"Are you the one who was riding Kaido?" Garp asked with a hearty laugh, his tone casual, as though he were simply inquiring on a whim. But as he observed Edie, he realized he might have hit the jackpot.
"Seems like I got lucky," Garp continued, his smile widening. "Let's try another question. Who are you? Where's Kaido? And what's your purpose here in East Blue?"
Even as Garp spoke, the Marines swiftly cleared the area, surrounding Edie in a tight circle. The once bustling street was now empty, with pedestrians having fled at the first sign of trouble.
"Kaido? He's in Wanokuni, of course," Edie replied smoothly. "He's just become the Shogun and is busy managing the country's affairs. As for me... my name is Edie, and I'm a peace-loving scientist."
As he spoke, Edie discreetly twisted the ring on his left pinky finger. It was no ordinary ring—it was the key to his power.
Time Fruit, activate!
"Stop feeding me that nonsense," Garp grumbled, handing his senbei to one of the Marines as he cracked his knuckles. "A lot of people saw Kaido flying overhead last night. If you don't start talking straight, you're going to feel my fist."
Edie chuckled softly, seemingly unfazed by Garp's threat. "Hehehe... There's no point in causing a scene here, Garp."
With a calm smile, he added, "Goodbye, Marine Hero Garp. Goodbye, Marines. I look forward to our next encounter..."
As Edie's voice trailed off, it seemed to grow fainter and more distant, as though he were speaking from far away. Garp's eyes widened as he noticed something strange—Edie and Chen Long were becoming translucent, almost ghost-like.
"Wait a minute...!" Garp yelled, springing forward in a desperate attempt to grab them.
Whoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Edie and Chen Long vanished into thin air. Garp's punch sliced through nothing but air, striking the phantoms they had left behind.
"What? They disappeared!" Adjutant Bogard exclaimed, his shock mirrored by the surrounding Marines, who exchanged bewildered looks.
Garp, too, was momentarily confused. He scratched his head, trying to make sense of what just happened. "Could it be some kind of space-related Devil Fruit ability?" he muttered to himself.
"Vice Admiral Garp, what should we do now?" Bogard asked, clearly at a loss.
"This is really something, hahaha," Garp chuckled, though there was a trace of frustration in his laughter. "I didn't see that coming at all."
"Vice Admiral, now's not the time to laugh. What are our next steps?" Bogard pressed, exasperated by his superior's nonchalance.
"Relax, Bogard," Garp replied, taking back his senbei and munching on it. "That guy said he's looking forward to our next meeting. Besides, Sengoku went all the way to Jaya Island and found nothing. I at least came away with a name. Hahaha, I win!"
Bogard stared at Garp, speechless, as his superior continued to eat, seemingly unconcerned by the mysterious disappearance of their targets.
Late at night, a drunken man stumbled down a deserted street, the dim light of the moon barely illuminating his path. Suddenly, a bright flash caught his attention, making him pause. He rubbed his bleary eyes, squinting into the darkness, but there was nothing there.
"Musta' been my eyes playin' tricks," he mumbled, shrugging it off. "Time t'get home...sleep it off..."
He took a few more unsteady steps before his legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, quickly succumbing to a heavy, snoring slumber.
Unbeknownst to the drunkard, Edie and Chen Long stood silently on the rooftop of a nearby house, observing him from above. Edie glanced down, his expression unreadable as he twisted the ability ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
Time Fruit, deactivate.
Pteranodon, activate.
"My Lord Heavenly Father," Chen Long said, his tone reverent, "why didn't you order me to defeat Garp, as we did with Crocodile? His blood factor is also quite exceptional."
"It's not so easy to subdue Prime Garp one-on-one," Edie replied calmly. "When the time comes, you might need to use the power of two or more Earthly Branches."
With those words, Edie took a step forward, leaping off the roof without hesitation. As he fell, his form shifted and morphed, transforming into a pitch-black pteranodon. With powerful wingbeats, he soared into the night sky, swiftly leaving Logue Town behind.
