Chapter 108: Man-Made Devil Fruit
In front of Koby and Bellumebo stood an orange tree.
While most of the oranges were a typical orange-yellow, one stood out—larger than the rest and marked with purple lines.
"Devil Fruit?" exclaimed Bellumebo, his voice filled with excitement. "If this is a Devil Fruit, Master Chiba is truly incredible!"
Bellumebo eagerly picked the Devil Fruit, and Koby added, "Congratulations, Bellumebo! This must be the Devil Fruit Master Chiba prepared for you. Let's go show it to Master Chiba."
"Right!" Bellumebo agreed, and they hurried to find Chiba.
Meanwhile, Vergo used a transponder snail to relay the events to Doflamingo, including the exchange between Koby and Bellumebo.
Doflamingo's face showed a mixture of shock and intrigue. "You mean they actually found a Devil Fruit?"
"Yes, I witnessed it myself," Vergo confirmed.
"Repeat their conversation to me, word for word."
Vergo complied, recounting their dialogue verbatim.
"The Devil Fruit prepared for you by Master Chiba?" Doflamingo echoed thoughtfully. Could Chiba have truly unlocked the secrets of Devil Fruit?
Yet, Doflamingo pondered, if Chiba had indeed mastered Devil Fruit, why would Koby and Bellumebo need to search for it?
Puzzled, Doflamingo speculated, "Perhaps Chiba has only harnessed the energy of Devil Fruit."
"Could it be that this energy randomly imbues a nearby fruit, and while Chiba can generate this energy, he cannot directly infuse it into a specific fruit? Instead, he may only contain the energy within a certain vicinity?"
"That's possible, but we need confirmation that what you saw was indeed a Devil Fruit, specifically a Fire-type Devil Fruit. If it's another type, Chiba might be deceiving us, making us believe he can create Devil Fruits to gain leverage in negotiations."
"What should we do now?" Vergo inquired.
"Let's congratulate them on their find," Doflamingo suggested, suspecting the Devil Fruit might be a ruse.
Together with Vergo, Doflamingo headed to Chiba's residence. Upon arrival, Hina greeted them, saying, "Doflamingo, you're just in time. Chiba has concluded his retreat. We were about to call for you. Please, come in."
"Of course," Doflamingo replied, entering the hall where many were gathered.
Hancock and Chiba sat at the head of the room, surrounded by daughters' maids, Peacock, and Koby. Bellumebo stood below, holding the Devil Fruit.
"Mr. Dover, please have a seat," Chiba welcomed him with a smile. A chair was brought for Doflamingo, who sat down, stating, "Mr. Chiba, I've waited for you here for an entire month."
Chiba chuckled, "I've been engrossed in Devil Fruit research and finally made some progress today. I apologize for keeping you waiting, Mr. Dover."
Despite Chiba's words, Doflamingo remained skeptical. "How far have you progressed with Devil Fruit, Mr. Chiba?"
Peacock interjected, "That's quite rude. This research is confidential. Asking like that is impolite."
"It's alright," Chiba reassured. "It's not classified information, just part of the process."
"To be honest, Mr. Dover, I've unlocked the ultimate energy of Devil Fruit. I can now generate this energy, but full control eludes me."
"Just today, I managed to produce the energy of the Lava-Lava Fruit. It got away from me, but I managed to restrain it within Daughter Island."
"Koby and Bellumebo searched and finally found it."
Doflamingo's lips twitched, doubting Chiba's claim of creating the Lava-Lava Fruit. "May I see this Devil Fruit?" he requested.
"You pink-haired oddity," Peacock snapped. "You think you can just inspect a Devil Fruit casually? What if you eat it?"
Aware of his overreach, Doflamingo smiled awkwardly, addressing Chiba, "Mr. Chiba, I've studied Devil Fruit extensively. May I examine the one you've created? Rest assured, I already have the String-String Fruit and can't consume another."
Chiba nodded, "Mr. Dover, there's no harm. Bellumebo, show Mr. Dover the Devil Fruit."
Chiba thought smugly, "I've verified it; it's a real Lava-Lava Fruit. Let's see if you can find any flaws."
Bellumebo handed the Devil Fruit to Doflamingo, who inspected its patterns and scent meticulously, finding it matched the Lava-Lava Fruit's description.
"Could he have truly created the Lava-Lava Fruit? Unbelievable."
Shocked but still doubtful, Doflamingo asked, "Mr. Chiba, who will consume this Devil Fruit? I'd like to witness its power."
"Bellumebo, this Lava-Lava Fruit is yours. Go ahead and eat it."
"Yes," Bellumebo responded eagerly. With his robust physique, he knew he could fully harness the Lava-Lava Fruit's power.
Taking a bite, Bellumebo grimaced at its harsh, unpalatable taste but swallowed it, determined.
Moments later, his body radiated intense heat, magma oozing from his skin, raising the room's temperature and scorching the floor.
"Alright, Bellumebo, don't burn everything down," Chiba reminded, prompting Bellumebo to retract the Lava-Lava Fruit's power.
"It's truly the Lava-Lava Fruit?" Doflamingo was astounded. Chiba had indeed replicated a Devil Fruit, a feat he found terrifying.
"Mr. Dover, how does my created Lava-Lava Fruit compare to Akainu's?" Chiba inquired with a smile.
