A week had passed since Kaido handed Queen the blueprints for the Ancient Weapon, Pluton. Every night since, he had made it a point to return to Onigashima. There, he would personally oversee Queen's work, studying the intricate designs alongside his eccentric commander.
On one hand, Kaido's interest in the blueprints was genuine. Ancient Weapons were a central part of the world's hidden history, arguably more significant than Poseidon or Uranus. They were deeply connected to the mystery of Joy Boy, and Kaido was determined to understand their power. On the other hand, his constant supervision was born from a simple fact: he was worried Queen would mess things up.
Kaido knew that Queen's scientific mind was second only to Vegapunk's. He had mastered Lineage Factor technology on par with Germa 66 and was a genius in cybernetic modification. Kaido believed that if Queen truly applied himself, creating weapons as powerful as the Pacifista would be a simple task; even something as advanced as the Seraphim wasn't entirely out of reach.
But instead of using these incredible skills to forge powerful armies, Queen wasted his time developing biochemical weapons. He had created countless viruses, all of which Kaido considered useless. Of course, they weren't entirely without merit, but their greatest weakness was their simplicity. Once an antidote was developed, years of research became worthless. More importantly, a virus couldn't distinguish between friend and foe. It was a double-edged sword that was just as likely to harm their own forces as it was the enemy.
Kaido feared that Queen, even with the Pluton blueprints in hand, would continue to pour his energy into these pointless projects. That was why, despite having already given Queen clear instructions, he continued to watch over him, guiding his research every step of the way.
The weapon that Caesar and Judge were now staring at was a direct result of his guidance. It was the first prototype of a project Kaido had named: Weapon Zero.
The idea for this weapon had been forming in Kaido's mind from the moment he ordered Queen to research how to make objects consume Devil Fruits. On the vast seas, what Devil Fruit could be more suited for a weapon than the one literally named the Weapon-Weapon Fruit? Its ability to transform into countless forms, combining the advantages of both cold and hot weapons, represented the peak of what a normal weapon could achieve. This was precisely why Kaido had gone to the trouble of taking Baby-5 from Doflamingo.
After Kaido shared his vision, Queen immediately began his experiments. It took only a week to produce a successful prototype. The speed of their progress was partly due to the advanced technology detailed in the Pluton blueprints. However, it was also because this was a field that Queen, Judge, Caesar, and Vegapunk had already explored during their time in MADS, and they had made significant breakthroughs back then.
This technology was the foundation for many of Vegapunk's future creations, including the Seraphim. Even Judge's high-tech Germa battlesuits were a product of this research; they were imbued with Lineage Factors to grant them special abilities. The underlying principle was simple: the MADS team discovered that Devil Fruit users emitted a unique wavelength. By manipulating these wavelengths, they could influence the Devil Fruit's powers.
Until now, their most successful experiments had been with Zoan-type Devil Fruits. The wavelengths of Paramecia and Logia fruits were far more complex and difficult to capture. But with the Pluton blueprints, that problem vanished. Queen no longer needed to search for the correct wavelength; the plans had it written down plain as day.
However, solving one problem only revealed another. It was the same issue encountered by the Germa family with their battlesuits. A Devil Fruit's power might be versatile and ever-changing, but when it was attached to an inanimate object, that versatility disappeared. The object was left with only a single, static ability. Because an object isn't alive, it cannot change, and therefore the power it holds cannot change either.
So, the next question was clear: how do you turn an inanimate object into a living one?
The answer wasn't in the Pluton blueprints, but that didn't stop Kaido. As a transmigrator, he already knew the solution. To find the answer, one only had to consider the fundamental difference between living things and inanimate objects. It was incredibly simple: living things possessed vitality, while dead things did not.
This line of thought immediately brought two things to Kaido's mind. First, the robotic Seraphim that Vegapunk would one day create. And second, his own commander: King. King's Lunarian Lineage Factor might hold the key to solving this problem. After all, the most distinct feature of the Lunarian race was the burning flame on their back—what could be a stronger symbol of vitality than fire itself?
Following Kaido's suggestion, Queen immediately began a new series of experiments. The result came far quicker than expected and even managed to surprise Kaido himself. They had successfully synthesized it: Green Blood. It was the very substance that would allow Vegapunk's Seraphim to use the abilities of various Devil Fruits.
And Weapon Zero was the first successful fusion of Baby-5's Devil Fruit and the Lunarian Lineage Factor. It was a samurai sword that possessed the full power of the Weapon-Weapon Fruit. The creation of Weapon Zero proved that Kaido's hypothesis was correct. He was on the right path.
However, he had no interest in creating Seraphim. Their flaws were far too obvious. Because they were living beings, they had their own consciousness. This, combined with the personality traits inherited from their Lineage Factor's owner, made them dangerously unstable. Kaido had no need for a weapon that could betray him at any moment.
The ultimate weapon he envisioned was something much simpler: a magic treasure. Since he was on a path to cultivate his own form of immortality, it only made sense that he would have powerful artifacts to accompany him. He needed tools, not clones. He wanted something bound to a master like a piece of legendary equipment, an item with enough spirituality to act on its own but without a will to defy him. It should enhance its master's strength, not become a liability.
Kaido already had a clear idea for his future arsenal. The inspiration came from an old animated show he had watched in his past life: Jackie Chan Adventures. He was the captain of the Beasts Pirates, a crew defined by animal-themed powers. What could be more fitting for him than the Twelve Talismans, artifacts representing the animals of the zodiac, each possessing a unique and powerful force?
Of course, he didn't need the exact same abilities as the original twelve. He would create his own versions, using the most powerful Devil Fruits this world had to offer.
The Rat Talisman's power of resurrection could be replaced by Orochi's Mythical Zoan, the Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Yamata no Orochi. The Rabbit Talisman's super speed could be replicated and improved with the Slow-Slow Fruit. The Dragon Talisman's combustion power was easily replaced by his own artificial Azure Dragon Fruit. The Snake Talisman's invisibility would come from the Clear-Clear Fruit. The Horse Talisman's healing could be granted by the Heal-Heal Fruit. The Sheep Talisman's soul-related abilities would be powered by the Soul-Soul Fruit. The Monkey Talisman's shapeshifting would be achieved with the Copy-Copy Fruit. The Rooster Talisman's levitation was a perfect match for the Float-Float Fruit.
As for the abilities of the Ox, Tiger, Pig, and Dog talismans, he had better replacements in mind.
The Ox's super strength was useless to him, so he would replace it with the power of the Time-Time Fruit. The Tiger's power of balance was not particularly useful either; he would substitute it with the Flower-Flower Fruit. The Pig's laser eyes were uninteresting. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was a far superior replacement. Finally, the Dog's immortality was a concept Kaido didn't truly believe in. He valued the strategic advantage of the Door-Door Fruit far more.
These twelve fruits were, in his opinion, the Devil Fruits with the greatest potential in the entire world.
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