One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

The scarred-faced test subject opened his mouth, and a ball of orange light churned deep in his throat.

Then he suddenly unleashed a dragon's breath—an orange pillar of flame shot from his mouth and slammed into the laboratory's protective wall.

The protective wall, reinforced by Baal with the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, trembled violently under the impact of the dragon's breath.

The surface was charred into a pit, and the metal frame at the edge was glowing red from the high temperature.

"Dragon breath temperature—3,700 degrees Celsius, exactly the same as Kaido's original dragon breath from the Azure Dragon Fruit!" Vegapunk's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.

The next test is cloud-controlled flight.

The second test subject successfully used the Flame Cloud to float his body into the air after eating the Azure Dragon Fruit.

He stood on two white clouds and slowly flew around the laboratory dome.

Although the maneuvers were not yet very skillful, and I almost crashed into the equipment on the wall several times, the stability of the flight improved significantly in just a few minutes.

The third test subject was used to test the current physical strength.

We wanted to see if it could improve the body's defense and recovery abilities like a mythical beast. The test results were obvious; compared to before,

After consuming the replica of the Azure Dragon Fruit, this soldier experienced a significant enhancement in both physical strength and regenerative abilities.

Vegapunk let out a long sigh, slumping back in his chair like a deflated balloon.

"This can be considered an initial success."

Gracia took off her glasses and wiped the fog off the lenses with the corner of her clothes.

"A three-month observation period is still necessary. But based on the current data, this batch of replicas does not have any genetic defects."

Their core abilities—dragon breath, cloud control, flight, and physical enhancement—are all perfectly replicated.

It is almost identical to the original Azure Dragon Fruit.

The remaining question is whether they can achieve awakening like Kaido.

"However, this will require a long period of observation."

Gracia put his glasses back on, turned to look at the Azure Dragon Fruit that was still slowly rotating in the cultivation chamber, and his eyes gleamed with a kind of fanatical light unique to scientists.

"The next step is to see if they can improve their abilities through training."

Theoretically, the reissued Devil Fruit should have the same full growth potential as the original.

But theory is theory; no one can make a guarantee until the actual data is available.

Vegapunk nodded:

"I have already arranged follow-up testing plans."

Starting tomorrow, the three test subjects will undergo eight hours of high-intensity training every day, with all physiological data transmitted back in real time.

A preliminary report will be released in one month, and a final conclusion in three months.

The two old men looked at each other and smiled at the same time.

That smile contained fatigue, excitement, but more than anything, it was the sense of accomplishment that comes from completing an almost impossible task.

······

Oni Island Grand Hall.

When Roy entered the hall, Kaido was lying on his throne, snoring.

Several empty wine gourds lay scattered at my feet, and the air was thick with the smell of alcohol.

Ba Zhaijie leaned against the armrest of the throne, the blade gleaming coldly under the lamplight.

Roy walked up to the throne and used his Observation Haki to directly strike Kaido's spirit.

Kaido suddenly opened his eyes, grabbed the Eight Guards with one hand, and unleashed a burst of Conqueror's Haki: "Enemy attack—"

"It wasn't an enemy attack."

Roy held his arm, his tone unhurried.

"That's good news. News has come from Beehive Island—your Azure Dragon Fruit has been successfully replicated."

Kaido was stunned.

The eight precepts slipped from his hand and crashed to the ground with a thud.

His rugged face first showed a blank expression, then disbelief, and finally, an eruption of ecstasy like a volcano.

He sprang up from the throne, grabbed Roy's shoulder with such force that Roy felt his bones creak.

"Really?! That old Vegapunk—he really recreated him?!"

"The first batch of three samples all passed the live animal testing."

Roy pulled his hand away from Kaido's and rubbed his shoulder, which was sore from being pinched.

"All three test subjects successfully transformed into their Azure Dragon Fruit forms and unleashed their basic abilities: dragon breath temperature, flight control, and fire immunity—"

All core abilities are completely identical to the original Azure Dragon Fruit.

The next three months will be an observation period. If no genetic breakdown or capacity decline occurs, mass production can begin.

Kaido released Roy and burst into laughter.

The laughter shook the walls of the hall, and dust fell from the ceiling.

Several guards covered their ears from the shock, and one who was nearby was so shaken that he collapsed to the ground.

The Flying Six members patrolling outside the palace looked at each other in surprise upon hearing the laughter. They had followed Kaido for so many years and had never seen the governor laugh like that before.

"Hehehehe—Everyone in the Beast Pirates has the Azure Dragon Fruit! The entire Beast Pirates crew has the Azure Dragon Fruit!!!"

Kaido paced back and forth in the main hall, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"My dream, which I've waited twenty years for, is finally about to come true!!!"

At this moment, Kaido was as excited as a child who had just received a new toy, muttering tactical plans at a pace so fast they were almost inaudible:

"All three calamities have eaten the Azure Dragon Fruit - King's Pteranodon plus the Azure Dragon, the ruler of the skies!"

Quinn's Brachiosaurus combined with the Azure Dragon, with its massive size and dragon breath, doubles its destructive power!

Jack's mammoth combined with the Azure Dragon makes for unbeatable defense! And then there are the Flying Six and Katakuri—"

Roy leaned against the wall, watching Kaido spin around excitedly like a top in the main hall, a smile appearing on his lips.

Just as Kaido was lost in excited daydreams because of Roy's news,

Off the coast of Wano Country,

The sea near Wano Country is shrouded in thick fog.

The Sun Lion struggled through dense fog with visibility of less than fifty meters, the currents on both sides of the ship were so turbulent that it looked as if someone was stirring up the seabed.

Huge whirlpools occasionally brushed past the side of the boat, each time nearly pulling the small sailboat in.

The waterfalls cascading down the cliffs created layers of mist that blocked the Straw Hat Pirates' path.

Luffy stood on the bow of the ship, barefoot on the lion-head figurehead, one hand gripping the mast, the other resting on his forehead, straining to see into the depths of the thick fog.

His eyes gleamed in the dim light, like two small lanterns.

"Hey! Luffy~"

"Did you see anything?"

Nami stood on the deck, gripping the Weather Stick tightly in her hand.

Her complexion was not good; the sea conditions in this area were extremely bad.

As a navigator, she could sense an extremely unstable current surging wildly on the seabed, threatening to sweep the ship away at any moment.

"I can't see anything! It's all fog!"

Luffy answered loudly, his tone even carrying a hint of excitement.

"Then what are you so excited about?!" Nami was so angry she almost smashed the Weather Stick over him.

"Because we're almost there."

Luffy turned his head and grinned, a smile as pure as a child preparing to go to an amusement park.

"Wano Country! The land of samurai!"

That's a place with lots of samurai!