Two years had passed since the End of the War with the Marines, and the year was now 1507. Inside a highly secure cloning laboratory on Beehive Island, Edie and Momousagi stood in front of three massive cloning chambers. The advanced technology in the room hummed softly, casting an eerie glow across the sleek metal walls.
With a quiet hiss, the liquid inside cloning chambers No. 1 and 2 began to drain away, the thick fluid receding like a tide. Moments later, the chambers' hatches opened with a mechanical click, revealing two figures—one male and one female—both appearing to be around ten years old.
The newly emerged clones stepped forward, their expressions curious yet deferential as they took in their surroundings. They first turned to Edie, then to Momousagi, pausing briefly before offering a respectful salute.
"Sir Heavenly Father," they said in unison, their young voices steady. After a hesitant glance at Momousagi, they continued, "Sir Heavenly Mother."
Edie smiled warmly, his eyes gleaming with pride. "Welcome, my new compatriots. From this moment forward, you will be known as [Haizhu] and [Chou]."
Haizhu, the female clone, was modeled after Charlotte Linlin, while Chou, the male, was a clone of Monkey D. Garp. Both clones, like their predecessors, were enhanced with Lunarian genetics, giving them distinct brown skin and a pair of black wings. They also bore a unique mark from their creator—golden star-shaped eyes that glimmered with an otherworldly light.
Edie's gaze lingered on Haizhu. Unlike Charlotte Linlin as a child, she wasn't large or ungainly. Instead, she knelt gracefully on one knee, waiting for further instructions, her form slender and athletic.
"Put these on," Momousagi said, handing them both sets of clothing. The two new Earthly Branches immediately obeyed, slipping into their garments with mechanical efficiency.
Momousagi turned to Edie, her expression thoughtful. "So, this is how the Earthly Branches are created. Haizhu and Chou… Does that mean there were really only five before them?"
Edie smirked, his tone playful. "I never said there were actually twelve Earthly Branches. You just assumed that."
Momousagi shot him a flirtatious glare. "Don't lie to me! You built the Hive Research Institute four years ago, and Zishu and Chenlong appeared at the Sabaody Archipelago before it was even finished. And Shenhou? Sengoku fought him before you went to Beehive Island." She folded her arms, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. "So, at least three of the Earthly Branches weren't created here, right?"
Edie chuckled. "You've gotten smarter."
"I wasn't stupid to begin with, you idiot," Momousagi shot back, her eyes flashing with playful annoyance. "Is there another secret cloning lab somewhere else?"
"The wisdom of a female monkey," Edie teased, his smirk widening. "Why don't you take a guess?"
Momousagi's brow furrowed as she pondered the mystery. No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't guess the true origin of the first five Earthly Branches—they hadn't come from any laboratory at all. They were rewards from Edie's mysterious "Simulator," brought into existence by means beyond her comprehension.
"Female monkey?!" Momousagi's playful anger flared. She glared at him, her lips twitching with the urge to smack him. "If I'm a female monkey, then you're a male monkey who's fallen for me!"
Edie couldn't help but laugh at her retort. "Touché," he said, raising his hands in mock surrender. Her sharp comeback left him momentarily speechless.
Over the past two years, Momousagi had grown not just in strength but in confidence. Her figure had become more toned, her skills more refined. And Edie had favored her more than anyone else during this time, even more than Toki, his other close companion.
Their lighthearted banter subsided, and Momousagi's expression turned contemplative. "Looking back now," she murmured, "the Buster Call from two years ago was incredibly dangerous."
Her words hung in the air, laden with the weight of what could have been. If the World Government had been truly determined to destroy Beehive Island back then, they might have succeeded. Now, as Edie's partner and the so-called 'Heavenly Mother,' Momousagi viewed the island as her home. The thought of it being threatened left her feeling uneasy.
"I can't believe how close we came to losing everything," she added quietly, her eyes distant as she recalled the events of that chaotic night.
But Edie remained unfazed, his expression calm and self-assured. "Don't worry," he said with a dismissive wave.
"The World Government would never go all out just like that. Plot armor protects us, for now." His voice was laced with a wry, knowing smile, as if he could see the threads of fate unraveling in his favor.
Momousagi raised an eyebrow at his cryptic and bizarre words but chose not to press further. After all, Edie's foresight had never failed them before.
Edie shook his head with a knowing smile. "The code names for the Earthly Branches are unique, but I never said there could only be one clone under each code name."
