บท 44: Chapter 44: Setting up the clone lab!
Before heading to Beehive Island, Edie knew he needed to bring some essential supplies, including various stocks of blood. He ordered Wuma to retrieve the necessary blood samples from the storage cabinet. Blood storage had its challenges, but these were manageable when it came to cloning. Edie only needed to extract the blood factors, which could even be done from the finger bones of someone like Roger, who had been dead for five years. Even expired blood could still yield the necessary components.
Just as Edie was finalizing his preparations, Hancock appeared, having learned of his impending departure. "Master Edie, are you leaving again?" she asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm heading to Beehive Island. There are important tasks I need to attend to," Edie replied.
"Will you be gone for long?" Hancock inquired, her worry deepening.
"I'll be there for a while," Edie answered, gently touching her head with a smile. "Are you feeling lonely? Don't worry, Yamato will come by often to keep you company."
Hancock's expression turned to one of reluctant concern. "Sir Edie, who will cook for you or wash your clothes? I'm worried about how you'll manage."
Edie chuckled at her concern, finding it endearing. "Alright, alright, you can come with me. But remember, Yamato won't be there to play with you."
Hancock's mood instantly shifted from worry to joy. "That idiot Yamato? I don't need to mess around with her!" she said with a pout before turning and dashing upstairs. "Master Edie, wait for me! I'll go pack!"
Edie watched her with a mix of amusement and affection. It felt as though he had raised a daughter. They had been living together for five or six months, and even a dog would have evoked affection in that time, let alone a cute girl like Hancock, who had been diligently caring for his daily needs.
As he waited for Hancock, Edie mused aloud, "Why haven't their parents come back yet, Chenlong?"
His bodyguard responded immediately, "Yes, because of how I informed them."
Edie raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly did you notify them?"
Chenlong grinned and replied, "I told the emperor of Amazon Lily that the three Boa sisters were in the hands of Heavenly Father. If they weren't afraid of death, they could come to the New World, to Wanokuni, to pick them up!"
Edie sighed internally. No wonder their parents haven't come... That sounded more like a threat than an invitation!
Shaking his head, Edie decided to let it go. "Forget it. Go tell Sonia and Mary to prepare as well."
Since he was already bringing Hancock, it made sense to bring her two younger sisters along too. And if he was taking three people, a few more wouldn't hurt.
"Also, bring Toki and the others," Edie added.
"Yes, sir!" Chenlong responded promptly.
As for A-nin, her power was essential for the creation of artificial Devil Fruits. Edie assigned her to assist Caesar in the lab, along with Zishu, who would ensure that Caesar remained focused and diligent in his work. A-nin had long resigned herself to being used as a tool in Edie's various schemes. However, as a considerate boss, Edie made sure she was well-compensated, allowing her to enjoy a luxurious lifestyle during her downtime.
After making all the necessary preparations, Edie gathered everyone and they set off for Beehive Island, flying atop the dragon, ready to embark on their next ambitious project.
A few hours later, the azure dragon descended from the sky, casting its shadow over Beehive Island and causing a stir among the inhabitants. The bustling city, home to notorious pirates and outlaws, buzzed with anticipation as word spread that the Hive Master had returned.
Pirates roamed the streets, their conversations filled with awe and respect. "Is that... the [Hive Master] we've been hearing about in the news?" one pirate asked, his voice tinged with a mix of fear and admiration.
A more seasoned pirate sneered at the newcomer. "New here, huh? Did you buy your indulgence yet?"
"Of course, I did," the newcomer replied hastily. "If I didn't, Mr. [Weiyang] would have beaten me to death!"
The older pirate laughed heartily. "Good choice. An indulgence is the only thing that guarantees your safety on Beehive Island. Even the Marines doesn't dare step foot here!"
Another pirate joined in, nodding sagely. "Yeah, remember the Sabaody Archipelago incident? The Hive Master led his men to murder the Celestial Dragons, and Marine didn't even have the guts to retaliate."
"Listen up, rookie," the first pirate continued, leaning in close. "In the New World, there are four people you must never cross."
He ticked off the names on his fingers. "First, there's the Queen of All Nations, BIG MOM, Charlotte Linlin. Cross her, and the Charlotte family will hunt you down. Just last week, she wiped out another country!"
"Then there's Kaido of the Beasts," the second pirate added. "He's annihilated over thirty pirate groups in the last few months alone. The few who survived now serve under him."
"Don't forget Whitebeard, Edward Newgate," the first pirate said. "You heard about the battle between the Emperor Groups, right? Kaido took out one of Whitebeard's pirate crews, and Whitebeard retaliated by massacring most of the Beast Pirates. You don't mess with him."
"And last, but definitely not least, there's Hive Master Edie," the older pirate finished with a grave expression. "Ochoku, the former owner of this island, didn't believe in Edie's power. Now his corpse is at the bottom of the sea, fed to the fishes. And Ochoku was no small fry—he had a bounty of over 1.5 billion!"
Amidst the lively discussions, Edie made his way to the Hive Research Institute. The facility had undergone significant changes in his absence, now sporting a brand-new look. As he approached, [Weiyang] and [Shenhou], his trusted subordinates, knelt on one knee at the entrance, greeting him with reverence.
"Heavenly Father, welcome back," they intoned in unison. "[During your absence, everything has been running smoothly on Beehive Island.]"
Edie nodded, acknowledging their loyalty. "Get up," he said as he continued walking into the institute. "Shenhou, take Hancock and the others to arrange their rooms."
The cloning laboratory was located deep underground, accessible only through a series of secure metal gates. As they walked, [Weiyang] led the way, providing updates on the institute's operations.
