Subcutaneous armor functioned much like external connective tissue, forming a protective film beneath the skin.
It behaved like a non-Newtonian fluid—soft and thin, indistinguishable from normal tissue. Yet when struck beyond its threshold, it would harden instantly, becoming nearly indestructible.
In the Cyberpunk 2077 series, the bulletproof armor worn by protagonists like David and Maine, and some mercenaries, wasn't subcutaneous armor—it was external steel skin.
On the surface, external steel skin offered greater protection than subcutaneous armor.
But in reality, it was outdated tech, scrapped decades ago in 2077.
The primary drawback? Steel skin drastically increased the risk of cyberpsychosis.
Thus, only the desperate, or fearless power-seekers like Adam Hammer, used external steel skins.
Xiao had already pointed out that Cyberpunk prosthetics poorly adapted to the pirate world—and this explained why.
Pirates' muscles and bones kept growing with their strength. Implanting external steel skin was like forcing them into a rigid crab shell.
As their bodies expanded, the steel skin would hinder natural development, offering little defense while constraining growth.
Subcutaneous armor, on the other hand, was flexible. It stretched with growing muscles and height, though this slightly weakened its density. Extra armor could restore its original protective value. It was perfect for pirates.
Its only downside? High maintenance costs.
If breached, the damaged section had to be replaced at significant expense, unlike steel skin, which could simply be swapped with a cheap plate.
Wapol Xiao had pushed this to the extreme, merging shape-memory alloy with subcutaneous armor to create an ultimate armor that healed autonomously like living tissue.
Shape-memory alloy—or Wapol Alloy—was crafted from the Munch-Munch Fruit, a miraculous material unique to One Piece.
It had extraordinary hardness, flexibility, and self-restoring properties. Missiles and lasers couldn't dent it. To even harm Wapol Alloy, one needed the strength of Kaido, the Pirate Emperor of One Hundred Beasts, and mastery of high-level Armament Haki.
Even then, fluid armor like subcutaneous armor slightly weakened its effectiveness. Against the elites of the Wapol Army, Mengji's troops had no means of breaking through.
And these were just elite soldiers. Sebastian Xiao observed that without third-generation technology or higher, such power could be casually used by civilians—an incredible materials-science breakthrough.
Wapol Shaw had integrated the resources of two worlds, fusing Munch-Munch Fruit miracles with Cyberpunk black tech, creating power beyond any single world's limits.
The Mengji Army faced the terrifying armor firsthand. Meng Jijun's fierce attacks bounced off the Wapol Army's defenses, unable to penetrate.
Meanwhile, the Wapol Army leveraged these armored elites as living spears, smashing through Mengji's frontlines and closing in on their command.
Yet this advantage was temporary. Mengji's staff quickly discovered a critical weakness: the Wapol electromagnetic acceleration rifles had no anti-theft locks.
A golden opportunity.
The Wapol commander, despite his genius, had allowed these dangerous weapons to be used by relatively ignorant pirates. Add an anti-theft lock? Forget it. Pirates couldn't handle instructions—they would simply misuse the rifles.
In the pirate world, intelligence was polarized. Smart scientists could build mechanical Gundams, clones, and lasers beyond Cyberpunk 2077 tech.
But the average pirate? Illiterate, naïve, and easily manipulated. They would even assist roadside slave traders in counting coins while praising them as "good people."
Changing this would take hundreds of years, multiple generations—far beyond Wapol's reach.
And this created the perfect opportunity for Mengji.
As the saying goes: "Use the barbarians' strength against them."
Mengji's army, though primitive in weapons, could now seize the enemy's arms and turn them into their own.
Once the General Staff understood the electromagnetic rifle's principle, the Mengji Army's equipment was immediately upgraded.
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