Bepo lay on the gunwale, looking around curiously.
The sight of a polar bear over two meters tall perched on the ship's railing drew the attention of sailors from several nearby merchant ships, but no one dared to point or whisper.
What kind of bizarre pirates haven't they seen on Hachinosu?
Polar bears are nothing. Last week, there was a guy who ate Giraffe-Giraffe Fruit and got lost at the port. The patrol team used him as a landmark for three days.
The guide ship led them to the east port of the Hachinosu.
This is the largest port on Hachinosu, with a pier extending hundreds of meters into the sea, capable of accommodating hundreds of large warships at the same time.
Behind the port are rows of buildings, stretching out in layers from the port warehouses to the residential area halfway up the mountain, and then to the iconic tower at the top.
Luo's submarine slowly approached the shore.
There were already people waiting at the dock.
A blonde woman in a smart business suit was holding a whiteboard, with two receptionists in black uniforms standing beside her.
"Captain Luo, welcome back to Hachinosu."
Stella walked onto the pier and nodded slightly to Luo.
Roy is waiting for you over at the lab. Let your crew have some free time.
Accommodation is arranged at the Third Guesthouse in the port area; dinner time is 6:30 PM.
"Wow! Dinner's here!" Bepo's bear ears perked up immediately.
Law turned to look at Bepo: "Don't cause trouble."
"Don't worry, Captain!"
Bepo has already hopped onto the pier.
"I promise I'm just going to eat! I absolutely will not perform wrestling in the restaurant!"
Penguin emerged from the cabin, gave Bepo a look that said, "You'd be a fool to believe that," and then said to Law:
"Captain, you should go and attend to your business. I'll keep an eye on these guys."
Luo nodded, hoisted the Kikoku onto his shoulder, and followed Stella toward the center of Hachinosu.
Walking down the streets of Hachinosu, Luo felt that the island was completely different from when he was there.
"It's changed a lot, hasn't it?"
Stella walked ahead, saying something without turning her head.
"Really."
Roy said the New World should have only one voice.
Stella's tone was flat, but Luo could detect an undisguised pride in it.
Luo didn't reply. He followed Stella across the main street and turned into a private passage leading into the interior of Hachinosu.
The entrance to this passage is guarded by patrolling soldiers, and ordinary residents are not allowed to approach it.
The walls on both sides of the passage were embedded with Seastone lamps for lighting. The light was soft, but Luo could feel the faint fluctuations emanating from those lamps—if anyone forced their way in, these lamps would immediately trigger an alarm.
After walking for about ten minutes, Stella stopped in front of an inconspicuous gray building.
She pressed the keypad on the door, glanced at the iris scanner on the wall, and then the door slowly opened.
" Dr. Gracia's laboratory, three floors underground."
Stella stepped aside.
"I won't go down; the professor doesn't like too many people in his lab."
When Luo walked in, the elevator had already started descending automatically.
He could feel the elevator descending; it was going very fast, but the ride was very smooth.
About twenty seconds later, the elevator doors reopened, and a strong smell of disinfectant wafted out.
The laboratory was much larger than he had imagined.
Rows of culture jars were neatly arranged on the left, containing various organ samples;
On the right is a wall of monitoring screens, displaying a dense array of data.
In the very center was a huge laboratory table, covered with surgical instruments and analytical equipment.
Dr. Gracia was hunched over the monitor screen, clutching a data report in his hand, muttering to himself.
He heard footsteps, turned around, and his eyes behind his reading glasses swept over Luo.
Dr. Luo placed the report on the table.
"You're back."
Perfect timing! I was just worried about not having anyone to help me solve this problem!
Before Luo could respond, another voice came from deep within the laboratory.
"Doctor, please don't panic."
Roy walked out from the direction of the experimental pod, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. When he saw Roy, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.
"Luo, you must be tired from the journey."
" Roy is in charge."
Luo carried the Kikoku, his expression as calm as ever.
"You said you need to have surgery, what kind of surgery?"
Roy placed the coffee cup on the lab table and gestured with his chin toward the professor.
The doctor picked up a stack of documents from the table and handed them to Luo.
Luo took it and flipped through it; the contents made his eyebrows twitch.
Gene sequence comparison diagrams, cloned organ culture reports, Devil Fruit compatibility test data—his eyes widened with each page he turned.
"Are you guys doing multiple Devil Fruit ability transplants?"
Luo raised his head, a rare look of astonishment appearing on his usually calm face.
"It's already successful?"
"Three fruits, seven test subjects, all successful."
Roy held up three fingers, his tone as casual as if he were simply saying, "The weather's nice today."
"The report you have contains the latest batch of experimental data."
We have deciphered Blackbeard's genetic sequence, and through modification, it is possible to allow ordinary people to accommodate multiple hearts.
The only problem is that a heart transplant requires open-heart surgery.
Law snapped out of his surprise, and the instincts of the Op-Op Fruit immediately made him realize the crux of the problem:
"This is using the Op-Op Fruit for a heart transplant--"
"Right!"
"No need for open-chest surgery, no need for stitches, and there won't even be any bleeding."
Dr. Gracia interrupted, gesturing excitedly.
"Your Op-Op Fruit can replace internal organs without causing any physical trauma!"
Luo was silent for a few seconds, then flipped through the report again from beginning to end.
Then he looked up at Roy.
"I can do it. But I need some time to prepare."
Luo nodded, his gaze sweeping across the lab, taking in the organ samples soaking in the culture jars.
The screen displayed gene sequence data, and there was a thick stack of lab reports on the table.
All of these things together represent a possibility he never dared to imagine before.
Doflamingo.
He silently repeated the name in his mind, his fingers tightening their grip on the hilt of the Kikoku sword.
If we had one more Devil Fruit ability before facing that madman... our chances of winning would be much greater.
"Boss Roy, how many people will need to undergo heart transplant surgery this time?"
Roy leaned against the lab bench and counted on his fingers:
"The first batch of people scheduled will be about a dozen, Bullet, Mihawk, Tesoro, Crocodile... basically all the core members will have to do it."
Several more batches are expected, with a total estimated number of around thirty people.
Luo nodded, his expression completely regaining its composure.
For an experienced surgeon, the larger the scale of the surgery, the calmer they become—it's all the same whether it's one person or thirty people.
"I need to know some things to keep in mind."
Specifications and parameters for a cloned heart, standard procedures for vascular anastomosis, and contraindications during postoperative recovery.
It would be best if you could provide me with a complete surgical manual.
Luo looked at Dr. Gracia,
"Furthermore, I need to know the details of your surgery."