Over the next few days, Roy's mood improved significantly.
Stella was the first to notice this.
Roy always had a furrowed brow when reviewing documents, especially reports from various New World countries, and he would frequently call those kings "idiots."
But these past few days, he's not only stopped swearing, but he'll also occasionally hum a few lines of an unknown tune, which startled Stella so much that she almost thought her captain had been replaced by someone else.
Dr. Gracia noticed this as well.
On the third day, he came to the office again, wanting to discuss the preservation of the cloned heart with Roy.
When he entered, Roy was drinking tea by the window. Upon seeing him come in, he actually poured him a cup.
"Doctor, you don't need to worry about the surgery. I've found a more suitable person to perform it."
Gracia, holding her teacup, paused for a moment, then asked, "Who?"
Trafalgar Law. Devil Fruit User.
Gracia's expression went from stunned to Satori, and then to excitement.
He placed the teacup on the table and gestured with his hands in the air:
" Op-Op Fruit! How come I didn't think of that!"
The Op-Op Fruit's ability allows for organ transplantation without causing any physical trauma.
No, it's not transplantation, it's directly replacing an organ with your own power!
The entire procedure requires no open-chest surgery, no suturing of blood vessels, and not even a single drop of blood will be lost!
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, nearly sweeping the documents off the table.
When will that kid arrive?
I need to have a thorough discussion with him about the surgical plan! Some technical details must be communicated in advance.
It will arrive in a few days.
Roy interrupted his rambling.
"Have someone prepare the first batch of cloned hearts. Make sure the quality checks are thorough, just in case something goes wrong."
"Rest assured!"
Gracia patted his chest and guaranteed,
"Each cloned heart has undergone seven quality control procedures and is absolutely flawless."
After the doctor left, Roy continued to sit by the window and drink tea.
The journey from Punk Hazard to Hachinosu isn't too far; given the speed of Rona's submarine, it should take a few days if all goes well.
Roy put down his teacup, looked out the window at the ships coming and going in the harbor, and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the windowsill.
The heart transplant issue is resolved. The next thing to address is something else entirely.
" Stella," he called out without turning his head.
"Um?"
Give me a list of core members.
"Compile a complete list of everyone's Devil Fruit abilities, fighting styles, and the possible Devil Fruit types recommended by the professor—and give it to me within three days."
Stella jotted down the command in her notebook, then looked up at him. "Have you started preparing the transplant scheduling?"
"Almost."
Roy turned around, a meaningful smile playing on his lips:
"Once Luo arrives, the core combat force of Hachinosu should be completely upgraded."
The waters surrounding Punk Hazard.
Two years ago, this sea area was a secret experimental base for the Navy. Aokiji and Akainu fought here for ten days and ten nights, deforming the entire island's landscape.
After the navy withdrew, Punk Hazard became a no-man's-land.
A few pirate ships occasionally pass by in the surrounding waters, but no one is willing to stay here for long.
At this moment, beneath the surface of the sea, a yellow submarine is slowly sailing.
The submarine's searchlights illuminated the murky water ahead, and occasionally a few strangely shaped deep-sea fish swam through the beams, casting distorted shadows on the hull.
Inside the cabin, Trafalgar Law was leaning against a makeshift cot, holding a piece of intelligence about the internal defenses of Punk Hazard.
His katana, "Oni-ku" (Kikoku ), leaned against the bedside, the white down on its scabbard swaying gently in the seawater.
He had read this intelligence report at least ten times.
Punk Hazard is currently occupied by a group of pirates; on the surface, it's an abandoned, uninhabited island.
In reality, some kind of experiment was being secretly conducted inside.
The funding and equipment for these experiments all came from the same person— Donquixote Doflamingo.
Luo's eyes turned cold at the thought of that name.
His feud with Doflamingo dates back more than a decade.
Back then, he was just a child in White Town, watching his hometown turn into a wasteland because of the World Government's conspiracy, and watching his sister die in his arms.
Later, he chose to Doflamingo Doflamingo's pirate crew and learned how to kill under the tutelage of that madman.
If it weren't for Mr. Corazon — Doflamingo's younger brother, Rosinante—
He traded his life for the Op-Op Fruit; he had long since rotted away in that mental hospital.
Over the years, Law has been looking for an opportunity to take revenge on Doflamingo.
But Doflamingo, that old fox, is too cunning.
He knew that Dressrosa was being targeted by Kyros and Princess Scarlet from the Hachinosu, and that he could not possibly lay a finger on that kingdom.
So he settled for a less desirable option and found a small country near Punk Hazard, where he used his status as Shichibukai and his former title Celestial Dragons to become king.
What's even more troubling for Law is that Doflamingo has been cooperating with the two Hachinosu.
That guy controls a vast network of underground arms dealing in the New World, selling everything from weapons and intelligence to slaves and Devil Fruit.
When Hachinosu was purging the New World, Doflamingo immediately expressed his support and even proactively provided a lot of intelligence on underground forces.
With this pledge of loyalty, he managed to preserve his small territory in the New World where Hachinosu held absolute power.
"Captain, when do we make our move?"
Bepo, poked his head out of the cockpit, his furry face full of anticipation.
Luo folded the intelligence report and stuffed it into his pocket, then stood up and walked to the chart table.
He was very tall, and had to bend slightly to stand in the low cabin.
He tapped the location of Punk Hazard on the nautical chart with his finger and pondered for a moment.
Three days later.
"The patrol boats around Punk Hazard rotate every three days, which will create a gap of about two hours."
We entered through the sewage outlet in the southeast corner and blew up their main laboratory.
"Just the few of us?"
Another crew member Penguin, leaned against the bulkhead, arms crossed.
"Captain, there are at least two hundred pirates inside."
Luo glanced at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Just two hundred small fry."
"My Op-Op Fruit ability is best utilized in this enclosed space."
Bepo and Penguin exchanged a glance, but neither of them spoke.
They've followed Luo for so many years, they know their captain isn't bragging.
After years of working together, the crew members naturally knew that Luo's strength was far superior to that of the other Supernovas of the same generation.
While those newcomers from Sabaody Archipelago were still figuring out how to survive in the New World,
Law is now capable of hunting down pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million berries on his own.
Just as Law was planning how to cripple Doflamingo's allies, a Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.