The New World, within Wano Country.
For the past two weeks, Wano Country had been exceptionally busy. Ships were constantly sailing into and out of the surrounding waters. These ships belonged not only to the Beasts Pirates but also to various other pirate crews, each flying a different flag. After passing the inspection of Kaido's crew, these pirates were allowed to enter Wano Country through the port.
The local citizens of Wano Country were clearly feeling the changes in their home. Many foreigners had appeared across the different regions—the Flower Capital, Kuri, Kibi, Udon, Ringo, and Hakumai. Udon, in particular, had seen an explosive increase, where the number of outsiders now seemed to surpass the country's native population. As a result, Udon had become the liveliest and most thriving area in all of Wano Country.
In other regions, after clearing the Beasts Pirates' inspection and receiving the required travel permits, the foreign pirates gradually began to spread out. Wano Country, with its unique, exotic culture, had suddenly become a kind of paradise for these sea bandits. The Flower Capital, especially, with its famed, beautiful geishas, captivated these pirates, making them forget their travels and their duties.
However, one location remained completely untouched by this new influx of activity. That place was Wano Country's original base of operations: Onigashima! Far from becoming lively, it had become even more isolated and heavily fortified, with an increased number of guards on alert around its perimeter.
Right now, Onigashima had been entirely converted into a massive scientific laboratory. All the highest-ranking members of the Beasts Pirates were gathered here. This elite group consisted of Kaido of the Beasts, the Captain, and the three surviving Four Calamities. Since this island had become Queen's primary research base, even the Tobi Roppo (Flying Six) no longer had permission to enter.
Inside one of the laboratory rooms, Caesar Clown was effusively flattering Kaido while presenting a small, yellow, banana-shaped object. The object, housed in a glass container, was notable for its special spiral pattern.
"Shurororororo, Kaido-sama, this is the first perfect Artificial Devil Fruit I've successfully created," Caesar announced with a boastful, wheezing laugh. "It's the Artificial Devil Fruit, Ox-Ox Fruit, Rhinoceros Form!"
Caesar's attitude had completely changed since he first joined the Beasts Pirates; back then, he was constantly looking for a chance to escape. Now, he had no desire to leave at all. He had become convinced that the Beasts Pirates possessed scientific technology that was far beyond his own understanding, perhaps even surpassing the knowledge of the great Dr. Vegapunk.
After Kaido gave the order for the three of them—Caesar, Queen, and another scientist—to speed up the development of Artificial Devil Fruits, Caesar, being the most skilled in the field, naturally became the main force. Though he was initially reluctant, he had been forced to contribute his prized SMILE Devil Fruit technology.
To his surprise, however, Queen did not show any envy for his work. Instead, Queen immediately recognized the severe side effects of Caesar's SMILE Fruits. What completely shocked Caesar was that only three days later, Queen approached him and presented a potential solution to those side-effect problems. Caesar, of course, was skeptical, but after they ran a series of trials, they actually succeeded. Together, they had created this perfect Zoan-type Fruit.
At this point, Caesar's suspicions were entirely confirmed. He was no longer willing to leave this new research haven. His first instinct was to somehow curry favor with Kaido to learn the hidden secrets of the Beasts Pirates. If that failed, he was prepared to obtain the technologies from Queen himself. Although Caesar despised Queen, his hatred for Vegapunk was even stronger. He had devoted his entire career to trying to surpass Vegapunk, and now, Kaido had suddenly offered him the hope to achieve that goal.
Kaido gazed at the Artificial Devil Fruit before him, which looked exactly like a genuine Devil Fruit. He felt a wave of satisfaction, knowing that the boast he had made during the Marineford War was finally coming true. Of course, it wasn't a genuine boast, as he still had the existing SMILE Fruits even if Caesar failed.
Eneru, who was standing behind Kaido, asked curiously, "What is the difference between this Artificial Devil Fruit and a real one?"
Caesar immediately puffed out his chest. "No difference... Wait, no, no, no... that's not exactly right. If there is one difference, it's that these Artificial Devil Fruits might not be able to Awaken".
"Can't Awaken!?" Jack questioned. As an Artificial Devil Fruit user himself, he was very curious about the concept of Devil Fruit Awakening.
"Yes, Jack-sama," Caesar replied. "The secrets hidden within Devil Fruits are far greater than we can currently understand. All I can do is imitate them. The most critical discovery we made is that real Devil Fruits actually possess a kind of will of their own".
"Their own will?!" Jack repeated, finding the idea strange. "Why don't I feel anything odd inside my body? King, did you feel anything special when you Awakened your Fruit?"
Among the Calamities present, only King had managed to Awaken his Zoan-type Fruit ability.
King paused for a moment, thinking back. He then spoke slowly. "I can't quite describe it. In that moment, I felt incredibly calm, and my mind went completely blank. It was as if the whole world had turned into a void. Then, I heard a sound, like a faint heartbeat. The instant I heard it, I felt a door open inside my body, and a rush of new power flooded out... That's the best way I can describe it. I don't know if that's what you mean by the Devil Fruit's 'will'".
"Is that so?" Jack frowned. He seemed to be trying to find that described feeling within himself, but he couldn't locate it.
Caesar, however, interjected. "King-sama is exactly right; it's that peculiar sensation. Dr. Vegapunk believed it to be a kind of special wavelength, similar to a radio frequency or the combination to a password lock. He thought that if you got the combination right, you could unlock the Fruit's Awakening. Unfortunately, Vegapunk tried, but he failed. Well, it wasn't a total failure; those who Awoke only turned into monsters".
"Monsters!?" Jack exclaimed.
"Yes, they became half-human, half-beast monstrosities with very low intelligence," Caesar confirmed. "But their strength and regenerative abilities were definitely enhanced countless times, making them incredibly formidable. Unfortunately, no one truly knows what that power is".
Listening to Caesar's explanation, Kaido immediately thought of the Jailer Beasts from Impel Down. However, that type of uncontrolled Awakening was clearly not what Kaido was hoping for. He wanted the kind of perfected Awakening demonstrated by someone like Rob Lucci, which was accompanied by the appearance of special flame clouds. Knowing he couldn't push the matter, he simply gave Caesar a congratulatory pat, effectively rewarding him for his efforts.
"We can discuss Awakening later," Kaido said. "How fast is the production of these Artificial Devil Fruits now?"
A hint of embarrassment crossed Caesar's face. "Kaido-sama, if we have all the raw materials, we can produce at least thirty Artificial Devil Fruits in one month. But the current issue is that the necessary ingredient for the Artificial Devil Fruits, the substance called SAD, cannot be obtained here in Wano Country".
Before Kaido could speak, Caesar quickly elaborated. "SAD is a very unique substance—an energy that must be extracted from the molten rock deep within the earth. Wano Country... just doesn't have the right geological makeup. Furthermore, it's best to extract it from underneath an Ancient Island. More SAD substance can be collected beneath islands with that kind of history. Actually, Punk Hazard is the most suitable location for the extraction process".
Kaido shook his head in response. "No, Punk Hazard is outside the Beasts Pirates' territory, and it's far too close to the Red Line. I'll find a solution for this issue for you. Just tell me, how many Artificial Devil Fruits can you still produce with the raw materials you have left?"
Caesar stated a precise number. "Excluding this Ox-Ox Fruit, the remaining raw materials will be completely used up after producing fifteen more Artificial Devil Fruits".
"I understand," Kaido said. "You go ahead and produce them. For these fifteen Fruits, I require that half of them be Zoan-type Fruits that grant the user the ability to fly. Can you do that?"
"No problem, leave it all to me, Kaido-sama!!!" Caesar roared confidently.
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