The Holy Land Mary Geoise, perched atop the Red Line, was the seat of the Celestial Dragons—
and the palace of the world's so-called highest authority: the Five Elders.
Inside one of its most secret research wings, Fleet Admiral Sengoku walked in wearing a thunderous expression. He had just finished enduring the Five Elders' furious scolding and was in no mood for pleasantries.
This hidden laboratory belonged to Dr. Vegapunk, the man hailed as "five hundred years ahead of the world," the World Government's chief scientist—and arguably its most dangerous mind.
At the far end of the room, Vegapunk adjusted his glasses, eyes gleaming with undisguised fascination.
"Have you finished the analysis?" Sengoku demanded immediately.
Before meeting the Five Elders, Sengoku had delivered Tsuru's captured Beasts Pirate—one of the so-called "Mutant Cell" users—to Vegapunk for dissection.
Vegapunk nodded, unable to hide his awe.
"I have. And the results are… astonishing. These 'Mutant Cells' alter the body at the lineage factor level—they literally rewrite a person's biology from the inside out. The user's structure, muscles, even internal systems are transformed. The result is a permanent and exponential increase in strength."
"The lineage factor…?!" Sengoku froze, eyes wide.
That term alone was enough to unsettle any veteran. To tamper with the lineage factor was to trespass into the realm of the gods themselves.
Vegapunk's tone grew more animated.
"Indeed. My own research into lineage factors led me to create the first artificial Devil Fruit. But whoever invented these Mutant Cells… has surpassed me. Completely."
He turned toward Sengoku, eyes burning with admiration and disbelief.
"To put it simply, these Mutant Cells can rival naturally-occurring Devil Fruits!"
Sengoku drew a sharp breath.
Vegapunk's artificial Zoans had allowed users to mimic fruit powers—but success rates were inconsistent, and the power boost varied wildly.
Yet these Mutant Cells granted every user a massive, permanent leap in ability.
"No wonder Page One's power suddenly rivaled a Calamity's… no wonder Ulti's ancient Zoan now behaves like a Mythical one…" Sengoku muttered. "So that's the secret."
"Fleet Admiral," Vegapunk said quietly, "do you know who created them?"
"According to Tsuru's report," Sengoku replied, "it was someone known as Kaido's son-in-law—name's Luo Xing. Beyond that, we have almost no data."
The scientist's expression grew uncharacteristically grave.
"Luo Xing…" Vegapunk repeated, testing the name on his tongue. Then, voice low and serious, he said,
"I have a feeling, Sengoku… that this Luo Xing may one day become a greater threat than Kaido himself."
Meanwhile — On Onigashima
At that very moment, the man Vegapunk had just called more dangerous than Kaido was deep in his laboratory, surrounded by humming machinery and half-assembled devices.
Luo Xing was building three inventions at once:
the Triple-Gravity Training Chamber, the Beginner Time Chamber, and a Battle Power Scanner.
The Triple-Gravity Room was simple in concept—it generated three times normal gravity, intensifying physical training. Each chamber cost around ten million Berries to construct.
The Beginner Time Chamber was far rarer. Compared to the legendary "Hyperbolic Time Chamber" of the Dragon Ball world, its time ratio was 30:1—one day outside equaled one month inside.
However, perhaps because it touched upon temporal mechanics, only one such chamber could exist, and only two people could enter it at once.
For that reason, Luo Xing had kept this particular invention secret from his father-in-law.
He intended the chamber for himself and his wife, Yamato—a private space for training… and perhaps a little more.
As for the Battle Power Scanner, it was mostly a novelty—something for measuring combat ability, though Luo Xing had modified the formula to fit the One Piece world's power scaling.
When Luo Xing finally emerged from the lab, Page One was already waiting outside, practically vibrating with impatience.
"Lord Consort! Is it done?"
"Of course," Luo Xing said, smiling faintly. "Do you want to try it right now?"
Page One nodded eagerly, eyes shining. Among the Tobi Roppo, he alone hadn't achieved Mythical status yet, and the thought tortured him daily.
As he hurried toward the chamber, Luo Xing called after him, voice amused but stern:
"Let me warn you first—the Gravity Chamber only helps those willing to train. If you slack off or can't take the pressure, don't blame me if you fail to evolve."
"Understood, Lord Consort!" Page One shouted, already halfway inside.
Luo Xing chuckled softly.
"What a fool," he murmured affectionately, following him in.
Inside, the young pirate's eyes were immediately drawn to a strange device standing beside the massive gravity unit.
"What's this thing?"
"A Battle Power Scanner," Luo Xing explained casually. "It measures physical strength and combat potential."
"Can I try it?"
Without waiting for permission, Page One threw a punch at the scanner.
A crisp beep sounded, and numbers flickered across the screen:
Power Level: 5,000
In Luo Xing's recalibrated scale, an ordinary adult scored around 10.
A Marine Captain might reach 200, a Vice Admiral around 2,000, and a Calamity of the Beasts Pirates—somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000.
Luo Xing smiled faintly.
"So you've finally reached the threshold of the Calamities, eh? Not bad, Page One… not bad at all."
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