Kaido's dream!

As Kozuki Oden returned to Wano Country once again, a rarely visited island located in the latter part of the Grand Line, the New World, welcomed an unexpected group of visitors.

A massive pirate ship, resembling a mobile fortress, slowly docked at the shore of the deserted island.

Fluttering atop the mast of the ship was the terrifying flag of the Beast Pirates, striking fear into the hearts of all who saw it.

If there were outsiders present, they would surely wonder why the Beast Pirates suddenly visited such a desolate and uninhabited island.

Because even in the New World, this island was one of those difficult-to-survive places. Besides various ferocious beasts, there was almost nothing else of value on the island. Moreover, being off the main sea routes, it lacked the conditions to serve as a stronghold or a transit station.

For the Beast Pirates, who were supposed to be heavily involved in production and construction in Wano Country, sending a ship like a floating fortress to such a place was already quite strange.

What was even stranger was—

Kaido, the captain of the Beast Pirates, was also on board, standing next to him was King, who had black wings and flames burning behind his neck, wearing a mask.

At the same time, there was another person beside them, overweight with a thick neck and a small head, wearing sunglasses and holding a cigar in his mouth.

"Are you sure there are traces of Joy Boy here?" Kaido stood tall at the bow of the ship, expressionless as he surveyed the environment on the island.

If anyone was present at the moment, they would see giant-sized plants growing on the island, ancient creatures flying in the air, and faintly hear the roars of many fierce beasts.

Queen, holding a cigar, stood beside Kaido.

"Based on the coordinates analyzed from the previous intelligence, it should be here. As for whether there are traces of Joy Boy, I'm not sure. After all, he was a figure from eight hundred years ago. It's already remarkable enough to find something rare under the sweep of the World Government." For Queen, he joined Kaido because he was impressed by Kaido's strength and his entrepreneurial spirit. With his intelligence and the Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit ability, he could surely secure a stable position in the Beast Pirates.

However, after joining, he thought Kaido would assign him tasks such as conquering islands or proving himself. Instead, Kaido handed him a bunch of books, instructing him to research Joy Boy, a character now only found in some small stories.

The main reason for his regret was that the second in command of the pirate group, the guy who always wore a mask behind Kaido, believed that Kaido was Joy Boy himself, which made Queen doubt his decision.

But with their strengths, one crazier than the other, there was no running away. Moreover, he had annoyed VegaPunk a bit, and he heard that guy now had some influence in the World Government. If he acted recklessly, what if an admiral came after him?

So, he might as well stick with Kaido, hoping to find Joy Boy together.

"Although, to be honest, it's quite rare to find an island like this, still harboring many ancient species, even in the Grand Line," Queen said, his tone full of emotion.

Kaido turned his head to look at Queen, saying indifferently, "That's why I came here personally."

"You didn't lie to me, did you, Queen?"

"Huh? Um, no, everything I said before was true. Vegapunk did indeed discover a big secret, even the World Government mobilized the CP department to capture him!"

Under Kaido's oppressive gaze, Queen forced a smile, feeling quite uneasy, with cold sweat dripping down his back.

Human modification was his forte, and he had some understanding of Vegapunk's research on genetic factors. However, Vegapunk's idea about the artificial Devil Fruits related to "genetic factors" was theoretically feasible, but practically implementing it was as difficult as surpassing Vegapunk...

This difficulty was a bit too much, considering that he and Judge were just two lackeys. They had made significant progress in their respective fields with Vegapunk's guidance in a short period. And that was just a casual hint from Vegapunk.

Even the core technology they currently possessed was hastily snatched from Vegapunk's laboratory. Unfortunately, Vegapunk's research on the "genetic factors" related to artificial Devil Fruits was his sole endeavor, and Queen had no idea about the experimental data or the specific experimental content.

Not to mention the success rate. He didn't even have confidence in extracting the genetic factors from an animal's body.

Or maybe...

He was just painting a big picture for Kaido.

Thinking of this, Queen wished he could tear his mouth apart. Although dismantling and reassembling his mouth wasn't too difficult for him.

But for Queen, there was a way to remedy the situation. After all, he had taken quite a bit of good stuff from Vegapunk's data. When the time came, he could pull it out to deal with Kaido.

Queen also regretted a bit. If he had known earlier, he should have communicated more with Vegapunk about the technology related to genetic factors. Although he would be ridiculed as someone slightly smarter than a slime, it would be better than the current situation where he had no clue.

But now, he could only bite the bullet.

"Cough, this island is home to various creatures, and the population is quite large. This can greatly help us quickly find the genetic factors of a certain species. Once extracted, we can combine them with fruit trees using a special method. When the fruits ripen, there's a chance to produce Devil Fruits with the characteristics of that species. Although the chance of success is quite small, and the effect may be slightly inferior to naturally formed Devil Fruits, there may be some side effects, but it can definitely enhance the strength of the person who eats this artificial Devil Fruit." Queen gently adjusted his sunglasses and recalled what Vegapunk had said before, continuing, "So, successfully extracting the 'genetic factors' of a certain species is just the first step in theory. Afterwards, we need to figure out a way to turn these genetic factors into 'SAD' and use them to nurture plants to complete their growth cycle."

"'SAD'? Growth cycle?" King looked at Queen with eyes that seemed to see through everything, feeling that this guy seemed a bit unreliable, and anything related to a growth cycle meant it would require a lot of time for verification.

Queen also subconsciously looked at the giant plants on the riverbank, preparing to speak.

"Queen, what you should be concerned about now is how to ensure that we can manufacture artificial Devil Fruits, which is crucial to Big Brother Kaido's dream!"

"Ah, right."

Queen could only reluctantly agree with King's statement.