Chapter 56: A Deal with Big mom!

Charlotte Linlin finally agreed to sponsor Edie's research. For one, she knew that without cooperating, there was no guarantee she would even leave the Hive Research Institute unharmed. Besides, it didn't make sense to be stubborn on Edie's turf. And while she was skeptical, she couldn't ignore his track record. After all, Edie had successfully assisted Kaido in developing artificial Zoan Devil Fruits. There had to be some progress on his human gigantification project too, right?

She decided to fund the research for three to five years, to see if any tangible results would come from it.

Just then, Edie's Observation Haki picked up something—several powerful presences approaching Rocky Harbor. Behind him, the Earthly Branches sensed it as well, exchanging glances.

"Sir Heavenly Father, the port..." Chenlong reported, his tone sharp.

Edie nodded, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Charlotte Linlin, it seems your children have arrived to greet you."

"Huh?" Linlin's brow furrowed, and she quickly expanded her own Haki. Sure enough, she could feel the familiar auras of her children at the port, eager to reunite with her.

Edie let out a chuckle. "How heartwarming. The mother is captured, and the children journey across the seas to the enemy's lair to save her. According to typical adventure tales, they'll fight their way in and pull off a daring rescue, right? The perfect ending—family reunited."

Cold sweat beaded on Linlin's forehead as she snapped, "I already agreed to sponsor you!"

"Kidding, kidding," Edie said with a laugh. "We're partners now, after all."

"Hmph, goodbye!" Linlin huffed, standing up and making her way out.

Rocky Harbor.

The appearance of the Big Mom Pirates sent shockwaves through the port. Pirates scurried about, some frozen in fear, while others were too stunned to move.

"It's... it's Big Mom's Mama Chanter pirate ship!"

"The Charlotte Family's here!"

"Are they attacking the island?"

The ship, The Mama Chanter, was unmistakable. The bow was shaped like an enormous sunflower with a face that hummed "Mama" as it sailed into the harbor. Its menacing presence was enough to make most pirates at the port consider running, but a few brave (or foolish) souls stayed to watch, expecting a grand battle to break out.

However, the expected conflict never materialized. Instead, Charlotte Linlin arrived at the port shortly after. The members of the Charlotte family, who had been on edge, breathed a collective sigh of relief when they saw that their mother was unharmed.

There would be no rescue mission today.

"Mother!"

"Mom, are you alright?"

"They didn't harm you, did they?"

Charlotte Linlin's narrowed eyes scanned her many children as they gathered around her. However, her focus wasn't on who had come—it was on who hadn't. Apart from the youngest ones who were too small to make the trip, nearly everyone had arrived to rescue her. Linlin felt a wave of satisfaction at the loyalty of her children.

"How's the situation on the island?" she asked.

Perospero, still visibly angry, responded first. "Mom, that Earthly Branch named Weiyang destroyed our castle with a single punch. It's going to take months to repair, and the cost alone will run into billions of beri."

Charlotte Linlin brushed it off with a wave. "What's done is done. We're cooperating with Edie now."

Her sharp gaze flickered over her daughters, eventually landing on her 18th child, Charlotte Garrett. "Garrett," Linlin called, causing the young girl to stiffen nervously. "As the family's representative, you'll be staying at the research institute here."

"Mom?" Garrett's voice wavered with uncertainty.

Linlin smirked, "You didn't think my money would be that easy to get, did you? You'll help me keep an eye on the progress of the experiments."

She chose Garrett intentionally. Unlike some of her other children, Garrett's appearance was more aligned with conventional beauty standards. Linlin knew sending someone to monitor Edie would annoy him, but a weaker, more attractive woman might make the situation more palatable.

After briefly explaining the mission, Linlin laid out the tasks. First, Garrett was to act submissive, ensuring she didn't anger Edie or get kicked out. Second, she was to monitor the progress of the experiments, reporting back monthly, without rushing the process. Finally, Garrett was to collect information on the Hive Research Institute, particularly concerning the Earthly Branches. Linlin was deeply intrigued by them—she had encountered four so far, with one more, Zishu, making headlines. That left seven she had yet to meet. Gathering intel was essential.

"Do you understand?"

"I understand, Mom. Don't worry," Garrett replied with a forced sense of confidence, nodding obediently.

With that, Charlotte Linlin left aboard the Anthem and set sail for Cake Island. She needed to return quickly before the Marines caught wind of her absence and took advantage of the situation. Losing her stronghold to a Marine attack would be catastrophic.

Garrett watched her siblings sail away, letting out a sigh. She was only 14 years old, and yet she was already tasked with such a difficult and dangerous mission.

