"What do you want to do?" Kurozumi Higurashi's voice quivered with a growing sense of dread.
She knew Edie all too well. The man's reputation preceded him—a cold, calculating scientist who harbored no loyalty to anyone but his own ambitions.
"You did a great job, Kurozumi Higurashi," Edie began, his tone disturbingly calm. "It's a pity that Orochi is such a waste."
"What did you say?" Higurashi's voice cracked, a mixture of anger and fear bubbling beneath her weakening exterior.
"I have no interest in the power struggle between your Kurozumi family and the Kozuki family," Edie continued, his demeanor relaxed, as if they were discussing something as trivial as the weather.
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a syringe, its needle glinting ominously in the dim light. Without hesitation, he plunged it into Higurashi's frail, bony arm, drawing out a tube of fresh blood.
"Eight years ago, you seized the perfect opportunity when Kozuki Oden went to sea," Edie recounted with an unsettling ease. "You imprisoned his father, disguised yourself as Kozuki Sukiyaki using the power of the Clone-Clone Fruit, faked your death, and handed the position of Shogun to Kurozumi Orochi."
He paused, a slight smile playing on his lips. "You did a really good job. The Clone-Clone Fruit's ability truly worked wonders."
His voice, calm yet dripping with malice, echoed in Higurashi's ears like the whisper of a demon. Immobilized by her injuries and the brink of death, she was utterly powerless to stop him.
Terror seized her. "How do you know? Didn't you just come here two years ago...?! Who are you?"
Edie, his expression serene, studied the blood in the syringe under the moonlight filtering through the window. His voice softened, as if sharing a secret with a close friend. "I am a scientist, merely exploring the realities of this world."
He paused, his gaze fixed on the blood. "Orochi was blinded by short-term success. He mistook your achievements for his own abilities... You were the one who brought the Kurozumi family's revenge to fruition, even risking your life to do so."
Edie chuckled, a low, unsettling sound that sent shivers down Higurashi's spine. He looked down at her with a mixture of pity and contempt. "And now, look at you. Orochi didn't even spare you a glance in your final moments. He's ungrateful, greedy for power, lustful, a villain through and through—arrogant and unaware of his true place."
The sense of impending doom tightened its grip on Higurashi. Desperately, she tried to raise her withered right hand, reaching out in a futile attempt to grasp at something, anything, to stop what was coming.
"You...you...what do you want to do...!" she stammered, her voice trembling with fear.
Edie leaned in closer, his eyes cold as ice, devoid of any trace of humanity. "When you see Orochi in the afterlife, give him a message for me..."
His voice dropped to a chilling whisper, the final words seeping into the air like poison. "Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival—arrogance is."
Edie slipped his left hand into his pocket, retrieving two small tubes of blood with a steady, practiced motion.
[Simulation Scientific Research System]
Number of simulations remaining: 1.
This simulation project: "Research on Biological Cloning in the One Piece World: Human (Kozuki Oden) Bloodline Factor Cloning Technology."
[Do you want to start?]
"Yes," Edie thought, his mind racing with anticipation.
[Environmental test…]
[Required conditions for this simulation: Bloodline Factor Theory, Kozuki Oden's blood, Lunarian blood, Kurozumi Higurashi's blood.]
[Necessary conditions have been met.]
[Simulation begins!]
[In the first year, you have the experience of cloning Kaido, but this knowledge is sealed, forcing you to start from scratch.]
[In the second year, you deceived Kaido into funding your research with 2 billion Beli...]
[In the third year, you tricked BIG MOM into providing 3.5 billion Beli for your experiments...]
[In the fourth year, you journeyed to Sky Island. With Chenlong, one of the Twelve Earthly Branches, aiding you, you stole over 1,000 tons of gold...]
[In the fifth year, your cloning laboratory was fully established. Your wealth became so vast that spending it seemed impossible...]
[In the tenth year, you successfully developed the cloning chamber's filling fluid.]
[In the thirteenth year, cloning failed.]
[In the fifteenth year, cloning failed again.]
[In the eighteenth year, you persistently tried to fuse three bloodline factors at once. However, unlike with Kaido, this approach led to repeated failures. Understanding the complexity, you abandoned the fusion of all three bloodline factors and opted for an alternative method. You sought out Dr. Vegapunk and joined his research team, where you learned the secret of creating 'Green Blood.']
[In the twentieth year, you successfully cloned Kozuki Oden No. 1. This clone possessed both the Lunarian bloodline and the bloodline factors of Kozuki Oden. The ability of the Clone-Clone Fruit was harnessed by injecting 'Green Blood' externally, allowing for limited use. You then commanded Kozuki Oden No. 1 to commit suicide. He obeyed without hesitation.]
