Mera-Mera Fruit, the Devil Fruit power of "Fire Fist" Ace.
Seal-Seal Fruit, the Devil Fruit power of "Assassination King" Jino.
Castle-Castle Fruit, the Devil Fruit power of "Gang" Capone Bege.
These three fruits are among the abilities Rowen values the most, aside from the Dark-Dark Fruit, Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Soul-Soul Fruit, and the mysterious Time-Time Fruit.
First and foremost, the flexibility and destructive power of fire are undeniable, placing the Mera-Mera Fruit among the strongest even within the Logia category.
In comparison, Akainu's Lava-Lava Fruit may be more destructive, but it lacks the nimbleness of the Mera-Mera Fruit; magma, being a semi-solid, is far harder to control than fire.
As for the Seal-Seal Fruit, Rowen had tasked Dante and the others with monitoring it, as it is currently the only known fruit capable of countering his regenerative powers.
Having such a countermeasure under his control is naturally preferable.
The Castle-Castle Fruit, on the other hand, is intended for Vegapunk's experiments. Rowen hypothesizes that any Devil Fruit can be transferred to an object. If the Castle-Castle Fruit's ability to manipulate size and store objects within oneself can be replicated, it would essentially create a portable fortress— akin to a spatial artifact!
And those are merely the most notable ones.
With the relentless efforts of the Assassination Force, they've scoured the seas, both inhabited and desolate, collecting dozens of Devil Fruits. Many of these fruits had gone unnoticed or unclaimed until now.
The order to hunt for Devil Fruits had been issued long before Rowen officially reorganized the force. Today, Dante finally reported their latest findings, which included several significant fruits.
"I need to make time to return..." Rowen mused.
"If we can mass-produce Devil Fruit-powered weapons, it would become a major advantage in the coming war!"
Thinking of this, Rowen's expression darkened. "Tch, they're still alive? The Celestial Dragons!"
Vegapunk and Caesar were still preoccupied with those wretched nobles. Despite the Nether River parasites' ability to mutate fully within hours, the scientists had managed to prolong the process.
It was a testament to their brilliance. Even with such unpredictable, unknown entities, they had managed to stall for time, although it had cost Rowen valuable progress.
At that moment, a sharp knock echoed at the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
"Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) are on the line!"
Rowen's brows furrowed as he turned around.
"Huh? Why didn't they call me directly?"
"Uh... they said your line was unreachable, so they contacted Vice Admiral Smoker instead."
Rowen: "..."
Of course!
Even the Den Den Mushi, a marvel of this world, could suffer from a "busy line" issue!
---
G-11 Base, Base Head's Office.
With a creak, Rowen pushed open the door.
Smoker stood leaning on his cane, still wrapped in bandages, twin cigars clenched firmly in his mouth.
Hearing the door, Smoker turned and immediately spoke, "The Gorōsei are on the line, Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
"Mm, pass it over."
"Yes!"
After a brief salute, Smoker handed the receiver to Rowen, their eyes meeting for a moment. Smoker gave a slight shake of his head.
That silent gesture was clear— the Gorōsei hadn't disclosed their reason for calling, but their mood was anything but pleasant.
"Hello, it's me, Rowen!"
"Rowen, something catastrophic has happened!!"
Without a preamble, the Gorōsei barked their orders. "Immediately instruct New World G-1, G-5, and G-11 to conduct a joint operation to hunt down Caesar Clown!"
Rowen's first reaction was one of disbelief.
Another joint operation?
Wasn't it just recently that the forces had been mobilized for the search in Wano?
The New World isn't a backyard— are they expecting me to clean up every mess like a babysitter?
Then came his second thought.
"Caesar? What did he do now?"
As he asked, Rowen gestured towards Smoker. Understanding the signal, Smoker nodded and limped out of the office to carry out the orders.
Once Smoker left, Rowen shifted in his chair and leaned forward at the desk. "Explain in detail. Did he betray us?"
"That's right! That bastard stole Pure Gold!" The long-mustached Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) spat furiously.
The incident traced back to Orrick's return to the Holy Land, where he struck a deal with the Gorōsei. After numerous tests confirmed the authenticity of Pure Gold, Vegapunk began his attempts to reverse-engineer it.
However, to everyone's surprise, Caesar seemed uninterested in Pure Gold. He focused entirely on perfecting his so-called Universal Gene Solution, determined to make a name for himself once more.
Vegapunk, pleased by the apparent lack of competition, chose not to interfere. He simply let Caesar continue.
But no one expected Caesar to go so far as to surpass even Vegapunk's recklessness. To prove his theories, Caesar secretly cultivated a massive supply of Rowen's regenerative cells.
Then, deceiving others and rallying a team of unwitting assistants, he performed unethical experiments — on the Celestial Dragons themselves.
In his twisted mind, the Celestial Dragons were not mere humans. He believed previous failures occurred because all prior data had come from ordinary people.
To correct this, Caesar operated directly on the Celestial Dragons.
He implanted living cells into an unfortunate victim, supplying nutrients to sustain the experiment. And it led to an unforeseen disaster.
A dual catastrophe.
First, Caesar successfully isolated the Nether River Virus from the Celestial Dragons.
Second, he still couldn't tame Rowen's regenerative cells.
At some unpredictable threshold, the victim underwent a horrifying mutation. The subject transformed into a grotesque oil-like monster. However, at the same time, the regenerative cells fought back, attempting to purge the parasites.
But the parasites didn't just disappear.
Instead, they coiled around the writhing regenerative cells, forming a hardened shell. Flesh and parasite intertwined, establishing a grotesque equilibrium.
If that had been the end of it, Caesar might have reported the findings, desperate to claim victory over Vegapunk. Even in disgrace, he would have boasted of his achievements.
But it wasn't over.
As well-known among scientists, the Nether River Virus consumes its host, driving it to rampage and kill uncontrollably — a primal instinct driven by the parasite's rapid growth. Much like newly hatched insects mindlessly seeking sustenance.
After this violent phase, the parasite reaches a new equilibrium with its host, transforming it into a mindless monster with lingering human memories.
Rowen's regenerative cells, however, are uniquely stubborn without external triggers. Without autophagy, they remain unusually dormant.
In this case, the balance was unsettling.
Internally, the regenerative cells created an impenetrable wall, blocking the Nether River Virus from invading further. Externally, the parasite claimed control, manipulating the twisted body like a puppet.
The result was horrifying. The victim retained fractured memories and a faint shred of awareness. Whether out of pain, hatred, or a desperate desire to find refuge, the monster's instincts clashed with those remnants of self.
And so, driven by primal rage and fleeting memories...
The monster turned on its own — the Celestial Dragons!
(End of Chapter)
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