When Devil Fruit Meets Hex Core

Chapter 36: When the Devil Fruit Meets the Hex Core

Looking at the unusually behaving Queen, Kate pointed to her head. After so many years together, she and Oran had developed a great understanding, and the meaning was clear.

[Is this guy crazy?]

At the same time, Kate had already taken the custom firearm on her back into her hands. Queen's erratic behavior made her uneasy; she felt there was some conspiracy at play.

"What kind of madness are you throwing here, did your experiment fail and break your brain?"

Oran's eyes were filled with disdain, but he still signaled Kate to put her gun away. He wanted to see what Queen and the others were up to now.

"Queen! You scoundrel, have you forgotten what we discussed before?"

"Before was before, now is now. Oran, I've always admired your skills. It was that bastard Judge who lied to me back then, causing our misunderstanding!"

Ignoring the anger of Judge and Caesar, Queen seemed to want to distance himself from them.

However, Oran didn't believe a word of it. He wouldn't be surprised by anything these unprincipled people did.

"It's about the funding. Du Feld said before he left that the funding would be doubled, and how that doubled portion would be handled was entirely up to you, Oran.

Do you mind if I use some of it too? Although I'm not as professional as you, I'm quite interested in science."

Bakin leaned against the door and provided the answer. Du Feld was a businessman, and in his eyes, Oran could generate more profit for him, so he gave Oran the authority to allocate that portion of the funds.

This was something Du Feld had thought of suddenly before leaving and hadn't specifically returned to tell Oran, but everyone on the ship knew about it.

"First, prove you can use your own share wisely. If you can genuinely research something of great value, I don't mind giving you a larger share."

Oran didn't directly refuse or agree to any of them, leaving only an open-ended answer. Then, he and Kate left. His own experiments were not yet finished.

As for the remaining people, their reactions weren't too strong. At least Oran had left them an opening. However, not long after Oran left, Queen and the others started fighting again.

The origin was Caesar mocking Queen for abandoning his principles without getting any money, which ultimately enraged Queen and sparked a new round of conflict.

Time flowed by. While Du Feld was promoting MADS's achievements and preparing to nominate them for the Ybel Prize, MADS's research did not stop. In Oran's laboratory, a humanoid body had been completed.

Compared to Blitz, this robotic body was more slender and more human-like.

As the gears turned, the robot's joints began to move. Blitz, standing nearby, had eyes that flickered. He could feel that this yet "unborn" life was a family member closer to him.

The gears continued to rotate, and the clashing of metal parts was the most beautiful music to Oran's ears.

"Kate, do you remember what I didn't finish saying a while ago?"

"The matter of Madam Gray? I remember. It was interrupted by Queen's outburst. You said we should temporarily borrow these powers to prepare for the future."

Scratching his chin, Kate roughly repeated Oran's words.

"Yes, just like the gears in this machine, they interlock and run as a whole. If one gets stuck at such a time..."

Oran picked up a wrench and jammed a seemingly insignificant gear. However, the entire gear structure immediately stopped operating.

"The entire system will stop running. The current World Government is just such a machine, and a machine with powerful military force. With just a few of us, it's still difficult to confront it head-on.

So, we must temporarily disguise ourselves as ordinary gears, 'understand' them, integrate into them, become an indispensable part of their interest group, and then reverse our direction at an appropriate moment."

As the gears inside the machine reversed their direction of operation, the body also performed entirely different actions.

"At that time, we will reshuffle this system. Truth always lies on the tip of the sword. When this sharp sword is honed and unsheathed, it will be our time to reap."

"Then I'll be your sharpest sword, no matter what happens, I will stand by your side with unwavering resolve!"

The Mink Tribe is inherently persistent, or to put it bluntly, stubborn. Once they've set their minds on something, they won't give up.

To repay a debt of gratitude, and for revenge, Kate and Oran had become bound together.

"Blitz, you too."

As if feeling neglected, Blitz extended his large hand, also expressing his stance.

The creation of the body was only part of it. With MADS's equipment, this new body was no less inferior to Blitz, who was mostly built by hand. Both had their own advantages. The crucial point was always the core.

Whether it was Blitz's core or Kate's heart, in Oran's plan, they belonged to the Hex Type I. Today, Oran was going to test the upgraded version.

MADS had many research topics, one of which was to give inanimate objects the abilities of Devil Fruits.

Sometimes, research is just missing a single idea, and Oran's memory just happened to fill in those gaps, such as the special nature of Zoan-type Devil Fruits.

The exact mechanisms of Paramecia and Logia-type Devil Fruits are still unknown, but it is certain that Zoan-type Devil Fruits have their own independent consciousness, allowing them to fuse with weapons and turn them into sentient weapons.

Not long ago, Vegapunk had already achieved this, and Oran was attempting something else.

Whether Paramecia-type Devil Fruits have consciousness is still undecided; perhaps they do, perhaps they don't, but not as obviously as Zoan-types.

However, setting aside this issue, the Hex Core has the ability to bestow consciousness upon machinery. Therefore, when these two are combined, the result is the Hex Type II core, which can ultimately achieve the same effect as a weapon that has consumed a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.

"But Oran, where will you install her core? This core is Blitz's size, isn't it?"

Oran had already completed the first step, fusing the fruit and the core in a special way. However, comparing it to the body on the experimental platform, Kate couldn't figure out how this core would be installed, as Oran hadn't seemed to leave any installation slots.

"Hex technology is a very special science. Sometimes it defies common sense, like the core not necessarily needing to be inside the body."

He installed the core into a pre-prepared metal grip, making the whole thing look like a special warhammer. As the current surged through the experimental platform, the core in the hammerhead began to glow.

"Open your eyes and see this new world, Frankenstein."