Momousagi's eyes widened in surprise, her lips parting slightly. "What?"
Edie chuckled, his tone mysterious. He wasn't about to reveal all the intricacies just yet. The most basic tenet of scientific knowledge was its repeatability. In theory, all twelve Earthly Branches could be mass-produced—as long as sufficient resources were available.
"The reason we don't mass-produce them," Edie explained, "is that it's incredibly expensive".
Take Shenhou, for instance. He's a special case—a user of the Green Blood technology. His Clone-Clone Fruit abilities come from the device on his wrist, similar to the Seraphim Vegapunk created in the original timeline. It's efficient and far cheaper."
But the others—like [Wuma], [Weiyang], [Chenlong], and now [Haizhu]—are 'natural ability users.' Their Devil Fruit powers are innate, not artificially replicated from a external source, making them no different from genuine Devil Fruit users.
The cost of creating such Earthly Branches, however, started in the tens of billions. And it didn't stop there. Maintaining them was just as demanding. Like finely tuned super sports cars, they required regular care. Without it, they risked developing "cloning disease," which could cause their bloodline factors to collapse entirely.
In short, they were prohibitively expensive—not just in terms of money, but also in scarce resources that couldn't always be bought, no matter how deep the money coffers ran. If money alone could solve it, Edie mused, it would be easy.
As Haizhu and Chou finished dressing, Edie turned his attention back to the task at hand. "Take them around Beehive Island. Let them familiarize themselves with their surroundings and begin testing their energy levels and combat potential."
He then removed the glasses from his face and handed them to Momousagi. "Here, put these on."
Momousagi took the glasses, intrigued. "How do I use them?" she asked, inspecting the frames.
"There's a button on the left side," Edie explained, pointing it out. "They're already activated. Once their energy levels exceed 100 million, it'll show on the lens."
With Edie guiding her step by step, Momousagi wore the glasses, her curiosity piqued. She looked up at him, feeling his gaze linger on her. The glasses added a new dimension to her appearance—a dignified, intellectual charm that softened her already striking beauty.
"Do I look good?" she teased, noting the change in his expression.
Edie smiled warmly, his eyes reflecting a rare tenderness. "You look beautiful."
A pleased smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "Glad to hear it," she whispered. Turning to Haizhu and Chou, she beckoned them to follow. "Come with me."
"Yes, Lord Heavenly Mother," the two replied in unison, their voices full of obedience.
As Momousagi led the two clones out, she glanced over her shoulder at Edie. "Don't stay cooped up in the lab too long. You need some fresh air."
Edie waved her off with a smile but returned to his thoughts as soon as they left. There was one crucial test he had skipped—a test he conducted in every simulation: ordering the clones to commit suicide. It was a final check to ensure that the ideological imprint was fully ingrained in their bloodline factors. Only by issuing such an extreme command could their loyalty be guaranteed.
In the simulations, this was a simple, cost-free task. But here, in reality, things were far more complicated. The cost of failure was too high, and waiting another two years wasn't an option.
"It should be fine," Edie reassured himself, though his mind kept circling back to the possibility of failure. "There are no extra resources, and we can't afford to waste what we have."
He thought of Chekhov's Gun, a literary principle often applied in most stories. If you mention a rifle in the first act, it has to be fired by the third. Otherwise, it has no business being there. And then there was Murphy's Law: the more you worry about something, the more likely it is to happen.
"Trust your cloning technology," he muttered, pacing the floor of the now-empty lab. "It won't fail. There's no problem."
Edie forced a confident smile, hoping his words would chase away the lingering doubt. "The end of science is metaphysics," he whispered to himself, almost as if the statement were a mantra. "Superstition has no place here. This is the truth."
Resolute, Edie left the underground laboratory and headed toward the upper levels of the research institute, eager to clear his mind and breathe in the fresh air.
As Edie stepped out of the hive door, he spotted Hancock running toward him.
"Master Edie!" she called out.
At 16 years old, Hancock was nearly identical to the image of the future Pirate Empress etched in Edie's memory. Now standing 1.85 meters tall and wearing red high heels, she was almost as tall as Edie himself. Just before Hancock could throw herself into his arms, another figure darted in front of her.
"Uncle Edie!"
"Yamato?" Edie blinked in surprise as Yamato leaped into his embrace, beaming with joy.
