Chapter 146

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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The original second research group has now transformed into the fourth group of the third-largest organization.

When they visited last time, preparations were underway to test mobile terminals and satellites. Over the following months, the tests progressed smoothly, with only minor vulnerabilities that were quickly addressed.

Now, all that remained was to establish the satellite communication network and manufacture mobile phones before this groundbreaking product could be sold to the world.

However, Arthur realized that launching a mobile phone directly would attract unwanted attention from the World Government. So, he decided to focus first on the television and movie industries.

Once televisions became popular worldwide and movie theaters popped up on most human islands, he could reconsider the mobile phone launch.

After all, without the concept of phone worms as a mental barrier, no one would think of using their own communication network to develop advanced mobile devices.

"God, according to your instructions, both TVs and VCDs can now enter production. We've also developed DVDs. These technologies aren't difficult to implement. Additionally, projectors can be mass-produced as well," reported the person in charge of the fourth group, who had previously led the second group.

"Really? Are you confident that these can be produced stably without the supervision of technical personnel?" Arthur asked, maintaining his focus on quality. In the Angel Empire, aside from the military, very few had the knowledge or skills to handle such technology. Arthur didn't want them to become mere assembly line workers.

"Yes, God. As you requested, we didn't build robots with human emotions for no reason. Thus, our current robots possess human-level intelligence and execution ability, minimizing the chances of errors. They are fully capable of handling their assigned projects without supervision," the fourth group leader replied confidently.

"Good." Arthur nodded, satisfied. "In that case, I will prepare a floating island specifically for manufacturing various electrical appliances for film and television. Ensure that all robots are ready!"

"By the way, the intelligent production line I mentioned earlier has also been developed," Arthur recalled. Compared to using robots as workers, an advanced intelligent production line would be far more efficient.

"Of course, God. I was just about to mention that," the group leader responded eagerly. 

"Intelligent production lines are not overly complicated. The main challenge lies in the intelligence aspect. However, with the robot manufacturing materials we have, developing intelligent production lines is quite feasible. Thus, the original estimation of needing a huge number of robots can be reduced by about eighty percent," he added.

"That's excellent! I'll have someone prepare a new island. Three months from now, the factory will be ready to start production officially." With that, Arthur stood up and exited.

"Yes, God." The fourth group leader got up to see Arthur out, then returned to his work, eager to begin the next phase of their project.

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More than four months had passed since Tom Kirk, who specialized in Devil Fruit research, arrived on the moon. Arthur soon discovered that Tom's expertise in this area was on par with Guy's. He quickly absorbed the knowledge about Devil Fruits, including the descent factors Arthur had provided, and developed a technology that caught Arthur's attention.

This technology involved granting non-living objects the abilities of Devil Fruits. This breakthrough was crucial for Arthur. If he could endow an object with Devil Fruit powers, it would open up numerous possibilities—most notably, the creation of weapons with such abilities. The one object Arthur needed most was a space ring. 

With a space ring, he could achieve monumental benefits in perilous situations, benefits that could astonish the world.

When Arthur sought out Tom, he found him deeply engrossed in his work on the Hades battleship.

"God, is there something you need me for?" Tom asked, breaking free from his thoughts as Arthur approached.

"I want to know about the technology for granting Devil Fruit abilities to objects," Arthur stated.

"Oh, that technology has been successfully developed! As long as you need it, I can bestow any Devil Fruit abilities onto your selected object," Tom replied enthusiastically, his passion for his field evident.

However, having experienced the pitfalls of scientists consumed by their research before, Arthur cut in before Tom could elaborate. "So, can intelligent machines develop Devil Fruit abilities?"

Tom hesitated, his confidence wavering. After a moment, he said, "God, I'm not entirely sure about that yet."

"After we empower the robot with the Zoan Devil Fruit you prepared, it should be able to use the fruit's ability. However, I'm uncertain about any further developments. I'm still awaiting results on this," Tom explained.

Arthur frowned upon hearing this. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "If this machine is completely controlled by humans and people assist in developing this intelligent machine, is that a possibility?"

Tom hesitated again, but this time, a glimmer of hope sparked in his eyes. "This... seems to be a viable research direction. If intelligent machines can align with human thought or be completely dominated by it, and if humans can help them develop the fruit abilities, this idea holds significant potential for research!"

Lost in his thoughts for a moment, Tom eventually snapped back to reality and excitedly said to Arthur, "What you proposed is indeed possible! However, this will require extensive research, so I can't provide an accurate answer at this time."

"In that case, prepare a ring for me! It needs to be a smart ring that possesses its own thought processes while also being completely controlled by my commands. You and Eddy will work together on this, and it must be ready before the year 1522 of the World Timeline calendar!" Arthur instructed.

Tom's expression shifted to one of concern. "This... I'm afraid that's too difficult. Even with Eddy and me working together, it may prove challenging."

Arthur looked at Tom in surprise. "Why? Given your skills, isn't this something you should be able to accomplish?"

Tom smiled wryly and shook his head. "While Eddy and I can handle most tasks, creating a smart ring is quite different. The size is the main issue; our current capabilities can't produce such tiny components with intelligence. What we could create would be a ring lacking intelligence or with very low intelligence—clumsy and limited to simple operations."

"Is it really just the size of the components that's the problem?" Arthur asked, feeling a bit helpless.

"Uh, yes!" Tom nodded seriously.

"Understood. Are you interested in becoming a Devil Fruit user?" Arthur asked with a playful smile, the coincidence making him chuckle.

"A Devil Fruit? I only focus on research and creation; it would be a waste for me to consume one. Unless, of course, it enhances IQ or aids in scientific research," Tom replied.

"I can't say for certain if this fruit will benefit your research, but it should be useful," Arthur laughed.

"Excuse me, what fruit are you talking about?" Tom asked, his curiosity piqued. If it could assist in his research, he wouldn't mind trying it.

"The Giant Fruit!"

"The Giant Fruit?" Tom looked puzzled.

Arthur explained, "This fruit allows an object to grow up to one hundred times its original size."

"Now that's incredibly beneficial for scientific research! Small objects that are hard to study can be easily examined by enlarging them. It would also make creating micro-components much simpler! If I have this fruit, there's no doubt we could create that smart ring!" Tom exclaimed, excitement shining in his eyes.

When Tom heard about the Giant Fruit's effects, he grew animated. "That's fantastic! I'll head back today and bring you the fruit tomorrow! However, if you want to control its power to achieve that one-hundredfold increase, I fear it may take quite a bit of time to develop."

Arthur nodded, acknowledging that a six-month timeline might be overly ambitious.

But Tom remained confident. "God, I specialize in studying Devil Fruits! I have complete faith in my abilities. While awakening the fruit can be challenging, I am confident we can achieve a hundredfold enlargement within six months at most. This is my confidence as a scientist, especially one focused on Devil Fruits!"

"Alright! It's great to see your confidence," Arthur said, satisfied.

With that, Arthur departed the moon and headed straight for the Island of Gods. Over the past few years, he hadn't collected many fruits, and Paramecia fruits were especially rare. The Giant Fruit was one of only two Paramecia fruits he currently possessed.