Kureha left Moses' room, saying she needed time to consider and would give him an answer in a few days.
Moses didn't call her out on it—from her words and actions, he could already tell she was tempted.
As a researcher, she naturally had a desire to explore the unknown.
"We'll see when the time comes."
Moses looked at the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in his hand, deep in thought. As for Kureha's suggestion of nurturing someone else, he did have a vague idea.
Ace would be a candidate, but after some consideration, he dismissed the thought. That kid's constitution was too fragile. Even if he were to give him a Devil Fruit in the future, a Mythical Zoan would suffice.
That left only one possible use for this fruit—eating it himself?
No, no. He hadn't been lying earlier. Moses curled his lips slightly, and with a thought, the legendary essence of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit began to be plundered.
A moment later.
[Merit Points +100,000]
"Only a hundred thousand? I thought it'd be three or four hundred thousand. The strongest Logia-Type? Trash. What about the most sinister Dark-Dark Fruit? Would plundering that break a hundred thousand merits?"
Moses entered the Celestial State with a single Breath, curiosity flashing in his eyes. He peeled open the golden, sea urchin-like skin of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and stared at the golden flesh, now devoid of its power. Then, he took a bite.
The next second, his face turned green, his throat convulsed, and he forced himself to swallow despite the overwhelming nausea churning in his stomach.
After a few seconds of recovery, Moses steeled himself and took large, determined bites, devouring the entire fruit—skin, stem, and all—in just a few mouthfuls.
It was a bit rough on the throat.
Lying on the bed with a look of utter resignation, Moses consoled himself:
"How could I come to this world and not eat a Devil Fruit? I, Moses, have eaten the strongest Logia-Type Devil Fruit. I can control lightning. Don't believe me? Watch."
Muttering to himself, he raised his right hand and held it slightly in front of his face. Black-red arcs of electricity crackled and danced, gradually enveloping his entire body.
Moses grinned smugly, amusing himself:
"My badass black-red lightning even comes with built-in special effects—fear, rage, despair, and unconsciousness inflicted on my targets."
666!
Moses laughed at his own antics, finally fulfilling his dream of eating a Devil Fruit—and even going the extra mile by consuming it whole, skin and all.
With a kip-up, Moses sat up and stared at the massive number of Merit Points on his holographic panel. Obtaining an EX-class fruit for the first time had instantly netted him a hundred thousand merits.
Moses was faced with a happy dilemma—he didn't know how to spend them.
Should he materialize a Blessing?
Or try his luck with the Multiversal Lottery?
For a moment, Moses was torn. But his hesitation didn't last long—none of the Blessings he could currently materialize would grant him an immediate, transformative power boost.
And so, Moses, the ever-curious miracle-seeker, made his decision.
The next instant, a hundred thousand Merit Points were poured into the "light sphere" within his consciousness.
At the same time, the "light sphere" in his mind began to emit a hazy glow, and a deep vortex formed on its surface.
In the sea of his consciousness—whether for a fleeting moment or an eternity—a single "spark" emerged from the center of the light sphere.
Moses opened his eyes and saw a mysterious object encased in a "light sphere" materializing before him.
He reached out and touched it. The sphere dissipated.
In his hand now rested an existence radiating a soft, ethereal glow.
Like an object crafted from the most beautiful crystal in the world.
A piece of information surfaced in his mind, and Moses' expression grew complicated.
[EX-Grade Item: Holy Grail (One-Time Use)]
[Item Effect: A manifestation of the world's primordial power, capable of revising/adding world rules. However, due to its incomplete nature, it grants the authority to modify/add one fundamental rule of the world. Once chosen, the modification cannot be altered. Upon confirmation, the Holy Grail will merge into the world's origin.]
[Item Evaluation: At this moment, I am the one and only ruler of heaven and earth!]
Moses regulated his Breath and entered the Celestial State to calm his astonishment, speaking lightly:
"How did I end up with something like this? How am I supposed to use it?"
As if sensing his hesitation, the other half of his existence—the "orb of light"—conveyed another message to Moses' consciousness.
「Input the revision content with your will.」
A moment later.
Moses focused his consciousness on the Holy Grail and, utilizing its authority, began adding a new world rule.
[The limitation on the hierarchy of life in this world is lifted, granting all beings the possibility to advance further.]
Watching as the "text" gradually seeped into the surface of the Holy Grail, Moses thought this should suffice.
After some consideration, he ultimately decided to leave it at that. He had deliberated carefully on how to use this authority to revise the world, ensuring it wouldn't be wasted. This modification was, in his view, the optimal solution.
Moses was no saint, but neither was he a villain. He sought benefit for himself but not without principles. This revision wouldn't cause drastic changes to the world in the short term.
Moreover, Moses had learned from his "orb of light" that although he could revise the world's rules, since the Holy Grail did not originate from this world, the rules would instinctively adapt and rationalize. There might be minor deviations, but the overall direction would remain unchanged.
As the modification fully integrated into the Holy Grail, Moses willed it, and the entire vessel first emitted an indescribable, hazy radiance before crumbling into dust.
It seemed as though nothing had changed—yet Moses knew better. Because he had used the Holy Grail to enact the revision, he could instinctively sense an unknown, vast spirituality emerging. The world's rules were silently transforming.
Time was needed for everything to take effect.
Moses understood this well.
A strange sense of anticipation filled him.
The world would change because of him.
A new world would be born.
The wait was long, and Moses had no idea how much time this transformation would require.
Shortly after, Crow Dabao entered and called Moses out for dinner.
During the meal.
