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After eating his fill and replenishing his spirit, Arthur reviewed the movements of the Thunder God Pirates over the past two years. Satisfied, he stepped back into the laboratory to resume his "Devil Soul" surgeries.
Having unlocked the secret behind Kaido's indestructible physique, Arthur knew that further enhancing his own physical strength was the key to expanding his "Capacity" for more Devil Fruits.
However, the fruits he intended to process next were not Paramecia types, but Zoan types.
..............
Physical strength serves as the "container" for fruit abilities. To consume every Devil Fruit in existence, one's constitution must be powerful enough to sustain the collective weight of their souls. The only way to push the human body toward infinite growth is through the transformative power of Zoan fruits.
Arthur found it somewhat ironic. When he first set sail and plundered the Heavenly Tribute in the West Blue, he had come across several Zoan fruits. At the time, he had looked down on them as "low-tier" and simply tossed them aside.
Fortunately, those weren't particularly powerful models. With nearly infinite time at his disposal, he was confident he could track them down again eventually.
Arthur summoned several "test subjects" from his subordinates and entered his private lab. He produced a specific fruit he had recovered after occupying Punk Hazard—the Artificial Dragon Fruit created by Vegapunk.
Regardless of whether a Zoan is natural or man-made, a person is typically limited to one. For others, it might enhance the physique, but Arthur needed to see if it would interact with his unique multi-soul system.
The Procedure: He expanded the ROOM across the lab. His movements were fluid and practiced.
The Result: A few days later, the surgery was complete. The "Devil Soul" within the artificial fruit no longer showed signs of rejection.
Arthur swallowed it whole without hesitation. He waited. Several seconds passed.
"Nothing."
The fruit was useless to him. He couldn't even trigger the transformation into a small dragon.
"Artificial fruits are defective after all," Arthur mused. "They can't compare to the genuine article."
The result didn't shock him; it was expected. If man-made fruits could truly rival natural ones, the value of the "Blueprint of Life" and Caesar's SAD would be magnified a thousandfold. Still, a faint trace of disappointment lingered.
To reach a level where his body could sustain every fruit in the world, he needed the high-tier Mythical Zoans—the ones capable of constant regeneration and evolution.
Casting aside his previous bias against the "ugly" transformations of the Zoan class, Arthur pulled a specific prize from his "Castle": Red the Aloof's Mythical Zoan—the Bat-Bat Fruit, Model: Vampire.
While its raw physical boost was average, its specialized ability to drain life force was peerless. For Arthur, any boost was a necessary step toward his ultimate goal.
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Fish-Man Island: 10,000 Meters Below
In the Fish-Man Plaza, thousands of citizens—both Fish-Men and Merfolk—gathered at a call for assembly. They stood amidst the swaying coral, listening with varying degrees of patience to a speech they had heard many times before.
Deep in the crowd, a few familiar, hardened faces watched with cynical eyes: Arlong, Hody Jones, Chew, Kuroobi, and Hatchan. Even Vander Decken IX lingered at the periphery of the plaza.
Most of these men were former members of the Sun Pirates. Following Fisher Tiger's death and disagreements with Jinbe, they had abandoned the crew after the war between Whitebeard and the Thunder Emperor to return to their homeland.
The death of Fisher Tiger—pulverized by Arthur's fist—had ignited a burning hatred for humanity in these men. They refused to work under or alongside humans ever again.
"Is Queen Otohime still chasing those pipe dreams?" Arlong muttered. "All humans deserve to die..."
Hody Jones went a step further, subtly drawing a concealed pistol. He intended to assassinate Otohime and end her years of "Understanding Humans" lectures once and for all.
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Queen Otohime had spent years campaigning for the citizens of Fish-Man Island to sign a petition to relocate to the surface. She planned to present this plea at the next Reverie. She led by example, teaching children about the surface world and leading soldiers to rescue shipwrecked humans.
But since Fisher Tiger was killed, the island's residents had become increasingly resistant. They had seen their hero die; they had no interest in peace.
"I beg of you all!" Otohime cried, a warm, persistent smile on her face. "This petition is vital! With it, we can move to the surface and see the true Sun!"
The light from the Sunlight Tree Eve, while beautiful, was a mere shadow of the real thing.
"Queen Otohime, stop dreaming!" a Fish-man shouted from the crowd. "Peace is impossible! Humans see us as nothing but slaves!"
Hody Jones raised his hand, finger tightening on the trigger. He planned to kill her and pin the blame on a human, ensuring the dream of peace would die with her.
"Queen Otohime!" a Palace Guard suddenly shouted, sprinting toward the stage and breaking Hody's focus. "A shipwrecked vessel belonging to the World Nobles is requesting entry into our borders!"
"The Celestial Dragons?" Otohime's face lit up with hope. "Hurry! Rescue them and bring them to the Ryugu Palace. We must treat them with the utmost hospitality!!"
Pure and kind-hearted to a fault, she believed she could use this act of mercy to move the World Nobles and earn their friendship. If she succeeded, she believed the dream of living under the sun might finally become a reality.
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