After working with the Tontatta Tribe, Shin had some spare time, so he continued to strengthen his body through rigorous training.
With multiple enhancements, Shin's physique had already become exceptional, surpassing most others. His potential was now higher than the Four Emperors, and he was in a period of rapid growth.
His training efficiency had soared, especially after the chip was implanted in his brain. He could now learn any martial arts or taijutsu at a glance and master it instantly.
The learning speed of a supercomputer vastly outperformed that of the human brain. With his fine control over his body, Shin could pick up any technique instantly—unless it relied on unique physical traits or a combination of devil fruit powers.
While the physique of the pirate world seemed capable of limitless growth, even it faced bottlenecks at a certain point.
Pirate training relied on exhausting the body and restoring it through nourishment to reveal hidden potential. Although effective, this approach had its limitations.
With increasing physical fitness, progress slowed further. To break one's limits, one must exhaust oneself fully and then draw on even more strength upon recovery.
The top powerhouses in the world often reached a point where they struggled to even fully exhaust themselves. Akainu and Aokiji, for example, fought ten days and nights just to determine who would become the Marine Fleet Admiral.
Imagine such intense exertion occurring over just one sparring match. It would take nearly two weeks for Shin to reach his limit through regular exercise. Not only was this inefficient, but maintaining extreme exertion for that long was impractical.
And who could afford to be out of commission from fatigue if an enemy attacked?
This kind of intense training could only happen a few times a year, making it difficult for anyone at this level to progress.
Recently, Shin developed a new high-efficiency training method with his biochip. Using the chip's assistance, he could stimulate every muscle fiber in his body through vibrations. Although appearing still, his physical strain now exceeded any form of intense exercise.
Additionally, the high-purity sea stone could accelerate his stamina depletion, allowing him to complete a full extreme workout in only three days.
Still, Shin pondered if he needed a gravity chamber. It seemed that relying solely on weighted sea stones could no longer meet his training needs.
After completing two rounds of intense training, Queen arrived with a shady-looking figure in tow.
"Boss Shin, this guy here is Caesar!" Quinn announced.
Shin glanced over. "So, you're Caesar Clown—the one behind the creation of artificial devil fruits?"
Caesar's eyes sparkled with mischief. "Indeed, I'm the first genius scientist to invent artificial devil fruits… ouch!"
Queen promptly delivered a punch, scolding Caesar, "Stop boasting! First genius scientist? Where does that leave me?"
Shin cringed at their shamelessness but was tempted to ask Queen where he ranked Vegapunk.
Perhaps this was the scientists' hierarchy of disdain. Shin suspected that if Vegapunk stood before them, these two would be speechless, but in his absence, they'd feel bold enough to claim superiority.
"Alright, enough talking." Shin waved a hand, enveloping Caesar Clown in dark energy, and extracted his devil fruit.
Despite its name, the Gas-Gas Fruit in Shin's hands was about controlling not just gas but also air, earning it the alias Air-Air Fruit.
Though not as potent as light, ice, magma, or lightning, it was theoretically more powerful than some other fruits, like Sand-Sand or Flame-Flame. However, in Caesar's hands, its potential had been wasted, earning him a spot as one of the weakest Logia users alongside Monet.
Of course, Shin wasn't heartless. Since he took Caesar's Gas-Gas Fruit, he offered him some compensation.
Shin implanted a biochip in Caesar's brain, along with the Curse Tounge Eradication Seal.
The biochip would enhance Caesar's research capabilities and conveniently report his memories and emotions to Shin.
The curse seal would reduce Caesar's chatter and ensure Caesar would never betray him.
'I'm quite generous with him,' Shin thought, watching Caesar Clown's tearful response to his explanation. Caesar even swore he'd be loyal to Shin's commands forever!
Meanwhile, Queen smirked, clearly enjoying Caesar's misfortune. Seeing another share his plight, a scoundrel like him felt a strange satisfaction.
Shin hadn't played favorites—Queen had his own electronic chip. As a self-proclaimed scientist superior to Queen, Caesar naturally deserved such an 'auxiliary treasure.'
With both scientists now secured, Shin calculated that Vice Admiral Vergo, the "mole" he expected, should be arriving soon.
Vergo, Doflamingo's loyal agent within the Marines, was someone Shin intended to bring under his influence.
When Shin initially subdued her, Monet had already contacted Vergo through a den-den mushi.
In truth, Shin could have delayed any confrontation with Vergo, knowing that Doflamingo could easily be persuaded afterward. But he preferred to handle Vergo directly, planning to bring him under his own control as well.
However, Vergo was understandably cautious. Shin was a powerhouse who single-handedly dismantled the entire Donquixote family. Even as one of Doflamingo's strongest lieutenants, Vergo knew he wasn't a match for Shin.
Still, his loyalty to Doflamingo wouldn't allow him to ignore his young master's current crisis.
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