The virtual laboratory hummed with the silent, perfect efficiency of a machine world. Ben and Chopper stood before a massive holographic display, the air filled with floating strands of DNA that twisted and unravelled at their command.
"Look at this, Doctor," Ben said, expanding a specific red helix. "This is Sample 04—Sanji's blood."
Chopper tilted his head, his virtual avatar adjusting its glasses. "The platelet count is normal, but... wait. What is that protein marker? It looks... artificial. Like it was edited?"
"Sharp eye," Ben nodded, keeping his expression neutral. He knew exactly what it was—the latent, suppressed genetic modifications of Judge Vinsmoke. The exoskeleton of Germa 66. But that was Sanji's secret to tell. "There is a unique chemical compound in his blood. A stabiliser. It acts as a universal receptor."
Ben swiped his hand, dragging the glowing blue formula of the Super Soldier Serum over Sanji's blood chart. He then added the chaotic, feral strands of animal DNA. Usually, the mixture would destabilise, the animal instincts overwhelming the human host.
But when Ben added the synthesised version of Sanji's "stabiliser" chemical, the volatile mixture calmed. The helixes locked together like a zipper.
"It works!" Chopper gasped. "The rejection rate dropped to zero! We can stack multiple DNA strands without turning them into mindless beasts!"
"Exactly," Ben smiled. "We can create Chimera Stims. Multi-animal hybrids."
He then pulled up the charts for Luffy, Robin, and Chopper himself. He tried to apply the same Chimera formula.
The hologram flashed CRITICAL ERROR. The strands violently repelled each other, turning a sickly purple.
"It's the Devil Fruits," Ben sighed. "The 'Devil' inside the Lineage Factor is possessive. It doesn't share space with other animal spirits. If we give Luffy animal DNA, his body will tear itself apart at a genetic level."
"So... no upgrades for us?" Chopper asked, his ears drooping.
"Not animal upgrades," Ben corrected. He swiped away the animal DNA, leaving only the pure, glowing blue Super Soldier Serum. He applied it to Luffy's chart.
The helix glowed gold. The muscle density increased. The metabolic efficiency skyrocketed.
[COMPATIBILITY: 100%]
"The Serum works," Ben said. "It enhances the base biological hardware. It will make Luffy faster, stronger, and harder to kill. Same for you, Chopper. It will make your base forms more potent."
"Awesome!" Chopper cheered.
"Alright," Ben said, checking the time. "I need to go shopping. You stay here, Chopper. Monitor the reaction times on the serum. Simulate side effects. I'll be back with the raw materials."
"Where are you going?"
"To the grocery store," Ben smirked. "At the bottom of the ocean."
---
Ben opened his eyes in the server room. He stepped out of the pod, his body feeling light and energized thanks to the previous serum treatments.
"Merry," Ben commanded. "Activate the Fabricator. Project: Mark LXXXV. Material: Vibranium."
"On it, Ben!"
The robotic arms in the corner whirred to life. Ben had already synthesised the Vibranium ingots using Momo's creation quirk and Stark's molecular restructuring data. The fabricator began to weave the metal at a nano-molecular level.
Two hours later, Ben stood on the deck of the Going Merry. He tapped the triangular housing unit on his chest.
Nanoparticles flowed out like liquid mercury. They rushed over his skin, forming a sleek, red and gold armor. It wasn't bulky plates; it was a second skin of the strongest metal in the universe, powered by an arc reactor.
"Time to swim."
Ben concentrated. He visualised the shoreline of Little Garden.
CRACK.
He vanished from Merry.
He reappeared, hovering over the tropical waters of the prehistoric island. The heat hit the suit's sensors, but the internal climate control kept him cool.
He dove.
The suit hit the water with barely a splash, the hydrodynamic repulsors pushing him down.
Fifty meters. One hundred meters. The light faded to a deep, twilight blue.
Ben turned on the suit's floodlights. The beams cut through the gloom.
And there they were.
Swimming through the kelp forests.
For the next hour, Ben was a hunter-scientist. He collected DNA from the armoured fish (for durability) and from the agile sea reptiles (for speed).
