"Whew." The man glared with bloodshot eyes, visibly annoyed by Qingcheng's tone. If he could, he really wanted to punch him out right then and there.
Creak—
As he loosened his tightly clenched fists and gently put his injured comrade down, he lowered his stance respectfully and pleaded, "I'm sorry. I was wrong earlier. Please, I beg you—treat my companion."
"It seems your companion means a lot to you!" Qingcheng suddenly smiled as if he had just thought of something. "I can save him, sure, but the price won't be something just anyone can afford."
The man raised his head again, looking determined. "No matter the price—just save him..."
"Don't be so quick to agree. Do you even know what the price is?" Qingcheng looked at him playfully. "I can save him, but the price you'll have to pay is letting me use your body for an experiment. Don't worry, even if it fails, I'll make sure you don't die. You'll still be able to live like a normal person."
"Alright."
Qingcheng was momentarily stunned. "Are you really okay with agreeing so easily?"
"You bastard! Are you going to save him or not?!" the man roared.
Qingcheng shrugged and turned back toward the house. In fact, when the man first carried his injured companion past, Qingcheng had already used his spiritual power to examine the condition.
Ten minutes later—
"Remember what you just promised." As he removed a bullet from the injured man's body, Qingcheng glanced at the man watching closely and reminded him.
"Damn it." The man growled in a low voice as he stared at Qingcheng's calm and casual face. "Take this seriously. If he dies, you're finished."
"I got it, I got it," Qingcheng waved him off and got back to work.
Time passed slowly. Half an hour later, after carefully extracting a bullet lodged deep in the patient's organs and using Kaidō (healing technique) to restore the internal damage, sweat began to bead on Qingcheng's forehead. After all, this was the first time he had treated such a severe wound on a human.
Time continued to tick by. Finally, after a full hour, Qingcheng finished treating both the internal and external injuries.
"Whew." Qingcheng let out a breath. "It's finally done. That was exhausting! I really went all out for the sake of my test subject."
"A-Amazing…" The man was stunned when he saw that his companion only had some remaining scars left. What kind of medical skill is this? Is he a Devil Fruit user? How else could someone heal such serious internal injuries in just an hour?
Qingcheng turned to him. "Alright, now that I've saved your companion, it's your turn. You're not planning to go back on your word, are you?"
The man looked him in the eye. "The Navy isn't as corrupt as you think. Just tell me what you need me to do."
"Come with me," Qingcheng said, leading him into another room. He pointed to a thick iron bed. "Lie down."
"Hmph." The man snorted coldly and lay down.
"I'm going to restore your stamina now," Qingcheng said, opening his palm. A green glow enveloped the man, and soon, he began to feel his strength returning.
The green light lasted for over ten minutes. Then Qingcheng pulled back his hand and said, "Didn't expect your body to be this strong. Just restoring your stamina used up two-thirds of my spiritual pressure. But that also means the chances of success are higher."
The man frowned. "What exactly is this experiment you want to do?"
Qingcheng grinned. "No harm in telling you. It's called a Genetic Enhancement experiment—specifically, integrating the regenerative genes of a gecko into your own. You should thank me. If it succeeds, you'll become a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with regenerative abilities, immune to Seastone and able to swim."
"What?! Genetic modification?! You…" The man's pupils shrank in shock.
"Hehe," Qingcheng chuckled at his reaction. "It's normal to be scared when you hear the word 'genetic.' One wrong step and gene collapse can kill you. If you want to back out now, it's not too late. With your strength and restored stamina, you could probably take me down and escape with your friend."
The man glared at him. "What kind of person do you take me for? If we're doing this, let's get it over with. Enough talking."
"Well then, let's begin." Qingcheng smiled. With a wave of his hand, several chains as thick as arms shot out and bound the man to the iron bed.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"What the hell are you doing? Afraid I'll run?" the man shouted.
"Just making sure you don't squirm around too much during the process." Qingcheng held up a cloth. "Bite this. Otherwise, you might bite your tongue off when the pain hits."
The man glared at him. "Don't underestimate me. I don't need that."
"Heh, if you want to play the hero, suit yourself. I'll just wait for your screams. But the experiment won't start immediately—I still need to recover my energy." Qingcheng sat down beside him, closed his eyes, and began meditating to recover his spiritual power.
Huff… Huff… Huff…
Twenty minutes later, Qingcheng opened his eyes and saw that the man had fallen asleep. "...Wow, this guy sure has guts."
Slap! "Wake up. I'm starting."
"Ah! Is it mealtime already?" the man shouted instinctively.
"I said, I'm about to begin. Are you ready?" Qingcheng said, speechless.
"Hmph." The man scoffed. "Get on with it."
"Then here we go." Qingcheng smiled as he injected a tube of transparent liquid into the man's arm, watching closely for a reaction.
"Ugh…" The man let out a muffled groan, clenching his fists tightly as if enduring immense pain.
Thud… thud…
Thud… thud…
As the man struggled, the chains rattled with each movement.
"Looks like the fusion's begun," Qingcheng said, his expression growing serious. He covered the man again with green healing light. Genetic fusion caused rapid cellular destruction. Although the gecko's regenerative ability could eventually repair it, the destruction rate was far faster than the natural regeneration. He had to use Kaidō to boost the regeneration process.
This was his first human test subject—failure was not an option. A successful start was ideal, especially since this person was a key figure in the One Piece world. If he died, the plot would collapse completely.
Then again, important characters were usually protected by good luck. That was partly why Qingcheng chose him. Coupled with his own healing abilities, the chances of success were more than 50%.
Crack…
Crunch, crunch…
The man's tightly clenched fists made cracking noises, and his nails pierced into his palms, causing blood to drip out. Beads of blood also seeped from every pore on his body.
Yet even under such excruciating pain, he didn't make a sound.
This terrifying willpower even made Qingcheng shudder. If it were me, I'd be screaming like hell by now.