Robin turned to Moses and brought up something she had forgotten to mention earlier:
"Moses, I've discovered some ancient ruins on Upper Yard. This island must be the legendary City of Gold from nearly 400 years ago. The Golden Bell we saw earlier also hints at it. I'd like to investigate in the next couple of days."
Swallowing a mouthful of food, Moses smiled. "Sure, we'll go together. I brought you all here precisely to search for the legendary City of Gold."
"Is the City of Gold filled with gold?"
Perona hastily swallowed her food and excitedly voiced her thoughts:
"Then if we find it, we'll never have to worry about money again, right? We can buy all kinds of beautiful clothes!"
Hearing this, Moses looked exasperated and said:
"Peipei, you're so ungrateful. It's not like I'm not buying it for you now."
Perona rolled her eyes, swallowed the fish in her mouth, and stuck her tongue out at Moses. "Hmph, you're the ungrateful one."
After finishing the delicious dinner, Perona, Robin, and Chopper stayed behind to wash the dishes with Bear Cub.
...
Castle Space. Laboratory.
Kureha, draped in a white lab coat, began extracting sap collected from the giant vines.
Moses, also wearing a white lab coat, assisted her.
"The plants here are fascinating—they all exhibit a gigantic state, as do many of the animals. It seems there's some factor influencing biological gigantism here."
"Is it due to the keratin particles 'PYROBROIN' in seastone? I noticed you've used it in many of your previous experiments. But it seems quite difficult to refine."
"Giggle, 'PYROBROIN' is a miraculous 'treasure.' Through natural extraction and a series of syntheses, it transforms into an exceptionally stable 'life-catalyzing component,' practically a universal material. It's like the world's Blessing to all things."
"Skypiea is extraordinary. The Island Clouds here contain inert 'PYROBROIN,' which is the main reason they can form. And those giant Braided Vines are plants rooted in the Island Clouds."
As she explained, Kureha gently shook a test tube containing a pale-green solution. Soon after, she began testing it, with Moses assisting. Before long, both of them smiled.
"Just as I thought—it contains the life-catalyzing component 'PYROBROIN,' and it's highly active. This must be why the organisms on this island grow so large."
"Biological gigantism?" Moses stroked his chin. "So, Doctorine, how long will it take you to develop a drug that can safely and stably alter the Lineage Factor to induce gigantism?"
He didn't ask whether it was possible—that would've been nonsense and a sign of distrust.
Kureha looked at Moses with amusement, pleased by his faith in her, and laughed:
"The flora and fauna here are practically a natural testing ground, especially those giant Braided Vines. All the fundamentals are in place. If everything goes smoothly, I can create a gigantism-inducing drug within six months."
"What? Do you want to take it? Do you want to grow bigger?"
Kureha seemed somewhat resistant to the idea.
Hearing this, Moses glanced at her, shook his head, then turned to Crow Dabao, who was perched on a nearby coat rack with longing in his bird eyes:
"Do you want it?"
"Caw! Yes! Big is beautiful, big is strong! Crow wants to grow big! Then Crow can easily suppress Bear Cub!"
Determination flashed in Crow Dabao's eyes. White-necked crows were naturally small, and in the wild, only larger creatures could dominate the food chain.
Crow Dabao looked at Kureha pleadingly. "Doctorine, help Crow."
Kureha chuckled. "As you wish. Soon enough, you'll become stronger, sturdier, and bigger."
"Caw~"
Crow Dabao tilted his head back, letting out a hoarse yet resonant cry. "Thank you, Doctor Lady."
Just like Moses and Bear Cub, all the birds in the household referred to Kureha as "Doctor Lady."
After conducting more experiments and recording a substantial amount of data, the two removed their white coats and left the lab area.
Due to her physical age, Kureha needed to maintain sufficient daily sleep.
So she washed up early and went to bed.
Moses, on the other hand, headed to the forging room and began dismantling various shells, documenting the unique "Phenomenon Pathways" of each type.
One by one, the distinct pathways of these miraculous Sky Island shells were recorded. Moses worked for a long time, mapping out the pathways of over a hundred types of shells in a way only he could understand.
These were pathways that only those capable of perceiving the Breath of All Things could decipher.
Like a natural cipher.
Somewhat resembling scribbled symbols.
The patterns were clear yet carried an inexplicable, mystical beauty.
Primordial and raw, they represented pathways that embodied the essence of the Breath of All Things.
At that moment, Moses raised an eyebrow and used "Appraisal." "Seems like I've accidentally synthesized something remarkable."
[Hundred Pathways Representing the Essence of Certain Phenomena (C)]
Moses stroked his chin, deep in thought.
"These pathways will likely be engraved onto weapons in the future, so they should have a proper name. 'Moses Patterns'? Nah, forget it. Let's just call them 'Engraved Patterns'—extraordinary pathways etched into weapons."
[Hundred Engraved Patterns (C)]
Stretching, Moses organized the blueprints and bound them into a booklet.
Rubbing his eyes, he headed to his room.
After washing up, he climbed into bed.
Following that hazy connection, Moses sensed the world's continuous changes before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, bright and early.
After breakfast.
The group arrived at Upper Yard.
They soon split up, each attending to their own tasks.
Perona, Bear Cub, and Chopper began free-climbing the towering giant vine that reached into the clouds.
Crow Dabao, alongside the neatly dressed Robin, started archaeological work on the island.
Moses and Kureha gathered various materials from the island's flora and fauna, preparing for the gigantification experiments
.
Time flew by, and by noon, the group reconvened at the base of the giant vine.
A large pot sat at the vine's roots, bubbling with a spicy, herbal broth—floating medicinal herbs atop the red-hot oil.
A medicinal hotpot.
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/QueenTL
Thanks!