One Piece: Rayquaza of the Beasts Pirates

Judge's voice unconsciously rose as he twirled his meticulously groomed goatee, his gaze deliberately sweeping over Quinn, whose face was dark with smugness, his pride almost palpable.

As for showing off to Vegapunk?

He's not that arrogant.

"what?!"

"An artificial...Devil Fruit?!"

"Are you kidding me? Devil Fruits can be manufactured? Could it be that they took a few real Devil Fruits to scam research funding?"

The guests erupted in a cacophony of whispers of surprise, shock, and disbelief.

This reaction greatly satisfied Judge's vanity.

Huh~

You bunch of idiots! How could you possibly understand the power of the Vinsmoke family's technology!

Tell me more.

Kane leaned forward slightly on the throne, revealing keen interest.

He was eager to know the difference between Judge's version of the artificial Devil Fruit and Caesar's version of the SMILE Fruit.

"Yes!"

Judge toned down his arrogance and entered a serious reporting mode: "I have implanted a special ferocious beast bloodline factor into every artificial Devil Fruit."

"After the user consumes the fruit, their own bloodline factors will attempt to fuse with the ferocious beast factors within the fruit. If successful, the user will permanently gain some of the characteristics and power bonuses of the corresponding ferocious beast."

"Strength, speed, endurance, and perception will all be significantly improved."

At this point, he sighed with a hint of regret: "The only pity is that the fusion process seems to be interfered with by some kind of unobservable 'will,' and the success rate is not 100%."

As he spoke, his voice became slightly more impassioned: "However, please rest assured, even if the awakening fails, there will be no aftereffects."

"Oh, and one more thing. Regardless of whether you successfully awaken your Devil Fruit powers, you can no longer eat them. Although artificial Devil Fruits are labeled 'artificial,' their side effects are exactly the same as those of real Devil Fruits."

Is it due to willpower interference?

Kane's heart stirred slightly.

Perhaps artificial Devil Fruits, like real Zoan-type fruits, possess some kind of "fruit will" and will choose a suitable host on their own?

But Kane didn't see these "shortcomings" as problems at all.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Devil Fruits seem commonplace in the manga. In the real world of One Piece, every natural Devil Fruit is a rare and precious treasure.

Even with the risk of failure, and even if one cannot eat other fruits after failing, it is still an irresistible temptation for those pirates struggling at the bottom who yearn to rise to the top in one step.

The sudden, almost bursting flames of desire that ignited in the eyes of the surrounding pirates were enough to prove this point.

Judge's performance was not over yet, and he clapped his hands gently again.

"Currently, a brave warrior has successfully fused with the power of an artificial Devil Fruit."

"Oh?"

Kane's smile deepened: "Where is he?"

The crowd automatically parted to form a passage.

A burly man, whose appearance had undergone a startling transformation, strode out.

His skin was a dark red, two curved and sharp tusks protruded from the corners of his mouth, his nose extended into a flexible and powerful elephant trunk, his legs also became thick elephant legs, and a tail swayed gently behind him.

His whole body exuded a fierce aura from ancient times.

"Babanuki?"

Kane was indeed somewhat surprised.

The Babanuki before me is completely different from the image in the original story that seems to be forcibly blended into the elephant.

This is a transformation between orc form and beast form.

There is no doubt that Judge's experiment was a great success.

Babanuki's aura has more than doubled compared to before!

"Hehehe! Interesting! Very interesting!"

Kaido, who was standing to the side, suddenly put down his sake jug, and a burning light flashed in his drunken eyes.

He stared at Babanuki as if admiring a novel weapon, even his favorite wine temporarily losing its appeal.

The surrounding pirates' eyes darted back and forth between the imposing Babanuki and the box at Judge's feet, their envy and jealousy almost tangible.

This is the power of the Devil Fruit!

Even if it's man-made, it's a real, earth-shattering leap in power!

Is there any shortcut to "progress" in this world that is more direct and violent than this?

