Capítulo 12: Chapter 12: The Ring of ability!
[Simulation Project]: Research on Eliminating the Weaknesses of Devil Fruit Powers
[Environmental Test…]
[Necessary Conditions for this Study: Lineage Factor Theory]
[Necessary Conditions Have Been Met]
[Simulation Begins!]
[Year 1: If You Take a Step Back, the Sky Will Be Clearer; If You Change Your Path, New Solutions May Emerge.]
You decide to leave Wanokuni and journey to Punk Hazard, where you seek out Vegapunk. Upon arrival, you present him with the results of your research, showcasing Shenhou, one of the Twelve Earthly Branches. Vegapunk, astounded by your findings, invites you to join his research team. Eager to solve the mystery of Shenhou's green blood, you challenge Vegapunk to a scientific duel. Intrigued, he accepts.
[Year 3: The Breakthrough]
Vegapunk successfully deciphers the enigma of green blood. Humbled by the discovery, he praises you as the world's foremost genius scientist, acknowledging that the invention of green blood is a masterpiece of true brilliance. In a moment of mutual respect, Vegapunk lays bare all his research on green blood, granting you complete access to the method of its creation.
Reading this, Edie couldn't help but smile.
"I'm truly brilliant, even in the simulation," he mused, savoring his coffee. Who would have thought I'd get Vegapunk to do the hard work for me? When i didn't even have a Clue in the first place.
He continued reading, intrigued by what was next.
[Year 4: Further Exploration]
You remain at Punk Hazard, delving deeper into the mysteries of green blood alongside Vegapunk. You pose a question:
"Is it possible for a non-Devil Fruit user to wield different abilities by swapping their green blood?"
Vegapunk is electrified by this idea, labeling it as nothing short of genius.
[Year 9: A New Discovery]
Together, you and Vegapunk develop a new variant of green blood. Unlike its predecessor, this one is a deep blue, reminiscent of the sea, which you aptly name "Blue Blood." This revolutionary substance allows any non-Devil Fruit user to temporarily gain a corresponding Devil Fruit ability by injecting a small amount of Blue Blood into their body.
However, there's a catch—the Blue Blood device is massive, comparable in size to the steam engines used in large paddle steamers, making it impractical for everyday use. You immediately begin researching miniaturization.
[Year 16: Miniaturization Success]
Your relentless pursuit of miniaturization pays off. The Blue Blood device has been shrunk from the size of a steam engine to that of a bracelet. Yet, you find yourself still unsatisfied.
[Year 18: The Third Generation]
You develop the third-generation Blue Blood device, now as small as a ring, which you dub the "Ring of Ability." Vegapunk is awestruck, believing your research has the potential to completely reshape the world.
However, you remain cautious.
"Blue Blood can currently only replicate Zoan and Paramecia abilities. We've yet to crack the code for Logia-type abilities."
You invite Vegapunk to continue the research with you.
[Year 20: The Split]
Your groundbreaking research catches the attention of the World Government. Feeling the pressure, you part ways with Vegapunk and continue your work in secret on cloning Logia abilities.
[Year 63: The End]
Your life reaches its natural end at the age of 87.
[Research Failed]
The simulation ended, leaving Edie to reflect on the journey. The complex and revolutionary research, though groundbreaking, ultimately didn't achieve the final goal within his lifetime.
Edie was stunned. The reversal had come so swiftly that it left him momentarily disoriented.
Is it really this challenging to create Logia's blue blood?
Even with Vegapunk's help, they couldn't crack the mystery. After their separation, Edie continued to study the problem alone for another 43 years, but still, he couldn't solve it.
Logia…
An exceptionally rare class among Devil Fruits. Its uniqueness made it all the more difficult to replicate.
"Forget it," Edie sighed, regaining his composure. "Let's set aside the Logia issue and try again."
He was calm, recognizing that in scientific research, failure is the norm, and success is the exception.
The third simulation began.
[Year 18: The Breakthrough]
You developed the Third Generation blue blood device, christening it the "Ability Ring." Realizing the futility of Logia's blue blood creation, you decided to temporarily abandon that endeavor. Instead, you turned your attention to the vast collection of blood samples you had preserved from various ability users.
With these, you created:
Ability Ring·Azure Dragon.
Ability Ring: Yamata no Orochi.
Ability Ring·Pteranodon.
Ability Ring·Time.
