Chapter 178

Although he hasn't Dunas Kingdom's National Defense Force for very long, his performance has been outstanding, so he has been promoted quickly, and he was even selected to come here today.

Johansen couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

What awaits them next?

A completely new organizational structure? Completely new equipment?

At this moment, the king of this country, the robust King Gaston, strode into the courtyard.

He was followed by a group of servants who carried one large box after another.

"His Majesty!"

All the soldiers gathered there greeted each other in unison.

"Um,"

Gaston glanced at the soldiers.

They were all the best soldiers handpicked from the National Defense Force.

There are one thousand people.

I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing for them, but anyway, young people, I hope you have better luck.

I won't waste any more words.

Gaston stated bluntly, "You were brought here to form a special force dedicated to serving Lord Night King."

Lord Night King?

Johansen's eyes lit up instantly.

Even within the army, Lord Night King enjoys a high reputation.

After all, without the great Night King's permission to enter the City of Dreams, these soldiers wouldn't have been able to enjoy so much interesting training.

"Next, Lord Night King's vision will expand beyond the borders of the Dunas Kingdom; he needs the most powerful warriors!"

Gaston used his foot to pry open the lid of a large box beside him, revealing a pile of oddly shaped fruits inside.

"This is Artificial Devil Fruit bestowed upon us by Lord Night King!"

Artificial Devil Fruit?

The moment that word was uttered, the expressions of the elite soldiers gathered there all changed drastically.

Having been born in the Dunas Kingdom in the New World, the soldiers naturally knew what Devil Fruit were.

Can Devil Fruit be artificially created?

And so many?

Does this mean that all of them can become Devil Fruit User?

Upon realizing this, everyone was so excited they were trembling!

Devil Fruit are such precious things! Before this, how could ordinary soldiers like them have ever had the chance to even touch one?

It has to be Lord Night King!

That's so generous!

"Don't be too happy yet,"

Gaston, of course, knew what the soldiers were thinking. He didn't hide anything and said directly, "Because the technology isn't mature enough, these fruits have two drawbacks."

"First, not everyone who eats the fruit will gain the ability; the chance of successfully gaining the ability is only about one in ten to one in five."

These words instantly dampened the soldiers' spirits, and most of their excitement dissipated.

The odds are way too low!

Johansen couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty, what if we don't obtain the ability?"

"Without obtaining the ability, you'll become unable to swim and will never be able to eat other Devil Fruit again."

Gaston said,

"The second drawback is that while these fruits are Zoan, their enhancements are much weaker than true Zoan Devil Fruit. Furthermore, they cannot be used or stopped freely like true animal abilities; they remain permanently fused with the animal form."

After Gaston finished speaking, the soldiers fell even more silent.

In other words, even if one gains abilities, will they still become a monster?

"That's already quite an achievement!"

Johansen suddenly spoke up, his voice rising, "Even if the chances are low, even if there are side effects, this is still a treasure that ordinary people like us can only dream of!"

The soldiers were slightly taken aback.

Yes, although they were the most elite soldiers in the National Defense Force, compared with the real strongmen on the sea, they were ultimately just ordinary people.

Even if it were just a man-made Devil Fruit, it wouldn't be something they were qualified to covet.

"Oh?"

Gaston looked at Johansen with some admiration. "I remember you, Johansen, right? Your father is John, the mayor of East Mountain Town, and these fruits were grown by him."

So the fruits my father planted were these Artificial Devil Fruits?

Johansen, who hadn't been back to visit in so long, was unaware of this.

But this did not stop him from puffing out his chest even more and answering proudly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

"Johansen!"

Gaston looked at the young man, casually grabbed a fruit from the box beside him, and asked, "Do you dare to be the first to eat this fruit?"

"It is my honor, Your Majesty!"

Johansen did not hesitate at all.

So Gaston tossed him the fruit he was holding.

Johansen caught it and then ate it in one bite.

His face visibly turned very pale.

This is absolutely awful!

Then, before he could even recover from the unpleasant taste, his body began to change.

A pair of enormous wings covered in fine black feathers sprouted from its back.

Feathers also grew on the front of both forearms, and the ten fingers on both hands became thick and long, with particularly sharp nails.

A tuft of feathers grew from its rear end, its calves below the knees became thinner, and its feet transformed into bird claws.

"This--"

Johansen raised his hands in surprise.

Although it had become somewhat strange, a powerful force was surging forth!

"Great, it seems you're in luck!"

Gaston looked pleased. "From today onwards, Johansen, you are the leader of this unit!"

Johansen was taken aback, then nodded excitedly, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Is this the reward for pioneers?

"Test your abilities!"

Gaston encouraged, "It should be able to fly!"

"Yes!"

Johansen took a deep breath and tried to control the pair of wings that had grown out of his back.

Although this was an organ that had never been used before, it was much simpler to operate than expected.

The next instant, with a flap of his broad wings, Johansen soared into the sky.

Below, the soldiers looked at him with a mixture of shock and envy.

This guy is really lucky!

"Excellent!"

Gaston nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the soldiers. "So, are you going to take the gamble?"

The soldiers were silent for a moment, then...

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Humans are like that; even knowing the odds are low, they still wonder why they can't succeed when they see others succeed.

Soon enough, all the Artificial Devil Fruit found their owners.

Once everyone had eaten the fruit, the lucky and the unlucky were instantly clearly separated.

The soldiers who didn't receive the ability looked dejected.

The soldiers who gained the ability weren't exactly overjoyed.

Johansen's appearance was the most neat and good-looking among these people.

Some people have grown a Masira on their arm.

Some people have a hippopotamus body attached to their buttocks.

The main theme is the bizarre and outlandish, the weirder the better.

Gaston nodded to himself.

Of the 1,000 Devil Fruit, 167 people ultimately gained the power.

This is already much better than the estimated probability.

Lord Night King should be satisfied, right?

Naito didn't seem to care much about it.

Ultimately, the strength of these Artificial Devil Fruit is still too low.

Naito is now focused on another, more significant idea.

He was indeed in the Dunas Kingdom, but on Cloud Island, which was above the main island.

Naito, as always, possessed World's body.

Luna and Buckingham were beside him.

A huge male lion lay quietly on the open ground in front of him, and next to the lion stood a pirate who looked somewhat expectant; he was one of the pirates he had brought Impel Down.

"The lion's brain had already been damaged in advance,"

"Its body is still alive, but its consciousness has been erased," said Buckingham.

"In that case, there shouldn't be any problem."

Naito nodded slightly. "Let's begin."