The Flying Pirates' Brain

"With the help of the violent beasts, dealing with those Marines is a piece of cake, isn't it?" Golden Lion's eyes widened, as if he utterly couldn't understand how Minos could boost others' morale and dampen his own.

Minos could now see it clearly—Golden Lion was completely addled at this point!

Not entirely brainless, but at least he had developed many cognitive obstacles, to the point where he couldn't even discern strength levels anymore.

He had to break it down, spell it out, and said to Golden Lion, "Captain Golden Lion, what do you think of the threat these violent beasts pose to you?"

"Ha, those things? They're nowhere near hurting me. Give me half a day, and I'll slaughter all these current test subjects!"

Golden Lion lifted his head, speaking with a haughty expression.

"Then how do you think Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr compare to you in strength?"

Minos didn't mention the current Three Admirals; back when Golden Lion roamed the seas, the Three Admirals were just rookies, barely starting out, and Golden Lion didn't take them seriously at all.

This time, Golden Lion was more cautious. He blinked his eyes and said, "Zephyr's no match for me. Sengoku's about on my level. Hmm, Garp's the only troublesome one."

Minos rolled his eyes and mentally translated that speech: In his prime, Golden Lion could definitely beat Zephyr, was roughly equal to Sengoku, and had probably suffered under Garp's fists eight times out of ten.

But that was Golden Lion's prime! Now, with both legs severed and a ship's helm stuck in his head, he couldn't even use Haki, relying solely on swordsmanship and Devil Fruit powers to hold his ground. Forget Garp and Sengoku—even Zephyr could thrash him!

In Minos's estimation, this guy's current strength was at best a bit above Yonko Commanders like Katakuri, Marco, and King, but definitely no match for an Admiral.

Of course, he couldn't say that outright. He had to guide Golden Lion slowly: "Captain Shiki, think about it—if even you aren't afraid of these animals, do you think Garp and Sengoku would be?"

Golden Lion paused again, mulling it over, and found Minos's reasoning quite sound: "Well... well..."

"Then all these years of research... wasn't it wasted?"

Minos rubbed his chin. He was actually quite interested in the IQ research, but the most important question was...

"Can this violent transformation drug be used on humans?"

In theory, humans were also animals. If this drug worked on animals in the Pirate World, it should work on humans there too, right?

If it could be used on humans, that would be incredibly powerful. Those violent beasts were actually pretty strong; ordinary Marines would need at least mid-ranking officers to handle them. The problem was that those animals couldn't be controlled.

If it were applied to humans, the effect would far surpass that of Artificial Devil Fruit users. As for side effects like violent transformation, did Artificial Devil Fruits have no side effects?

Even the successful Artificial Devil Fruit users had varying degrees of mental issues, some even developing split personalities or birthing other beastly consciousnesses.

Comparatively, the side effects of the IQ drug were already quite minor—at least the animals only became violent, not completely irrational.

"Use it on humans?" Golden Lion was taken aback. He casually summoned Dr. Indigo and directly asked his chief scientist, "Can the IQ drug be used on humans?"

Dr. Indigo made an exaggerated series of gestures, like performing a silent play, while Golden Lion watched with a chuckle. After a long while, the clown-like scientist finally spoke: "In theory, it should be possible, but this drug contains toxins. Animals can adapt, but humans usually die from the poison before the drug's power takes effect."

Minos's eyes darted around, and he quickly came up with another sly idea. He suggested to Golden Lion, "Captain Shiki, I know of some top scientists in human modification. We could bring them in to give it a try."

This time, Dr. Indigo dropped the silent act, puffing out his chest: "What kind of scientists? Are they better than me?"

Minos thought to himself, You've got some nerve. After twenty years of research, all you've done is develop an IQ drug from special plants, and with that level of skill, you dare to boast like this?

All these scientists were the same—each thinking they were the best in the world. Caesar even thought he was better than Vegapunk!

But he couldn't say that out loud. Dr. Indigo was, after all, Golden Lion's most trusted subordinate, so he had to save face.

"I'm talking about Judge from the Germa 66 army. He's done highly advanced research on the Lineage Factor, reportedly modifying his own children into cyborgs with immense power."

"Oh?" Golden Lion blinked, seeming quite interested. "Cyborgs? Are they strong?"

Minos replied, "Their strength is considerable. In theory, by adulthood, they should have combat power at the level of a Marine Vice Admiral. With their technological Battle Suits, their combat ability is even higher."

"Moreover, those cyborgs have the ability to manipulate flames, lightning, and poison. Among them, his eldest daughter has the power to absorb all toxins."

Germa 66's cyborg technology was indeed impressive, and the Vice Admiral-level strength wasn't an exaggeration. In reality, the Vice Admiral rank had the widest gap in strength among the Marines.

Among Vice Admirals, there were those like Maynard, who got completely beaten down by someone of Bartholomew's caliber, and others who could trade a few blows with the Sweet Commanders, the Three Disasters, or the top captains of the Whitebeard Pirates, lasting an hour or two.

There were even Vice Admirals like Garp, who could duel the Pirate King one-on-one; Tsuru, who could chase Doflamingo across the seas; and Momousagi and Chaton, who could go toe-to-toe with Yonko Commanders.

Germa 66's cyborgs certainly couldn't match those outrageously strong Vice Admirals, but they were far superior to the weakest ones.

"Able to manipulate flames, lightning, and absorb poison?" Golden Lion's interest was piqued. Such abilities sounded far more advanced than ordinary human enhancement. It seemed this Vinsmoke Judge really had something!

He turned to Dr. Indigo: "Indigo, can you do something like this?"

I can do jack shit. I'm just a ship doctor and chemist; I'm not familiar with the Lineage Factor!

Dr. Indigo was too embarrassed to admit he knew nothing about the Lineage Factor. He also couldn't create those cyborgs, so he started performing his silent play again.

If you find this book engaging, to avoid losing it next time, please remember to add it to your bookshelf.

In response to readers' requests, we are now launching a VIP membership with ad-free features.

Click to view.