"This... might actually be superior," Doflamingo admitted, startled by the heat radiating from Bellumebo, surpassing what he'd felt from Akainu.
Chiba grinned, "Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Dover. Now, may I ask why you've come?"
Resigned, Doflamingo confessed, "I intended to offer Devil Fruit research data in exchange for collaboration, but you, Mr. Chiba, have already crafted a Lava-Lava Fruit. Your talent is astonishing."
Chiba chuckled, "Just a stroke of luck, not worth mentioning."
Chiba's casual demeanor made Doflamingo feel his bargaining chips were inadequate.
"Daughter Island's environment is lovely. Feel free to explore, Mr. Dover. When you depart, I'll send you off with some of the island's specialties," Chiba offered, without mentioning any cooperation.
Doflamingo was determined to secure a partnership with Chiba. He couldn't miss this opportunity and revealed his trump card: "Mr. Chiba, are you familiar with Kaido's Devil Fruit?"
Chiba nodded. "Yes, it's the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model Azure Dragon—a Mythical Zoan."
Doflamingo continued, "My SMILE Factory has been researching Devil Fruits, especially Paramecia types. We've developed the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model Yellow Dragon, and made significant progress across various series."
"I wish to collaborate with you, Mr. Chiba. I can share some data to aid your research. In return, I need your advanced body training methods and superior elixirs. For each piece of data I provide, I expect 10,000 bottles of body-enhancing elixir and 100 Foundation Building Pills, all personally crafted by you."
Doflamingo laid out his terms, but Peacock scoffed, "Doflamingo, you're dreaming."
"Why would we need to partner with you if Chiba's already creating Devil Fruits?"
"Take your leave and don't return. Your pink feather cape and leather pants are revolting."
Peacock's disdainful words made Doflamingo's forehead vein throb, but he suppressed his anger for the sake of cooperation.
"Mr. Chiba, each piece of data can lead to the creation of a Devil Fruit. You only need to part with 10,000 elixirs and 100 Foundation Pills, making it a worthwhile trade."
Chiba chuckled, "The cost of 100 Foundation Pills alone is 100 million Berries each, totaling 10 billion. You call that a good deal?"
"Dover, I have matters to attend to. Hina, see our guest out." As Chiba moved to leave, Doflamingo panicked, proposing, "We'll supply the ingredients. You only need to process them into pills."
Chiba paused, considering the offer. "The process is time-consuming. I'll make a maximum of ten pills and a hundred bottles of elixir per data set. If that's unacceptable, let's part ways."
"Mr. Chiba, your terms are harsh. We supply all ingredients, yet you offer so little?" Doflamingo felt cornered, a consequence of lacking the technology himself.
"My time is invaluable. I won't pressure you. If you're uninterested, let's pretend this conversation never happened," Chiba replied coolly.
"Fuffuffuffu! Very well, I accept your terms," Doflamingo conceded.
Chiba smiled, extending his hand. "I'm looking forward to our collaboration."
They shook hands, and Chiba handed Doflamingo a list. "These are the ingredients for 100 Foundation Pills and 1,000 bottles of elixir. Once you gather them, I'll begin."
Doflamingo glanced at the list, his mouth tightening. "That's a lot. Didn't you say a Foundation Pill's materials cost 100 million Berries? These are worth at least 50 billion."
"I mentioned the Pill's material cost, but you're also getting 1,000 elixirs. The latest version, far superior to two years ago. The Foundation Pill is now a top-grade version, hence the price."
"If you can't afford premium elixirs, I can provide inferior ones, but the Marines will outpace you."
Doflamingo grumbled internally. Did he have a choice?
"Of course, I want the best. These materials are valuable. I need time to gather them."
"Time is what I need most," Chiba replied, smiling broadly. Doflamingo cursed inwardly, thinking, "Didn't you just claim your time was precious?"
"Enjoy your stay with us. Hancock, prepare a feast to celebrate our partnership."
Sipping his mulled wine, Doflamingo knew he'd been swindled, at least 10 billion Berries' worth. But without technology, he had no recourse.
Chiba was delighted. The updated elixirs cost less to produce yet were more potent. The actual cost for 1,000 elixirs and 100 Foundation Pills was just over a billion Berries. The surplus materials would be used for advanced elixirs. Doflamingo was unwittingly financing Chiba's research.
Most importantly, Chiba finally gained access to the coveted Devil Fruit data, moving closer to producing his own. "I can't wait."
In the following days, Doflamingo's underground network gathered one-tenth of the materials, which were sent to Daughter Island. Chiba delivered 100 bottles of training elixir and ten Foundation Pills as promised.
Doflamingo, satisfied with their quality, found them superior to Marine's elixirs, offering some consolation for his expenditure.
Subsequently, Doflamingo handed over his first piece of research data: the Logia-type Snow-Snow Fruit.
Though still experimental in the SMILE Factory, the artificial Snow-Snow Fruit was a promising start. Doflamingo deemed it suitable for their initial exchange.
He reasoned that offering too valuable an asset, like the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model Yellow Dragon, might satiate Chiba's interest prematurely. Conversely, a lesser offering could sour the deal.
Ultimately, Doflamingo needn't have worried. Even if Chiba refined elixirs for free, securing the data was invaluable. With each transaction netting roughly 50 billion Berries in materials, Chiba was more than willing to part with his products.
[•———•——•———•]
𝙥𝗮𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣(.)𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧
✨ • 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟲𝟬+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.