"What are you trying to say, Queen?" King asked, his brow furrowing as he felt a wave of irritation. Queen's words were starting to bring back some memories he would much rather leave buried in the past.
Queen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stole a quick glance at Kaido. Seeing that his captain's eyes were filled with genuine curiosity, Queen felt encouraged to go on with his explanation.
"It's pretty simple, really," Queen started, gesturing with his mechanical arm. "It's just like what Kaido told everyone back at Marineford. This world isn't fair, and it never has been. The power of a person's bloodline is a hidden force that shapes their entire life. We see it everywhere. The most obvious example is the gift of Conqueror's Haki. But it doesn't stop there. Think about the Fish-Men, who are born ten times stronger than any normal human. Then you have the Giants and all the other rare races scattered across these seas."
Queen paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. He didn't say it out loud, but everyone present knew exactly which race he was thinking of when he mentioned rarity.
"Even among humans, people aren't born equal," Queen continued, looking directly at Kaido. "Monsters like you, Whitebeard, and Big Mom prove it. That kind of unfairness isn't something you can change just by working hard or training more. It's a fate that's decided the moment you're born. Even if two kids look the same at birth, they'll grow apart fast. One might start using Conqueror's Haki while they're still a toddler. So, I had to ask myself: what is the actual cause of this massive gap in power?"
Queen took a breath, his expression becoming more serious. "I used to be confused about this myself. But that doctor, Hogback, the one Kaido brought back from Moria's crew, actually knows his stuff. He spent years dissecting and researching corpses from all sorts of species and monsters. His data confirmed what I've suspected for a long time. The root of all this disparity is something called the Lineage Factor."
"The Lineage Factor?" King repeated. The term wasn't entirely new to them, but the way Queen was framing it felt different.
"That's right," Queen nodded. "The Lineage Factor is a very strange substance. It's the same foundation Caesar uses for his Artificial Devil Fruits and the same thing Judge uses to create his modified humans. I first saw it back when I was working with those guys in the research group MADS. We found the substance inside the body of a Devil Fruit user. But back then, we made a huge mistake. We assumed that the Lineage Factor only existed in people who had eaten a Devil Fruit."
Queen sighed, clearly frustrated by his past self's lack of insight. "Our later research only made the mistake worse. In every test we ran, we only found the substance in Devil Fruit users. We couldn't find a trace of it in Giants, Fish-Men, or the Mink Tribe. It just wasn't there. It wasn't until lately, while I was working on the Green Blood project, that I had a long talk with Hogback. That's when I realized I had fallen into a major misconception."
"And what misconception was that?" Kaido asked, leaning forward.
"I realized that those races actually do have the Lineage Factor in their bodies," Queen explained. "But in their case, the Lineage Factor finishes its job and then disappears. It's different for Devil Fruit users, though."
Kaido's eyes brightened as if a piece of a puzzle had finally clicked into place. "Go on," he commanded.
"Yes, Big Brother!" Queen said with a grin. He looked around at the rest of the crew before continuing. "We call the Lineage Factor the 'blueprint of life.' It has that name because it holds a special power. It has the ability to make your body become free."
The group went silent. It was a strange way to describe a scientific concept, and they weren't quite sure what he meant by "free."
Queen saw their confusion and laughed. "I know, it sounds a bit weird when I put it that way. Let me try an example. Look at that sea beast over there. From the second it's born, its future is already set in stone. It can't choose to change what it looks like or what it will become. Its destiny is locked in. But the technology I have deals with the Lineage Factor. The more I master it, the more I can rewrite that destiny. I can modify its body. In a way, I become the designer of its life."
The crew started to nod. The explanation was finally starting to make sense to them.
"Devil Fruits work the same way," Queen added. "When a normal person eats one, it's like a tiny life designer moves into their body. This designer starts changing the user's body according to a new blueprint. It keeps working until the transformation is totally done. That final stage is what we call a Devil Fruit Awakening."
The eyes of the listeners lit up with realization.
"Now, think about people like you, Kaido, or Whitebeard and Big Mom," Queen said. "Think about the Fish-Men and the Giants. Their bodies were already transformed from the very beginning. The 'designer' finished the job before they were even born. That's why we couldn't find the Lineage Factor in their systems—the work was already done."
Jack, who had been listening intently, spoke up with a look of desperation. "Queen, if you know all this, does it mean you have a way to help me reach my Awakening?"
Queen shook his head. "No... I don't have that kind of power yet. That's actually the reason why Caesar's Artificial Devil Fruits can't awaken. Our blueprints are just cheap copies. Even if they are 99% accurate, that last 1% is a secret we just can't crack."
King looked at Queen, his expression guarded. "Then what does any of this have to do with me?"
Queen's smile widened. "Because you are special, King. Or more specifically, the Lunarians are special."
King stared back, waiting for the punchline.
"It's because I actually found the Lineage Factor inside a Lunarian body!" Queen shouted.
The crew gasped. This went against everything Queen had just explained about the substance disappearing once the body was "finished."
"It's incredible, isn't it?" Queen said, his voice rising with excitement. "I didn't get it at first. But when I was making the Green Blood and saw how many different Devil Fruit powers could be mimicked using your Lunarian blood, it hit me. I talked to Hogback and came up with a hypothesis."
"What is it?" King asked, his voice low.
"Hehehe, it's simple!" Queen laughed. "There's a reason your people were called 'Gods.' It's because every single blueprint in every Lineage Factor in the world was designed based on the Lunarians! That is why you can do what no one else can, King. That's why you achieved an Ancient Zoan awakening. Your race is the source of every miracle on the sea. You are the freest race in existence!"
Queen's wild words echoed across the coastline, followed by a heavy, eerie silence. Everyone turned their heads to look at King with newfound wonder and shock.
However, King didn't look proud. Even though Queen was technically praising his heritage, King felt a cold weight in his chest. If what Queen said was true, then his people's incredible power was the very thing that led to their extinction. They were hunted because they were the "blueprint."
Suddenly, a massive hand slammed down on King's shoulder. King turned and saw Kaido looking down at him with a warm, steady smile.
"What's the matter, King?" Kaido asked. "Are you getting lost in your thoughts again?"
"Big Brother... I just..." King started to say.
"Worororo!" Kaido laughed. "King, don't worry about it. You need to remember one thing: never punish yourself for the greed and mistakes of other people. The Lunarians did nothing wrong. It was the greedy ones who were in the error. Now, you have a chance to fix the past. You just need to work hard and make sure the Lunarian bloodline continues. If you do that, what happened before will never happen again."
King felt the tension leave his shoulders. A small, rare smile touched his lips. "I understand. Thank you, Big Brother."
Queen saw the mood lighten and let out a lewd chuckle. "Speaking of the bloodline, King, I heard Big Brother had Eneru find you a beautiful wife. How have you two been getting along lately? Are you making progress?"
A flash of genuine panic crossed King's face. He quickly turned to glare at Queen, his stoic mask returning. "You should finish showing your results to Big Brother, Queen. He's a busy man. Don't waste his time."
The entire crew burst into laughter at King's reaction. For a moment, they didn't feel like a terrifying pirate crew; they felt like a family.
Queen joined in the laughter, shaking his head. "Alright, alright! No problem. Now for the final result... the one I'm most proud of!"
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