The Strongest Lunarian in One Piece

Half a month later.

Pirate Island – Hachinosu.

Inside the massive skull-shaped building, the increasingly imposing Rocks D. Xebec was in discussion with Shiki the Golden Lion and Edward Newgate (Whitebeard).

"Captain—"

Suddenly, a crew member rushed in, carrying a briefcase in his hand.

"What's the rush? Calm down," Rocks said with a frown. Shiki and Whitebeard, the two highest-ranking officers, also turned curious gazes toward the intruding crew member.

"This… this was delivered by the Fallen Angel Pirates," the crew member stammered, placing the briefcase on the table. "They said it contains samples of their newly developed artificial Devil Fruits, sent for us to examine."

"I've already checked. The case indeed contains some unusual-looking apples, all identical. There's also a letter from El addressed to you, Captain."

"Hmm?"

"What did you say?"

"Artificial Devil Fruits?"

Hearing this, both Rocks and his officers twitched in surprise. They rose to their feet in astonishment.

"Click—" Without hesitation, Rocks opened the briefcase. Inside were ten apples marked by strange swirling patterns, emanating a mysterious aura.

Rocks grabbed the enclosed letter and skimmed it quickly. His pupils constricted sharply as he read.

"Gurararara, this is extraordinary!" Whitebeard chuckled, his sharp eyes glinting with curiosity. "Did he send this just to flaunt his achievements?"

"Heh, is this a joke?" Shiki asked, chewing on a cigar, clearly stunned. "Even something like this… they've managed to create it?"

"Huahaha, he's one audacious guy. Read it yourselves," Rocks said with a grin, handing the letter to Shiki and Whitebeard.

"Artificial Zoan-type fruits? Each one has only a 10% chance of granting a Devil Fruit ability?" Whitebeard narrowed his eyes at the letter. "And the side effects… besides becoming a hammer, you lose all expressions except laughter? No matter how angry or sad, you can only laugh? Is this real or fake?"

Both Whitebeard and Shiki sighed in relief once they finished reading, although skepticism lingered in their expressions.

"Yahahaha, let's find a few pawns to test it out," Rocks said with a hearty laugh, waving his hand. "Bring ten men here. Make sure none of them have Devil Fruit abilities."

"Yes, Captain!"

Before long, ten pirates were summoned. Nervous and uncertain, they shuffled in, wearing hesitant expressions.

"These are artificial Devil Fruits," Rocks said, gesturing toward the fruits on the table. "Each of you, take one and eat it."

"Artificial Devil Fruits?"

"Wait, is it even possible to create Devil Fruits?"

"Enough questions. Eat!"

"This is your chance!"

"Would the captain ever harm you?"

Under the officers' orders, the pirates stepped forward, each grabbing one artificial Devil Fruit and quickly consuming it.

"Hahaha…"

"Wow-wow-wow…"

"Keh-hehehe, is this really a Devil Fruit?"

"Why can't I stop laughing? Hahaha…"

Soon, under the stunned gazes of Rocks, Shiki, Whitebeard, and the others, several pirates burst into uncontrollable laughter, tears streaming down their faces. However, a few showed no reaction at all.

"You idiots…"

A high-ranking crew member, his face dark with anger, shouted, "What's so funny? Stop laughing and be serious!"

Some pirates managed to suppress their laughter, while others simply could not.

"S-Sorry, Captain… I can't help it," one pirate said, laughing so hard he had tears running down his cheeks. Despite his mirth, his trembling body hinted at genuine fear.

Seeing this, Whitebeard and Shiki frowned.

"Roar…"

Suddenly, two pirates who weren't laughing let out low growls as their bodies began to transform visibly.

One became a monstrous creature—human from the torso up, but with the body and trunk of an elephant. The other sprouted enormous bat wings, half of his body taking on bat-like features as he soared into the air.

"They actually transformed?"

"So this is the artificial Devil Fruit?"

"But what's with these odd forms?"

The bat-like transformation seemed somewhat normal, but the human-torso-elephant hybrid left Rocks, Shiki, Whitebeard, and the others dumbfounded.

"I've never seen a Zoan form like this before."

"Yahahaha, so these are artificial Zoan abilities?" Rocks murmured in awe as he moved closer to the two transformed pirates. "Unbelievable."

"Kehahahaha, a 10% success rate, and we got two ability users out of ten? That's pretty lucky," Shiki said, grinning.

"But the cost is too high."

Whitebeard frowned at the failed users who were still laughing uncontrollably. "They lose all expressions except laughter. No matter how angry or sad they might be, they can only laugh. And, like real Devil Fruit users, they become hammers—unable to swim."

"True, but compared to that cost, the benefits might be worth it…"

Shiki's eyes sparkled with excitement. "If we could get these artificial Devil Fruits in large quantities, we could train a formidable army of ability users!"

As for the side effects, he didn't seem to mind. Laughing uncontrollably wasn't such a big deal—at least they weren't dying or turning into mindless monsters.

"Don't get too excited yet. The letter says they can be mass-produced, but the cost is 20 million berries each. That's insanely expensive…" Whitebeard reminded him coldly.

"Yahahaha, it's just a matter of negotiation," Rocks said with a sly grin. "We'll observe for now. If there aren't any hidden side effects, we'll bargain."

"If the Fallen Angel Pirates are willing to sell in bulk and lower the price, it might be worth considering."

After all, the Rocks Pirates had been weakening since Silver Axe, Wang Zhi, and John left with their crews. Their strength had dropped significantly.

It was frustrating, especially since even the Roger Pirates were now catching up in power. Several recent clashes had ended in stalemates, with the Rocks Pirates unable to deliver a decisive blow.

Meanwhile, the Fallen Angel Pirates kept growing, dominating the New World and expanding relentlessly. Rocks, as ambitious as ever, felt bitter about being overshadowed by El, a seemingly unbeatable monster.

Even if the artificial Devil Fruits had flaws, if they didn't severely harm the user's health, turning failures into laughing idiots was a price Rocks could accept.

"The real question is," Whitebeard said with a frown, "if these fruits are so incredible, why aren't they using them themselves? Why sell them to us?"

"Maybe they've developed something even better," Rocks speculated. "Or maybe El just doesn't like them—he's always had that self-righteous streak."

"Yahahaha, that guy never stops acting like a saint," Shiki sneered. "Always talking about peace, freedom, and equality. It's no wonder the oppressed races worship him like a messiah."

"They even raised their flag over Fishman Island, driving off slavers and warning off anyone with ill intentions."

"Considering how much they champion minority rights, it makes sense he wouldn't like a fruit with such severe side effects. Or maybe he's found a way to make an even better artificial Devil Fruit."

"Still, with all the money Totto Land burns on public projects, it's no surprise they're selling these to recoup some losses."

"For now, let's keep an eye on things and make sure there aren't any hidden side effects. We also need to confirm whether they've already developed a superior version of these fruits."

"Damn that El," Rocks growled, his voice tinged with jealousy. "He's too damn good at staying one step ahead!"

~~~

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