boom!
Just as Leliana decided to bring the Operation Fruit over, she saw a plume of black smoke rising in the distance through the window.
A few years ago, she would have thought that some reckless person had attacked, but now she's used to it.
Without a doubt, Wolf's experiment has gone wrong again.
Since Wolf arrived, Oran has assigned him a separate laboratory, the most notable feature of which is its explosion-proof design.
With more room to maneuver, Wolf began to let loose and started researching all sorts of strange and unusual things, blowing them up again almost every few days.
However, this small explosion is acceptable; Wolf's expertise is sufficient to handle basic weapons research and ordinary civilian infrastructure.
This way, Oran can focus his energy on more advanced combat aircraft and decisive weapons.
Occasionally, he would also study some personal items that only Oran himself was interested in; compared to the explosions, Wolf brought more value.
"Old Wolf's stuff has exploded again. What has he been researching lately?"
"It looks like some kind of electric hang glider, but it's not as good as Oran's flying skateboard. He's blown it up so many times and I've never seen him succeed in researching it. But this time it seems like he succeeded."
Ginny, without looking up, tried to defend her title of "King of Rice" while also fighting Bonnie for food. As Bonnie grew up, the burden on the cooks in the palace became heavier.
Fortunately, the chef team consists of androids who are unaware of fatigue; otherwise, the chefs would easily become expendable resources in this palace, the kind that die from exhaustion.
The rumor among the chefs has spread far and wide, and it has now become that whoever can make everyone in the palace happy and well-fed will be the culinary god of Piltover.
"It worked?"
"Hmm, look over there."
After finishing the last bite of her cream puff, Ginny pointed to the night sky and saw something emitting sparks and leaving a trail of black smoke flying towards the palace. It finally managed to make an emergency landing on the terrace.
"I apologize for interrupting your meal. It's all thanks to His Majesty's exoskeleton, otherwise this mistake could have been fatal."
Oran has caused its share of explosions in the past, and the scope and impact of these explosions were far greater than those in Wolff. It was only after the technology matured that similar incidents were gradually prevented from happening again.
Oran had extensive experience in preventing such incidents, so he provided Wolf with some protection to prevent him from dying in the explosion.
This indirectly led to Wolf's research experiments becoming more radical.
As for Wolf's reputation, humans are fine with him, but the cats on the island generally dislike him, thinking that this two-legged creature who often causes explosions isn't very bright.
"It's alright, sir, your invention..."
"Ahem, it's almost there, but the engine cooling is still a bit of a problem."
Ginny looked at the scrap metal on the terrace and found that she couldn't recognize some of them.
Wolf explained that his invention still had the same old problem: the cooling system was a complete mess, and even the improvements didn't make much difference.
"I won't bother you any longer. I'll go back and tidy up the lab first."
The laboratory is not too far from Wangcheng District. If it is too far, it will be difficult to handle emergencies. However, it is not good to put it too close, otherwise the noise will be unbearable for both the cat and the people.
Finally, Terra chose a similar location and dug a new underground laboratory for him.
"Well, we won't see you off. So, do you have any other opinions about retrieving the Operation Fruit?"
Leliana exchanged a polite greeting with Wolf and continued talking about her plans, which made Wolf stop in his tracks.
"Wait, Princess Lyliana, you just said... the Op-Op Fruit?"
Wolf, who was about to return to the lab, suddenly stopped and turned to look at the group of people having a meal together.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"You've already found the fruit of the operation?"
"Not yet, but the source is very reliable."
"That fruit is no ordinary fruit."
Wolf pulled out a board from behind him, unfolded it into a folding stool, and sat down. It was just a simple folding stool, only with a higher load-bearing capacity.
But Wolf named it "Sit Wherever You Want".
"The Op-Op Fruit is known as the 'Ultimate Devil Fruit,' and it is one of the most powerful Devil Fruits. Its greatest ability is not the ability to cure unknown diseases with miraculous surgery."
If that fruit's power is used to its fullest potential, it can perform an "immortality surgery," granting others eternal life.
Wolf took out a pipe to light it, but then remembered the palace's rule against smoking, so he put it away and started talking about what he knew.
"An anti-aging surgery? That sounds amazing! How do you know about this, sir?"
Leliana never expected that the old man who had been recruited by Orland a few years ago would be so powerful, even knowing such things.
"Don't underestimate me, old man. I may not be as good as His Majesty in scientific research, but when I was young, I also traveled around the world by ship and came into contact with a lot of information."
For a time, I was particularly interested in Devil Fruits, so I read a lot of literature and came across some records about the Op-Op Fruit.
"Wait, let me sort this out. The Op-Op Fruit can perform immortality surgeries, and this information has been passed down in historical records. Does that mean... there really is an ancient monster that has been living on this ocean all along?"
