After the very first human verification of Vegapunk's artificial Devil Fruit was an absolute success, Vegapunk immediately locked himself back in the lab to continue producing the second, third... and eventually a sixth artificial Tyrannosaurus Rex Devil Fruit.
York personally bestowed all five of the newly synthesized fruits upon the remaining nine veterans who had volunteered for the trials.
Among them, four successfully gained the Ancient Zoan abilities and transformed into hulking, yellow-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rexes. One veteran failed completely.
Vegapunk immediately conducted a comprehensive, highly detailed medical and genetic examination of the failed individual's body. The results ultimately validated his theory: the failed individual simply did not acquire the ability, but his cellular structure and internal organs suffered absolutely zero damage or side effects whatsoever.
This absolute safety meant that the artificial Devil Fruits created by Vegapunk could theoretically be consumed an infinite number of times by a single person until the fruit's ability was finally acquired.
This fantastic news immediately re-energized the veteran pirate who had been downcast due to his failure.
However, just as York was about to order Dr. Vegapunk to put the artificial Devil Fruits into mass production to equip the entire First Legion, the scientist suddenly informed York that they were out of synthetic materials.
Vegapunk spread his massive hands helplessly.
"The raw chemical materials for successfully manufacturing artificial Devil Fruits are incredibly complex and extremely precious, Your Majesty. The institute's reserves have been completely used up during the trial phase. We can only wait for standard underworld procurement channels now."
York frowned slightly, tapping his finger on his throne. "How long will procurement take through Du Feld's network?"
"About half a year." Vegapunk gave a timeline that York did not particularly like. "Moreover, even if there is stock available on the black market, the quantity probably won't be much. I estimate that one six-month procurement cycle can only produce enough raw material for two or three artificial Devil Fruits. And we must also factor in the 50% failure rate."
York frowned again, his mind racing. "Where exactly is the origin of these specific raw materials?"
Vegapunk shook his head slightly. "I honestly don't know. The supply chain is highly obfuscated by the World Government."
York fell silent. He had originally wanted to immediately dispatch Kaido to directly occupy the place of origin, but it turned out that even the smartest man in the world didn't know where it was.
Helpless, York could only try to aggressively sift through the transmigrator memories of his past life's manga and anime, attempting to pinpoint the origin of the raw materials related to artificial Devil Fruits.
Before long, a specific geopolitical location clicked in his mind.
Dressrosa!
More precisely, the Tontatta Tribe native to Dressrosa. They possessed the miraculous, inherent ability to cultivate absolutely any plant in the world. The raw chemical material known as 'SAD', which Caesar Clown would eventually use to create his defective 'SMILE' fruits in the future, was produced entirely through Donquixote Doflamingo's brutal enslavement of the Tontatta dwarves.
Theoretically, the raw, fundamental plant materials required by Caesar and Vegapunk should be exactly the same.
This meant that as long as York occupied Dressrosa and secured the Tontatta Tribe, he would be able to obtain a virtually infinite, continuous supply of artificial Devil Fruits.
But... the geographical location of Dressrosa was a massive tactical problem.
It was located far too close to the Red Line, and entirely too far from the borders of the Crimson Empire. If he were to immediately launch a massive naval invasion to occupy Dressrosa right after the sudden appearance of his cloned Zoan users, it would be far too obvious.
There was absolutely no direct, logical shipping or trade route connecting Dressrosa to his territory. The World Government, if they possessed even half a brain, would definitely know something was fundamentally wrong. At that time, they would inevitably use every means—from Cipher Pol to Admiral deployments—to uncover his mass-production secret.
As the ancient saying goes: It is infinitely easier to be a thief for a thousand days than to actively guard against one for a thousand days.
Even if the core foundation of his science institute was securely locked inside the Mirror World, York couldn't guarantee one hundred percent that World Government spies wouldn't eventually be able to infiltrate his outer logistics network. The CP organization's operational capabilities still deserved some level of respect.
Therefore, to definitively prevent this, York needed to create a massive diversion and set up an impenetrable smokescreen.
Taking a deep breath, York looked at Vegapunk and asked, "Is it possible that the World Government's own high-security research institutes store the specific chemical materials and equipment we need?"
"Most likely, yes," Vegapunk answered, a sudden glimmer of realization flashing in his eyes. "Do you know the exact location of the World Government's primary research institutes?"
York grinned dangerously. "Do you want me to bring back some local souvenirs for you, Doctor?"
