"Huh?" Everyone was stunned, blinking their eyes in disbelief.
"This... isn't this a Devil Fruit?"
Sengoku and the others were equally dumbfounded.
Vegapunk Shaka let out a confident laugh.
"Dr. Leon, I have thoroughly researched Devil Fruit technology!" he declared. "It's precisely because of this that I felt it was pointless, so I gave up."
He explained that he had previously studied artificial Devil Fruits, even inventing a way for objects to "eat" them.
He felt he had exhausted the topic, which is why he was so confident in this.
However, Leon shook his head. "Dr. Vegapunk, mine is different!" he said.
"Let me put it this way, my Devil Fruit is for people who already eat one!"
Sengoku, Vegapunk, and the others froze, their expressions a mix of confusion and disbelief.
"Hmm? Leon, dont you know the rules of Devil Fruits?" Kizaru asked gently, a hint of concern in his voice.
"Its the iron law of the sea, is that you can only eat one Devil Fruit. If you eat a second, you'll explode and die!"
Kizaru helplessly patted Leon's shoulder, assuming Leon had made a rookie mistake due to his inexperience.
Sengoku laughed foolishly. "It's just a small mistake, Leon. Don't worry about it; just pay attention next time."
"Yeah, don't blame yourself. This is all the Celestial Dragons' money, after all!" Garp added with a smile, trying to comfort him.
But Leon just smiled slightly.
"You think I don't know that?"
"Huh?" Everyone was stunned again.
"You know? Then why..." Kizaru started to ask, but then a realization hit him.
He gasped.
"Could it be, this Devil Fruit can really...?"
Leon nodded with a triumphant smile. "That's right! This is the technological product called the second Devil Fruit!" he declared.
"Its function is to grant a second Devil Fruit ability to users who already have one! And there's no need to worry about death!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Sengoku's mind reeled.
"It can grant ability users a second Devil Fruit power?! Is this real!?"
The three Admirals gasped, their faces full of shock.
A single sentence had the potential to overturn the entire world.
If this was true, the upper limit of combat power would be terrifyingly boosted.
The abilities of the Admirals were already immense; if they gained a second one, they would be comparable to the likes of Rocks D Xebec.
The thought made them shudder.
This was beyond their wildest imagination.
"Impossible! Impossible!!!" Vegapunk Shaka suddenly exclaimed, his voice frantic with denial.
"I conducted extremely in-depth research on Devil Fruits and found that the abilities they contain simply cannot coexist! The two are like water and fire; they cannot fuse peacefully!" He pointed a finger at the fruit in the box.
"So this is absolutely impossible!"
"No, Dr. Vegapunk," Leon countered, shaking his head. "What you believe is impossible is based only on your current level of technology and understanding." He gave a wry smile.
"Just like the anywhere door—if I hadn't invented it, would you still have thought it could exist in our world?"
"But..." Vegapunk Shaka shook his head. "The anywhere door requires extremely high-level space technology that didnt exist in our world," he admitted.
"However, my research on Devil Fruits started long ago. This is absolutely impossible!" he shouted, firmly insisting that a person cannot possess two Devil Fruit abilities.
Sengoku and the others looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
They knew nothing about the science behind it.
While Leon had invented many powerful tech and earning their trust, Vegapunk was absolutely confident in his own research.
They didn't know who to believe.
"Dr. Vegapunk, since our views differ, why don't we see how reality plays out? Just eat it, and you'll know, right?" Leon said with a confident smile.
"Yes, yes..." Sengoku nodded hesitantly.
But nobody dared to take the risk.
What if Vegapunk was right, or if Leon's research had failed? Eating it could be fatal.
A long silence followed as everyone looked at each other.
Kizaru's eyes flashed with struggle, but he finally gritted his teeth and volunteered.
"How about I give it a try?" His usual lazy demeanor was gone, replaced by a solemn expression.
"I believe in Leon!"
"I will try it too!" Akainu said in a low voice, stepping forward.
"Forget it!" Sengoku said, stopping them. "This matter is too important, and you are all our top combatants. We can't risk an accident." He thought for a moment before giving an order.
"Borsalino! Go directly to Impel Down and bring back a prisoner who already eat a devil fruit."
Kizaru nodded with a smile.
"No problem!"
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