"There's already one test subject."
Judge clapped his hands as he spoke.
Soon, the greenhouse door opened, and a man walked in.
"Oh?"
Ian's lips curled into a smile, "How interesting."
"What a strange guy."
Yamato had already walked over, circling the man, "He's a bit different from us."
Indeed, it was odd.
He was just a man.
But not entirely a man anymore.
His skin had turned bluish, and a pair of horns had grown from his head. His nose resembled that of a cow's, and his feet had turned into hooves. There was a tail behind him.
He looked like a beastman, but he seemed more like a person with certain bovine traits.
"He doesn't have the ability to transform."
Judge said, "The moment you eat the fruit, the Lineage Factor is fully fused, and after that, you will always stay in this form, unable to return to being human."
"Eh?"
Yamato immediately looked disappointed. "So ugly!"
"What about the enhancement?"
Ian didn't mind at all.
In fact, it was already much stronger than Caesar's Smile fruit.
The shapes of the Devil Fruit users in the original work were truly bizarre.
"It's weaker than a real Zoan-type Devil Fruit," Judge scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. "But the increase in strength, stamina, and endurance is still quite obvious."
"Would people who eat this kind of fruit also be disliked by the sea?"
Black Maria suddenly had a thought.
Judge's face immediately became serious. He said earnestly, "You've asked a very critical question! These fruits are very different from the real Zoan-type Devil Fruits, but my answer is: yes!"
"Even though they're fake abilities, they are just like real Devil Fruit users. They'll still get exhausted when submerged in the sea, and they'll still be suppressed by Sea-Prism Stones."
"When they come into contact with Sea-Prism Stones, the changes, which are supposed to be irreversible, will temporarily disappear."
Ian raised an eyebrow.
This is getting interesting.
"You know what this means, right, Ian?"
Judge was extremely excited. "The technology of Lineage Factors, it's almost like being cursed! This is so intriguing!"
"Calm down."
Ian was a pragmatist. He wasn't interested in these strange speculations at all. He simply said, "Judge, I have one more question."
"What is it?"
Judge asked.
"Do the Lineage Factors of different animals affect the strength of the Devil Fruits?" Ian said.
"Of course."
Judge replied as a matter of course, "The real Zoan-type Devil Fruits are divided into standard, ancient, and mythical zoan. Even among the standard types, carnivorous animals are stronger than herbivores."
"The more powerful the animal, the stronger the fruit created using their Lineage Factors."
He suddenly remembered something and exclaimed with joy, "Ian, are you talking about the Beast Pirates' Beast Legion?"
Ian smiled and said, "Do you think it's possible?"
"Of course it's possible!"
Judge shouted loudly, "In fact, it's more than possible!"
Even he had heard of the formidable Beast Legion of the Beast Pirates.
It is said that one of these top-tier giant beasts could single-handedly destroy a pirate crew with a bounty of hundreds of millions!
With those giant beasts as raw material, the artificial Devil Fruits made from them might actually possess the power of a legitimate Zoan-type Devil Fruit!
"Judge, come with me to Wano," Ian said. "Let's gather some materials."
"Of course, no problem!"
Judge responded without hesitation, pausing for a moment, "Coincidentally, I also want to see that brat Sanji."
Judge already knew about Sanji awakening his Lineage Factor.
It made him feel complicated.
"Then let's go. To Wano."
Ian was very excited.
At this point, the Beast Pirates already had a monster legion.
However, the mindless beasts were still a bit far from the ideal Beast Legion they had in mind.
So they would need Judge's help.
Thus, the Germa Kingdom rumbled forward toward Wano.
Along the way, Judge briefly explained to Ian the principles of artificial Devil Fruits.
In Judge's words, extracting and modifying Lineage Factors is relatively easy, but fusing the Lineage Factors of animals with humans is incredibly difficult.
It is far harder than what Judge originally attempted when he modified the embryos of his children at an early stage.
He thought long and hard but couldn't find a solution.
In the end, it was a sudden flash of inspiration.
He purchased several Zoan-type Devil Fruits, crushed them, broke them down, and observed them, hoping to gain insight from legitimate Devil Fruits.
It took about a year and a half of effort before he finally made some progress and eventually obtained the technique to fuse Lineage Factors from the Devil Fruits.
The results of his work were the fruits that Ian saw.
"I've only scratched the surface. The mysteries of the Devil Fruits are still too profound," Judge said with some regret.
He added that his technique was merely imitation, far inferior when compared to the creators of Devil Fruits.
With a hint of jealousy, he continued, "If it were that guy, Vegapunk, perhaps he could reach that level."
At this point, Ian comforted him, saying, "It's already good enough."
After all, I can't exactly have Vegapunk help us, can I?
They returned to Wano, and the time rewound to a little earlier.
In the New World, on Hive Island.
"Damn brat!!"
Ochoku, impeccably dressed, was furious. He yanked off the expensive tie around his neck, and his neatly combed hair became a mess. "You really dare to do this!"
Ochoku was undoubtedly frustrated.
Everyone was expanding their influence, minding their own business. Why should this little brat be so overbearing and crush the fleet I sent out?
They hadn't even reached the border of your Beast Pirates!
Even Whitebeard didn't say anything!
"Ochoku, boss, what should we do?"
One of Ochoku's subordinates couldn't help but ask, "Should we just endure for now?"
After all, it's the Beast Pirates!
If it weren't for Ochoku Pirates interfering two years ago, the Beast Pirates might have nearly defeated Whitebeard Pirates!
"Endure?"
Ochoku paused for a moment.
Then.
"Are you kidding me!!"
The well-dressed man slammed his palm down, shattering the armrest of the chair. "Do you want me to just swallow my anger?"
The whole world is watching the battle for domination in the New World.
The Beast Pirates, BIG·MOM Pirates, and Whitebeard Pirates are steadily expanding, but here I am, getting humiliated by that damn little brat!
How can I show my face and move freely in the New World now?
Face is, sometimes, very important.
Especially for.
An Emperor.
Among the four great pirates of the New World, he was the only one not given that title.
Ochoku was already burning with fury inside.
"Gather the troops!"
Ochoku roared, "I'm going to teach that brat a lesson!"
He wanted the world to know that he too was an emperor ruling the New World!
The high ranking officers hesitated.
He was going to teach Ian a lesson, not the Beast Pirates.
Ochoku's pirate crew prepared to act.
Not long after, the Germa Kingdom rumbled closer to Wano Country.
There was no need for them to use the hidden port anymore. The giant snails carrying the entire kingdom could easily climb over the Red Line, so what's the big deal with Wano's cliffs?
They calmly began to climb the high walls surrounding Wano. As for the palaces carried on their backs, the Vinsmoke family had already taken care of that when designing this seafaring kingdom.
With the mechanisms in place, the palaces had already been reoriented to face upward, ensuring the people inside wouldn't be tossed around.
Soon, the entire Germa Kingdom had climbed all the way to Wano's inner sea, right behind Onigashima.
Even the Golden Dragon ship was brought here; this large vessel has never entered the inland sea of Wano before.
This is indeed quite convenient, to the point where Ian even considered raising some of these gigantic snails.
As they brought Judge ashore at the port.
"Judge! You bastard actually dared to come here!!"
The ground trembled as the massive Brachiosaurus charged forward, roaring in fury.
Judge's expression suddenly changed, "Queen!!"
Ian raised an eyebrow, almost forgetting the deep conflict between Uncle Queen and Judge.
**********
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