Chapter 401: Password: 9527
The New World.
Egghead.
As soon as they stepped inside the institute behind Borsalino, what greeted them was a vast network of interwoven steel corridors.
Multiple entrances came into view, and through some of them, they saw mechanically modified animals and fierce beasts patrolling back and forth—clearly tasked with eliminating any intruders.
"These creatures have all undergone partial mechanization," Borsalino said. "They can receive and comprehend commands, then carry them out without hesitation."
He casually waved at a group of frenzied beasts charging toward them. A red glint flashed through their eyes before they abruptly halted, retreating silently into the shadows.
Daren gave a small nod.
He had seen something similar before, back with Queen. The suspenders-wearing brute had integrated mechanical parts into his own body—mechanical arms, a tail—and outfitted them with all sorts of cannons and laser weapons, significantly boosting the combat potential of his Ancient Zoan form.
But in comparison, these beasts had clearly followed a different developmental path. Unlike Queen's heavy-handed, weaponized approach, the modifications here were more intricate—more precise.
Vegapunk's biological engineering had reached a level of fine-tuned sophistication. It had gone beyond just physical augmentation and had entered the realm of direct neural control.
If Daren was right, this was likely the same type of bio-modification that had turned Kuma from a man of flesh and blood into a steel-bodied weapon—eventually erasing even his emotions and consciousness.
"This way leads to the research floor."
Borsalino took the lead, guiding Daren and Stussy through a long metallic corridor until they arrived at a wide, open chamber.
Massive machines loomed upward, and within large glass tubes filled with green liquid, human organs—hearts, kidneys, lungs—floated in eerie suspension.
Bubbles occasionally rose through the pale fluid, and the organs inside visibly twitched, still pulsing with life.
"These things…"
Daren narrowed his eyes.
Borsalino raised both hands as if surrendering.
"Don't look at me like that. They're artificial organs—grown through cloning technology."
Daren examined them carefully, then asked,
"Is the tech stable?"
Borsalino shook his head.
"Not yet. They're cloned organs, sure, but for some reason, once transplanted, they still trigger immune rejection."
His tone shifted subtly, growing more reflective.
"And the stronger the transplant recipient, the worse the rejection."
Daren frowned.
"Hasn't cloning tech already matured? Even Germa 66 can mass-produce cloned soldiers."
Borsalino let out a mocking chuckle.
"And that's why Germa 66's clones rarely live beyond ten years."
Daren fell silent.
Borsalino offered a wry smile.
"Maybe the human body carries memory after all. Even with matching genes, it still knows when a part doesn't belong—when it wasn't one of its own."
Daren didn't press further. His attention shifted to another side of the lab.
"What's that?"
Borsalino followed his gaze and smirked.
"That? Now that's something interesting."
He strolled over to a large machine and began swiping across its control panel. Soon, he selected a specific configuration.
Borsalino didn't bother hiding his inputs, so Daren and Stussy clearly saw what he chose:
"Mammal · Feline · Orange Cat."
He tapped a red button, and the machine rumbled to life.
In less than thirty seconds, a hatch opened at the center of the machine.
As the white mist cleared, a fruit resembling a cherry slowly came into view before Daren and Stussy.
"This is… an Artificial Devil Fruit!?"
Stussy's pupils shrank to pinpricks as her face paled in shock. She couldn't stop herself from blurting it out.
Borsalino caught the "Devil Fruit" in his hand and casually tossed it in the air, smiling.
"Yep. An Artificial Devil Fruit."
"As you just saw, it's a Zoan-type—Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Orange Tabby Cat."
"Though it's artificial, the lineage factor is identical to the real thing. The effects aren't much different."
"There are just a few... minor side effects."
Daren raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of side effects?"
Without a second thought, Borsalino tossed the Devil Fruit into a nearby disposal unit.
The corner of Stussy's eye twitched involuntarily.
Even the most ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruit was an extremely valuable treasure!
And Kizaru just tossed it away like trash?
Then again, if she had a machine that could manufacture Devil Fruits, maybe she'd be just as indifferent.
As the processor roared to life, obliterating the artificial fruit, Borsalino spread his hands.
"Who knows? Maybe it makes your personality more feral, or maybe it messes with your body somehow—like making you laugh or cry uncontrollably..."
"Totally harmless stuff, really. But Vegapunk sees even those minor defects as total failures. What a waste."
"...Geniuses are perfectionists."
Daren wasn't too surprised, though he did ask with some curiosity,
"What about beyond Zoan types? Can Paramecia or Logia be replicated too?"
Borsalino muttered,
"Not yet. Paramecia and especially Logia... unlocking the lineage factors for those is incredibly difficult. Even Vegapunk's hit a wall."
"But he has made some breakthroughs in other areas."
"He's reconfirmed that Seastone carries the 'sea' attribute and is working on embedding it into the hulls of warships. That way, the ships can avoid detection by Sea Kings and safely cross the Calm Belt."
"And he's also made some headway on the gigantification experiments."
Scratching his head, he started walking toward another section of the lab, mumbling as he went,
"Of course, this intel didn't come from me... You got it yourself after sneaking into Egghead, opening the hidden compartment in Archive Room 201, Building A, second floor of the research wing—password was 9527."