Kane took in the burning desire in his men's eyes, laughed heartily, and made his decision: "There are ten finished products in the box. As usual, you will use the methods of the beasts to decide which ten people are qualified to enjoy this opportunity for 'progress'!"

"Long live Lord Kane!!!"

Cheers erupted like a volcano, instantly engulfing the entire hall.

Almost as soon as Kane finished speaking, the pirates' eyes ignited with fighting spirit, and sparks flew as they stared at each other.

The fire festival on Onigashima was in full swing when a ghostly ship appeared in the waters surrounding Wano Country.

The ship, without any flags or markings, silently anchored beneath the towering cliffs of Wano Country.

The atmosphere on the deck was somber.

Several CP0 agents wearing white masks and sharp white suits stood like statues, bowing slightly as they surrounded a man wearing a transparent bubble on his head and a magnificent military uniform in the center.

"Lord Qilingom, the island of Ghosts lies above the waterfall ahead."

A CP0 squad leader lowered his voice and reported cautiously.

However, what came from inside the bubble wrap was a soft, rhythmic "whooshing" sound.

Oh no... Lord Qilingom is asleep again!

The CP0 squad leader's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat beneath his mask, and he inwardly groaned in despair.

This lord of the Knights of God is good in every way, easy-going, unlike the arrogant Celestial Dragons, but he has one fatal flaw.

Occasionally, I will fall into short periods of sleep uncontrollably.

They dared not reach out and wake up a Celestial Dragon, especially a "Knight".

Left with no other choice, he could only raise his voice slightly and repeat, "My lord? Saint Qilingom? We have reached the outer perimeter of the target."

"Hoo...hmm?"

The snoring inside the bubble wrap stopped abruptly. Chiringom blinked his sleepy eyes. "Ah, did I accidentally fall asleep again? How rude of me."

The CP0 agents naturally said "we dare not," and the squad leader repeated the intelligence again.

"Next, we will have to rely entirely on your abilities to climb over this waterfall."

It wouldn't be impossible to have them use Moonwalk to scale the thousands of meters high walls of Wano Country, but they would be completely exhausted by the time they arrived.

"Okay, leave it to me."

Chiringom nodded, his weariness seemingly fading somewhat.

He extended his right hand, which was wearing a white glove, and gently gathered his five fingers in the air, and a lucky cloud condensed and took shape in his hand.

Then, something even more astonishing happened.

Chiringom's hand actually reached directly into that auspicious cloud, as if reaching into water to feel around.

A moment later, he exerted a little force with his arm and pulled it outward.

He literally "dragged" a large bird out of the clouds!

This is one of the abilities of Kiringom, a user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, Kirin form—Dream Manifestation.

He can briefly bring the creations in his dreams to life!

"Come on up, it'll be faster this way." Qilingom was the first to leap onto the bird's back.

"Yes!"

The group boarded the giant bird and ascended at an incredible speed, easily crossing the formidable chasm that had caused countless ships to crash and sink.

Minutes later, the iconic giant skull of Ghost Island came into clear view.

The sounds of clamor and the faint glow of fire could be heard.

"Enemy...attack—!!"

On the outer outpost, an alert member of the Beasts Pirates had just opened his mouth to let out a half-roar when his voice abruptly stopped.

An irresistible, heavy weariness surged over him like a tidal wave, and he instantly drifted off to sleep.

Thump... thump...

Not only him, but also the pirates on several nearby watchtowers collapsed one after another.

"It's done."

Chiringom smiled slightly.

However, now is not the time to relax.

A huge pentagram magic circle appeared beneath his feet.

The magic circle shone brightly!

The next second, space distorted slightly, and four figures appeared in the center of the magic circle without warning.

Two men and two women, all dressed in the same military uniform as Chiringom.

Just by standing there, they naturally exude a chilling sense of oppression.

"Saint Shamlock, Saint Somaz, Military Palace, Mafi Palace!"

The CP0 agents trembled violently and almost instinctively bowed deeply.

Shamrock merely nodded slightly in return, then asked, "How is the situation now?"