He didn't stop there. He Apparated again.
To the jungles of Little Garden for Leopard DNA.
To the high cliffs of Falcon and Eagle DNA.
He travelled to the other islands, which he visited in minutes, collecting the building blocks of his crew's evolution.
---
Ben reappeared in the server room, the nano-armour retracting into his chest piece. He placed the sample vials into the analyser.
"Merry, upload schematics to the Construct."
He climbed back into the pod.
Inside the white room, Chopper was waiting, surrounded by floating screens of data.
"I got them," Ben announced, dumping a virtual crate of DNA strands onto the table. "Now, let's mix."
They worked with a feverish intensity. Ben's intellect handled the structural engineering of the serum, while Chopper's medical genius handled the biological synergy. They debated, tested, and refined.
"Usopp," Ben said, pulling up the sniper's profile. "He's a sniper. He needs to hide, he needs to see, and he needs to trap."
"Chameleon," Chopper suggested. "For camouflage. His skin can shift pigment."
"Good. And Golden Eagle," Ben added. "For the eyes. Telescopic vision."
"And... Spider?" Chopper asked. "Spiders are sensitive to vibrations. If he has spider-sense, he can feel enemies coming. And he can climb!"
"Perfect," Ben nodded. "Project: Phantom Sniper."
Next, Nami.
"She's a glass cannon," Ben noted. "She hits hard with weather, but she can't take a hit. And she needs to move fast to set up her clouds."
"Leopard," Chopper said immediately. "Fast. Agile. Explosive muscle power."
"And Electric Eel," Ben added. "To make her immune to her own thunderbolts. And to let her generate static."
"What about flight?" Chopper asked.
"Albatross," Ben decided. "They master the wind currents. If Nami can sense the wind like a bird... her navigation and her combat will be flawless."
"Project: Storm Cat."
Finally, Vivi.
"Cheetah," Chopper said. "The fastest runner."
"Falcon," Ben added. "Gives her aerial attacks."
"And... Dolphin?" Chopper suggested. "Dolphins use sonar. It would give her 360-degree awareness in battle."
"Project: Desert Valkyrie."
They initiated the synthesis.
In the real world, the machine in the server room began to print three distinct, glowing vials of liquid.
Ben checked the time dilation.
"Five hours real time," Ben noted. "Twenty-five hours inside. My brain feels like it's been scrubbed with steel wool, but we're done."
"I'm hungry," Chopper said, rubbing his tummy.
"Let's go eat. Then... we upgrade the crew."
---
Lunch was a hearty affair. Sanji had prepared a variety of spreads. The crew ate with their usual gusto, though there was a hum of curiosity in the air. Ben and Chopper had been locked in the "Magic Room" for hours.
Once the plates were cleared, Ben stood up.
"Team meeting," he announced. "Everyone gather round."
He placed a metal case on the table. The locks clicked open with a hiss of pressurized air.
Inside, nestled in protective foam, were several high-tech pneumatic injectors. Three of them contained swirling, iridescent liquids. Two contained a glowing, neon-blue fluid.
"What's the glowing juice?" Luffy asked, leaning in. "Is it soda?"
"It's power," Ben said.
He looked at the crew.
"Chopper and I have been analysing all your blood and creating biological enhancements."
"Enhancements?" Zoro raised an eyebrow.
"We call it the Chimera Serum," Ben explained. "For the non-Devil Fruit users—Usopp, Nami, Vivi—it combines the Super Soldier Serum with specific animal DNA tailored to your fighting styles. It will give you the powers of those animals."
He pointed to the blue vials.
"For Luffy and Chopper... because you already have Devil Fruits, you can't handle extra DNA. So, you get the pure enhancement. It will boost your strength, speed, and healing to the absolute peak of biological possibility."
The room was silent.
Nami stared at the vials. "You mean... we'll get stronger? Just by taking a shot?"
"Much stronger," Chopper nodded enthusiastically. "And healthier! Your immune systems will be super-charged!"
"That's... incredible," Vivi breathed.
"It's Ben and Chopper science," Usopp said, though he looked nervously at the needles.
Ben picked up the first injector—the one swirling with green and gold liquid.
