"Kai... Kaido!?"
Caesar's voice cracked, his face slick with sweat. His eyes were wide with shock as he took in the towering figure before him. The panic in his voice echoed through the air.
Edie, standing calmly on Chenlong's head, offered a serene smile. "He's not Kaido."
The revelation was laid bare, no attempt to obscure the truth from what he saw as his future Helper.
"He's my subordinate, Chenlong, one of the twelve earthly branches."
Caesar's expression shifted rapidly from disbelief to realization. "Could it be that…?"
Edie's smile widened, seeing the gears turning in Caesar's mind. "Yes, it's exactly what you're thinking."
The confirmation sent a shiver down Caesar's spine. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as the full implications dawned on him. "It's possible... if you know the blood factor theory and conduct deep research, you could master human cloning technology!" The words tumbled out of him, barely above a whisper.
For the average person, the concept of clones might seem like mere magic. But for Caesar, who understood the intricacies of scientific exploration, it was a realization bordering on the unfathomable.
"You copied Kaido's Mythical Beast Fruit!?" Caesar shrieked, his mind reeling.
"No..." Edie shook his head, his lips curling into a sly grin. "I cultivated a Kaido clone, one born with the ability of the Blue Dragon Fruit."
Gulp!
Caesar swallowed hard. The truth was more staggering than he could have imagined. This wasn't merely about copying a Devil Fruit's power. It was about creating a living, breathing entity with innate abilities—a natural-born powerhouse.
He stood there, dumbfounded, struggling to comprehend the magnitude of what Edie had achieved. "You... you created a clone of Kaido and infused it with the artificial Blue Dragon Fruit...?"
The more Caesar thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. These were two completely different technical routes, each more complex than the other. And Edie had successfully navigated them both.
"How did you do it?" Caesar's voice was barely a whisper now, his awe unmistakable. In his eyes, Edie was no longer just a scientist—he was something greater, something almost divine.
"You're more powerful than Vegapunk!" Caesar declared, his tone full of reverence. His ambition to surpass Vegapunk was now tinged with a newfound respect, and a new target of admiration.
Edie chuckled, savoring the moment. Only a peer could truly appreciate the gravity of his accomplishments. To share such knowledge with others would be like casting pearls before swine.
"You really want to know?" Edie teased, his voice dripping with amusement.
Caesar's teeth clenched. The burning desire to learn the secrets behind this incredible feat gnawed at him. "You'll tell me?"
Edie's smile turned coy. "No. This is top secret. But... if you do a good job, I might consider sharing some relevant research data with you."
Of course, there was no such research data to share. It was merely a ploy to keep Caesar hooked, to fan the flames of his curiosity and ensure his cooperation. And it worked perfectly. Caesar's hunger for knowledge would keep him in line, eager to please and desperate for more.
"First of all, your primary mission will be to develop artificial Devil Fruits," Edie began, his voice measured and authoritative.
"Of course, we'll start with something manageable. Let's focus on creating an artificial Zoan Devil Fruit as our initial goal. I'll give you a brief overview of my ideas, which you can use as a reference…"
Edie launched into an intricate explanation, his words flowing effortlessly as he detailed the steps and concepts behind the process. Caesar listened intently, his eyes locked on Edie, absorbing every word. He quickly realized that the man before him was far ahead of even Vegapunk in understanding the blood factor theory. It was like being a child again, listening to a master imparting wisdom, and Caesar didn't dare miss a single word.
"...And that's the gist of it," Edie concluded. "You'll need to extract the bloodline factors from specific animals and create a specialized culture fluid. This fluid will be used to cultivate the fruit trees."
What Edie described was the same method that Caesar himself would eventually develop in the original story—the creation of SAD, a special culture medium that produced SMILE fruits, the artificial Zoan Devil Fruits.
Caesar's excitement was palpable. Edie had laid out the process in meticulous detail. "Following your instructions, give me a year—no, just half a year—and I can make it!" Caesar declared, brimming with confidence.
"Half a year? No, take a year," Edie replied, waving a hand dismissively. "If you succeed too quickly, how are we supposed to string Kaido along for more funding?"
"Eh?!" Caesar's confidence faltered as Edie's words sank in.
"You need to learn how to squeeze out toothpaste," Edie continued, his tone suddenly patronizing as if teaching a child. "First, take a year to create the first-generation fruit. Aim for a success rate of over 5%, but not too high. When Kaido inevitably gets dissatisfied, that's when you request more funding."
As Edie spoke, a memory from his past life came to mind, reminding him of a certain "toothpaste factory" that used similar tactics.
"With a good start, the rest will be simple," Edie assured him. "Each year, we'll release a new model of the artificial Zoan Devil Fruit, improving the success rate by a few percentage points each time."
"This process can be drawn out for 20 years. Do you understand?" Edie finished, patting Caesar on the shoulder with a sincere smile.
"I understand... I understand," Caesar muttered, dropping to his knees as the scale of the scheme overwhelmed him. The sheer brilliance of defrauding Kaido for funds over such an extended period was something he had never imagined possible.
The door to a New World had opened before him.
In truth, controlling the success rate of the artificial Zoan Devil Fruits might prove more technically challenging than the creation process itself. But the rewards... the rewards would be immense.
