"Not enough samples."
Reddy stared at the black unknown substance in the gene-editing lab, deep in thought.
The Paramecia-type Door-Door Fruit was an auxiliary-type Devil Fruit.
Its practicality was extremely high.
To be honest, for a moment, Reddy considered integrating the extracted Door-Door Fruit ability into his own genes, becoming a Door-Door Fruit user.
However, this required converting the Door-Door Fruit ability into an injectable serum.
Setting aside the difficulty, his current frail physique could hardly sustain prolonged use of the Door-Door Fruit's abilities.
"Forget it, there will be other opportunities."
Reddy made up his mind and extracted Golden Lion Shiki's gene sample.
This was the last of Golden Lion Shiki's gene samples.
Golden Lion Shiki was a ruthless leader, showing complete trust in those he believed in.
But Reddy had only recently joined, and with Indigo's constant interference, Golden Lion Shiki hadn't given him too many blood samples.
Now, Reddy decided to use this last gene sample with Gene Potential Lv.13.
"Using Blueno's genes as the base, supplemented with specific gene fragments from Golden Lion Shiki... What else is missing?"
The Door-Door Fruit held an extremely important position in Reddy's plans. He intended to create a perfect clone to better carry out the next phase of operations.
First, the clone needed monstrous physical strength.
Physical strength determined stamina.
Each use of the Devil Fruit ability consumed a large amount of stamina.
For example, Trafalgar Law's Op-Op Fruit ability was undoubtedly overpowered, with extremely high functionality.
But Law's biggest weakness was his poor physical strength, often running out of stamina.
Golden Lion Shiki's physical strength perfectly matched Reddy's requirements.
After all, this was the only monstrous-level gene sample he had on hand.
Second, the clone needed fully mastered Haki.
Devil Fruit abilities were powerful, but Haki surpassed all other powers.
If the clone's Haki was lacking, it would be a failed creation.
Third, the clone needed max-level swordsmanship.
Reddy was broke and didn't have time to collect famous swords.
But he had Baby 5's clone, didn't he?
Fourth... After thinking for a long time, Reddy decided to enhance the clone's defense on top of Golden Lion Shiki's monstrous physical strength.
Achieving the first three points wasn't difficult.
Reddy quickly completed the creation of the clone, then switched to the modification workshop.
A 3D image of Blueno appeared on the screen.
Reddy fell into thought again.
There were two modification approaches for the clone.
The first, based on the original story's description, followed Vinsmoke Judge's method—adding an exoskeleton inside the clone's body to greatly enhance its defense.
The second followed Vegapunk's approach in modifying Bartholomew Kuma, turning the clone into a half-mechanical, half-living being.
Of course, the goal was to significantly improve the clone's defense.
"Which approach should I choose?"
Both approaches were excellent. Vinsmoke Judge's modification was clearly superior to Vegapunk's, but the latter's advantage was its simplicity, without too many flashy additions.
For example, lasers.
Reddy could only shrug. Such things were beyond his current capabilities.
After much deliberation, Reddy abandoned the idea of combining the best of both approaches and chose Vinsmoke Judge's modification method.
[Modifying the clone requires 1,000,000 energy points.]
Reddy was speechless.
He had still underestimated the system.
Just adding an exoskeleton layer cost 1,000,000 energy points.
If he wanted to modify other abilities, the cost would be astronomical.
This was the real energy guzzler.
"Modify!"
Reddy rubbed his temples. Forming a Sea King hunting team needed to happen soon, or he'd really go bankrupt.
[Modification will be completed in 5 hours.]
Seeing there was still plenty of time, Reddy began taking stock of his current forces.
First was the clone based on himself.
This clone could be considered a weaker version of Golden Lion Shiki.
It had the Float-Float Fruit ability, max-level Haki, and strength comparable to an admiral. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been able to knock out Baby 5 and Blueno in one punch.
Next were the gains from Water 7.
Baby 5's clone.
The Weapon-Weapon Fruit ability wasn't a priority for Reddy, so he only used Sea King gene fragments to boost the Gene Potential to Lv.12, equivalent to a Marine vice admiral.
Not top-tier, but currently his second-strongest asset.
Besides these, there were several other clones he had created earlier.
Two were also based on himself, possessing decent combat strength—useful for deceiving enemies but not as main fighters.
The last was a clone based on Grizzly Bear Bill.
Weaker than Baby 5's clone, with Gene Potential Lv.11, only comparable to a Marine rear admiral.
These were Reddy's main forces at the moment.
"Still far from enough."
Creating an ideal utopia was difficult. Recruiting civilians who longed for peace and stability was equivalent to cutting off the roots of nobles from various countries, which would inevitably provoke severe suppression from the World Government.
Forget the World Government—even a single Yonko crew would give him a headache.
The Mirror-Mirror Fruit!
This was a Devil Fruit he absolutely had to obtain.
But to seize the Mirror-Mirror Fruit, he would inevitably face Big Mom... Reddy fell into deep thought.
"Is there any other Devil Fruit ability that would let me take the Mirror-Mirror Fruit without alerting Big Mom?"
Reddy searched through his memories of Devil Fruits but couldn't find a reliable answer.
However, this recollection opened up new possibilities.
A glint flashed in Reddy's eyes: "If strength isn't enough, rely on versatile Paramecia abilities."
With this in mind, Reddy quickly formed a rough plan and began refining it.
The modification was complete.
Reddy temporarily set aside his unfinished plan and summoned the clone.
The clone looked identical to Blueno, except for its facial expression.
Reddy stepped forward and tapped the clone's body.
Beneath the skin was a distinct layer of hardness, like a protective membrane shielding the fragile internal organs.
Snap!
Reddy snapped his fingers, summoning his own clone.
Soon, the two clones engaged in combat.
Reddy carefully observed their battle, evaluating their performance.
After modification, Blueno's clone had significantly enhanced defense. Even the weaker version of Golden Lion Shiki's clone couldn't deal substantial damage.
After over a dozen exchanges, Reddy called a halt to the fight.
"Let's go."
Reddy recalled his own clone.
Blueno's clone expressionlessly pushed open a door in the air.
An air door appeared.
Reddy stepped through, curiosity driving him into the next phase of experiments.
In the sewers.
A door suddenly opened in midair.
Reddy stepped out, a smile forming on his face: "Looks like I'll have to hunt Blueno again. The Door-Door Fruit ability is mine."
"Doctor Reddy, the city's gangs have gone crazy."
As soon as Reddy returned to the camp, he received unexpected news.
Scanning the area, Reddy pondered.
Due to industries like tour guiding being monopolized by gangs, most of the orphans led by Terry made a living by selling small items like flowers.
Now, almost all the orphans were gathered in the camp.
Haya shouted anxiously: "Those damn gangs are forcing us to help them find someone. Could they be looking for you, Doctor Reddy?"
"I think... yes."
Terry's injuries weren't fully healed yet, and his face was still pale, though with slightly better color than before. He spoke seriously: "Doctor Reddy is a good person. We can't betray him."
"Of course not!"
Haya was the first to shout.
The time Reddy had spent in the camp was the happiest period for them. They didn't have to worry about starving or others encroaching on their territory.
The other orphans nodded vigorously.
No one was afraid!
No one wanted Reddy to leave the camp.
Reddy smiled, ruffling Haya's hair before the boy could protest, and announced: "Then for now, I'll be responsible for providing your food."
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