"Lord Heavenly Father, the decoration work on the laboratory has been completed. The labor costs for these months totaled 150 million beli, which has been paid to Du Feld along with the final payment for the goods. Additionally, we've collected 590 million beli daily from the sale of indulgences."
Edie raised an eyebrow. "Nearly 600 million from indulgences? That means over the past four months, 6,000 pirates have landed on Beehive Island. It might be time to raise the price... but what exactly draws these pirates here?" he mused internally.
Aloud, he asked, "How much money does the institute have now?"
"We have approximately 20.5 billion in cash and 10 tons of gold," [Weiyang] reported.
Edie did a quick calculation. Including the 20 billion that Kaido had recently sponsored, the institute now held over 40 billion in cash. And that didn't even count the 10 billion Whitebeard had yet to provide.
With these thoughts in mind, Edie finally reached the entrance to the cloning laboratory, where the true work of his ambitious plans would begin.
The room, vast as a football field, was lined with rows of cloning chambers, each one humming with latent power. "There are 100 cloning chambers in this room alone," Weiyang explained, gesturing around. "And there are five more rooms just like this. In total, we can support the cloning of 500 soldiers simultaneously."
These chambers were designed for mass production, and as Edie inspected the No. 1 cloning laboratory, he felt a sense of satisfaction. Everything appeared to be in order, and the facility was more than capable of meeting his ambitious goals.
After completing his tour of the mass-production area, Edie made his way to the special individual cloning laboratory. Here, the difference was immediately apparent. The chambers in this room were colossal, towering over twenty meters high, with only three occupying the entire space. Thick conduits snaked from the chambers, connecting them to the intricate systems required for more specialized cloning.
"This setup is meant for special clones," Edie thought, his mind racing with possibilities. The equipment could be used to create giants, though he lacked the necessary giant blood factor for now. Alternatively, these chambers were perfect for cloning powerful beings like Kaido or Whitebeard, individuals with extraordinary physical prowess.
Weiyang's voice broke Edie's reverie. "Each of these machines costs 1 billion Beli. The World Government has been researching human enlargement for a long time. These are likely second-hand units."
Edie considered this. Second-hand or not, they were still highly advanced. First-hand units were impossible to acquire, and crafting them himself would have been an even greater challenge. These machines were originally designed not as cloning chambers, but as experimental cultivation chambers for human giants. In Edie's hands, however, they would be repurposed, modified to suit his needs.
"Let's begin," Edie commanded.
He instructed several of the Earthly Branches to start making the necessary modifications under his supervision. For the next three days, the team worked tirelessly, overhauling the systems to fit Edie's specifications. Finally, the transformation was complete.
With the power system activated, the screen in the main control room flickered to life, signaling that the cloning laboratory was fully operational. The real challenge, however, was just beginning—the actual cloning process.
Cloning came with significant costs, particularly when dealing with exceptional bloodlines. The more potent the genetic material, the more resources were required to nurture the embryo. For example, creating a clone like Chenlong had consumed over 10 billion Beli in the simulation. The extraordinary cost was due to his natural abilities and high-quality bloodline factors. In contrast, Shenhou, who possessed green blood, was much cheaper to clone, costing only 2 billion Beli.
Edie calculated his available funds, realizing he could either create four clones of Chenlong or twenty clones of Shenhou. However, these clones would need time to mature. The cloning process accelerated their growth, with one year in the chamber equating to five years of physical development. Even so, it would take at least two years for the clones to reach the physical maturity of a ten-year-old, at which point they could be considered combat-ready.
"Let's focus on mass production first," Edie decided. "If something goes wrong, tens of billions could be wasted."
Over the next ten days, Edie meticulously oversaw the initial stages of the cloning process. In total, 500 artificial humans were created—480 men and 20 women. For this first batch, Edie opted not to include any Special bloodline factors due to the prohibitive cost.
In two years' time, these clones would emerge from their chambers, ready to serve and fight. The future of Beehive Island's power was now growing quietly in the depths of the cloning laboratory.
After resolving the complexities of human cloning, Edie wasted no time, diving straight into the creation of blue blood. Fortunately, producing blue blood was significantly less time-consuming than the cloning process. Within a week, he not only replenished the blue blood needed for the Azure Dragon Ring but also crafted six new ability rings in the laboratory.
These rings were no ordinary creations; each one housed the power of a different formidable Devil Fruit:
Ability Ring ‧ Mature!
Ability Ring ‧ Buddha!
Ability Ring ‧ Island!
Ability Ring ‧ Phoenix!
Ability Ring ‧ Diamond!
Ability Ring ‧ Tremor!
With a sense of anticipation, Edie slipped on the Tremor Ring. As he twisted it half a turn, blue blood coursed through his fingertips, activating the power within. At that moment, he wielded the might of the Paramecia Tremor-Tremor Fruit, an ability that belongs to the legendary Whitebeard.
"Aside from the somewhat costly raw materials, the production process is fairly straightforward," Edie mused. "It's unfortunate that mass production isn't feasible..."
Satisfied with his progress, Edie left the laboratory and ascended to the rooftop of the Hive Research Institute. From there, he gazed out over the entire island, his eyes glinting with ambition. A slight smile curled at the corners of his mouth as he clenched his right fist and punched the air.
Crack!
The atmosphere shattered instantly, and a massive shockwave rippled outward, spreading beyond the island's borders. In a matter of seconds, colossal waves erupted from the sea, crashing violently against the shores of Rocky Harbor, throwing the entire area into chaos.
The raw power he had unleashed was a testament to his success, and the island's inhabitants were left in awe of the immense force that now resided in Edie's hands.
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