Chapter 194

Chapter 194:

In a restricted research area, Vegapunk carefully held a test tube filled with a vivid red liquid, shaking it gently. Nearby, a glass container housed a large purple apple submerged in a solution, faint circular patterns gradually surfacing on its skin.

An instrument connected to the container displayed a rapid series of data updates, flashing in quick succession. Vegapunk, visibly tense, seemed to wrestle with his thoughts. After a moment of hesitation, he steeled himself and stepped toward the glass container.

But before he could proceed—

A dark vortex materialized before him.

Vegapunk flinched.

His grip loosened.

The test tube slipped from his fingers and shattered against the floor.

The precious red liquid splattered across the pristine white tiles.

Vegapunk's eyes widened in horror. His pulse quickened as he looked up—

Only to see Carl emerging from the swirling darkness.

His face immediately twisted from fear to sheer exasperation.

"Carl! Could you please warn me before you appear out of nowhere? You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days!"

Carl raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

"What, conducting another secret experiment?"

Vegapunk stiffened. His mind raced to find an excuse before he realized the truth was his best defense.

"N-No! You can ask Kuma or Borsalino! There's nothing here that they don't already know about!"

Carl narrowed his eyes. "Then where are they now?"

"...Uh…on a mission."

Carl sighed. Kuma was reliable, but Borsalino? That man might as well be the Navy's second-in-command of slacking.

Still, Vegapunk wasn't hiding anything.

Carl's gaze drifted downward, landing on the crimson stain soaking into the floor.

Vegapunk, noticing his attention, let out a groan.

"Saint Carl, I swear, I was just working on artificial Devil Fruits! You already know about this research. The blood on the floor was a valuable resource—"

Carl cut him off. "Whose blood?"

"...Kaido's," Vegapunk admitted, rubbing his temples. "The last time the Navy captured him, I managed to extract a small amount. That guy's body is absurdly tough. It took a lot of effort just to get this tiny sample. My previous experiments failed, and this was the last viable one…"

Carl thought for a moment. "Kaido gets captured often enough. We can get more blood next time."

Vegapunk shook his head.

"It's not that simple. Kaido gets stronger with each capture. Extracting his blood will only get harder. Plus, I've used up some incredibly rare materials in this experiment. It'll take twenty years to gather them again!"

Carl's mind flickered to the story he knew—

Vegapunk's artificial Devil Fruit project had taken decades to complete. Even without Carl's interference, failure seemed inevitable at this stage.

But Carl also knew the truth.

Vegapunk's so-called failure wasn't a failure at all.

The fruit—eventually eaten by Momonosuke—had proven to be a functional Mythical Zoan. But because the dragon it created was pink instead of blue, Vegapunk had dismissed it.

Carl glanced at the drying blood and gave a simple nod.

"Got it."

With a flick of his fingers, the blood on the floor lifted into the air, forming several thin, twisting threads.

Vegapunk blinked in shock as the threads coiled together, merging into a small, pulsating orb of blood at Carl's fingertip.

Carl shook the blood orb lazily. "Where do you want it?"

Vegapunk, momentarily speechless, quickly pointed at a nearby device.

"There! Quickly!"

Carl flicked his finger.

The blood orb shot forward, landing perfectly into the machine's intake valve.

Immediately, the solution in the glass container began to bubble violently.

The submerged apple quivered. Its deep purple skin brightened, shifting into a richer hue. The circular patterns glowed, twisting into golden and orange rings.

Vegapunk held his breath.

Even Carl, who had little interest in scientific procedures, watched with intrigue.

As the transformation completed, the fruit cooled.

Its final form was nothing like the original purple apple.

It was now a blood-red Devil Fruit, adorned with golden-orange rings that pulsed faintly under the laboratory lights.

Carl frowned.

In his memory, Momonosuke's fruit had been a dark purple in the anime.

Had he remembered incorrectly?

Or… had his interference changed something?