"In fact..." Edie sighed, shaking his head as if in disappointment, "the essence of these garbage artificial fruits is nothing more than fusing the blood factors of an animal with those of a human."
Garbage? Did he just call them garbage?
Caesar twitched, momentarily lost for words. But deep down, he believed Edie. This man had already achieved something far beyond these artificial fruits—creating clones born with Mythical Beast abilities. The technical difficulty of that was leagues ahead of the Garbage artificial Zoan fruits.
Wait, why am I thinking of them as garbage now?
The conversation with Caesar had yielded unexpected gains for Edie.
[Your scientific research reputation increases...]
The previous value was 11%, and it is rising rapidly now.
As if the sky is not the end!
In a blink of an eye.
98%...99%...100%!
[Scientific research reputation reaches 100%, and one scientific research simulation will be rewarded. ]
Edie looked at Caesar, a hint of surprise in his eyes. It was just as he had thought—only a peer could truly appreciate the extent of his genius. And Caesar, it seemed, had single-handedly filled his progress bar.
"What's wrong, Dr. Edie? Is there something on my face?" Caesar asked, noticing the way Edie was looking at him.
"You really are my lucky star," Edie murmured, almost to himself. It seemed he would need to keep this relationship close—pretending, discussing, and collaborating with Caesar might bring even more opportunities in the future
Soon after, Edie returned to Wanokuni. During his brief absence, the institute had continued its operations without any interruptions. However, there was no time for Caesar, now officially Edie's tool man, to relax. Without delay, Edie took him to meet Kaido.
Upon hearing that a prototype artificial Devil Fruit could be produced in as little as one year, Kaido was elated. In his enthusiasm, he allocated a prime piece of land in the Flower Capital for the construction of a new laboratory dedicated to the production of these man-made Devil Fruits. Additionally, Kaido granted another 2 billion in research funding, with one clear stipulation: a year from now, he didn't want to see another research report—he wanted to see a fully developed artificial Zoan Devil Fruit.
Edie assured him with unwavering confidence, "We are sincere in our efforts, and we will deliver what you seek."
Back at the institute, Edie summoned Shenhou, one of his trusted subordinates. "Your task is to follow Caesar and ensure his protection," Edie instructed.
"Protection? Surveillance?" Shenhou asked, a knowing glint in his eyes.
"You understand perfectly," Edie replied, with a slight nod.
After sending Shenhou on his way, Edie turned his attention to the new simulation opportunity he had acquired during his return journey.
"Should I use it to clone Roger?" he mused, weighing the decision carefully.
After a moment of contemplation, he made up his mind. His current roster of subordinates was still too small. Although Edie possessed the knowledge and technology to build a cloning lab from scratch, the process would be time-consuming. Instead, he decided to use the simulation to bypass this lengthy process and achieve his goal more efficiently.
[This simulation project]: "Research on Biological Cloning in the Pirate World: Human (Gol·D·Roger) Bloodline Factor Cloning Technology"
[Environmental Test... ]
[Necessary Conditions for this Simulation]: Blood Factor Theory, Gol·D·Roger's Finger Bones, Lunarian Clan's Blood Factor
[Necessary Conditions Have Been Met]
[Simulation Begins!]
[In the First Year]: You have mastered human cloning technology. All you need now is a cloning laboratory. Through various means, you managed to exchange the gold you brought back into 45 billion Beli.
[In the Third Year]: Your cloning laboratory is completed, and Roger's blood factor has been successfully extracted from a finger bone.
[In the Fifth Year]: You successfully cloned Roger 1. Following your command, Roger 1 was ordered to commit suicide. He did so without hesitation.
[In the Seventh Year]: Roger 2 was born.
[End of Simulation]
So fast!
As expected, once you possess the necessary knowledge, everything moves at an accelerated pace in subsequent simulations. The only regret is that this simulation didn't yield any groundbreaking new knowledge; its purpose was solely to expedite the acquisition of clones.
Disregarding the simulation rewards, Edie immediately focused on the final item.
[Additional Reward]: Roger No. 2
[Do you want to receive it?]
Receive!
A flash of white light filled the room. When it subsided, a little boy, about ten years old, stood before Edie.
The boy, a perfect clone of Roger, seemed curious about his surroundings and began to survey the laboratory. "What? Where is this?" he muttered, scratching his head and noticing Edie for the first time.
In the next moment, an instinctual impulse from deep within his soul took hold. He suddenly dropped to one knee, blurting out, "Heavenly Father! Huh?"
The boy froze, confused by his own actions.
Edie looked down at him with a playful smile. Unlike Chenlong and Shenhou, who appeared as fully grown adults despite their supposed age, Roger's clone looked like a true ten-year-old boy—around 1.5 meters tall, with all the typical traits of a child.
The boy had brown skin, small black wings sprouting from his back, and golden star-shaped eyes. These eyes, though visually striking, bore no special abilities. They were a mark left by Edie, a personal signature indicating his creation.
"Welcome, new compatriot," Edie said, his voice warm as he reached out to gently pat the boy's head. "The original model for you was the King of Pirates, a man who once ruled the Grand Line."
Edie chuckled softly. "But look at how small you are now…"
The boy stared up at him, wide-eyed, as Edie continued, "You shall be known as [Zishu] from now on."