Chen Long followed suit, spreading his dark wings and taking flight after Edie, both of them disappearing into the darkness.
While the night deepened in East Blue, the evening was just beginning at Naval Headquarters.
"Edie... a scientist?" Fleet Admiral Kong mused, the name lingering in his thoughts. After a moment's contemplation, he turned to the intelligence department with a decisive order. "Investigate this Edie thoroughly. I want to know everything about him."
Days passed, and despite the Marine's extensive intelligence network, the investigation yielded nothing. No matter how deeply they dug, Edie remained a mystery, an enigma that even the Marine's formidable resources couldn't unravel.
A few days later, in the New World, the island of Punk Hazard stood as a bastion of scientific inquiry. This remote location housed the World Government's top-secret research base, where hundreds of researchers toiled away in service of the government. Among them was Caesar Clown, a man whose ambitions and frustrations often simmered beneath the surface.
More than a decade ago, the enigmatic MADS research organization had unlocked the secrets of the blood factor, a discovery that pushed the boundaries of human knowledge into the realm of the divine. This breakthrough, often referred to as "the blueprint of life," had been so monumental that it shook the very foundations of the natural order.
However, the World Government, fearful of the implications such knowledge held, swiftly intervened. Citing the threat to "world peace", they forcibly disbanded the MADS organization, scattering its members and imprisoning its leaders. Caesar, along with the brilliant Dr. Vegapunk, had been among those captured.
Fortunately for Caesar, his expertise as a scientist had spared him from the harsher punishments. Instead, he was assigned to the research base on Punk Hazard, where he spent his days contributing to the World Government's relentless pursuit of knowledge.
But today, something extraordinary had occurred.
"Success! Dr. Vegapunk has succeeded!"
In the life laboratory within Building B, a wave of excitement swept through the room. More than a dozen researchers erupted into cheers as they gathered around a massive glass cabin at the center of the lab. Inside, a miniature natural forest had been painstakingly recreated. Amidst the foliage, a small red dragon, just over a meter in length, stirred to life.
For the researchers, it was a moment of triumph, a testament to the power of science. But not everyone shared in their joy.
"Boring, so boring," Caesar Clown muttered under his breath, his expression a mix of disdain and frustration. The jubilant atmosphere around him only deepened his sense of alienation.
Despite being one of the key contributors to this experiment, Caesar felt no satisfaction in Vegapunk's success. To him, the creation of an artificial dragon, even one born from the revolutionary blood factor theory, was nothing to celebrate.
"Why should I care about this?" Caesar thought bitterly. "We were all part of MADS, arrested together, yet Vegapunk gets to be the director, and I'm just another researcher."
The unfairness gnawed at him. He had ambitions far greater than tinkering with artificial dragons. Caesar craved recognition, the adulation of the world, and the opportunity to conduct research that would make the world stand still in awe.
With a derisive snort, Caesar turned his back on the celebrations and left the laboratory. He navigated the bustling corridors, ignoring the busy staff as he made his way back to his private quarters.
Once inside, he shut the door firmly behind him, isolating himself from the outside world. With a sigh, he removed his white lab coat and headed for the small table in the corner, pouring himself a glass of water.
As he took a sip, Caesar's thoughts raced. "The world doesn't need another artificial dragon. I want to create something that will make the world watch in awe, something that will put me in the spotlight where I belong."
Halfway through drinking his water, Caesar Clown suddenly caught sight of two figures seated on the sofa in his room. Startled, he nearly choked, spluttering as he quickly set down his glass.
"Pfft...! Cough, cough, cough..." he managed to recover, his surprise evident. "Who are you? How did you get into my room?"
"Shhh," Edie responded, placing a finger to his lips and crossing his legs nonchalantly. With a calm smile, he introduced himself, "Caesar Clown, my name is Edie. You can call me Dr. Edie. The man next to me is my personal bodyguard, codenamed Chenlong."
