Chapter 124: The Blue Dragon's Legacy
Nami's words caught in her throat. She stared, dumbfounded, as Skylark withdrew her hand from under the black cloth, now holding a strange, snow-white fruit. It was pear-shaped, almost translucent, with intricate spiral patterns etched across its surface. Nami was certain—no such fruit existed in nature! Besides, what Skylark had pulled out from under that cloth moments ago was clearly a red apple. She couldn't have been mistaken!
"Skylark, this couldn't be..." Nami began, a bold and shocking guess forming in her mind.
Skylark nodded quickly, her voice a hushed whisper. "It's the fruit from her body. The Logia-type, Snow-Snow Fruit."
The revelation was staggering. Skylark's actions did more than just surprise Nami; they sent a jolt through Ian, who was observing the entire process through his enhanced senses. The apple transformed into the pear-shaped Snow-Snow Fruit... the unique ability of the Dark-Dark Fruit!
Upon consuming a Devil Fruit, the knowledge of how to use its powers is automatically imprinted on the user's mind. It seemed that beyond combat applications, Skylark had perfectly grasped the Dark-Dark Fruit's ability to absorb and transfer Devil Fruit powers. This little one was full of surprises. Ian hadn't instructed her; she had figured it out on her own. In doing so, she had filled a gap in Ian's understanding of how Blackbeard and his crew harvested Devil Fruits.
While a user of the Dark-Dark Fruit could perform the operation more conveniently, the successful rebirth of the Dark-Dark Fruit itself had already proven Ian's method was feasible. But now, with Skylark on his team, the process was even more effortless. He didn't even need to worry about the fruit's final form. For unrecorded or unknown Devil Fruits, they could now hunt them at will and repurpose them for their own use!
…
In Building B, originally one of Vegapunk's laboratories, Caesar Clown finally arrived and pushed open the lab door.
"Tch. If it weren't for the special circumstances, I wouldn't come here," he muttered, a deep-seated disgust evident in his voice. "Every time I step inside, I feel sick. But I have to admit, the weapons and tools that guy left behind are passable."
His words were stubborn, masking a deep-seated insecurity. They had both once worked under the World Government, but Vegapunk's genius far eclipsed Caesar's, making him the favored one. Many of Caesar's proposals had been rejected. He was less a conceited scientist and more a childish man desperately craving recognition.
Vergo hesitated for a moment before following him inside. The instruments in this lab were clearly of a much higher specification than those in the broadcast room they had just fled.
"If I'm not mistaken, this was originally Vegapunk's private laboratory, wasn't it?" Vergo remarked, his eyes scanning the room. "Hmm? Is this... a Devil Fruit?"
His gaze landed on a glass display case. The fruit inside was clearly no ordinary piece of produce.
"That..." Caesar Clown sneered. "It's a Devil Fruit created by Vegapunk. I don't know what its power is. He called it a failure himself, but he never destroyed it. Tch. I'm the true master of artificial Devil Fruit technology! Of course, Vegapunk's inferior skills could only produce garbage. Since you reminded me, I might as well destroy it!"
As he spoke, Caesar pulled a special hilt from a cabinet. It had no blade but was covered in strange-looking buttons and patterns. This unique hilt could store oxygen drawn from the mouth. Using the gas produced by his Gas-Gas Fruit as energy, it could generate a sword of blue flame.
Caesar Clown swung his arm, and the Blue Flame Sword ignited. He raised his right hand, aiming to slash the display case.
Just as the blade was about to make contact, a figure blurred into motion. A hand shot through the gas surrounding Caesar, clamping down hard on his wrist.
"Huh? Who's grabbing me? Ugh... Jock Ian?!" Caesar shrieked, stunned by Ian's speed.
"Lucky I caught up in time," Ian said calmly. "Don't waste this fruit. I'll be taking it."
BOOM!
A powerful kick sent Caesar Clown flying, blood spraying from his mouth as he crashed heavily into a bank of instruments nearby.
Almost simultaneously, a fist sheathed in jet-black Armament Haki shot through the gas, aimed directly at Ian's face. Vergo's reaction and attack speed were astonishingly fast.
Unfortunately, in Ian's eyes, his speed was no different from a child's.
BOOM!
Ian raised his elbow, effortlessly blocking Vergo's attack. "I remember you're proficient in Rokushiki, right...?" Ian said, his tone almost conversational. "Finger Gun."
PCHOO!
Ian flicked his fingers lightly. The sharp projectile of the Finger Gun possessed far greater penetrating power than any ordinary firearm. It tore through Vergo's Armament Haki defense, piercing clean through his abdomen and out his back.
"Cough!" Vergo's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he was sent flying backward, slamming hard into a metal frame behind him. He had known Ian would be difficult to deal with, so he had poured all his Haki into his defense without regard for stamina. Even so, he had been utterly overwhelmed by Ian's casual counterattack.
CRACK!
Ian shattered the glass display case and retrieved the artificial Devil Fruit inside. It was a vibrant green, covered in intricate patterns.
A failed product created by Vegapunk?
Perhaps, in the eyes of a perfectionist like Vegapunk, it was indeed not a success. But Ian knew better. This fruit was far more powerful than the Snow-Snow Fruit Skylark had just acquired. His reasons for coming to Punk Hazard under the pretext of gathering supplies were twofold. Defeating Caesar Clown and disrupting the New World's balance was one half. The other half was for this very Devil Fruit, created by Vegapunk.
The Artificial Zoan-type Devil Fruit... Mythical Zoan Model: Azure Dragon!
Created by extracting the lineage factor from the blood of Kaido, one of the Four Emperors. It was labeled a failure, but in reality, its effects were identical to Kaido's own Azure Dragon Fruit!
"Gas Gastino: Vacuum World!"
"Jock Ian, you're fast, I'll give you that! But it's a pity you were still too careless!" Caesar Clown, supporting his injured body, spread his arms wide and laughed maniacally. "I am the user of the Gas-Gas Fruit, a Logia! My ability can drain all the oxygen from the surrounding area! It was a stupid decision to get so close to me! How does it feel? Suffocating, isn't it? Can't breathe? Shurororororo...!"
No matter how powerful a person was, they couldn't fight without air. As a user of the standard Human-Human Fruit—and not a special model at that—there was no way Ian could escape this.
However…
Caesar watched, his laughter dying in his throat, as Ian calmly wiped the surface of the Devil Fruit and tucked it into his pocket. His movements were fluid, unhurried, as if nothing were amiss. He showed no sign of oxygen deprivation whatsoever.
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