"Mosen, have you ever considered leaving Impel Down and joining the Revolutionary Army?" Dragon asked tentatively.
Mosen immediately refused. "Mr. Dragon, I can't leave Impel Down just yet."
"Why?"
"Because of this." Mosen held out his hand. Cold gathered in his palm, and moments later, a crystal-clear ice blade appeared in his grasp.
Dragon was Garp's son, and Kuzan had spent years by Garp's side. Dragon knew Kuzan's abilities better than most.
There was no doubt that what Mosen had just done was the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit.
"Mosen, did your Lineage Factor modification succeed?" Dragon asked in surprise.
"I wouldn't call it a success. More accurately, my Lineage Factor awakened.
"The modification initially failed, but the Frozen Lineage Factor was already inside my body.
"Later, I went to Impel Down 5th Layer. Its environment was unusual—a frozen wasteland. There, my heart gradually fused with my body, and then my Frozen Lineage Factor awakened, giving me the power of the Ice-Ice Fruit."
"How does your ability compare with the original Ice-Ice Fruit?" Dragon pressed.
"I don't think there's much difference. I can't become an element, but I can probably do everything else Kuzan can, as long as my physical strength and the development of my Frozen Lineage Factor keep up."
"Physical strength? Does using the Frozen Lineage Factor also depend on stamina?"
"Yes. Like most Devil Fruit Abilities, using a Lineage Factor also depends on stamina."
"I see. So you want to stay in Impel Down to develop your Frozen Lineage Factor in a suitable environment?" Dragon continued.
"That's part of it. There's another reason: I want someone's Lineage Factor."
"Someone's Lineage Factor? Are you trying to get a second Devil Fruit Ability? Is that even possible? I thought a person could only eat one Devil Fruit," Dragon asked, concerned.
"Don't worry about that, Mr. Dragon. I've seen Vegapunk's experimental data. He once tried adding multiple Lineage Factors to one person.
"Queen, a member of the Beasts Pirates and one of Vegapunk's former MADS colleagues, also underwent a modification involving multiple Lineage Factors."
"Queen? Is he a cyborg?"
"According to Vegapunk's records, Queen mechanized his own body and also incorporated four Lineage Factors provided by Vinsmoke Judge—fire, lightning, Giant Strength, and invisibility."
"Four Lineage Factors! That proves a person can indeed contain multiple Lineage Factors."
"Not only that, Queen is also a Devil Fruit User. That shows Lineage Factors and Devil Fruits don't conflict. But Queen's successful modification depended on one thing."
"Vitality?" Dragon asked after a moment's thought.
"Exactly. Without tremendous vitality to support them, you couldn't survive the assimilation of the Lineage Factors."
"I understand. So what Lineage Factors are you after, Mosen? Is there anything I can do to help?" Dragon asked.
"Mr. Dragon, according to my plan, besides my own Frozen Lineage Factor, I want one Zoan Lineage Factor and one Paramecia Lineage Factor.
"I haven't decided which Zoan yet. As for the Paramecia, I want the Lineage Factor of Golden Lion's Float-Float Fruit."
To Dragon, Mosen's words were like a bolt from the blue. "What?! Golden Lion? Have you lost your mind, Mosen? You're actually going after Golden Lion? Do you know what kind of monster he is?"
"Of course I do! He's one of the three legendary pirates, alongside Roger and Whitebeard!"
"Mosen, 'three legendary pirates' isn't just a title. Golden Lion is terrifyingly strong.
"You can count on one hand the people in these seas who are qualified to fight him.
"Back when the Flying Pirate Group fought the Roger Pirates, a ship's rudder smashed into Golden Lion's head and left him somewhat confused. When he heard that Roger had been captured, he decided to attack Marine Headquarters all by himself.
"With Golden Lion bearing down on us, my father had no choice but to team up with Mr. Sengoku to fight him.
"Even with two Marine Admiral-level fighters attacking him, they couldn't take him down quickly. The shock waves from their battle destroyed most of Marineford.
"And that was with Golden Lion determined to fight. If he'd fled halfway through, no one could have stopped him with the power of the Float-Float Fruit.
"Don't be fooled by the fact that Golden Lion has been imprisoned for so long, with his legs shackled in Seastone and his Devil Fruit Ability unusable. He still has his Haki.
"If you get close to him, he'll kill you. His Advanced Armament Haki lets him attack from a distance, and combined with Conqueror's Haki coating, even a tough Zoan Devil Fruit User couldn't withstand a hit like that."
"Don't worry, Mr. Dragon. I know all that. I'm not stupid enough to approach Golden Lion directly. I'm waiting for an opportunity."
"What opportunity?"
"I don't think Golden Lion's the type to stay quietly in Impel Down," Mosen said.
"You think Golden Lion will break out? Impossible! As far as I know, the prisoners with Devil Fruit powers in Impel Down have their legs shackled in Seastone. Without a key, there's no way to break it."
"You can't break the Seastone, but you can cut off your own legs!"
"That's impossible..." Dragon trailed off and fell silent. Based on what his father had told him about Golden Lion, Dragon could actually see him doing something like that.
"So you're staying in Impel Down, waiting for Golden Lion to cut off his legs and escape, then you'll get his severed legs?"
"Yeah. Mr. Dragon, I've thought it through. If I want to kill the Celestial Dragons and avenge my parents, training hard on my own won't be enough. I need more power.
"The Frozen Lineage Factor isn't top-tier when it comes to offensive power, so I'll need to find a way to strengthen my attacks.
"What makes Golden Lion so powerful? Aside from his Haki, the most important factor is his Float-Float Fruit combined with his formidable swordsmanship. I think he'd make an ideal model for me to follow as I grow stronger."
"Mosen, if your plan succeeds and you get Golden Lion's legs, how will you extract the Lineage Factor from them?"
"Of course I'll ask Vinsmoke Judge. If our organization's partnership with Vinsmoke Judge gets off the ground, he won't refuse something this small.
"Besides, Vinsmoke Judge has already successfully extracted the Lineage Factors for Giant Strength and invisibility. He should have plenty of experience extracting Paramecia Lineage Factors."
After hearing Mosen out, Dragon wore a strange expression. Did young people these days all have such elaborate plans? Mosen had already thought things through to this extent.
In that case, the Revolutionary Army really did need to get in touch with Vinsmoke Judge. The Lead Ore and Mosen's Lineage Factors would both end up in the hands of the Vinsmoke Family!
The protagonist of this book won't eat a Devil Fruit. Instead, he'll develop his Lineage Factors, with one each from the Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan types—giving him the equivalent of three Devil Fruit powers. Eating a fruit would only needlessly add the weakness of being vulnerable to Seastone.
Before you continue