The moment Gray entered the cafeteria, his wheelchair rolled automatically to his usual spot. As he waited for everyone else to arrive, he watched Luo come in.
Though Luo looked like he wasn't afraid of anything, seeing so many strange people for the first time still made him nervous.
"Sit down!" Diamante shoved Luo from behind, settling him beside Buffalo, directly across from Gray.
"Grrr~" The moment he sat down, Luo's stomach growled, leaving him terribly embarrassed.
But it wasn't his fault. Ever since escaping Flevance, he had hardly eaten his fill. The hatred driving him was what gave him the nerve to strap on a bomb and volunteer to join the Donquixote Family.
"Let's eat!"
"Oh~ Thanks for the food!"
"Gray-sama, here's the meat you wanted!"
"Hehe! I knew you were worth spoiling. Hurry up and eat too, before Buffalo takes it all."
"Hey, hey! What do you mean, 'takes it all'?"
"Haha, there's no need to fight over it. There's more than enough food. I'm so happy you all appreciate my cooking."
The two of them had no part in the merriment around them.
Those two were Luo and Corazon.
Luo was so hungry that he devoted himself entirely to the food. As for Corazon~the corner of his eye kept drifting toward Luo.
"The last person left from Flevance." Remembering the hatred in Luo's eyes when they first met, Corazon felt guilty for failing to save Flevance.
"A child like you shouldn't have to live in pain."
"The world has already treated you unfairly. If you spend the rest of your life consumed by hatred, then~my justice won't stand by and do nothing."
"I'll stake my justice on this: I won't let the darkness corrupt you." Nothing in Corazon's thoughts showed on his face.
Trafalgar Law's arrival stirred the waters of the Donquixote Family, which had been calm for a time.
He~was the wind that would set events in motion!
After the meal, everyone went their separate ways to take care of their own business, while Doflamingo kept Luo behind by himself.
Gray knew that after this, Luo would join the Donquixote Family.
Meanwhile, Gray turned his new wheelchair toward the small courtyard next door.
This latest equipment upgrade had finally gotten him a wheelchair that was comfortable and enjoyable to sit in. No more of the cheap, uncomfortable secondhand one he'd used before.
Aside from its steel frame, the new wheelchair had the softest sponge in the North Blue and the finest leather. They'd used both to make this executive-style chair.
It was understated, comfortable, and luxurious.
There was plenty of room to sit, so Gray would have no problem squeezing in with someone on either side when the time came.
That wasn't all. The wheelchair was much wider at both the front and back. Since it was foldable, he could flip a switch and turn it into a chaise longue whenever he wanted to sleep.
Of course, comfort wasn't the only consideration. Offensive equipment was essential too.
Six symmetrical, snowflake-shaped white Flying Wheels, each about the size of a basketball, were embedded in the back of the wheelchair.
All six were made from cold-resistant ore, so they could better withstand high temperatures when Gray spun them.
Don't underestimate the Flying Wheels just because they were only basketball-sized. Each one weighed a full fifty pounds.
Their extra weight would help extend their service life.
These Flying Wheels~had been designed and built to withstand high temperatures. Gray felt that this time, his weapons should last a long while~probably!
By the end, even Gray didn't sound very confident.
Now that he had his main weapons, he naturally needed some auxiliary ones too.
Two rows of ten steel balls were embedded at the front of each of the wheelchair's armrests.
Gray hadn't put them there to play with when he was bored. He'd had them installed specifically for the faith he held dear.
Anyone who often fired electromagnetic cannons knew the saying:
Magnetism produces electricity, and electricity produces magnetism.
Once the magnetic field rotated past a certain threshold, electricity~would naturally be produced.
Then~he could develop an electromagnetic cannon.
Gray hadn't reached that level yet, but there was no harm in preparing ahead of time.
After all~everyone needed a dream!
What man could resist firing a Great Wall Cannon?
The wheelchair and its weapons had cost far more than Gray had imagined. All told, the price came to sixty million Beli.
"Doflamingo's a good guy to have around. When he's got money, he really does hand it over!" After marveling at Doflamingo's generosity, Gray refocused on himself.
Money~was merely a byproduct of strength!
Without strength, no amount of money could be held on to.
With strength~money wouldn't be a problem.
More than a month passed. Gray had finally made some headway on the ideas for developing his Devil Fruit powers that he'd come up with before setting out to sea.
At the time, Gray had thought they would be two separate abilities. But when he finally reached the threshold, he realized he'd been wrong.
They were two abilities, yet they could also be considered one.
In the end, it all came down to two words: magnetic fields!
Everything in the world had a magnetic field. The only difference was the field's size and strength.
Gray's idea was to focus on the magnetic field of the human body itself.
When he had first begun developing Field Rotation, Gray had already been able to see the magnetic fields around him. Back then, his ability was immature, and he hadn't developed it very far.
He couldn't see his own magnetic field at all.
But after nearly two months of meditation and constant practice every day, he~had finally seen it.
When a living thing was strong, its Life Magnetic Field was strong too. Conversely~when it was weak, its field was weak.
Based on this theory, Gray wanted to make his own Life Magnetic Field rotate, thereby strengthening himself.
A person's Life Magnetic Field only grew stronger as the person grew stronger. Gray wanted to reverse that process.
He wanted to strengthen the Life Magnetic Field first, and use it to make his body stronger.
This~was like external training, while growing stronger through personal exercise was internal training.
Gray had now prepared all the prerequisites. He just didn't know whether this kind of external training would work the way he imagined.
He could see his personal magnetic field. If he used his Devil Fruit ability to make it rotate, could he get his Life Magnetic Field to absorb energy from its surroundings, strengthen itself, and in turn make his body stronger?
"There's only one way to find out. Thinking about it~isn't as good as trying it!" Having made up his mind, Gray sat down cross-legged in all seriousness.
As for why he sat cross-legged, it was simply a psychological habit. It felt as if something were missing if he didn't do it when beginning a proper training session.
He just couldn't get comfortable!
"Phew~" He took a deep breath to settle his emotions, then closed his eyes and carefully sensed his own magnetic field.
With his Devil Fruit powers assisting him, Gray's vision expanded to another level, allowing him to see the magnetic fields that were invisible to the naked eye.
Over the past few months of hard work, he had discovered that his situation~was different from other people's.
A personal magnetic field reflected a person's overall qualities, including the Life Magnetic Field that represented the body and the Soul Magnetic Field that represented the soul.
In the eyes of scientists, a personal magnetic field was also called a Life Magnetic Field. There was no distinction between flesh and soul; the two were one.
But Gray's situation was different. His Soul Magnetic Field was so powerful that it enveloped his Body Magnetic Field, making his Life Magnetic Field impossible to see.
"Did my soul grow stronger after merging with the original body's?"
Though the situation wasn't what he'd expected, rotating his Soul Magnetic Field had been part of the plan all along. It didn't matter which he started with.
"Then~start rotating!"
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