Chapter 145: The Artificial Azure Dragon
Deep within Raijin Island, in front of a rugged, giant boulder.
Hajrudin looked at the giant rock, which was more than ten meters taller than himself, then at Louis, who he was holding in his palm. "Is this the place, Captain?" he asked for confirmation.
Louis nodded, then leaped down from Hajrudin's hand and landed steadily on the ground. "Hajrudin, move this boulder."
Hearing this, Hajrudin slowly stepped forward, wrapped his arms around the giant rock, and then, under Louis's watch, threw it away. After the boulder was moved, another huge rock was revealed before them.
Louis slowly stepped forward, his hand stroking the rock's surface, which showed no abnormalities.
SHING...
After a brief touch, Louis drew the Seven Star Sword, which radiated an ominous aura. He stabbed it into the rock's surface, leaving only the specially modified hilt exposed to the air.
Hajrudin's eyes widened. For a moment, he couldn't figure out what his captain was doing. But soon, he saw Louis slowly exert force and, using the Seven Star Sword, pull a square-shaped stone out from within the giant rock.
"..."
Louis flicked the square stone off his blade and then sheathed it.
Seeing this, Hajrudin subconsciously bent down, picked up the square stone, and examined it in his hand, only to find its surface was perfectly smooth, without a single wrinkle. "Was this done by a swordsman?" A flash of understanding went through Hajrudin's mind.
This was most likely the work of his captain's kinsman, the one who had appeared before their eyes. He must have placed something here for the captain to come and retrieve.
Just then, Louis took a medium-sized wooden box from the square hole in the rock's surface. Then, under Hajrudin's gaze, he opened it.
Presented before them was a special fruit, housed in a transparent container. At the bottom of the container, a line of neat characters was written:
"Artificial Devil Fruit - Azure Dragon Model"
Beside it lay a stack of yellowed paper, which detailed all the data from the extraction of Kaido's Lineage Factor to the completion of the fruit.
Seeing this, the corners of Louis's mouth turned up in a smile. "Finally got it—"
The artificial Azure Dragon fruit, from the hands of the world's number one scientist, Vegapunk. It was an artificial fruit that, apart from its color, perfectly replicated the abilities of the Azure Dragon fruit that Kaido had eaten. Despite the color flaw, it was undoubtedly a powerful Devil Fruit.
Before parting with Arcordon, Louis had asked him to look for this fruit when he passed by Punk Hazard. Not long after, he had told Louis via Den Den Mushi that he had found it and had placed it on the deserted Raijin Island, giving Louis the details of this location.
And now, Louis, with Hajrudin, had found it and obtained this powerful fruit. Moreover, Louis already had a target in mind for its ownership.
Just then, Hajrudin looked at the fruit in Louis's hand, a puzzled look in his eyes. "Is this a Devil Fruit? Why does it look so strange?"
To this, Louis crushed the container, saved the data, and tossed the fruit in his hand. "This thing—it's because it's an artificial Devil Fruit, the Azure Dragon model, replicated by Vegapunk using scientific means from the Lineage Factor of Kaido of the Beasts."
"Oh, no wonder it looks so strange. So it's man-made—??"
"A man-made Devil Fruit?!"
Hajrudin's expression gradually became strange. He simply couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Devil Fruits can actually be man-made?"
To this, Louis gave a concise reply: "They can, but an ordinary person can't do it." As everyone knows, a scientist is a scientist, and Vegapunk is Vegapunk. The two cannot be lumped together.
The name "Vegapunk" made Hajrudin fall silent. In the end, he readily accepted this fact that had shaken his worldview. "If it was made by Vegapunk, then it's not impossible." Even among the giant race, Vegapunk's name was widely known. They knew his scientific technology surpassed the world by five hundred years. It was reasonable that he could create an artificial Devil Fruit.
Louis saw the change in Hajrudin's eyes and knew that he had accepted this fact through the name "Vegapunk." This once again proved Louis's view: a scientist is a scientist, and Vegapunk is Vegapunk. They are completely different species.
Of course, as much as Louis admired Vegapunk's technology, it didn't stop him from planning to get rid of him. The reason was none other than the Seraphim.
Then, Louis added, "I have to admit, Vegapunk's technology has almost surpassed human cognition. To be able to almost perfectly replicate a top-tier Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit."
"Almost?" Hajrudin keenly picked up on the keyword, realizing that this "almost" was not simple. As he bent down to let the captain stand on his hand again for the return journey, he subconsciously asked, "So 'almost' means there's still something it didn't replicate, right?"