Vegapunk nodded candidly. "Although our equipment here in the Mirror World can theoretically be manufactured ourselves with Dr. Asie's help, the problem is that synthesizing everything from scratch is incredibly inefficient."
"If you can forcefully 'acquire' some advanced, pre-calibrated equipment from the World Government, it would completely solve our urgent mass-production needs. Furthermore, many of my other research projects that have been suspended due to insufficient hardware could also immediately resume."
York nodded slightly, completely understanding Vegapunk's logistical needs.
"Understood. I will do my absolute best to strip them to the copper wiring."
With that decided, York turned and summoned his core cadres to the Royal War Room.
All high-ranking commanders, except for the busy science department, were present.
Gloriosa, Stussy, and Shakky—the three Empresses of the Crimson Empire—sat calmly beside York's throne, exuding the dignified, steady aura of queens who had been assisting in handling absolute state affairs for years.
The fourth lady, Gunko, was not invited to the classified military meeting due to the ever-present, lingering paranoia regarding her psychic connection with Imu.
At the left head of the long, obsidian conference table, Kaido sat with his massive arms crossed. His bronze skin gleamed with a cold, hard, indestructible luster under the chandeliers.
Across from him, Dragon stood tall, his dark green cloak draped over his shoulders, his intense eyes concealing an untamed, revolutionary sharpness.
With these two monsters at the head, the others were seated in strict military order.
Emporio Ivankov sat with his legs crossed, casually twirling a strand of purple hair between his fingers. He had not yet become the Queen of the Kamabakka Kingdom from the original timeline. Although his massive, disproportionate head looked comical to outsiders, he was—apart from Kaido and Dragon—the absolute most charismatic and capable commander of the younger generation.
Nineteen-year-old Ginny and fifteen-year-old Bartholomew Kuma sat closely together, vaguely showing the blossoming signs of a quiet romance forged in blood and loyalty.
Hanafuda, the towering Oni swordsman from the Vodka homeland, sat across from them. Beside him was Myscina Olga, technically 174 years old but still appearing and acting exactly like a sarcastic child.
Douglas Bullet, already possessing a monstrous physique at thirteen years old this year, sat across from Olga. Beside him was the oldest, Magha, an Ancient Zoan user who was thirty years old, the exact same age as York.
Finally, eight-year-old Marshall D. Teach and seven-year-old Enel—both having been brought down from the ruins of Skypiea—sat obediently, if intensely, at the very end of the table.
Looking at this entire row of energetic, terrifyingly talented young commanders gathered around his table, York felt both profound comfort and absolute, Emperor's pride.
These monsters were his absolute future! They were his core confidence for eventually launching a direct, apocalyptic war against the World Government!
After a brief, authoritative opening, York first officially informed the War Council about the successful research and synthesis of artificial Devil Fruits.
Everyone was still somewhat puzzled and skeptical upon hearing this mere theory. So, York simply snapped his fingers.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Five massive pirates, already fully transformed into their hulking, yellow-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rex human-beast forms, entered through a large side door. Their heavy, three-toed beast claws made heavy, echoing thuds on the stone floor.
Everyone at the table, who had been bewildered just a second ago, simultaneously widened their eyes in sheer shock. Hanafuda even sprang directly from his heavy chair, his eyeballs almost popping completely out of their sockets.
Looking at the five towering individuals before him, who were biologically and structurally almost identical to himself except for their yellow coloration, Hanafuda instinctively activated his own Devil Fruit ability in sheer disbelief.
The sixth Tyrannosaurus Rex—ancient, rustic crimson, and radiating a vastly superior, ferocious aura of raw Haki—appeared in the room. After letting out a deafening roar that made the crystal chandeliers tremble violently, Hanafuda's massive body shrank, transforming back into his hybrid dinosaur-human form.
Hanafuda walked slowly over to the five cloned beasts, poking one of their scaled chests.
"Ex... exactly the same?!" Hanafuda gasped.
"This... this is the power of an artificial Devil Fruit?!" Dragon murmured involuntarily, his strategic mind racing.
They hadn't expected that the successful research of artificial Devil Fruits, as York had casually mentioned, had already reached the terrifying stage of stable, localized mass production!
Looking at the six dinosaur-humans standing before them, everyone at the table simultaneously envisioned the same apocalyptic scene: an entire, unified army of hundreds of Ancient Zoan users violently sweeping across the battlefields of the New World under their command.
But amidst the overwhelming military excitement, a hint of hidden, deeply personal worry quietly spread among the natural fruit users.