"Usopp. This is yours. Chameleon, Eagle, Spider. Camouflage, telescopic vision, and danger sense."
Usopp gulped. He looked at the needle. It looked very sharp.
"Uh... wow. Sounds great. Maybe... maybe I'll take it later? After a nap? Or next year?"
Ben sighed. He leaned forward, adopting a challenging smirk.
"What's the matter? Is the Great Captain Usopp, brave warrior of the sea, scared of a little needle?"
Usopp stiffened. His lies were his armor, but they were also his pride.
"S-Scared?!" Usopp stood up, his legs shaking only slightly. "Who said I'm scared?! I laugh at needles! HA! Give it here! I will take part in your stupid experiment for the good of science!"
"Attaboy," Ben grinned.
Chopper hopped onto the table. "I'll do it!"
He pressed the device against Usopp's arm.
Hiss.
Usopp squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for agony.
He opened one eye.
"Huh? I... I don't feel anything." He flexed his arm. "Am I a spider yet? Can I shoot webs?"
Ben rolled his eyes. "It's not instant, Usopp. It's rewriting your DNA. It takes time to metabolize. Sit down."
Ben picked up the next injector—swirling with yellow, blue, and white.
"Nami. This is yours. Leopard, Electric Eel, Albatross. Agility, shock immunity, and wind-sensing."
Nami hesitated. "Eel? Will I get slimy?"
"No slime," Ben promised. "Just power."
Seeing Nami hesitate, Vivi stepped forward. She looked at the third injector—orange, brown, and grey.
"If this will help me save Alabasta..." Vivi said firmly. "I'll do it. Give it to me."
"Brave Princess," Ben smiled.
Chopper administered the shot. Cheetah, Falcon, Dolphin.
Nami, seeing Vivi's resolve (and realizing that if everyone else got super-powers, she'd be the only normal human left to carry the luggage), sighed.
"Fine. Give me the eel juice. But if I grow whiskers, I'm charging you."
Hiss.
Finally, Ben turned to Luffy.
"Captain. Pure Super Soldier Serum. No animals, just raw power."
Luffy didn't even wait for the explanation. He saw his crew doing it, so he was doing it.
"Okay!" He held out his rubber arm.
Hiss.
"And me!" Chopper said. He turned the last blue injector on himself.
Hiss.
"What about the Moss-head and the Cook?" Usopp asked, rubbing his arm.
"Sanji is... complicated," Ben said vaguely. "His blood needs more study before I can safely enhance him. And Zoro..."
He looked at Zoro, who was asleep in the corner.
"...Zoro is already a mutant. I tried to simulate a serum for him, and the computer just said 'Alcohol Content Too High.' We'll work on him later."
(A lie, of course. Zoro didn't need shortcuts. His path was the path of struggle. And Sanji's modifications were already waking up.)
Five minutes passed.
Luffy blinked. He rubbed his forehead.
"Ben... I feel... hot."
Usopp wiped sweat from his brow. "Yeah... is the heater on?"
Vivi swayed slightly in her chair. Nami put a hand to her head.
"That's the reaction," Ben said calmly. "Your bodies are burning energy to rewrite your cellular structure. It's going to feel like a fever for a few hours."
He stood up.
"Go to sleep. All of you. When you wake up... you'll be version 2.0."
Luffy yawned, a massive, jaw-cracking sound. "Sleep... sounds... good..."
He fell face-first onto the table, instantly snoring.
Usopp curled up on the rug. Vivi and Nami leaned against each other on the sofa, their eyes drifting shut. Chopper turned into his heavy point and curled into a ball.
Within minutes, the room was filled with the rhythmic breathing of the slumbering crew.
Ben sat in the chair by the window, watching over them. He felt the weight of the responsibility. He had altered their destinies. He had changed their very nature.
But looking at the dangers ahead—Crocodile, Enel, CP9, the Admirals—he knew it was necessary.
"Sleep well," Ben whispered. "You're going to need your strength."
Then he went to the virtual chamber to train for a while.
---
Poll
Should I change the animal combination or let it be
1. Yes (Suggestions for animals)
2. No