Caesar's eyes widened as he quickly assessed the situation. "You're not from the research institute?" he asked, a mix of suspicion and curiosity creeping into his voice. "It's impossible. There are at least a dozen security levels to get in here. How did you sneak in?"
"Sneak in?" Edie chuckled softly, raising his left hand to touch his cheek. "I didn't sneak in. I walked in, openly."
As he spoke, Edie's face began to shift, morphing into different identities, each one familiar to Caesar. The transformation left Caesar momentarily stunned.
"Clone-Clone Fruit?" Caesar murmured, recognizing the abilities on display.
"You've seen the Devil Fruit drawings, then?" Edie returned to his original form, intrigued by Caesar's knowledge.
"I've memorized some of the fruit abilities," Caesar huffed, trying to maintain his composure. After a pause, curiosity got the better of him. "So, you're here to find me? What do you want?"
Edie stood up and walked toward Caesar, his demeanor shifting from casual to serious. "I want to build a real island of science, and I'm recruiting the most brilliant minds for this endeavor. Caesar Clown, you are one of them."
Caesar's face flushed with unexpected pride. The praise from this stranger, who recognized his genius, was flattering. "Oh, you have some insight. But what's next? At least tell me where this so-called island of science is?"
Edie simply smiled, offering no immediate answer. Caesar frowned, his excitement quickly tempered by skepticism. "You're not seriously telling me this is just a plan, are you?"
Shaking his head, Edie shifted the conversation. "Tell me, Caesar, how familiar are you with the blood factor?"
Caesar blinked, taken aback. "Who doesn't know about the blood factor theory?"
Edie continued without missing a beat, "The blood factor exists within all living things, recording the essential information of life—birth, growth, death, and everything in between. When a person consumes a Devil Fruit, their bloodline factors undergo significant changes, granting them incredible powers. Conversely, if we could extract these bloodline factors and introduce them into certain life evolution processes, we could potentially create artificial Devil Fruits."
Caesar's mind raced. He had been aware of the blood factor for over a decade, and his recent work involved assisting Vegapunk in creating a small red dragon. But Edie's proposal opened up possibilities far beyond that.
"Artificial Devil Fruits..." Caesar's eyes sparkled with renewed ambition.
"Exactly," Edie pressed on. "I have a partnership with Kaido, one of the Three Emperors. He's willing to fund our research and hopes we can develop artificial Devil Fruits for him. Your expertise could make this project a reality, and in return, you'll have all the research funds you could ever need. You'll be free to pursue whatever scientific endeavors you desire."
Caesar's heart raced. The promise of limitless resources, combined with the chance to surpass Vegapunk, was too enticing to resist. The idea of Kaido backing him, offering both protection and funding, was the final push he needed.
"Alright, I'm in!" Caesar declared, his voice tinged with excitement. "But how do we get out of here? This island is heavily guarded."
Edie glanced at the clock on the wall, its hands ticking closer to a moment only he seemed to anticipate. He began counting down softly, "5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."
Boom!
A sudden explosion rocked the building, followed by the blaring wail of alarms. Chaos erupted as staff in the hallway scrambled into action.
"Database No. 3 has exploded!" someone shouted.
"There's a fire! Get it under control, now!" another voice cried out in panic.
Amidst the frantic activity, Caesar stood in stunned silence, watching as Edie calmly opened the door. "Let's go," Edie said with a composed smile. "No one's paying attention to us now."
Caesar's shock quickly turned into exhilaration. "Whoa, whoa, whoa… Goodbye, cage!" he cheered, following Edie with newfound zeal.
The trio swiftly moved through the chaos, slipping out of Building B and disappearing into the night. Caesar's mind buzzed with the possibilities that lay ahead, as he left behind the confines of Punk Hazard, ready to embrace a future filled with limitless potential.