The morning sun over the Grand Line was bright and merciless, reflecting off the whitecaps of the ocean. The Going Merry, now carrying a crew cut through the waves with purpose.
On the main deck, breakfast had just finished. Sanji was collecting plates, humming a tune about love and the sea. Luffy was picking his teeth with a fish bone. Zoro was already napping against the mast.
Ben stepped out of the cabin, carrying a sleek, metallic case marked with the Stark Industries logo and a series of glowing runes.
"Morning, everyone," Ben announced, his voice cutting through the post-meal lethargy. "Before you scatter to train or nap, I need a favor. A small donation, really."
"Money?" Nami asked immediately, clutching her pocket.
"Fluids," Ben corrected. He opened the case to reveal a set of high-tech, pneumatic syringes and vials labeled with tracking codes. "I need a blood sample from everyone."
The crew stared at him.
"Blood?" Usopp squeaked. "Why? Is this a vampire ritual? Did you summon Dracula?"
"Research," Ben said calmly, putting on a pair of latex gloves. "I'm the ship's quartermaster and scientist. To protect you, I need to understand your physiology. I need to know how your bodies react to stress, poison, and... potential upgrades."
Luffy held out his arm immediately. "Okay! Does it hurt?"
"Not a bit," Ben smiled. He pressed a device against Luffy's skin. Hiss. A small vial filled with bright red blood. "Done."
"Cool!" Luffy laughed.
Zoro grunted, extending a muscular arm. "If it helps me cut steel, take a bucket." Hiss.
Nami, Vivi, and Usopp followed, though Usopp looked away and whimpered the entire time. Even Robin offered her arm with a calm, curious smile, interested in what the wizard would find in the blood of a Demon Child.
Ben moved to the Giants. Even Karoo the duck gave a feather-ruffled sample.
Then, Ben approached Sanji.
The cook was lighting a cigarette, his back to the rail. When Ben approached with the silver device, Sanji froze. The lighter clicked, the flame wavering slightly.
For a split second, the sunny deck of the Merry vanished for Sanji.
He was back in a cold, steel laboratory in the North Blue. He was a child, small and weak. He saw towering cloning vats. He saw needles. He saw a man with a metal helmet looking down at him with cold, scientific disappointment.
Genetic modification. Blood tests. Failure.
A shadow crossed Sanji's eyes—a flicker of deep, buried trauma that usually lay dormant beneath his chivalrous exterior. His hand tightened on the lighter until the metal groaned.
"Sanji?" Ben asked softly, lowering the device slightly.
Sanji snapped back to reality. He inhaled a deep drag of smoke, exhaling slowly to mask the tremor in his hand.
"Just... research, right, Ben?" Sanji asked, his voice low. "You're not planning on... making anything with this?"
Ben met his gaze. He knew. He knew about Judge, about Germa 66, about the exoskeleton sleeping in Sanji's genes.
Sanji stared at him for a long moment. Then, he relaxed, a wry grin returning to his face. He rolled up his sleeve.
"Fine. But be careful. That blood is 90% passion and high-grade nicotine."
Ben took the sample. "Noted."
"Alright, Doctor," Ben said, snapping the case shut. "You're with me."
Tony Tony Chopper, who had been watching the procedure with wide, professional eyes, perked up. "Me?"
"Yes. You're the ship's doctor. This is medical research. I need a second opinion."
Chopper beamed, puffing out his chest. "A second opinion! Okay!"
They descended into the ship. Usopp had already given Chopper the "Grand Tour" the night before, explaining the magical expansions, but seeing it in the daylight was different. They passed the brig, passed the galley, and stopped at the reinforced steel door.
"Access: Ben. Access: Chopper."
The door hissed open.
Chopper gasped. The Research Lab hummed with power. The blue light of the Arc Reactor core bathed the room in a futuristic glow. The holographic tables displayed floating streams of data. The bookshelves, packed with the copied texts of Drum Kingdom, towered to the ceiling.
"It's... it's amazing!" Chopper whispered, trotting inside, his hooves clacking on the metal floor. "It smells like... ozone and old paper!"
"Merry," Ben said to the empty air. "Initialize Biological Analysis Protocol. Load Project: Chimera."
"Aye aye, Ben! Hello, Doctor Chopper!" Merry's voice chimed from the speakers.
"Hi Merry!" Chopper waved at the ceiling.
Ben placed the blood samples into a centrifuge machine that looked like it belonged on a spaceship.
"Now, Chopper. Look at this."
He waved his hand over the main holographic table.
A complex, rotating 3D model of a DNA double-helix appeared. But this wasn't normal DNA. It was glowing, shifting, rewriting itself in real-time.
"This," Ben said, "is the chemical formula for the Super Soldier Serum. A compound from my hometown. It enhances metabolic efficiency, muscle density, and reaction time to the peak of human potential. I took a modified version of it myself."
Chopper's jaw dropped. He scrambled onto a chair to get a better look. His blue nose almost touched the hologram.
"The molecular bonds..." Chopper muttered, his genius medical mind instantly analyzing the structure. "It stimulates the mitochondria? And reinforces the skeletal structure? But... the adrenal load would be massive!"
"I know," Ben nodded, impressed.
Ben swiped his hand. A second formula appeared. It was jagged, burning orange and red.
