"Huff!"
Yamato let out a deep breath, clenching her slightly weakened fists. She glanced behind her.
Kozuki Hiyori, Viola, and Scarlet were already lying on the ground, unable to move. All four of them had been caught in the aftermath of the battle.
Looking at the last one still standing, he growled in frustration.
"Damn it, spinning guy, are you still going to fight?!"
Buffalo wasn't in great shape either. His swollen, bloodshot eyes locked onto Yamato. He couldn't comprehend how such a small body could contain such monstrous strength. But even so, he would never give up.
"You're a family member worthy of respect. My name isn't 'spinning guy.' It's Buffalo."
"But if I defeat you, I'll be able to gain more. I'll never go hungry again!!! So—"
"Tekkai!"
The blood in Buffalo's body surged to his limbs as he activated his Spin-Spin Fruit powers. His body began to rotate, whipping up a fierce gale as he charged straight at Yamato.
"Damn it!"
Yamato furrowed her delicate brows, gripping her small kanabo tightly before rushing forward again.
"Bagua!"
Instinctively, she mimicked his father's fighting techniques. Her rounded kanabo clashed with Buffalo's Tekkai-enhanced kick.
...
"Worororo! Not bad at all—"
Kaido laughed like a child as he watched the recording. It was unclear whether he was praising Doflamingo or his own daughter, Yamato.
After entertaining himself, Kaido turned to King, who had just returned.
"King, what's the progress on those clones Doflamingo mentioned?"
"Kaido-sama, construction has already begun at the Udon quarry. Just as he said, they work tirelessly, but..."
"But what?"
King hesitated for a moment, recalling the scene during the transfer of control at Raijin Island, then continued.
"These clones have the potential to rebel. The so-called 'control system' isn't actually in our hands."
"Wororororo! So what?" Kaido threw his head back and laughed, completely unconcerned. "I only need them for labor. What could those clones possibly accomplish in battle?"
Having tested the clones' combat abilities, King nodded in agreement.
"That's true."
"Boom!"
Covered in dust, Queen swaggered in, dragging a long-horned creature behind him. His rotund body swayed as he walked.
"Kaido-sama! The remnants of the daimyo's forces have been completely wiped out!"
He plopped down in his seat and took a huge gulp of red bean soup before continuing.
"But we couldn't find Shimotsuki Yasuie or Kozuki Sukiyaki."
"They're not even proper samurai, so they're not worth worrying about. The important thing is that Wano now belongs to me."
Laughing heartily at the state of Wano's leadership, Kaido then eyed the wet object in Queen's left hand.
"Where did you pick that up?"
"Found it floating in the sea on my way back. Seems to be a Fish-Man who ate a Devil Fruit—can't swim, but won't die either. Hahaha!" Queen laughed as he shook the limp Fish-Man in his grasp.
"Wororororo! A Fish-Man who ate a Devil Fruit? What an idiot. What's your name?"
"Jack!"
...
"Is this another failed specimen?"
Looking at Experiment No. 10086 inside the isolation chamber—a humanoid creature with an eagle's head growing from its chest—Doflamingo couldn't shake the sense of déjà vu.
Caesar and Judge, those two lunatics, had abandoned artificial Devil Fruits only to create these half-baked Zoan hybrids.
"No, Boss, this one is a success."
Caesar pressed a button on the control panel, and another chamber beside it rose up.
"Boom!"
Inside, another bird-like humanoid moved fluidly—Experiment No. 10100.
A perfect hybrid between human and beast. Doflamingo nodded slightly.
"Explain your progress."
"Boss, Devil Fruits act as both a restriction and a safeguard for their users."
"Interesting perspective. Go on." Doflamingo smirked as he listened to Caesar.
"My original artificial Devil Fruit concept involved extracting Lineage Factors from animals, then re-cultivating the remnants of Devil Fruits that had lost their powers. By infusing them with the extracted Lineage Factors, we could create new, viable artificial fruits."
He paused briefly, then admitted his previous shortcomings.
"But due to technical limitations, the extracted Lineage Factors couldn't match the original Devil Fruit abilities, so—"
"So you're basically admitting that your original approach was wrong?" Doflamingo frowned. He was starting to feel like some people were losing their fear of him.
Sensing the oppressive atmosphere, Caesar suddenly felt weak in the knees.
"Allow me to explain, Boss." Judge entered, having just finished tending to Reiju.
"Transplanting Lineage Factors from Devil Fruit users can remove the weakness to seawater. However, when it comes to Zoan-type abilities, the subjects not only experience rejection but must also battle the animal's will."
"Experiment No. 10086 was a success in terms of transplantation but failed mentally. Experiment No. 10100 had a stronger will, leading to a more seamless integration. So, Boss, we've now successfully completed Zoan-type Lineage Factor transplants."
"Fufufufu, well done." Doflamingo's expression softened, and he released his grip on Caesar's head.
This was far better than those half-baked artificial Devil Fruits. As for the issue of willpower? That could be refined. If necessary, they could just mass-produce subjects.
"Inform Carga. He'll be the first member of our airborne combat unit."
"Understood!"
"What about Logia and Paramecia types?"
Judge looked troubled. "Well... Without Baccarat's assistance, overcoming rejection is extremely difficult. Especially with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit—it's impossible to tame. Every subject has violently rejected it, reducing them to minced meat."
"Leave it to me, Boss! I've made a breakthrough in Logia transplantation!" Caesar floated into the air, his confidence returning.
He grabbed an iron cage from his lab, its contents obscured.
Judge's expression darkened. "Caesar! What have you been researching behind my back?!"
As the chief scientist, he was furious to learn that Caesar had been conducting secret experiments.
"What do you mean 'behind your back'? Did you share all of Reiju's records with me?" Caesar sneered at Judge. If Judge could keep secrets, why couldn't he?
"Boom!"
Caesar set down the cage and pressed a viewing panel on the side.
He flashed a smug grin at Judge before turning to Doflamingo. "Boss, behold my latest creation!"
Through the glass, the cage's interior was revealed—a humanoid tree planted in a flowerpot?
"Snap!" Caesar snapped his fingers, and a ray of sunlight shone onto the treant from the ceiling.
"Ahh... so warm..." The treant stirred, its leafy arms stretching toward the light. It opened its wooden eyes and scanned its surroundings.
Doflamingo wasn't sure if it possessed true sight or consciousness, so he asked,
"What's your name?"
"1...006?" The treant hesitantly uttered a string of numbers.
"Shurorororo!" Caesar shot a triumphant look at Judge before continuing.
"Boss, its will is extremely weak. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was too wild, so I opted for the more docile Woods-Woods Fruit. But so far, this is the only subject to retain any awareness—every other one was completely consumed by the transformation."
"Specimen 11006 doesn't need to eat or rest, yet it remains active. So I've kept it locked up here."
"Fufufufu, well done. Let's accelerate our progress. I'll allocate more test subjects—I want results."
Doflamingo's lips curled into a bloodthirsty grin.
Once the Logia transplantation technology reached a certain level, they could bring in Baccarat to maximize success rates—and ultimately, apply it to himself.
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+220 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg