Bloodline Factor
"How did you do that?" Gage, trying to control his breathing.
Sig could even sense a slight wavering in Gage's heart—should he completely "cling" to Silver Axe's coattails and expose the Fish-Man Pirates' contact with him now, so as to capture Sig immediately?
However, it was only a slight wavering, after all, he now understood that the Silver Axe was unreliable, and besides, Sig and the Fish-Man had the Golden Lion behind them.
"Have you ever heard of... Voice of All Things?" Sig asked in return.
"Roger's abilities? What does that have to do with this?" Gage still didn't understand.
"I could hear the sound of the fruit, the Paramecia Prison-Prison Fruit... I didn't eat it, but it turned into an ordinary fruit right in front of me, and then I gained some abilities. As for why... that's something I want to ask Mr. Gage."
Sig hid some information, but the main key points were there.
"Do you know how Devil Fruit grant humans the power of 'Devil'...?" Gage asked Sig with arrogance.
Sig could tell that Gage had temporarily abandoned the idea of violently detaining him, but his covetousness was gradually increasing, and now he was trying to tempt him.
"I don't know." Sig shook his head—which greatly satisfied Gage's desire to show off.
"Lineage Factor!" Gage uttered a term with an air of arrogance.
Someone unfamiliar with the situation might mistake this for his research findings...
Sig thought to himself, but his face was full of awe and disbelief.
A thoroughly satisfied Gage spoke in an epic tone, "You've come to the right person when it comes to Devil Fruit! Back then, with the help of several other researchers, I discovered the Lineage Factor..."
In his words, Vegapunk had been reduced to "assistant A".
"Devil Fruit... to be precise, most Devil Fruit, especially Zoan and Paramecia Devil Fruit, are based on the key to granting abilities to living beings: 'Lineage Factor'! You probably can't understand, but the 'Lineage Factor' I've discovered aren't actually that mysterious. In fact, even without consuming Devil Fruit, they're something that every one of us, every living being, possesses!"
Upon hearing this, Sig perfectly executed an expression that said, "I don't understand," and "I've never taken a biology class," which gave Gage even more motivation to continue.
According to Gage, the principle of Devil Fruit... at least a large part of the principle of Devil Fruit, is to destroy and recombine Lineage Factor, allowing organisms to exhibit different abilities.
As for why Lineage Factor determine a person's abilities, or even physical characteristics?
Gage thought Sig was just there for the spectacle and definitely wouldn't understand...
Moreover, Gage only explained this general principle without going into the specifics of how to use it to achieve certain goals—that is the core secret of the Germa Kingdom!
However, after hearing this, Sig pretended to be confused, but in reality he understood what Gage meant.
Simply put, Devil Fruit are a special kind of radiation source. After eating one, they can cause targeted mutations in the DNA throughout the human body, thereby granting special abilities.
As for why Devil Fruit abilities are countered by seawater and Seastone, that's due to other reasons. Gage didn't explain it clearly, Sig could tell that he didn't know much about it either.
In consideration of the "dull brains of ordinary Fish-Man," Gage also put forward a deductive theory: Zoan Devil Fruit, as well as ordinary Paramecia Fruits that simply alter the structure of the human body, can theoretically be simulated through "Life Return"!
"Life Return" can give the human body a high degree of control and develop extended abilities, such as movable hair and rapid regeneration.
Taking this phenomenon to its extreme—if someone who has mastered the art of "Life Return" to the pinnacle and their training aims to transform their body into steel at will, then upon achieving this, they would be indistinguishable from a user of the "Paramecia Iron-Iron Fruit" in terms of ability; similarly, if someone's training aims to transform themselves into a certain animal, it's not impossible for them to do so...
Moreover, practicing "Life Return" will not result in being "cursed" by the sea.
Of course, this is just a mental simulation, a hypothesis, and cannot actually be proven, because no one has cultivated "Life Return" to that level.
As for Sig's experience, Gage speculated that it was because he was born with a special Observation Haki, which allowed him to receive the "radiation" of Devil Fruit without eating them.
This caused changes in their bodies, with effects almost indistinguishable from direct use.
However, Gage didn't know why Sig was different from other Devil Fruit ability when facing the sea and Seastone, which was also what he was most interested in.
Regarding the reason why Devil Fruit abilities are countered by Seastone Factor, their research organization at the time only speculated—that under the stimulation of Devil Fruit, the recombined Lineage Factor still possess a certain "instability," and Seastone Factor precisely targets this instability...
Sig also realized that their research had not touched upon the level of "the existence of some kind of will within Devil Fruit".
It's not necessarily a lack of depth, but rather a difference in research direction—a materialistic approach. Perhaps Devil will and fruit radiation are the same phenomenon, two sides of the same coin in science and mysticism?
"However, as long as we join forces in the future, it will be just around the corner to truly unravel the secrets of Devil Fruit! I believe you understand the power of Devil Fruit; if you control them... you will control the world! At that time, it will be just around the corner for Fish-Man Race to stand on equal footing with humans!" Gage tempted Sig.
Sig could tell he had ill intentions, but he could also sense that Gage's previous words were not lies, at most vague, as if he disdained to lie about scientific research results.
In order to keep Sig, this rare "experiment," Gage revealed some principles that "had no practical significance."
It's like explaining the principles of an atomic bomb to someone—it won't help them at all...
In particular, Gage didn't even think that Sig understood what he meant.
However, Gage was unaware that Sig not only understood a large part of it, but he also gave Sig an important hint!
Can "Life Return" simulate Devil Fruit ability?
Or rather... does "Life Return" also act on Lineage Factor?
Sig had a vague idea in his mind, but for now, it was best to play along with Gage.
"As expected of Mr. Gage, I believe Captain Shiki will also be very interested in the Lineage Factor you are researching." Sig once again hinted to Gage that he and Golden Lion had a close relationship.
"I'm also very curious about IQ." Gage had already learned from Sig about the special plant that the Golden Lion had discovered.
When Golden Lion learns that Gage knows about "IQ," his expression must be quite interesting, and he won't suspect that Sig leaked it, since he never mentioned it to Sig!