"This is Extremis. It's... biological hacking. It allows the body to rewrite its own repair codes. Regrow limbs. Generate heat. It turns the brain into a hard drive for the body."
Chopper shivered. "It looks... dangerous. Unstable."
"It is," Ben agreed. "That's why I haven't used it yet. But I'm going to test these serums against the crew's blood samples in the simulation. I want to see if we can create a Booster Shot."
"Booster shot?"
"A temporary or permanent upgrade," Ben said. "To help Nami withstand high-G maneuvers. To help Usopp run faster. To help Zoro... well, Zoro is already a mutant, but maybe heal faster."
Ben paused. He looked at Chopper seriously.
"But the real project... is Devil Fruits."
He brought up a new display. It showed the Lineage Factor of a Devil Fruit user—a chaotic, swirling storm of genetic data.
"There is a scientist in this world named Vegapunk. He theorizes that Devil Fruits are the manifestation of human desire. They alter the Lineage Factor—the DNA—of the user."
Ben looked at the reindeer.
"You are a Zoan, Chopper. The Hito Hito no Mi. You have a unique perspective on how fruits alter biology."
Chopper nodded enthusiastically. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a small, yellow ball. "Yeah this is rumble ball! It disrupts the wavelengths! It gives me four extra forms for three minutes!"
"Brilliant," Ben said. "Merry, scan it."
A laser swept over the Rumble Ball. The chemical breakdown appeared on the screen instantly.
Ben studied it.
"Fascinating... you're using a localized narcotic effect to loosen the genetic lock... forcing the body into hybrid states that shouldn't exist."
Ben turned to Chopper.
"I want to do two things, Chopper. First: refine this. Remove the three-minute limit. Remove the side effects if any exist."
Chopper's eyes went wide. "You will?"
"Second," Ben continued, his eyes gleaming. "I want to create Artificial Devil Fruits."
"Third," Ben continued. "Create a Super Soldier Serum which acts as a carrier, while it is infused with animal DNA."
He pointed to the screen.
"Imagine giving Usopp the eyesight of a hawk without him losing his ability to swim. Imagine giving Nami the electric generation of an eel without eating a fruit. Biological Augmentation."
Chopper was trembling. It was terrifying. It was playing god. But... it was also medicine. It was science. It was the path to curing weakness.
"Can... can we really do that?"
"With your knowledge of biology and my tech?" Ben grinned. "We can do anything."
---
Ben walked to the back of the room.
The single Neural Dive Pod had been joined by five others. A row of sleek, white capsules lining the wall.
"We can't do this with beakers and test tubes," Ben said. "It's too slow. And too dangerous if we make a mistake. We need to work in the Construct."
He opened a pod. "Get in, Doctor."
Chopper looked at the pod. "It looks like a coffin."
"It's a bed," Ben assured him. "It connects your mind to the ship's computer. We'll be inside a virtual world. Time moves slower there. We can work for days in just a few hours."
Chopper gulped. He trusted Ben. He climbed into the pod. The gel was cold and slimy.
"Eww... it's gooey."
"It's conductive. Relax."
The lid hissed shut.
Ben climbed into the pod next to him.
"Merry. Initialize multi-user session. Lab Environment. Time Dilation 1:5."
ZOOOOOOM.
Chopper gasped.
One moment he was in a gooey box. The next, he was standing in a white void. He looked down at his hands—hooves. He looked the same. He felt the same. But the air was... tasteless.
"Hello, Doctor Chopper!"
Chopper spun around.
Standing there was the girl. The girl with the white dress and the sheep horns. She was glowing faintly.
"Are... are you Merry?" Chopper asked, his ears twitching.
"I am!" the girl beamed. "This is my avatar! Welcome to my mind!"
Chopper walked up to her. He poked her arm. It felt solid.
"Wow... you're really a person in here."
"And so are you!" Merry giggled. "Look! Ben is here!"
Ben materialized next to them. He was wearing a white lab coat over a sharp suit.
"Welcome to the Matrix, Chopper. Or, well, the Merry-trix."
Ben clapped his hands. "Merry, load the Stark Lab environment. But add a biology wing."
The white void shattered.
Instantly, they were standing in a massive, high-tech laboratory. Glass walls overlooked a simulated ocean. Holographic displays filled the air. But on one side, there were rows of DNA sequencers, microscopes, and chemical synthesizers.
Chopper's jaw hit the floor. "Magic..."
"Science," Ben corrected. "Sufficiently advanced science."
He walked to a table. A hologram of Sanji's blood cells appeared, floating in the air the size of beach balls.
"Alright, Chopper. Let's get to work. First, the Serum."
They worked.
For hours (in virtual time), the Wizard and the Reindeer worked side-by-side. Ben handled the chemical engineering and the magical theory. Chopper handled the biological interactions and the side-effect mitigation.
They ran simulations.
Simulation 1: Usopp explodes. (Failure).
Simulation 2: Zoro turns green (literally) and grows scales. (Failure).
Simulation 45: Nami gains super-strength but loses the ability to taste. (Partial Success).
"We're getting closer," Ben muttered, swiping away a failed strand of DNA. "The Serum works, but individual physiology is the variable."
---
Poll
Should everyone in the Straw Hat crew who didn't eat devil fruits have the powers of animals?
1. YES(Those who will get animal serum Nami, Ussop, Vivi, Karoo(Gaints maybe).)
2. NO