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The Blueprint of Life was Dr. Vegapunk's ultimate masterpiece in the field of biological research.
When he first discovered it in his youth, the World Government immediately labeled him the most dangerous man alive, leading to his arrest and subsequent containment. It was through this blueprint that the Vinsmoke Family rose from the ashes to assemble the New Germa 66, and it was the same data that allowed Caesar Clown to develop SAD for artificial Devil Fruits and continue his giantization experiments.
Whether it was Lineage Factor soldiers, Devil Fruits, giantization, or even artificial pet dragons, the answers could all be found within those pages.
From the start of Sea Circle Calendar 1510 through 1511, Arthur had been at a complete loss regarding the sample of flesh he had carved from Kaido. For a full year, he couldn't decipher its secrets—until he read Vegapunk's Blueprint of Life.
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Arthur discovered that even after being detached from Kaido's body, the muscle tissue didn't die. Instead, it continued to squirm like a parasitic organism, behaving like an independent living entity.
He realized that Kaido's cells were not only incredibly resilient but also possessed a division rate hundreds of times faster than a normal human's. This meant that Kaido possessed a self-healing factor that far surpassed anyone else's without draining his fundamental vitality.
But the most incredible discovery was the cell membrane. It functioned like a "keratinized layer," fundamentally different from that of a normal human.
While an average person's cell membrane merely manages material exchange and nutrient absorption, every single cell in Kaido's body possessed a terrifying inherent defensive power.
After more than a year of study, Arthur had finally unlocked the mystery of why Kaido's physique was so indomitable and his defense so staggering. The title of "Monster" was no exaggeration. Arthur couldn't determine if Kaido himself was a product of Lineage Factor manipulation, but he knew one thing for certain: his own experiment was ready to succeed.
If he could transform his own cell membranes into a similar "keratinized barrier" and allow his cells to divide rapidly, he could achieve a physique more terrifying than Kaido's. He was already a monster—now, he was going to evolve into something beyond that.
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Arthur had spent over a decade strengthening his body with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's electricity, followed by the "Atypical" surgery in the Drum Kingdom, and the natural augmentations from consuming multiple Devil Fruits. Now, he was truly becoming something else.
"A monster?" Arthur laughed at the thought.
In truth, anyone who ate a Devil Fruit was already a monster. There was no point in agonizing over the definition. As he traveled further down the path of power, he drifted further from what was considered "human." If a day came when he possessed every Devil Fruit ability in the world and stood alone with such power, he wouldn't be a monster in the eyes of the ignorant—he would be a God.
Choosing the Op-Op Fruit as his second power had been a gamble on its ultimate ability: the power to perform surgery on all things without the possibility of failure. It was undoubtedly the wisest decision he had ever made, providing him with a permanent ladder to greater strength.
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Arthur locked himself in a reinforced room, instructing Vegapunk not to disturb him. Using the Op-Op Fruit, the procedure was remarkably straightforward. Within a few days, he completed the "keratinized membrane" surgery, allowing the cellular division to sweep through his entire body.
In the darkness of the room, Arthur could feel his body reaching an inconceivable level of power. His defined muscles had become even more compact, truly turning into "steel bones and iron skin." A simple wave of his arm generated a localized gale.
His height remained unchanged at roughly 2.2 meters, but his weight had increased several times over due to the sheer density of his muscles. He radiated a primal, predatory aura like an ancient apex beast.
With his current physical stats, he could stand still and let enemies strike him to no effect. Much like the Marines' attempts to execute Kaido, chains would snap, guillotines would shatter, and spears would simply break against his skin.
"Heh... Hahahaha!!"
Arthur's arrogant laughter echoed through the sealed room. He walked to the heavy steel door, thrust his hand into the metal, and ripped it sideways. As if tearing through wet paper, the massive, thick door was shredded in two by his raw strength.
A man's true romance was close-quarters combat—fist to flesh. Combined with his Devil Fruit abilities, he was now truly unrivaled under heaven. Unless an ability appeared that completely bypassed physical defense, Arthur could tread anywhere on earth without fear.
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Back in the main lab, Vegapunk continued his research, indifferent to anything outside of scientific discovery.
"Looking at you, I take it the procedure was a success," Vegapunk remarked as the door was torn open. Even as a non-combatant, he could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from Arthur.
"You don't seem surprised?" Arthur asked, his mood excellent.
"Success is built on a foundation of countless failures. You've experimented for two years—there was no reason to fail again," Vegapunk replied flatly, turning back to his vats and leaving Arthur standing there.
Arthur shook his head, despairing at how boring Vegapunk could be. He left the lab, headed to the beach of Raijin Island, and had Jessica prepare a magnificent feast.
As the sea breeze blew and the sun shone down, Arthur listened to Stussy's report on the Thunder God Pirates' movements. The world was quiet. By mid-1512, the New World remained stable. The friction between the "Four Emperors and One Sovereign" was at an all-time low. No major news came from the Pirates, the Navy, or the Revolutionary Army. The sea seemed destined to remain calm...
Until Arthur returned to his lab to deal with the next batch of Devil Fruits.
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