If Devil Fruit abilities were truly no longer unique or sacred, would their high-ranking positions in the Empire eventually be replaced by mass-produced clones?
Hanafuda and Magha, both being natural Ancient Zoan users, exchanged nervous glances, seeing the same existential anxiety reflected in each other's eyes.
York sat calmly at the head of the table, his eyes taking everything in. He immediately moved to reassure his core veterans.
"Do not panic. According to Dr. Vegapunk's extensive research, artificial Devil Fruits fundamentally do not possess the capacity for Devil Fruit Awakening."
This wasn't a lie made up to comfort them; Vegapunk had indeed definitively reached this absolute conclusion, though it was still in the theoretical genetic verification stage. Of course, even without practical verification, York—knowing the lore of the world—absolutely believed that artificial Devil Fruits could not Awaken.
The reason was simple and absolute: Artificial Devil Fruits were products of cold, sterile technology. They were pure, genetic physical superpowers artificially bestowed based on the splicing of Lineage Factors.
Natural Devil Fruits, on the other hand, possessed a distinct, esoteric 'will'. They fused directly with the user's very soul. Even if the soul was entirely separated from the physical body, the ability could still be utilized. The true source of natural Devil Fruit abilities was the collective beliefs, desires, and dreams of humanity itself.
There was a fundamental, insurmountable metaphysical difference between a clone and a miracle.
York systematically explained this theory to his commanders, and those who had been secretly worried immediately breathed a massive sigh of relief.
However, at the exact same time, a terrifying sense of urgency also surged in their hearts.
The biggest, absolute difference between artificial Devil Fruits and natural Devil Fruits was the capacity to Awaken. If they failed to train hard enough and never achieved a true Devil Fruit Awakening in their entire lives... what difference would they have from the mass-produced foot soldiers?!
'I must train desperately hard!' Hanafuda and Magha simultaneously admonished themselves internally.
The highly stable, prosperous situation of the Crimson Empire in recent years had made them—veterans who had never experienced the absolute, crushing despair of God Valley—unconsciously relax quite a bit. But from this exact moment on, none of them dared to continue being complacent.
York looked at their suddenly determined, panicked expressions. A hint of deep satisfaction flashed in his eyes—this psychological motivation was precisely one of the primary intentions behind him calling this demonstration.
It was a stark, Emperor's warning to his crew: Do not think about being a slacker in my Empire! As long as you sail under the flag of Atlas D. York, if you want to maintain your elite status and power, you must continuously demonstrate corresponding, overwhelming abilities! Otherwise, the capable will rise, and the incompetent will fall to the ranks of the clones.
After perfectly resolving everyone's psychological pressure and delivering his stern warning, York shifted gears to discuss the second, immediate operational matter.
"The raw materials required for manufacturing artificial Devil Fruits are incredibly rare. Our institute's reserves are currently completely depleted, and underworld procurement takes far too long—at least half a year just to start. I absolutely refuse to wait that long."
York leaned forward, his eyes burning with predatory intent.
"So, I've decided to aggressively rob the World Government's primary research institute! We are going to take everything we need directly from their vaults!" York slammed his fist on the table. "I've already chosen the absolute target. We are hitting Punk Hazard!"
These words were like a literal spark hitting a powder keg, instantly igniting the dormant, violent passion of everyone present.
Kaido let out a deep, deafening "Uororororo!" laugh. Dragon's eyes burned with intense, revolutionary fighting spirit. Even little Teach waved his small fists, screaming in excitement.
In this Pirate Empire, brutal, high-stakes war had always been the absolute fastest ladder to elevate one's status.
York quickly stood up, assigning the combat missions.
"This invasion will be personally led by me!"
At these words, the entire assembly let out a collective gasp of shock. An Emperor personally leading a raid?! But York immediately raised his hand, his Haki silencing what they wanted to protest.
"Punk Hazard is geographically located far too close to the Red Line and Mary Geoise. If the King of the World were to disregard all decency and personally intervene again, absolutely none of you would be a match for them in a single exchange!"
"Only I possess the absolute power to completely suppress their schemes and trap cards!" York declared. "Besides the security risk, we also need to manually dismantle and move all of Punk Hazard's heavy research equipment back into the Mirror World. This is not a smash-and-grab that can be completed in a short hour! It requires me to be heavily stationed there for a prolonged period to maintain the perimeter!"
With that, York turned to look at Kaido.
"Kaido. The absolute responsibility of guarding the homeland and the capital is temporarily entrusted entirely to you!"
