Chapter 193: Devil Fruits
"What? You've discovered a special fruit?"
The researchers at the safe zone camp were ecstatic. Especially with Tom as a living example—after witnessing him punch a tree in half and lift a stone table with one hand—they went absolutely crazy.
Without hesitation, they utilized all available resources and equipment to extract samples of Tom's blood, hair, and bodily fluids for research.
They hypothesized that this fruit was nothing like any known organism from a biological or genetic standpoint.
No known creature in nature could undergo such an extreme transformation instantly!
Even the immortal jellyfish (Turritopsis dohrnii) only transforms over time, yet Tom's transformation was instantaneous. More importantly, he should have expended an enormous amount of energy, yet the only noticeable side effect was an increased appetite.
Previously, he ate slightly more than an average person. Now, he could consume ten times as much. But that was hardly an issue—ten people's worth of food shouldn't provide enough energy to sustain such an extreme metamorphosis!
"A single fruit altered his cells at a fundamental level… This must be the work of the divine!"
"What a shame they ate it. If we had a specimen to study, who knows what breakthroughs we could achieve?"
The researchers then questioned the island's natives, asking if they knew of any strange fruits that could transform people.
For this second expedition to Skull Island, the Monarch Organization and various other factions had brought along numerous linguists and experts from different fields. As a result, the native language had been quickly deciphered and learned, making communication easy.
Thanks to Chang Wei's prior groundwork with the natives, humanity soon learned that these fruits were known as "Devil Fruits," "Demonic Fruits," or "Fruits of Disaster."
The natives feared these fruits, believing they turned people into monsters. Even though these "monsters" possessed power far beyond ordinary humans, the natives saw their strength as something to be feared.
From their accounts, Devil Fruits could not only transform people into animals but also into dinosaurs, insects, or even grant them control over lightning, trees, and fire.
Everyone went berserk upon hearing this.
"Devil Fruits? More like divine gifts!"
"These ignorant savages have no concept of power. Who cares about appearances?"
Besides, Tom had already proven that the transformation wasn't permanent—it was reversible.
However, these Devil Fruits could only be found in the Forbidden Zone. Their unique appearance made them easy to identify.
"They only exist in the Forbidden Zone?"
"I think we should call them 'Godly Fruits' instead. 'Devil Fruits' just doesn't do them justice."
"Transformation into various animals, even dinosaurs and insects… Sounds like genetic reconfiguration. Could these fruits alter genetic information?"
"Each Devil Fruit grants a unique ability… If possible, I'd love to eat one that lets me control lightning or fire. That'd practically make me a demigod!"
"Demigod? More like a superhuman at best."
The mercenaries grew envious. Without hesitation, they grabbed their guns and stormed into the Forbidden Zone. They were desperate—finding just one of these fruits would be a jackpot. Lives were a small price to pay for such power!
Some mercenaries even used satellite phones to contact their employers, revealing the existence of Devil Fruits. Their employers immediately offered a staggering one hundred million dollars per fruit!
A hundred million dollars might be nothing to the elites of the world, but for these mercenaries, it was enough to drive them mad.
Monsters? As long as they were made of flesh and blood and not colossal Titan Beasts, they weren't afraid!
Against bullets, all carbon-based life forms were weak!
But venturing into the Forbidden Zone at night? That wasn't just a death sentence—it was certain doom. Anyone who had watched wildlife documentaries knew that the night was when predators hunted.
After a long day, nocturnal creatures only had a short window to hunt before they needed to rest.
Biologists had already warned everyone: Never enter the Forbidden Zone at night. Unless each person had a Gundam, maybe then they'd have a chance. Even with tanks, total annihilation was still a real possibility.
But now, for money, everyone had gone insane.
Chang Wei was more than happy to watch an even more spectacular battle royale unfold.
Skull Island was already teeming with deadly creatures—he didn't need to add anything extra. It was already a death trap for humans.
Here, humans were completely ignorant of their surroundings. Any creature could claim their lives—even the plants.
Who would've thought that merely brushing against a knee-high blade of grass could slice a person clean in half?
There wasn't even a need for traps.
If anyone dared to throw a large-scale incendiary bomb, the Handsome Kong would hunt them down. In a way, this served as a natural check against excessive human firepower.
They could only rely on assault rifles and grenades. And even then, many creatures in nature couldn't be taken down with just a few bullets. Take, for example, the infamous giant crocodile that had killed hundreds. It had been shot and caught in traps numerous times yet remained active for over a decade before disappearing.
Even after it vanished, humanity never found its body to claim victory.
It was one of humanity's most humiliating failures.
And the creatures of Skull Island?
Unless an automatic rifle could hit a critical weak point, it was useless. Modern firearms had even reduced penetration power, opting for intermediate-power cartridges instead.
At this rate, anyone who survived Skull Island might become an elite among elites—like the Blackwatch.
Headshots on command. Heart shots at will. Every survivor would become a walking death machine.
As for the Devil Fruits, Chang Wei hadn't created too many—just a hundred.
Skull Island was simply too small. If there were too many fruits, people would find them too easily. That would be boring for Chang Wei.
What he wanted to see was the brilliance of human nature—desperation, sacrifice, and moral corruption.
Every aspect was entertaining to him.
After all, mercenaries were just war hounds. How many of them could truly be considered good people?
"Godzilla… finally free, huh?"
Chang Wei turned his gaze away from the mercenaries slaughtering each other. A silent, unremarkable logistics officer had suddenly displayed shocking combat prowess, single-handedly taking down everyone before trembling as he devoured the Devil Fruit he had found.
"Another Blackbeard?"
Chang Wei clicked his tongue, but his attention had already shifted to the newly freed Godzilla.
Chubby, round, and bloated to the extreme, Godzilla's massive form reminded Chang Wei of a gigantic maggot—a massive, white, fat creature.
Its grotesquely obese body exuded pure power.
At this size and weight, a single slap from it could probably leave even the legendary King Ghidorah seeing stars.