High above, Weiyang hovered, his wings gently flapping as he observed everything. Once Charlotte Linlin departed, he swiftly returned to the research institute to report.

"…That's the situation, Heavenly Father. The woman was left behind. What should we do with her?" Weiyang asked respectfully.

"Just give her a room," Edie replied, shaking his head. He understood perfectly well what was happening—no one was foolish enough to send a financial sponsor without someone to oversee the investment. It didn't bother him.

"Kaido didn't send anyone because Caesar is in Wanokuni, keeping him updated. Whitebeard didn't send anyone either, despite there being no progress in two years. His payments of 10 billion beri still arrive on time." Edie paused, reflecting on how different his other benefactors were.

"Yes, Heavenly Father," Weiyang acknowledged, then left to carry out the orders.

Charlotte Garrett was soon settled in a guest room on the seventh floor of the institute. The place had originally been a massive hotel capable of accommodating thousands of guests, so arranging a room for one person was hardly a challenge.

The critical sections of the institute, however, were all located underground, and heavily guarded. The entrance required multiple levels of identity verification, with more than a dozen additional checkpoints. There was no way for Garrett to access anything of real importance.

Edie wasn't particularly concerned about the "supervisor" Linlin had left behind. He would deal with her later. Right now, his focus was elsewhere. He needed to develop a new filling fluid to further enhance his Haki as soon as possible.

A week later, Edie had refined a new version of the cloning chamber's filling solution. It wasn't exactly revolutionary—he had simply increased the concentration of P particles to make it more compatible with ordinary humans. This modification, however, raised the cost, pushing the expenses even higher. The majority of the cost of human cloning came from this precious liquid, a consumable that required regular replacement. Each time it was swapped out, it was as though liquid gold was being poured down the drain.

"This should be fine. It's gentler now, with a higher particle concentration. I just need someone to test it on..." Edie mused aloud in the lab, pondering who would be his next "guinea pig." He ruled out using the Earthly Branches and clones—this solution wasn't meant for artificial beings. That left only a few candidates: Kozuki Toki, Kozuki Hiyori, and the three Snake Princess sisters.

"Toki could work..." Edie considered briefly before Chen Long entered the lab and reported, "Lord Heavenly Father, some suspicious people have appeared on the island in the past two days."

"Suspicious?" Edie stopped his work and walked to the door. "What's going on?"

Chen Long explained, "About a dozen of them arrived in small groups, blending in with the pirates. They've been trying to gather information about the research institute. Miss Garrett discovered them by chance."

Edie was mildly impressed. So, the 'financer' is proving to be quite useful after all.

He closed his eyes, releasing an array of ghost particles that swiftly spread across the institute, through the earth, and over the entire hive island. He could hear the chatter in the corridors, absorbing vast amounts of information in moments.

"I heard there's a new pirate captain in the corridor? A woman?"

"Yeah, but her rates are sky-high! Still, she looks good, might be worth it..."

"Are you serious? Let's go and smash that casino down!"

"Second-hand indulgence? What even is that?"

Edie sifted through the noise until he found what he was looking for. After a few moments, he opened his eyes. "They're World Government agents. There are 17 of them. Capture them immediately."

"Yes, Heavenly Father!" Chen Long responded.

"And bring Toki," Edie added.

"As you command."

With Chen Long sent off, Edie returned to the lab and began preparing large quantities of the new filling fluid. Half an hour later, Chen Long returned, accompanied by Toki.

"Heavenly Father, Toki is here."

"Dismissed," Edie ordered with a wave of his hand. He took the prepared filling fluid and gestured to Toki. "Come with me, Miss Toki."

Toki, with her gentle demeanor, had grown accustomed to life at the institute. Compared to her previous confinement in the Flower Capital Research Institute, she had more freedom here, though she still couldn't leave the facility entirely. She could move around during her breaks, but the seastone shackles on her wrists remained a constant reminder of her captivity. Nevertheless, her daughter, Kozuki Hiyori, and the three Snake Princess sisters had settled in well, and Hiyori had even become a fan of Hancock. Aside from occasional concerns for Momonosuke's safety, Toki had few complaints.

"Mr. Edie, what experiment are we doing today? Is it related to my Time-Time Fruit?" Toki asked quietly as she followed behind him.

"No, not this time."

They soon arrived at Cloning Laboratory No. 1. Toki's eyes widened in shock as she saw the rows of cloning pods and the numerous clones floating within them. She hadn't seen this part of the facility in the two years she'd been there.

"What... what are these?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Artificial humans," Edie replied with a faint smile. He briefly explained the experiment, pointing to the empty Cloning Pod No. 6. "Now, please undress, madam."

The outrageous request was spoken so casually, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

(Its for research bro )