Ability Ring·Imitation
[End of Simulation]
By foregoing the pursuit of Logia blue blood, this simulation finally yielded success.
Checkout Screen:
[Total Research Funds Consumed]: 35.2 billion Baileys
[Reward for this Research…]
[Payment Required?...]
No.
Edie declined the payment option, muttering to himself in surprise, "Seeing research costs in just the billions feels almost… unsettling."
In the previous simulations, his projects had effortlessly reached hundreds of billions. Perhaps it was the advantage of working under the aegis of a well-funded institution like Punk Hazard, with all the facilities readily available, that had kept costs lower.
[Additional Reward]: Ability Ring x5
He accepted.
A flash of white light later, five rings materialized in Edie's palm. Identical in shape, each was a seamless, pristine white band, with only the names of their respective abilities engraved on the inner rings.
They were labeled: Azure Dragon, Yamata no Orochi, Pteranodon, Time, and Imitation.
"Is this an ability ring? It's so precisely crafted… You can't even see the gaps—if there are any, they must be as thin as a few strands of hair!"
Edie continued to scrutinize the rings, utterly amazed.
A single hair's thickness is about 0.01 millimeters, meaning the gap between the mechanical structures of these rings was only a few tenths of a millimeter at most. It was a marvel of precision engineering.
All Edie could do was silently praise his own brilliance.
"As long as I pay 35.2 billion… I can master the corresponding knowledge and technology!"
Edie pondered for a moment, weighing the decision before concluding that it was well worth the investment. Securing the necessary funds would mean a trip to Skypiea—where vast amounts of gold lay abandoned and ripe for the taking. Why not make the most of it?
"Now that I have it, how should I use it?"
After some study, he figured out the mechanism. Edie slipped the ability ring labeled "Time" onto his left little finger and turned it half a rotation clockwise. Instantly, a tiny needle emerged from inside the ring, pricking his fingertip. Unseen by Edie, the ring injected blue blood into his body.
At that moment, Edie gained the powers of the "Time Fruit."
He picked up his coffee and focused on it intently. In the blink of an eye, the coffee vanished, sent forward in time.
"I see… I think I understand."
Edie was intrigued.
The ring's mechanism was simple: turn it half a rotation to activate the ability, and another half rotation to deactivate it. While activated, he would wield the corresponding power. Yet, even with this impressive functionality, the device had its limitations.
First, it allowed him to use only one ability at a time. Additionally, the blue blood fueling the power would deplete within an hour if left activated.
"It's incredible. Despite its flaws, this invention rivals the Seraphims in significance!"
However, Edie noted, blue blood was a consumable resource that would need regular replenishment.
"And… each time the ability is switched, it takes about five seconds to take effect."
Five seconds—a fleeting interval in everyday life, but an eternity in the heat of battle, where every second counts.
After several tests, Edie had a comprehensive understanding of the ability ring's strengths and weaknesses. Overall, the pros and cons balanced out. The ring did offer a solution to one major problem: it mitigated the inherent vulnerability of Devil Fruit users to seawater. As long as the ring remained deactivated, its wearer would be considered a non-ability user, immune to the debilitating effects of seawater and seastone.
This is the power of science!!
"There's room for improvement. Perhaps the Fourth or Fifth Generation could refine it further… but that's for another time."
With that, Edie shook his head, leaving the institute. He had more immediate concerns—like grabbing some breakfast from the street vendors.
Edie returned to the second floor of the institute, balancing a tray of food in his hands. Outside one of the guest rooms, Chenlong and Shenhou stood like imposing sentinels, guarding the door.
"Where's the female ninja?" Edie asked as he handed them breakfast.
"She's inside," Chenlong replied, immediately producing a key. "Sir Heavenly Father, do you wish to enter?"
"Shenhou, take this food to Toki and the others. Chenlong, you come with me."
Edie stepped into the room, where A Nin was huddled in a corner, her body tightly bound in chains.
"Ugh!"
A Nin, her mouth gagged, mumbled incoherently, her eyes wide with fear as she watched Edie approach. He calmly placed a breakfast tray in front of her.
"Let's start with a blood draw, Miss A Nin," Edie said with a slight smile, retrieving a blood collection needle. Without hesitation, he drew a vial of blood from her arm.
A Nin squirmed in panic, her fear of the unknown growing by the second.
"It's just a blood draw; there's no need to be afraid. Think of it as donating blood," Edie remarked, rolling his eyes at her overreaction. He carefully stored the filled syringe and then removed the gag from her mouth.
