Chapter 108: Failure? Or Success!
Rengoku shifted into his beast form without any problems.
The tail was still that of a lion.
"Now, try transforming into your hybrid form,"
Vegapunk instructed.
Following his words, Rengoku attempted to shift into hybrid form—but instead of transforming, he reverted back into his human state.
"What… is this?"
"That's simply unfamiliarity," Vegapunk explained.
"Among Zoan users, it's common for them to lose control of transformations on the very first day they eat the fruit. In fact, the strange thing is that you were able to switch cleanly between beast and hybrid forms right after eating it. That's what I meant when I said the fruit is highly compatible with you."
Relieved by Vegapunk's words, Rengoku steadied his breathing and tried again.
This time, a sharp, crushing pain erupted in his chest.
"Kh…!"
But—he succeeded.
He now stood in the form of an Elbaf great hero, three meters tall, a man with the body of a warrior and the head of a lion mask. And this time, he hadn't even used Life Return.
"How does your body feel?"
"A sudden pain in my heart… but it subsided quickly."
"Mm, another common symptom. Now, try using Life Return in this form."
"Fuu—Life Return."
He poured consciousness through every corner of his body, forcibly reshaping it.
In an instant, Rengoku's frame shrank again—back to his ordinary human size, 192 cm, even though his form still carried the aura of the great hero.
"Excellent. No problems," Vegapunk noted.
All the researchers watching outside exhaled in relief, their eyes fixed on the monitor.
"Now, transform into your beast form once more."
The lion returned, towering and massive.
But this time, there was a subtle difference.
His tail shimmered—part of it was covered in dragon-like scales.
Afterward, Vegapunk ran him through repeated tests, making Rengoku cycle between [Human → Hybrid → Beast → Hybrid], until his body adapted to the [Chimera Lineage Factor] that had been injected into him.
And there was one clear breakthrough.
In hybrid form, when he invoked Life Return, his body could shift within the "warrior's frame" itself.
He could range from a minimum of 192 cm to a towering 700 cm, still in the form of a heroic man wearing a lion's helm—not a furry beast-man, but a true warrior of Elbaf-like grandeur.
The hybrid's base transformations were now fully under his control.
And though not perfectly, he had even begun transferring the beast form's physical might into his hybrid state.
The result: a 50% increase in the hybrid form's physical output—clear proof that the beast form's transformation waves had partially carried over into his hybrid body.
The second phase was the real problem.
According to Rengoku's account, there had once been a Zoan user who ate something and suddenly went berserk, transforming into a form that resembled a Zoan's awakened state.
And what Rengoku wanted—was precisely that kind of form.
But awakening through mere transformation waves was nearly impossible. Zoan Devil Fruits simply didn't work that way. What Rengoku had described sounded like a state in which the fruit's latent power was fully unleashed. That was Vegapunk's conclusion.
Yet seeing the dragon scales appearing on Rengoku's tail, Vegapunk realized: if he attempted to push the transformation one step further in beast form… he would almost certainly enter a berserk state.
The user might survive—but every researcher in the lab would be dead.
"Now, let's discuss the second phase—the main issue: the monster form you spoke of."
That monster form meant pulling out all of the fruit's abilities at once. Nobody knew what it would look like.
Rengoku had seen a reindeer turn into a hulking abomination, the size of a yeti. But with the Nemean Lion combined with Kaido's Azure Dragon lineage factor… who could possibly predict what such a berserk form would become?
"First, allow me to apologize," Vegapunk suddenly said.
"Why, Doctor?"
"Transform into beast form again. Look at your tail."
Following Vegapunk's words, Rengoku shifted.
And he saw it—gleaming blue dragon scales running down his lion's tail.
"This… could it be…?"
Just as Rengoku was about to explode in anger, Alex, the young researcher, rushed forward with an explanation.
He admitted that after observing Rengoku's training and growing to admire him, he had secretly swapped the samples to prevent Vegapunk from injecting the dangerous [Chimera Lineage Factor]. Ironically, that act had become the very source of danger.
Rengoku was speechless.
He had prepared for everything—yet he had not accounted for this.
"My apologies," Vegapunk said, "but look on the bright side: the factor has taken root successfully. Somehow, your body has adapted and achieved balance."
He pulled up the monitor data that had tracked Rengoku's transformations during testing.
"Five percent of the Azure Dragon's genes have manifested—and it shows here, in your tail. From here, I predict four possible outcomes." Vegapunk raised his fingers and explained one by one.
"First, you assume the form of the legendary Chimera. The tail manifests a dragon's head, but it submits to your will. That's the best-case scenario.
Second, you become the Chimera, but the dragon's head resists control, interfering with you. That would require restraint techniques. After all, it's Kaido's lineage we spliced in.
Third, you become the Chimera and both sides run wild. That's the true berserk state—enough to wipe out a nation or an island in the chaos.
And last… the unknown. Much like that reindeer turning into a yeti-like beast, no one can predict what form you might take."
Vegapunk set the monitor aside and continued.
"As for that reindeer, I can guess at what it ingested—but regardless, what matters here is that you now know there's a higher stage beyond beast form. Once triggered, all power is released. Only then will we see what your final form looks like."
"So the activation condition is surprisingly simple," Rengoku noted.
"I told you—it's crude, but it works. Still, because the outcome is unpredictable, don't ever use it unless it's truly life or death. If an entire island is nothing but a den of villains, then perhaps. But in ordinary situations, using it would be no different from unleashing a natural disaster."
"…An island full of villains, huh? Very well. I'll remember that."
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