Ignoring Bonnie's gaze, Ginny stuffed the last cream puff into her mouth and began to think about something.
"I was unaware of that. Perhaps it is true, but the cost of performing that surgery is enormous. Not only must the Devil Fruit's power be developed to its fullest potential, but a great price must also be paid—one's own life."
The anti-aging surgery is a miraculous procedure, but it can also be fatal. Even ambitious individuals who desire it will cultivate someone willing to die for them to reap the rewards.
This is much safer than coercion or bribery; the fruits of surgery can save lives, but they can also kill.
To have someone perform the immortality surgery, you have to let the power work on yourself, which means you're completely handing over your life to someone else.
"The price of this fruit is high, yet there are still countless people who want it. The risks that ordinary people would face in obtaining this fruit are indescribable, but for Piltover, it seems to be nothing."
"The Navy offered 5 billion for this fruit, so the price is still too low. But you're right, sir, we're not afraid of that kind of thing."
The World Government wants the Op-Op Fruit, but only if it's a wild Op-Op Fruit. If it's already been eaten by a user, its value will be greatly reduced.
They couldn't guarantee that the other party could develop the fruit to that level, nor did they dare to easily entrust their lives to the other party.
In the original timeline, Law ate the Op-Op Fruit. From the time he became a Supernova among pirates to joining the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the World Government did nothing, except for Doflamingo, who kept thinking about it.
Even if the person ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, the World Government wouldn't immediately act rashly. Before the Gum-Gum Fruit awakens into Nikka, their actions won't be too drastic.
If Oran takes this fruit, it won't have a big impact. After all, the current Seven Warlords of the Sea can truly stand on their own and rival the Navy and the Emperors of the Sea.
The remaining Shichibukai filled the gaps in the mid-to-high-level officers, while Piltover was responsible for high-end combat power.
Of course, this situation is highly unlikely to occur.
"I didn't expect this fruit to be so powerful, so I definitely have to bring it back. I'll go over there and take a trip."
Leliana had already felt that the price was a bit strange. The starting price for a Devil Fruit is 100 million Berries. Under normal circumstances, a price of less than 1 billion Berries would be enough to acquire most Devil Fruits.
A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that can perform surgery is worth an astonishing 5 billion, and even the World Government wants it.
Now that Wolfe has answered her question, it has made her decision.
"Riley, how about I go with you? Bonnie hasn't left here for a long time since she was born, it's a good opportunity for her to get some exercise."
"No, Sister Ginny, you should find a chance to go out and have fun with Brother Xiong. Who knows what the situation is over there? If something unexpected happens, it will be difficult to handle."
Piltover's hierarchy remains chaotic, and Wolf was initially confused as well, taking some time to adjust to their individualistic approach.
"Are you saying I'm a burden? You've really become heartless now that you're all grown up~"
"Don't joke around, Ginny, that's not what I meant, but you really can't take a punch from me."
"How many people on this vast ocean could withstand a single punch from you?!"
Ginny wasn't wrong. Although the Rumble-Rumble Fruit is very powerful, a strong enemy could still distract Lyriana. However, it did serve as a reminder to Lyriana.
"But Ginny, what you said makes sense. It's good to have someone to look after you. Brooke doesn't have any performances lately, right?"
"No, he, Redfield, and Crocus are having an old men's party."
"That's good. I've taken Project Shiki with me. That's safe now. See you all in a few weeks."
Regarding permissions, Oran designed it very clearly: he himself has the highest level of permissions, which no one else can override.
Next are Leriana and Frankenstein, and Kate, followed by Ginny and Bear.
Since Oran didn't give any specific orders before conducting his research, it means that it's reasonable for others to direct Project Shiki to do whatever he wants.
If there are situations where Ginny needs extra care, Project: Shiki doesn't.
Her ability to fight doesn't mean she has to be reckless. A battle like the one with Whitebeard, where she establishes her authority, naturally shouldn't be interfered with by others. The same applies to a battle like the one with Kaido, where she tests the strength of her fighting.
When you can target a specific object, everything changes.
As the Navy and Doflamingo prepared to take their respective actions, on Firefly Island, two figures flew into the sky one after the other, heading towards the North Sea once again.
Note:
Hello everyone!!
I want to send my warmest New Year wishes to all of you. May the new year bring you all your wishes, along with good health and countless joyful moments with your loved ones!
Holiday Announcement:
To rest and spend time with my family, I will be taking a Lunar New Year holiday from February 15th to February 22nd, 2026. I will officially return on February 23rd.
During my break, I will focus on translating more new chapters so that when the holiday ends, I can release chapters regularly for you all!
Thank you so much for your continued support.
Happy Lunar New Year!