Kaido opened his mouth to argue for joining the raid, but looking at York's serious expression, he finally nodded heavily, gripping his club.
"Leave it to me! Even if Sengoku personally leads a Buster Call to our shores, I will definitively beat him back into the sea! Uorororororo!"
After securing the capital, York looked at Dragon.
"Dragon, you will also stay behind. Your primary, absolute responsibility is to garrison the Hart Province. Our infrastructure and reform achievements there cannot be cut short or sabotaged at this critical time!"
Dragon actually desperately wanted to go out to sea with York to strike a blow against the World Government's science division, but since York had issued a direct military order, he could only nod and accept the appointment.
"Ivankov, Ginny, Kuma, Bullet, Olga. You are responsible for guarding the Clandia Province. Remember: Ivankov is the absolute operational boss! You must listen to Ivankov's tactical orders above all else! Especially you, Olga!"
Olga stuck out her tongue sheepishly. She was still far too playful, but York had spoken with such overwhelming Haki that she wasn't a completely unreasonable brat.
"Understood, Captain York! I will strictly obey Big Brother Ivankov's arrangements."
Receiving her assurance, York nodded in satisfaction. He then looked down at the youngest members of the crew, Teach and Eneru.
"You two are still far too young and untrained. We won't be taking you on this mission."
The two little ones were quite sensible and uniquely observant, deeply understanding that they were not yet physically or Haki-qualified to participate in actual Emperor-level operations. They didn't throw a tantrum, simply nodding to indicate their acceptance of the order.
Finally, York looked at Hanafuda and Magha, whose faces were flushed with sheer, unadulterated anticipation.
"This operation will be carried out by the two of you alongside me!" York declared.
"Hanafuda, I officially appoint you as the Captain of the Dinosaur Special Forces! Magha, you are the Vice-Captain!"
York pointed to the five towering, cloned beasts behind them. "These five individuals who consumed the cloned Tyrannosaurus Rex Devil Fruit are now all your direct subordinates!"
"Later, when we secure the materials from Punk Hazard, there will be five more backup candidates. I plan to have them consume artificial Titan Python Devil Fruits, and they will also be under your command!"
York's voice echoed with terrifying ambition. "Further into the future, I plan to clone more types of the Ancient Dinosaur series to form a true, apocalyptic Dinosaur Legion!"
"If you perform well on Punk Hazard, in the future, you two will be the legitimate Commander and Vice-Commander of the entire Legion!"
Upon hearing this massive, life-altering promotion, Hanafuda and Magha simultaneously slammed down, kneeling on one knee with absolute reverence.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!!"
The logistical preparations needed no further words. The massive, terrifying flagship of the Crimson Harvest, which had been docked for over a year, finally set sail once again.
The specialized Red Flag invasion force, led by Hanafuda and Magha, gathered on the massive deck. They gazed out at the distant, rolling sea, their eyes filled with a fervent, bloodthirsty desire for war.
"Achieve great deeds!! Secure absolute honor for your families!! It is forged on the battlefield!!" Hanafuda roared to the crew.
"AWOOOOOO!!"
Amidst the fanatic, enthusiastic cheers of the pirates, the Crimson Harvest flagship slowly disappeared into the distant mist of the New World.
More than ten days later.
The colossal flagship successfully arrived near the highly classified, heavily fortified coastal waters of Punk Hazard.
Loud, blaring sirens sounded immediately. Shrill, terrified screams spread like a literal plague across the entire island's security force.
"It's the Crimson Harvest Pirates!!"
"Quick! Call Marineford for Admiral-level backup!"
"Who is leading the vanguard?!"
"It's... it's... IT'S THE FLAME EMPEROR, YORK!!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"All troops, abandon the outer perimeter! Retreat! Quickly arrange for the scientists to evacuate to the subterranean bunkers!"
"Forget the vaults! Forget the damn research data and everything else! Just save the scientists first!!"
Just by dropping anchor near the coast—without York even officially launching a single attack or stepping foot on the soil—the entire, highly classified World Government facility of Punk Hazard had already descended into absolute, apocalyptic chaos.
Deep within the bowels of the facility, a young man with pure white hair, dark skin, and black wings was tightly chained to an operating bed. He watched the sadistic scientists—who had just been performing horrific, torturous endurance experiments on him minutes ago—flee the room in absolute, tearful panic. His eyes were filled with profound confusion.
What the hell just happened? the young Alber thought, straining against his chains. What in the world could possibly scare these inhuman beasts like this?!
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