Chapter 86 Bloody Experiment, Power of Law
Author: Xiao Yifeng
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
In Bai Ye's room, an air of anticipation and excitement filled the space. "Well, next, it's time to witness a miracle!!" Bai Ye exclaimed with a sense of exhilaration. There was no one else in the room but Bai Ye himself, standing before a large wooden barrel, a hint of a smile gracing his lips. Inside the barrel was Wapol, the former King of Drum Island, weakened after days of being submerged in seawater.
Bai Ye contemplated the situation before him, 'If my guess is right, maybe some future plans will need to change,' he thought, his eyes fixed on Wapol as if he were a valuable find.
Since leaving Drum Island, Bai Ye had been waiting for this moment to test his theory. His trip to the island had turned out to be an invaluable experience, particularly because it involved a devil fruit ability user.
In the original story, Wapol's life took a downhill turn after his defeat by Luffy. He faced humiliation and desperation, eventually resorting to eating scraps and making toys for children. However, his fortune changed when scientists discovered a unique alloy in his toys. This led to Wapol's rise to fame and fortune, culminating in him establishing a successful toy company, marrying Miss Universe, and gaining global recognition for his "Wapol Alloy." Eventually, he was even reinstated as a king by world's nobles.
Reflecting on this, Bai Ye was amazed by the potential for a compelling narrative if Wapol's life were to be made into a novel. However, Bai Ye had noticed a peculiar trend: every enemy defeated by Luffy seemed to experience a dramatic turn of fortune. Alvida, another of Luffy's early adversaries, transformed into a stunning beauty after consuming the Slip-Slip Fruit following her defeat.
This observation amused Bai Ye. In his experience since arriving in this world, none of Luffy's defeated foes had managed such a turnaround. It was almost as though Bai Ye was ensuring their permanent downfall.
From their perspective, Bai Ye mused, he might seem like the ultimate villain. He wondered about the fate of characters villains like Alvida and also who would end up with the Slip-Slip Fruit.
His attention returned to Wapol. Despite the former king's limited role in the original story, his abilities and potential were significant. With Wapol now in his possession, Bai Ye had no plans of letting him go without further intervention.
A golden light flickered in Bai Ye's right hand, and with a surge of energy, a golden dagger materialized. In an instant, Bai Ye's actions set the course for a dramatic deviation from the original story.
SLASH!!
The short sword slashed across Wapol's neck. Bai Ye killed Wapol.
Right after Bai Ye made his move, he acted quickly to prevent any blood from spilling from Wapol's neck. In a swift and fluid motion, he transported Wapol into what he referred to as the 'inner scene'. This inner scene was a special place, distinct from their current physical environment.
Once Wapol was securely moved, Bai Ye himself took a moment to sit down on the bed. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes, preparing himself to transition into the same inner scene where he had just sent Wapol. This shift from the physical world to the inner scene was a crucial part of Bai Ye's plan.
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On the deck of the Going Merry, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were engaged in fishing, an activity they had chosen to pass the time and alleviate their boredom. Amidst the calm and quiet of fishing, Usopp turned to Chopper with a sudden question that piqued his curiosity. "Chopper, what did you and Bai Ye talk about when you were alone in the room yesterday?" he asked.
Luffy, too, became interested and looked at Chopper, his curiosity evident. "Yeah, Chopper, what's so interesting about Bai Ye's room? I haven't been in there for too long!" he said, a hint of envy in his voice.
Usopp couldn't help but remind Luffy of his past mishap. "Didn't you make a mess in Bai Ye's room the first time you went in?" he said with a roll of his eyes, though his interest in the conversation between Bai Ye and Chopper was clear.
Chopper took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding. "It wasn't anything major," he began. "Bai Ye was acting kind of weird yesterday. He wanted to study the Rumble Ball first, and then he asked me some questions about devil fruits. After that, he just started laughing out of nowhere."
As he shared this, Chopper's face showed a mix of confusion and wonder. "I've been thinking about it... could Bai Ye actually be onto something?" he mused, lost in thought.
Luffy and Usopp, however, were somewhat baffled by Chopper's story. "I don't get it," Luffy confessed honestly, absentmindedly picking his nose.
Usopp, always one to think deeply, speculated, "Did Bai Ye find out something about the Devil Fruit?" His guess surprised Chopper, prompting him to react, "What? Is Bai Ye really that smart? What kind of secret about the devil fruit could he have discovered?"
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Inside the inner scene, Bai Ye was immersed in his thoughts, a light of realization in his eyes. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Is it really the power of law? Hahahaha, what a surprise!" The concept he was pondering was both intriguing and complex.
Bai Ye was fascinated by the mechanics of how the power of a devil fruit worked, particularly the phenomenon of the fruit's abilities being reborn at a specific time and place upon the user's death. Although the original story didn't spell it out explicitly, Bai Ye was convinced that there must have been attempts in the past to consume a devil fruit user directly, attempts that had undoubtedly failed. This observation led him to several key conclusions:
- The power of a devil fruit resides only within the fruit itself or within a living person who has consumed it.
- When the fruit is consumed, or the user dies, the power rapidly transfers to another host.
- The new host of the power has to be different from the previous one, meaning the power transfers from person to fruit or fruit to person.
- Each devil fruit ability is unique and not duplicated.
From these points, Bai Ye developed a theory: the devil fruit, or 'devil power,' might be a distinct manifestation or projection of the laws governing this world. He speculated that the way these powers transfer could be similar to the wave propagation effects observed in Chopper's Rumble Ball.
Bai Ye theorized that these law-carrying waves once roamed freely around the world, eventually seeking hosts - either living beings or fruits. These thoughts, however, were still in the realm of speculation, a series of educated guesses based on his observations and understanding of the world around him.
Bai Ye knew that in order to validate his theory about the transfer of a devil fruit's power, he needed to witness it firsthand following the death of a user. The challenge, however, was finding an appropriate environment to observe this intricate process. The laws governing the One Piece world were complex and not easily observable directly, which led Bai Ye to consider an alternative approach.
He thought of using an embryonic, newly born small world where the laws of nature were more transparent and easier to observe. Coincidentally, Bai Ye's own inner scene, which he had cultivated through Daoist techniques, offered just the right kind of environment for this purpose. This inner scene was different from the one described in [Taomen Jilu]; it was a unique space that Bai Ye had created through his own practices.
In ancient Qi practices, creating an inner scene involved forming a small, nascent world. Although calling it a 'world' might be somewhat of an overstatement, it essentially functioned as a subsidiary space. This space was crafted by Qi practitioners using the world's origin.
Bai Ye's inner scene was still in a raw and primitive state, but it was a place where the emergence of laws was a regular occurrence. With this understanding, Bai Ye had moved Wapol's body into this inner scene for observation purposes. As he entered this special space himself, Bai Ye noticed a new law manifesting in the sky. A broad smile spread across his face as he recognized it: The Law of Devouring! This discovery marked a significant moment of realization for him, potentially confirming his hypotheses about the nature and transfer of devil fruit powers.