"You… you… what are you planning to do?" A Nin stammered, her voice trembling with terror.
"You're a Ripe-Ripe Fruit user, correct? I brought you here because I need your help," Edie explained, his tone gentle as he gestured to the breakfast beside her. "This is for you. Oh, and I'm sorry about the chains… Chenlong, please release her."
Help? A Nin thought incredulously. Is this how you ask for help? She opened her mouth to protest but found herself speechless.
Chenlong approached with the key, unlocking the chains that bound her. Now free, A Nin glanced nervously at him, her fear evident. This man was terrifying, and even with her newfound freedom, she knew escape was impossible.
And then there was Edie—if Chenlong was only a subordinate, how much more formidable must the scientist be?
Resisting was out of the question.
"I don't know what this 'Ripe-Ripe Fruit' is, and I can't help you," A-Nin protested, her voice trembling with uncertainty.
Edie raised an eyebrow. "You can't make things or people mature faster?"
"Are you talking about the 'Mature Woman Seducing Technique'?" A-Nin asked hesitantly.
"So, the people of Wanokuni really don't know," Edie sighed in mild exasperation. "Did you gain the ability to make women more seductive by eating a particularly nasty fruit?"
"Yes... but how do you know?" A-Nin replied, surprised.
"In the outside world, it's called a Devil Fruit. Anyone who eats one gains special abilities, just like you," Edie explained, his tone almost dismissive. Then, pointing at Chenlong, he commanded, "Use your ability on him and make him mature—ten years, if you can."
A-Nin bit her lip nervously. "If I do as you ask, will you let me go?"
"I'll let you leave this institute. You have my word," Edie promised, his voice firm and sincere. He prided himself on being a man of his word, always exchanging sincerity for sincerity.
"Alright," A-Nin agreed, taking a deep breath. "But let me warn you, this process is irreversible. Only the body will grow, and the lifespan will be reduced."
Edie waved his hand, signaling her to proceed.
With a reluctant nod, A-Nin approached Chenlong, her hand trembling as she reached out to touch his arm. "Mature!" she commanded, her voice strained.
An invisible force radiated from her palm, enveloping Chenlong. His body began to grow slightly, visible to the naked eye. However, A-Nin's face grew pale, her breathing quickened, and sweat beaded on her forehead.
"...Something's wrong! This guy!" she gasped, stumbling backward, her strength waning.
"What's wrong?" Edie demanded, sensing the unease in her voice.
"I... I don't know. This has never happened before. There's something different about him!" A-Nin stammered, her eyes wide with fear. She felt as though if she continued, the effort might drain her completely.
Edie turned to Chenlong. "How do you feel? Has your strength changed?"
Chenlong flexed his newly grown muscles. He had grown taller—once nearly three meters, he now towered even higher. "I feel a bit stronger, but it's not a dramatic change."
Edie frowned, deep in thought. Is it because Chenlong's Haki is too strong? Chenlong, as a clone of Kaido, naturally possessed immense power. Perhaps A-Nin's abilities were simply too weak to overcome his strength.
"He's aged about two years..." Edie mused, recalling how A-Nin had aged an eight-year-old Momonosuke into a twenty-eight-year-old in the original story. Yet with Chenlong, she could only manage two years. But that's fine—just repeat the process a few more times. There are always more solutions than problems.
"I... I did my best!" A-Nin pleaded, her voice shaking. "Can you let me go now?"
"You can go. I keep my promises," Edie replied with a nod.
A-Nin, feeling as though she had been granted a reprieve, cautiously left the room and quickly made her way outside the institute.
Edie stood up and said: "When she walks out of the research institute, capture her again."
"Yes, Lord Heavenly Father."
One minute later.
But before she could savor her freedom, she was intercepted and brought back to Edie, her anger boiling over.
"You liar! You don't keep your word!" she shouted, fury burning in her eyes.
"Didn't I let you leave the institute?" Edie responded with a sly smile. "Now eat up and rest. When you've recovered, we'll continue helping Chenlong grow."
Without waiting for her response, Edie produced another set of seastone shackles—just like the ones Toki wore—and snapped them onto A-Nin's wrists. Satisfied with his work, he casually placed his hands in his pockets and strolled out of the room, unfazed by her angry shouts.
"Devil! Devil! Damn you, you evil scientist!" A-Nin's voice echoed behind him, filled with despair and rage.
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