Chapter 338: The Devil Fruit Weapon Concept
Charlotte thought about the several Devil Fruits he had in his possession—many of which were perfectly suited for objects to consume.
For example: the Castle-Castle Fruit.
Back in his previous life, Charlotte had read many fanfics where people gave this fruit to an object, transforming it into a personal storage device—like a space ring.
Charlotte now realized he had a wealth of such opportunities in his hands.
Take the Ton-Ton Fruit or the Slow-Slow Fruit, for instance. If his Seven-Star Sword ate either of these, how much would his combat ability be amplified?
The more he thought about it, the more he felt this idea was genius.
And what about Zoan-type fruits?
What if firearms or cannons consumed Zoan-type fruits?
They'd become mobile artillery, equipped with animal instincts—immensely powerful forces.
Give them to his sons and daughters, and their combat potential would skyrocket.
The possibilities were endless. Charlotte became more convinced that this path was far more practical than artificial Devil Fruits. At the very least, the artificial ones hadn't even materialized yet—but the Devil Fruit Weapons were already real. All that remained was further experimentation.
"Caesar Clown," Charlotte said with a bright glint in his eyes, "your one and only mission now is to figure out how to combine Paramecia-type Devil Fruits with inanimate objects. I want this done fast. Can you do it?"
"I guarantee I'll complete the task!"
Caesar straightened his back with confidence.
"Good. If you succeed, I'll find a Devil Fruit that's suitable for you—consider it your reward."
Charlotte's promise lit Caesar up like a firework.
He'd always dreamed of having a Devil Fruit of his own.
He knew Vegapunk had one and that its powers allowed him to surpass the scientific understanding of the world by five centuries. Caesar wasn't opposed to having one either.
The moment Charlotte made his promise, Caesar threw himself into his research with twelve times the enthusiasm.
Charlotte continued touring the lab, reviewing the various experiments.
What caught his attention most was the artificial soldier project.
Creatures with no pain receptors, no thoughts—only programmed to fight and kill.
These soulless machines were exactly what Charlotte needed in the coming years.
He knew that compared to the other great pirate crews, he was at a numerical disadvantage. Once the Great Pirate Era exploded, his territory would be hit hard. Thousands of men wouldn't be enough to defend it all.
But recruiting any random pirate without standards? That was out of the question.
Charlotte only wanted elites.
That's why Vinsmoke Judge's artificial soldiers had caught his eye before.
But ever since Judge had left, the soldier experiments had stalled.
Charlotte started to regret letting him go.
"Should I go back to the North Blue and drag him back?"
He hesitated.
But he had already given Judge his word—how could he break it so easily?
"Forget it. I'll find another scientist."
Charlotte shook off the thought and returned to inspecting his science division.
Meanwhile, Caesar had already begun new rounds of experimentation on Devil Fruit weapons and increased his work on lineage factor research.
Elsewhere in the lab, the stitched-together chimera from earlier was hammering away at the Sea-Prism Stone walls of its cell in a berserk rage.
But the prison was impenetrable.
After watching for a while longer, Charlotte returned to the upper decks.
All in all, he was quite pleased.
Even though the results didn't fully meet his expectations, they had exceeded them in other ways.
The emergence of Devil Fruit weapons had opened an entirely new direction for him.
Back on the deck, the energy remained high.
The crew members were still immersed in their training, practicing the martial arts they'd chosen.
Time in the Flower Nation passed peacefully.
Even though Charlotte had upended the entire martial arts world there, most people in the Flower Nation had no idea who he truly was.
Only a few organizations with ties to the royal family learned of his identity.
When Zhang Sanfeng and the Shaolin Temple learned the truth, they both fell silent.
Zhang Sanfeng said nothing.
But Shaolin's Abbot Xuanci picked up a long-forgotten transponder snail.
"Moshi moshi? Is this Sengoku? This is Abbot Xuanci of Shaolin from the Flower Nation of West Blue. It's nothing urgent, really. Just wanted to inform you—the Rockefeller Pirates have appeared in the Flower Nation. I assume the Marines are aware? Oh, you are? Then forgive the interruption. I just thought I should pass it along."
He hung up, his expression dark.
He had hoped the Marines could help him save face, but instead was told to not get involved.
In the New World—
"What's that, Sengoku? I thought I heard something about the Rockefeller Pirates."
On a naval vessel, two middle-aged men lounged in beach chairs, sipping coconut juice and wearing sunglasses.
It was Garp who spoke.
"Nothing important," Sengoku replied nonchalantly. "The Rockefeller Pirates just entered the West Blue. They're in the Flower Nation now. Someone from there called to inform me—I told them to stay out of it."
"The Flower Nation? That's the strongest country in West Blue, right?"
"Mhm. Its economy is thriving, its military unmatched in the region. Even their internal forces boast formidable strength. That Eight Treasures Navy guy you fought two years ago—Don Chinjao—there are at least two more like him in the Flower Nation."
Sengoku explained.
Hearing that, Garp sat up straight.
"That strong?! I know Chinjao's level—at Marine HQ he'd be considered quasi-admiral. And they've got more like him?!"
"Don't underestimate them," Sengoku warned. "Their martial arts are systematized. Anyone with decent talent and discipline can train to the top using their manuals. Back when I was stationed in West Blue, I learned more than half my skills there. It's not to be taken lightly."
He recalled how he had once challenged the Flower Nation's martial masters and even learned a few Shaolin techniques—skills that still benefited him today.
"Well then," Garp grinned, "once I get a vacation, I'll pay a visit to the Flower Nation myself!"
"You? Vacation? Go catch Roger first!"
Sengoku shook his head.
"Damn it! I will catch the Roger Pirates!" Garp growled.
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