it... better not say it now, lest this girl worry again.'
In the end, Vegapunk silently swallowed his words.
…
At night, the Vegapunk clones on Egghead Island gathered in the research institute, holding a party to welcome Stussy and celebrate the arrival of a new life.
At the long table, the seat belonging to Clone No. 6, York, was empty.
Stussy didn't ask about the final disposition of York, and Vegapunk and the others didn't explain.
Presumably, it was a rather unpleasant parting.
At the dinner table, the other clones, Pythagoras, Atlas, and Edison, all welcomed Stussy.
Among them, Pythagoras and Edison looked more like robots, wearing full-body suits.
But in reality, their bodies were still flesh and blood… otherwise, they wouldn't be able to eat at the banquet either.
The only noteworthy one was Clone No. 5, representing 'violence', Atlas, who looked like a little girl but whose actual height might not be much shorter than Kaido's.
To reserve a spot for her, Vegapunk had to proportionally enlarge even the dining table.
From this, it could also be seen that Vegapunk didn't treat the clones like 'subordinates' or 'experimental subjects'.
Similarly, one could imagine how sad he must have been when dealing with York.
"Stussy, when are you planning to marry Naruto?"
Atlas seemed to be bringing up an awkward topic unintentionally, suddenly mentioning this.
It wasn't intentional, just her personality.
And the other clones also perked up their ears at this moment… even the usually upright and serious Shaka was no exception.
"Hehe... that also depends on Naruto's wishes..."
Stussy chuckled lightly, not mentioning the competition with Hancock.
"Huh? Is that so? Ehehe..."
Atlas scratched her half-white, half-pink curly hair and laughed.
But at that moment, the entire laboratory suddenly shook.
The tremor was slight but had a tendency to intensify.