[In the 22nd year, Kozuki Oden No. 2 was born. Your goal had been achieved.]
[End of simulation.]
The seemingly complex stream of simulation data flashed by in just a few seconds.
[This simulation consumed a total of 150.8 billion Beli in research funds.]
[Research Reward]: Knowledge related to human (Kozuki Oden) lineage factor cloning technology.
[Would you like to pay?]
"No," Edie decided.
[Additional Reward]: Kozuki Oden No. 2.
[Do you want to receive it?]
"Receive," he commanded.
A bright white light enveloped the room, and suddenly, the young, imposing figure of Kozuki Oden materialized in the ward. The clone stood nearly two meters tall, a striking presence that immediately drew attention.
Kurozumi Higurashi's hoarse voice cracked with disbelief as her wide eyes locked onto the figure before her. Trembling, she struggled to rise, her movements like those of a mummy brought back to life. "What is this!?" she rasped.
The sight before her was unmistakable—this was Kozuki Oden. She recognized the face, even though there were subtle differences. The young clone had white hair, brown skin, and a pair of small black wings sprouting from his back, features that set him apart from the original Oden.
The young Kozuki Oden knelt reverently before Edie. "Lord Heavenly Father," he greeted, his voice full of unwavering loyalty.
"Welcome, new compatriot," Edie replied, his gaze steady as he observed the clone.
His eyes lingered on the right wrist of the young Oden, where a small, glass-like device was nestled, revealing a bubbling green fluid within. This was no ordinary blood—it was Green Blood, a technology originally developed by Vegapunk.
In the One Piece world, Vegapunk had discovered that while only Zoan Devil Fruits could be physically manufactured, the abilities of Paramecia-type users could be replicated through special green blood. By injecting this blood into non-Devil Fruit users, they could gain the corresponding abilities, a technique employed in creating the powerful Seraphims during the Egghead Arc.
Yet, Edie had taken a different path. Unlike the Seraphims, Chenlong, one of his creations, had been directly cloned with the innate abilities of the Azure Dragon, a Mythical Zoan. No green blood was needed; the powers were inherent from birth. This distinction highlighted the advanced nature of Edie's technology, a glimpse of future advancements that even Vegapunk hadn't fully realized but sadly Edie has no idea how he did it.
After gathering his thoughts, Edie immediately posed the question, his voice steady and cold. "Can you imitate the dead?"
The response from Kozuki Oden No. 2 was prompt and unwavering. "I can."
Edie's eyes flickered over to Kurozumi Higurashi, his expression hardening as he gave the ruthless order. "Imitate her, then... kill her."
"Yes, Lord Heavenly Father," the clone responded without hesitation.
With the command given, Kozuki Oden No. 2 moved swiftly. He stood before the frail Kurozumi Higurashi, extending his right hand to touch her face. In an instant, his body began to contort and transform. His back hunched, his skin sagged, and his features withered until he became an exact replica of the old woman—Kurozumi Higurashi.
"No... impossible!?" the real Kurozumi Higurashi gasped, her eyes wide with terror and disbelief. She lay helpless on the tatami, her bloodshot eyes reflecting pure fear as she stared at her doppelgänger.
Without a word, the clone, now indistinguishable from the original, wrapped its fingers around her throat. The grip tightened slowly, methodically, as Kurozumi Higurashi's mouth gaped in a silent scream. Her life was extinguished in a matter of moments, her eyes remaining open in death.
"Lord Heavenly Father, the deed is done," the clone reported, its voice eerily calm.
Edie, however, was not entirely satisfied. "The tone is off. Can you imitate her better, or do you need me to teach you?"
There was a brief pause before the clone grinned, revealing the incomplete, jagged black teeth that had belonged to the original. "Ehehehe... Is that better?" it asked, perfectly mimicking Higurashi's cackle.
Edie nodded approvingly. "That's more like it. You'll probably be able to fool Kurozumi Orochi. Remember, 'you' were struck by Kaido yesterday and severely injured."
"Cough... cough... I understand, Lord Heavenly Father," the clone replied, slipping seamlessly into character.
Edie chuckled, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation. "What a ridiculous farce. In that case, I'll call you [Shen Monkey]."
With that, he issued a series of specific instructions to Shen Monkey, ensuring the clone would play its part perfectly. Once satisfied, Edie casually slipped his hands into his pockets and turned to leave the ward, his footsteps unhurried.
As Chenlong prepared to follow, Edie's voice cut through the silence without him even looking back. "Dispose of the body and toss it into the sea to feed the fish."
"Yes," Chenlong answered quietly before leaving to carry out the task.
The hospital corridor was left in eerie stillness, the sound of Edie's footsteps the only noise echoing in the dark, empty night. No one was there to hear them.