Chapter 162: Artificial Devil Fruit
Chapter 162: Artificial Devil Fruit
Charlotte's Observation Haki swept across Punk Hazard, alerting him to movement near the island's rear.
"Oh no! Trying to escape, are we?" Charlotte muttered, a smirk playing on his lips.
---
Navy Headquarters
"What?! Charlotte has attacked Punk Hazard? Why are we only finding out about this now?!"
Marshal Kong shot up from his chair, glaring at the Den Den Mushi.
"Marshal! Requesting immediate support! Our forces are almost completely wiped out!"
The voice on the other end ignored Kong's question, desperately seeking reinforcements.
"Hold on! I'll dispatch Sengoku to support you immediately."
Kong slammed the receiver down and quickly contacted Sengoku, who was stationed nearby to monitor Shiki the Golden Lion.
"Moshi Moshi! Sengoku, head to Punk Hazard immediately. The pirate Charlotte is attacking the island. Your priority is to rescue Vegapunk and the other scientists."
"What? Charlotte's attacking Punk Hazard?! I'm on my way now!"
Sengoku's voice was sharp with urgency. He quickly ordered his ship to change course, abandoning his search for Shiki's fleet to head toward Punk Hazard.
---
Inside Punk Hazard
Charlotte pushed deeper into the hollowed-out island, his crew following closely behind. The path was littered with scattered papers and overturned equipment.
Charlotte picked up a piece of paper at random, his eyes scanning its contents.
Cloning experiments...
"Pick up all these papers," Charlotte ordered.
"Yes, Captain!"
The crew began collecting the documents, even though they didn't fully understand their importance.
Charlotte moved further into the island, his Observation Haki blocked by the thick, reinforced walls. Without it, he had to rely on brute force to enter locked rooms.
At one point, Charlotte accidentally used too much strength, nearly collapsing an entire section of the island. Thankfully, Barrett's Fusion Fruit abilities stabilized the structure, creating a hole large enough for the crew to pass through.
Room by room, they searched, until Charlotte stumbled upon a group of men in black frantically packing items into boxes.
Charlotte's lips curled into a cold smile. "Kill them."
At his command, his four cadres surged forward like wild beasts.
The men in black resisted valiantly but were quickly overwhelmed. In a matter of minutes, they were defeated and dragged before Charlotte.
Charlotte approached one of the captured agents, whose mask had been torn in the battle.
"Where's Vegapunk?" Charlotte asked calmly, his tone chilling.
The agent remained silent, glaring at Charlotte defiantly.
Charlotte's smile widened. He placed a hand on the man's head, using his Devil Fruit abilities to extract the information directly from his mind.
"Kill him," Charlotte said with a wave of his hand.
The crew carried out his order without hesitation.
With the new information, Charlotte's expression grew intrigued.
"So, he's here..."
Without wasting any time, Charlotte led his crew toward their next destination. Barrett tore through the walls with ease, clearing their path.
They stopped in front of a large, reinforced door. Charlotte gestured for Barrett to take care of it.
Barrett stepped forward, his hands touching the door. Using his abilities, he melted a large hole into it.
"Hahahaha! I didn't expect to find you here, Kaido!"
Charlotte's laughter echoed as he entered the room.
On a cold, metal operating table lay an eight-meter-tall figure. Kaido's eyes snapped open at the sound of Charlotte's voice.
"It's you, Charlotte!" Kaido growled, tilting his head to glare at the intruder.
"How did you get captured and end up here?" Charlotte asked, his tone amused.
Kaido, however, remained silent, closing his eyes again in defiance.
"Hahaha! Interesting," Charlotte remarked, turning his attention to the rest of the room.
In another corner, a young man with wings lay restrained by various devices.
"Hmm? A Lunarian? A race born with the power of fire?" Charlotte muttered, recognizing the young King (Jhin).
Jhin's eyes opened briefly, filled with confusion as he stared at Charlotte.
Charlotte had no intention of freeing either captive. Instead, he led his crew to continue their search.
---
In another room, Barrett melted down yet another door. Inside, a young man in a white coat frantically gathered documents, muttering to himself.
"Hahaha! All of this is mine! I'll become the smartest man in the world!"
Charlotte stepped into the room, immediately recognizing the man's distinct horns.
"Ahem."
Startled, the young man froze, turning around slowly.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't take anything! I swear!" he stammered.
"Are you a scientist?" Charlotte asked, feigning ignorance.
"Yes! Yes!" Caesar Clown stammered, his voice trembling as he glanced at the group of pirates blocking the door.
"Good. Tie him up," Charlotte ordered.
Wolfe grabbed Caesar, tying him securely with a rope.
Charlotte walked over to the pile of documents Caesar had been collecting.
"Artificial Devil Fruit Experiment Records."
Charlotte's eyes gleamed with interest as he read the title.
"Are these real? Have you actually created artificial Devil Fruits?" he asked, holding up the documents.
"Yes! Yes, it's all real! This is Vegapunk's experimental data!" Caesar admitted, his voice shaking.
Charlotte's crew exchanged shocked glances. The existence of artificial Devil Fruits was groundbreaking.
Charlotte ignored their reactions, scanning the room until his eyes landed on a glass case mounted high on a shelf. Inside was a pink Devil Fruit with a swirl pattern.
Charlotte's pupils contracted as he recognized it.
Could it be...?
Walking quickly to the case, Charlotte smashed the glass and retrieved the fruit.
"This... This is Momonosuke's fruit," he murmured to himself.
Caesar, still tied up, blurted out, "That fruit is an artificial Devil Fruit, but it's a failure! It doesn't work!"
Charlotte glanced at Caesar, his expression unreadable.
"Failure or not, it's still mine now," Charlotte said, pocketing the fruit.
---
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