one piece: gene extraction and fusion system-Chapter 277: The Gene Lottery and the Army of Beasts

Grand Line, Sabaody Archipelago.

At one of the quieter ports.

Only a single ship was docked there—the Black Glory.

At this moment, on the deck of the Glory, Mio sat cross-legged with a bottle of wine in hand, his expression calm but expectant. His eyes gleamed slightly as he activated the gene lottery panel with a mere thought.

This time, he had eight devil fruits prepared for conversion into draws. These had been delivered by Charlotte, and eight was the maximum number of draws he could make in one go.

Frankly speaking, Mio was unusually excited about the draw this time.

With another thought, all eight devil fruits were instantly consumed, converted into the number of available draws. The roulette wheel before him displayed various powerful genetic options.

"Let's start with a few draws first," Mio muttered to himself as he tapped the 'Draw' button.

The roulette wheel began to spin rapidly, the pointer moving in a blur across various genetic samples.

Mio waited silently.

After a while, the wheel began to slow down and finally stopped.

"Congratulations, you've obtained the 'King Kong Gene' through the lottery!"

"Tsk."

Clicking his tongue, Mio smirked with mild disappointment. The King Kong gene wasn't weak—but it wasn't particularly impressive either.

[King Kong Gene: The gene of a giant gorilla from the King Kong world. Grants immense size and strength, with surprising agility for such a large body.]

It was the genetic code of the massive gorilla from the movie "King Kong." Usable, and certainly a decent power boost for many creatures, but nothing extraordinary.

Still, this gene had a wide range of compatibility and could serve as a solid foundation for biological modification and training.

Shaking his head, Mio drew again.

The wheel spun several more times, and when it came to a halt after the final draw, he had claimed four new genetic codes:

[King Kong Gene!]

[Sanwa Gene!]

[Metalicana Gene!]

[Knightmon Gene!]

The King Kong gene was self-explanatory. The Sanwa gene came from the character Sanwa in the "Calabash Brothers" series, granting extreme toughness and near-invulnerability.

The Metalicana Gene was from the Iron Dragon in the "Fairy Tail" world, containing powerful iron-based dragon physiology and Iron Dragon Slayer magic.

Lastly, the Knightmon Gene was from the "Digimon" universe—an elite-level Digimon with balanced and formidable combat abilities, representing high durability and combat prowess.

Overall, it was a solid haul—not the most rare, but undeniably practical.

Mio shut down the draw panel, content with the results.

He left the remaining four draws untouched, saving them for later.

Rising to his feet, Mio stretched and called out to Bai Feng with a hint of boredom. A clash erupted on the deck moments later—Mio and Bai Feng exchanging blows in a lively sparring session.

They fought for half an hour before stopping.

Robin walked over, handing Mio a towel with a gentle smile. "Captain, if you're really this bored, why not take a short vacation? I've heard some of the islands along the Grand Line have beautiful scenery."

Mio shook his head without hesitation. "Too much time wasted going back and forth. Once we're back in the New World, we'll find better scenery. Some of those islands are more spectacular than anything in the first half of the Grand Line."

Just as he finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi on the table rang out with a bulu bulu sound.

Picking it up, Mio's brows lifted slightly. "You're contacting me now? Did you finish it?"

There was only one person who would call him from this line—Vegapunk.

The scientist's voice came through with a light chuckle. "You should listen carefully."

Mio said nothing more, only listened intently.

Soon, a series of wild, thunderous roars echoed through the Den Den Mushi—deep, guttural, savage.

Excitement flashed in Mio's eyes.

"It sounds like you really did it. How many?" he asked.

"Three thousand," Vegapunk replied. "Each one a genetically enhanced, violent giant gorilla—created using IQ steroids and spliced with giant genes. They're all on this island right now. But you'll want to move fast. Their aggression is through the roof. If you delay, they might start killing each other."

He continued, "Also, because of their instability, I can't continue cultivating more until these are relocated. Once they're off the island, the next batch can begin."

Mio nodded. "Is the CP organization still with you?"

"I'm planning to leave soon. Once I go, they'll follow. The island will be abandoned, but I'll leave all cultivation data and materials behind. You can send people to take over."

"Good. I'll be there within half a month at the latest."

"By then, I'll be gone. You're safe to come."

"Understood." Mio acknowledged, then added, "How's progress on the bloodline factor?"

Vegapunk paused before answering. "Still ongoing, but there are some promising leads. Shouldn't take too long. The World Government's pushing hard. Are you interested in it?"

"I'm not interested in using it directly, but you can leverage it for benefits. Just send me any discarded or secondary research notes once you reach a deeper stage."

"Fair enough," Vegapunk said casually.

The Den Den Mushi clicked and went silent.

Mio stored it away, then turned to Bai Feng and ordered, "Mark the nearby islands with a high concentration of giant beasts. We're heading there next."

"Understood," Bai Feng replied, already setting to work.

Robin asked, "Captain, are we moving out for something important?"

"Yeah. I need to collect something." Mio's grin widened. "Three thousand giant gorillas, all infused with giant genes—that's the base for a real army. But they need more."

To truly unlock their potential, Mio needed to fuse them with genes from other powerful beasts.

Speed.

Strength.

Reaction time.

Defense.

And more.

He was going to forge an army.

A monstrous, unstoppable force.

One that would fight and conquer under his name.