Kabaneri Warriors of the World Government!

"Snort----"

The moment the Kabane Virus invaded his body, Hawthorne's body swelled up under the stimulation, and he entered the Zoan Hybrid Form, transforming into a huge Kangaroo-man at a visible speed.

And you know what? With his transformation, the spread of the Kabane Virus on his chest really slowed down considerably. The most obvious change was that the affected skin wasn't as dark purple anymore; it was just a little red.

"Increased muscle strength allows him to withstand higher temperatures, so he won't be easily burned by hot blood vessels anymore. But the key is whether he can retain his consciousness!"

Dr. Fritz observed the changes in Hawthorne's body while explaining them to him.

Not long after, a blue light also appeared on the Kangaroo-man's chest. However, perhaps due to muscle strength issues, it failed to burn through the skin, and thus did not form the transparent membrane Kabane. Naturally, the brightness was somewhat dim.

However, when the light from the left carotid artery passed through his eyes and then entered his brain, the man froze, and the blue light in his pupils lasted only three seconds before turning black again.

"It worked?!"

Seeing this, Dr. Fritz and Director Addison outside the cell all Zero delight.

"Are you still conscious? Say something."

Inside the cell, the researcher cautiously Earth Flow Hawthorne and casually asked him a question, but the latter simply raised his head blankly, looking around at his surroundings in confusion.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~~"

"Ah?"

Seeing the Kangaroo-man making strange noises at him, the researcher looked at him with bewilderment and asked again, "Can you tell me your name?"

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~~"

It remained the same, still making those inexplicable noises in a daze, and this time the smiles on the faces of the people outside the cell froze.

"That's the sound of a kangaroo. They're from my hometown, so it's familiar to me," Steve Guts, who was sitting next to me, suddenly said.

"So that's how it is."

Dr. Fritz stroked his chin, which he had just shaved that morning, and said in a deep voice, "I never thought that legend was true."

"What legend?" Senior Director Addison asked curiously.

"It's said that Zoan-type Devil Fruit Zoan are the most special because they contain another consciousness and soul, and now it seems that's true."

"You mean, Hawthorne's personal consciousness was invaded by the Kabane Virus, causing the kangaroo consciousness within him to awaken and replace the former as the dominant consciousness in his body?"

"That's right, that's the only explanation."

Dr. Fritz gave him an approving look and said, "I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but judging from its current behavior, the kangaroo seems very docile under its dominant consciousness, but the glowing heart proves that its body has also been enhanced by the virus."

After saying that, he turned to the researchers inside the cell and ordered, "Ron, you come out first and have them untie Hawthorne."

"Yes, Dean!"

As Team Leader Ron strode out of the cell, the two men in black exchanged a glance and, as instructed, took out the keys to unlock the Seastone Handcuffs and leg irons, but the Explosive Collar around their necks remained.

"Sizzle sizzle sizzle~~"

Hawthorne, now transformed into Kangaroo-man, surprisingly smiled human-like and waved to them in gratitude when they released him.

"Just as I thought. Alright, find it a place to lock up. Make sure it has enough food and water. Check its health in a few days, then send it back to Impel Down."

Dr. Fritz lost interest in Hawthorne.

"Yes!"

Soon, a man in black left the cell with the very obedient Kangaroo-man, and all eyes were on Guts, who remained calm.

After seeing two cases in a row, he relaxed and had a clearer understanding of the virus.

"Bring it on."

Go ahead.

Dr. Fritz nodded to Team Leader Ron, who once again carried the box inside and approached Guts. The process was the same as before; without any hesitation, he pushed the virus into Guts' chest.

"Snort!"

Guts let out a muffled groan as he felt a burning pain in his chest, but thankfully he could grit his teeth and bear it.

A pair of vicious eyes stared intently at the beams of light that connected to his heart, then ignited them rapidly!

It's so hot, so scalding, it's extremely painful!

No wonder the first prisoner screamed so miserably; the pain was indeed beyond what most people could imagine. His head and back were covered in cold sweat.

Finally, the heart was completely altered, and the skin on the chest was burned into a transparent, tempered membrane. The excruciating pain disappeared like flowing water, and the whole body felt warm, while a powerful sense of strength permeated every muscle.

"Concentrate, this will determine your life or death. Try to stop the blood from entering your brain through your left carotid artery!" Dr. Fritz's raised voice brought Guts's attention back to the table.

"Good!"

Guts's eyes suddenly narrowed as he lowered his head and stared intently at the blue-glowing blood vessel spreading upwards, while simultaneously immersing his consciousness deep into his body.

He began trying to control the left carotid artery and the hot blood inside, and found that the process was not difficult.

Although arteries become as strong as the Heart Membrane, and blood becomes hot and shiny like boiling water, blood vessels are still blood vessels, and blood is still blood, still subject to the control of Life Return!

"It worked?!"

From the perspective of Dr. Fritz and others outside the cell, as soon as he uttered his reminder, the glowing left carotid artery on Guts' body obediently stopped at his collarbone and remained motionless.

This did not affect his eyes and brain in the slightest, but at the same time, his body secreted a large amount of sticky black threads, which then quickly condensed into armor with a metallic sheen on his bare upper body.

This is a biological exoskeleton!

"I think it's okay now, please untie me." Guts looked up with a bright, joyful smile. He had survived!

The only one who survived out of the three test subjects!

Hahahaha!

Dr. Fritz was overjoyed upon hearing this, and he hugged Senior Director Addison tightly, shouting, "Our Kabaneri have succeeded!"

"Yes, yes, we didn't expect it to actually work. We've done a great job!"

Senior Director Addison watched Steve Guts slowly stand up after being unshackled from his handcuffs, leg irons, and Explosive Collar, he sighed, "To need to master Life Return to adapt to the Kabane Virus, that's a bit too much."

"No, that's not right!"

Dr. Fritz released him, a lingering smile of excitement on his face, and said, "The first test subject proved that as long as Haki is strong enough, it is possible to suppress the negative emotions within the Kabane Virus."

"And Guts proved that blocking the left carotid artery can also prevent the virus from entering the brain, which can be done physically, for example, with something like a bandage!"

At that moment, Steve Guts, who had been brought out by Team Leader Ron and another man in black, walked out shirtless.

The bright blue light on his chest and the spiderweb-like glowing veins spreading outwards were so beautiful in Dr. Fritz's eyes.

"Doctor, there's another problem, which is the excruciating pain. Most people can't bear that kind of pain. Once you lose consciousness, even if you Life Return, it's useless!" Guts said in a deep voice.

"Really."

Dr. Fritz nodded in agreement. Although he had never experienced it, he could imagine how painful it would be to have flames or magma coursing through his body.

"Also, it Awakening my Haki. This ability to sense the presence and emotions of those around me must be Observation Haki, right?"