A simplified diagram of a double-helix DNA strand was drawn on the whiteboard.
Slapping his hand on the whiteboard, Reddy turned to look at Golden Lion Shiki sitting not far away, his eyes filled with fervor. He spread his arms and began his explanation: "Physique, strength... everything is hidden here."
"Under perfectly ideal conditions, we can replicate anyone in the world!"
"I don't know how far Vegapunk and Judge have progressed in their research on Lineage Factors, but I can fuse the Lineage Factors of two or even more individuals together."
"Give me the Lineage Factors of Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and other powerful figures, and I can create the strongest monster in history!"
His passionate voice echoed through the room, leaving everyone, including Golden Lion Shiki, stunned.
Back in the day, the MADS organization, led by Vegapunk, had developed the "Blueprint of Life," shocking the entire world. This led to the MADS organization being besieged by the Marines and forced to disband.
In the end, Vegapunk joined the Marines, and the Blueprint of Life became a legend of the seas. No one knew what it truly looked like.
Even Judge, a former member of the MADS organization who later founded the Germa Kingdom, only managed to mass-produce clone soldiers and carefully modify a few of his own children.
"Gyahahaha... While I'm not afraid of Whitebeard, Kaido, or the others, I don't want to provoke those monsters so easily."
Whitebeard and the other two had already become Emperors of the Sea. No matter how tempting Reddy's promises sounded, Shiki had no intention of provoking these monsters before realizing his ambitions.
Laying low and developing quietly sounded much better.
Standing behind Shiki, the gaudily dressed gorilla, Shikareta, clapped its hands and burst into laughter.
Pfft pfft... Another clown in a white lab coat danced around angrily.
Shiki: "???"
The clown said angrily, "The goal of the Flying Pirates is to create a savage and ferocious army of monstrous beasts. There's no need to provoke those real monsters."
Shiki looked shocked. "You can talk?"
Reddy glanced at the clown and sneered dismissively. "Whitebeard has Marco the Phoenix, Diamond Jozu, Vista the Flower Swordsman, and other powerful fighters. Kaido has King and Queen, his All-Stars. Big Mom has the Sweet Commanders. What does the Flying Pirates have?"
"A clown? A gorilla? And a bunch of uncontrollable savage beasts?"
"Tell me, what use are these trash?"
"If I can combine the Lineage Factors of Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom to create the strongest monster in history, even becoming the King of the World wouldn't be impossible!"
Shikareta laughed at the first half of the statement, but upon hearing the second half, it angrily grunted in protest.
Indigo was furious. "Even Vegapunk couldn't achieve something like this."
Reddy smirked arrogantly. "I can."
Indigo was fuming, but the topic at hand wasn't his expertise. He couldn't think of a way to refute what he considered an absurd and baseless theory.
Reddy didn't hold back, continuing his "malicious" taunts. "Your so-called savage beasts are just useless inventions meant for entertainment in my eyes."
"What do you know!"
When it came to his specialty and proud research topic, Indigo immediately perked up.
But Reddy didn't give him much chance to speak.
"Though I don't know what method you used to create those savage beasts, I know your research is just artificial directional induction based on natural evolution, right?"
Reddy knew that if he didn't suppress Indigo, Shiki's chief scientist and ship doctor, his plans would inevitably face obstacles. So he directly exposed the essence of Indigo's research.
"Natural evolution is chaotic, requiring extensive experimentation and long periods of time to obtain useful samples."
"But I can use the Blueprint of Life to create even stronger biological weapons. If you don't believe me, bring out your proudest creation and pit it against one of my casually made specimens."
Reddy openly challenged Indigo in front of Shiki, his expression brimming with confidence. Even Shiki was intrigued.
"Gyahahaha... What do you need?"
After successfully escaping Impel Down, Shiki had been eager to take revenge on the World Government, hence his push for the savage beast army project. But now, he was more interested in the grand vision Reddy had painted.
The strongest monster in history!
King of the World!
Every word Reddy spoke stirred the ambitions deep within him.
During the Edd War, he had lost to luck. At Marineford, he had lost to the combined efforts of Sengoku and Garp. These defeats had driven him to seek revenge against the world.
Now, Reddy had reignited his ambitions.
"I need some blood samples and some equipment. I'll compile a list later."
Reddy paused, then smiled as he rubbed his stomach. "But right now, I'd like a big meal to fill my belly."
...
The chefs of the Flying Pirates were working frantically.
One exquisite dish after another was brought to the table in front of Reddy.
Holding a knife and fork, Reddy elegantly delivered the food to his mouth. His pace wasn't fast, but it was steady.
+5 energy points.
+4 energy points.
+9 energy points.
Reddy ate while keeping an eye on the notifications popping up.
+15 energy points.
At this point, a notification appeared, and Reddy's pupils contracted slightly. He immediately stopped the chef who had just delivered a plate of risotto and pointed at the saucy steak in front of him. "What meat is this?"
"Sir Reddy, this is specially prepared Sea King steak," the chef nervously explained.
"I like this."
Reddy instructed the chef to tell the kitchen to stop serving other dishes and only bring food made from Sea Kings from now on.
Soon after, Reddy smiled contentedly as he watched the notifications.
+14
+17
+16
Every bite of Sea King meat gave him over ten energy points. On average, one pound of Sea King meat provided him with about a thousand energy points.
Reddy spent the entire afternoon eating, and his energy reserves soared to an astonishing 100,000 points.
Free stuff was the best.
"You still have the mood to eat?"
Just as Reddy was secretly enjoying his free ride, an unwelcome voice interrupted him.
Accompanied by a pfft pfft sound like flatulence, Indigo walked into the room, his face dark. "Lord Shiki asked me to prepare the items on your list. They're ready now."
Reddy set down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and smiled, signaling Indigo to take him to see his new laboratory.
"I'll be watching you."
Indigo felt his position was being threatened and spoke rudely to Reddy. "Once I prove you're a fraud, I'll turn you into an experiment subject."
Reddy smiled without responding.
Shortly after, Indigo led Reddy to a door and pointed maliciously at the opposite door. "That's my laboratory."
Reddy smiled, pushed open the door, and walked in.
Inside was a spacious room filled with various instruments.
Some Reddy recognized—they were the instruments he had listed. Others he didn't—likely added by Shiki to fully equip the lab.
What Reddy paid the most attention to was the large freezer in one corner of the lab.
Inside were the genetic samples Shiki had collected for him as requested, all taken from the savage beasts on the Floating Islands.
"Just you wait. I'll bring out my best creation to defeat you!"
Indigo wanted to follow him in and continue mocking him, but Reddy closed the door before he could enter. Furious, Indigo could only stomp back to his own lab to work harder.
After closing the door, Reddy walked to the freezer, a smile playing on his lips. He muttered to himself, "It's time to show what I can really do."