"That's right." To this, Louis nodded lightly. "In terms of color, it has a slight difference from the Azure Dragon that Kaido transforms into."
Hajrudin was taken aback, then looked thoughtful. "Just the color is different? That should be fine, right?"
Louis heard this, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. He then handed the fruit to Hajrudin. "This fruit is for you."
"..."
Louis's words made Hajrudin freeze on the spot. For a moment, he forgot to walk. His huge eyes were filled with disbelief as he stared blankly at Louis. "F-for me?" Hajrudin exclaimed, his tone filled with a deep sense of surprise.
Hajrudin hadn't expected that Louis had brought him to Raijin Island to prepare such a great gift for him. This sudden surprise left him dizzy, and for a moment, he became a little uneasy.
To this, Louis chuckled lightly. "A Devil Fruit is the only shortcut to increasing your strength. The artificial Azure Dragon fruit is just right for your need to become stronger."
From the beginning, Louis had planned to give the artificial Azure Dragon to Hajrudin to improve his strength. To be honest, in every aspect, Hajrudin was much weaker than his brother, Loki. In terms of basic strength, his younger brother Loki was already a famous monster in the New World, second only to the three top-tier powerhouses. And Hajrudin, not long ago, had been beaten up by an old Marine along with Daz Bonez and Gerd. With just that level of strength, it wasn't enough to become the king of all giants.
Since his partner had such a wish, Louis didn't mind giving him a hand.
Louis didn't know if Hajrudin could quickly become stronger and become the Giant King after obtaining the artificial Azure Dragon fruit. But wasn't it normal for Louis to give his partners and subordinates a little help?
"Here, the artificial Azure Dragon fruit is yours. Didn't you want to become the king of all the giant nations? This fruit is my help to you."
"B-but... it's a precious Mythical Zoan." A hint of hesitation appeared on Hajrudin's face.
"Isn't that better?" Louis laughed. "I wouldn't give you an ordinary Devil Fruit. Only Mythical Zoans, Logias, and top-tier Paramecias would I feel at ease giving to you."
Hajrudin was once again stunned. He looked at Louis's serious eyes, and a storm raged in his mind. In the end, he took a deep breath.
"Is that so? I understand. I will definitely not betray your trust. I will use the power you have given me to unite all the giants in the world!" In the end, Hajrudin accepted the artificial Azure Dragon fruit from Louis.
In the sea, betrayal among pirates was as smooth as eating and drinking for them. In this group with an almost non-existent moral bottom line, giving away a rare treasure like a Devil Fruit was a rare act. This was because even the most trash-tier ordinary Zoan Devil Fruit was worth over 100 million Berries. To be able to ignore the temptation of money and give a fruit to others could only mean one thing: the other party was a trusted partner or family.
And for the person who ate the fruit, this was also a great favor. Didn't you see Big Mom give the Azure Dragon fruit to Kaido? Even though Big Mom used this matter to nag him for a lifetime, Kaido never had a word of rebuttal.
And at this moment, Hajrudin accepted the fruit given to him by Louis, and an endless sense of gratitude rose in his heart. At this moment, he was even willing to do his utmost to help Louis accomplish his goals, to repay his gift.
Hajrudin knelt on Raijin Island and, extending his other hand, took the fruit. He threw it directly into his mouth and swallowed it down. The next moment, he felt a new power surge from within his body. He felt that once he activated it, he would gain a power he had never dared to imagine before.
"Try transforming, Hajrudin!" Louis said, his eyes filled with a bit of anticipation.
Nine years from now, Momonosuke would eat the fruit and turn into a small pink dragon. In his youth form, his body would be dozens of meters long. And as for the user of the genuine fruit, Kaido himself, his dragon form looked to be several hundred meters long.
From Momonosuke's situation, it seemed that the size of a Zoan fruit's transformation was related to the user's age and size. So Louis wanted to see just how massive the dragon form of Hajrudin, who was already a giant with a height of nearly twenty meters, would be.
Could it be compared to a deep-sea Sea King? Louis looked forward to it with great anticipation.
Hajrudin heard him and nodded firmly. Then, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and activated the new power within his body.
The next moment, his form gradually grew taller. Vivid dragon scales emerged from his body, quickly covering his entirety. A pair of golden dragon horns grew from his forehead. His already burly body rapidly elongated and expanded, turning into a long, thick dark silhouette that slowly rose into the air.
Under the light of the thunder, a massive body coiled in mid-air, almost covering the mountain range.
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