"Damn it, let go of my Edie! That stinking white hair!" Hancock's expression twisted with jealousy, and she emphasized the word my with venom.
Yamato clung tightly to Edie, smiling widely, completely ignoring Hancock's protests. Edie affectionately tousled her hair, noting the silky strands tied in a ponytail and the two red devil horns on her forehead.
"You've grown so much," he said, reminiscing. She had once been so small, but now Yamato had blossomed into a slim, energetic young woman.
"Mr. Edie." A new voice interrupted the moment. It was King, who approached and greeted Edie respectfully. Behind him stood Caesar Clown, looking visibly anxious.
"Doctor Edie, save me!" Caesar wailed, his face a mask of desperation.
Edie raised an eyebrow, already sensing that Caesar had likely caused some sort of trouble.
A short time later, inside the Hive Institute, Hancock forcibly dragged Yamato away, pulling her out of Edie's arms as the two began bickering inside the left eye of the massive skull that loomed over the island. Meanwhile, Edie led King and Caesar to the right eye of the structure, where the maids served tea and coffee.
Before Edie could even ask, Caesar was already on his knees, hugging Edie's leg as he cried out, "Doctor, you have to help me! Kaido's going to kill me!"
Edie looked to King for an explanation. The stoic All-Star removed his mask and helmet, took a sip of his tea, and began, "Mr. Edie, Caesar here hasn't made any real progress on the artificial Devil Fruits in recent months. Despite this, he's been burning through research funds every day."
King's tone turned drier as he continued, "Apparently, several brothels in the Flower Capital have been impressed by his financial generosity."
At this, Edie could only sigh. "And Kaido found out, I presume?"
King nodded. "Indeed. Kaido-sama sent me to bring him here, and Yamato came along because she missed you."
The fact that Yamato missed him was genuine, Edie thought. She often talked about her Uncle Edie. However, it was clear that Kaido had other reasons for allowing her to tag along.
Edie chuckled inwardly, already suspecting which brothel Caesar had frequented. There was one near Onigashima owned by Black Maria—a notorious spot. During his time in the Flower Capital, Edie had often seen geishas and other women in the red-light district. On certain special days, even the oirans would appear in the streets, creating a grand spectacle. Though the prices were high, it seemed Caesar had indulged more than he should have.
Edie glanced down at the groveling scientist and grinned. "Misappropriating funds for brothels, are we?"
"No, no! Doctor, listen to me!" Caesar pleaded, tears streaming down his face. "The research hit a wall, and I just needed to relax, find some inspiration! That's all!"
Typical excuse, Edie mused. It wasn't the brothel that was the problem—it was the lack of hard work.
"I've been trying to improve the success rate of the artificial Zoan Devil Fruits!" Caesar continued, his voice cracking. "It's now over 30%! But I just can't fix the side effects of failed awakenings!"
Caesar wiped his nose, still sobbing. "The laughter, Doctor! The uncontrollable laughing! I even named them Smile Fruits, but without the smile, it just wouldn't fit!"
Edie couldn't help but be both exasperated and mildly amused by Caesar's twisted logic. Still, seeing Caesar genuinely distressed over the side effects of his experiments, Edie softened slightly.
"Sort out all the research data and submit a detailed report to me later," Edie ordered, giving Caesar a light kick to push him away. "And no more brothels."
Turning to King, Edie asked, "So how's the little guy been doing in Wano these past few years?"
King hesitated for a moment, the corners of his mouth twitching at the phrase "little guy." But he quickly recovered, responding with calm respect. "Kaido-sama has been training hard and things are going well right now."
Before he could continue, however, a new voice interrupted. "Heavenly Father!"
Both Edie and King turned to see Chenlong enter the room. King's eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he almost mistook Chenlong for Kaido himself. The black wings, the golden star-shaped eyes, and the brown skin all confirmed his identity—Chenlong was one of Edie's twelve Earthly Branches. But what stunned King was how eerily similar Chenlong looked to a younger version of Kaido.
Chenlong knelt before Edie and reported, "Heavenly Father, Marco, the captain of Whitebeard's first team, has arrived. He's at the port."
"Marco?" Edie raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unexpected visitor.
"He's delivered this year's ten billion beli sponsorship fee," Chenlong added, "and he wants to inquire about the progress of the grain research."
Edie paused, holding his coffee mid-sip. It seemed that everyone had chosen today to come calling.