Led by Kureha, the three followed her into the room.
Unlike the biting cold outside, the room was unusually warm, and had a faint medicinal scent.
"Please, make yourself at home. I'll go get some drinks!"
Lin Yuan didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the sofa, with Erza and Emile sitting on either side of him.
Seeing this, Kureha smiled and then handed some drinks to the three of them.
"It's been a long time since I've seen such important people as you. This is all I have here, please have some drinks!"
After thanking them, Emile accepted the gift and then handed it to Lin Yuan and Erza.
Lin Yuan took a sip and was somewhat surprised, because the drink seemed to contain a lot of medicinal herbs, but it didn't taste like traditional Chinese medicine.
"Two lovely ladies, please drink as much as you like. This is really good for you!"
Upon hearing this, Erza and Emile's eyes immediately lit up, and they began to drink heartily.
Lin Yuan smiled and then said.
"Beautiful Kureha, may I ask you a question? Everyone says you're a witch and don't easily meet people or heal the sick, so why are you entertaining us?"
Kureha thought Lin Yuan was going to ask something, and couldn't help but roll her eyes at him when she heard this.
"Hmph, others are only with me because they can't beat me or they need my help. But you, with your terrifying strength, are a different story. Just because I'm old doesn't mean I'm senile."
"Well..."
Seeing Lin Yuan's expression, Erza and Emile couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Ahem, um, where's Chopper? I haven't seen him."
To cover up his embarrassment, Lin Yuan could only change the subject.
"Ah... you actually came to see me! You damned bastards, don't hurt Doctorine!"
Suddenly, a small head popped out, looking at Lin Yuan and the other two with fear. When Lin Yuan and the others turned their gaze to him, Chopper immediately shrank back, but his butt and half of his body were still sticking out.
"Oh, what an adorable little raccoon!"
"Hmph, damn woman, I'm a reindeer, a reindeer, not a raccoon! And even if you say I'm cute, I won't be happy!"
Chopper's head and half his body reappeared, and he said fiercely, but Erza and the others found him even cuter.
"Oh, my silly son, come out, they're not bad people."
Kureha sighed. She knew Chopper was in this state, but there was nothing she could do. She thought that letting Chopper come out and see Lin Yuan might be a good thing.
Even after Kureha said that, Chopper showed no intention of coming out. He pulled his head back in, leaving his buttocks and half of his body exposed.
"Hehe, what a cute little guy, let's talk about it later!"
Lin Yuan smiled, then turned to look at Kureha, activating his Observation Haki, and a glint of golden light appeared in his eyes.
"Beautiful Kureha, may I ask you a few questions?"
Seemingly aware of Lin Yuan's purpose, Kureha was completely relieved; she could answer even a few questions.
"Oh, there are still things the Hidden Emperor doesn't know. Ask away, and see if I know the answer!"
"Hmm, I'd like to know about Blackbeard, and why he was able to eat three Devil Fruit."
"What?!" X3
Upon hearing Lin Yuan's words, not only Kureha, but also Erza and Emile abandoned their playful teasing of Chopper and turned to look at Lin Yuan in disbelief, their eyes flashing with shock.
Kureha lost her composure, standing up abruptly and staring intently at Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan was also keeping a close eye on Kureha's every move, but he hadn't expected her reaction to be so strong!
The room was deathly silent; neither of them spoke. They stared at each other for a long time before Kureha finally sighed, took a sip of her drink, and spoke.
"It seems you know something. What do you want to ask?"
Lin Yuan was secretly pleased, but his expression remained unchanged as he spoke coldly.
"I want to know, you once said Teach was a monster, so did you perform surgery on him to allow him to eat three Devil Fruit?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Kureha's face, but she remained silent, seemingly lost in thought.
Lin Yuan didn't disturb her, but instead grabbed Chopper in his hand.
Chopper, who had initially wanted to struggle, suddenly felt himself being targeted by a great terror, and his body stiffened, rendering him speechless.
Lin Yuan's actions naturally startled Kureha. Seeing him gently stroking Chopper's head, a hint of fear flashed in Kureha's eyes.
"Sigh, although I don't know how you heard that, I did say it, and Teach can indeed withstand the power of three Devil Fruit."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan paused, a smile appearing on his face, and continued listening to Kureha speak.
"Speaking of which, that was over thirty years ago. There was a man with three children; that man's name was Rocks D. Xebec."
"He had three children at the time, one of whom, a boy, was dying, and two little girls were also nearing the end. Rocks asked me to help him by transplanting the two little girls' hearts into the boy."
"I wasn't planning on taking on this surgery, but Rocks said it could save their lives, and I was momentarily blinded by greed and piqued by his words."
"After my surgery was over, I realized that I had created a terrifying monster, a monster with three souls."
"It was that surgery that made me realize that Devil Fruit might have their own consciousness, or something else entirely."
Lin Yuan immediately became very interested and couldn't help but speak.
Is it a special kind of energy, an energy that can act on its own?
Kureha was startled and looked at Lin Yuan in disbelief.
How do you know? Have you seen something like that?
Lin Yuan smiled and nodded. He had indeed discovered that kind of energy when creating the Devil Fruit, but it didn't seem to have its own subjective consciousness as Kureha had said; it seemed to be something like a set of rules.
"You actually saw it before? No wonder you're so strong. Are you also a Devil Fruit User?"
Why do you say that?
Kureha gave Lin Yuan a deep look, and then said.
"After my surgery, I witnessed a horrifying scene. Teach had transformed into a monster with numerous tentacles and a body resembling an octopus. I suspect it's some kind of Mythical Zoan Fruit."
"Moreover, his consciousness at the time was very strange; it seemed as if he had three souls constantly shifting between them."
"Then Rocks intervened, personally suppressing the consciousness of the two girls into their hearts, which restored Teach to her original state."
" Rocks was insane at the time, even able to suppress that energy. He seemed greedy, as if he wanted to devour it."
"He also made a thought-provoking statement: if he absorbed that energy and could withstand it, he could also become a dual Devil Fruit User."
"As for the three hearts, they are there to house the souls of the three children, allowing them to live on in another form."
Lin Yuan carefully considered Kureha's words, and a bold idea formed in his mind.
"You mean, if you're strong enough and have a powerful soul, you can withstand other Devil Fruit!"
Kureha laughed, her face seemingly burning with passion.
"Indeed, after thirty years of research, with my help, as long as the opponent is strong, even if they fail, I can guarantee their survival."
"What!"