One Piece: New Order-Chapter 114: The Relationship between Devil Fruit and Lineage Factor

Chapter 114: The Relationship between Devil Fruit and Lineage Factor

Three days later.

Punk Hazard.

Sakazuki was touring the lab, observing various creatures growing inside the nutrient tanks.

Click, click.

The sound of the doorknob turning broke the silence as Vegapunk pushed the door open and walked in, looking like he was about to collapse. It was obvious he hadn’t slept in days.

"Vice Admiral Sakazuki."

Sakazuki glanced at him and said, "Dr. Vegapunk. You’re pushing yourself too hard."

The scientist gave a tired smile. "It’s the first time I’ve come across such an extraordinary specimen. I got a bit carried away."

Sakazuki didn’t dwell on the matter and asked, "Did you find anything?"

That question immediately brought Vegapunk back to life, his eyes widening.

"I have to say, it’s unbelievable. You probably don’t know this yet, but that boy actually had the abilities of three different Devil Fruits. And not just that, all three had fused perfectly without interfering with each other. From a biological standpoint, that should be impossible."

The vice admiral raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity. "Oh? Three Devil Fruits?"

Vegapunk replied, "That’s right. Three. Let me explain. To understand Devil Fruits, we have to first talk about Lineage Factors.

"What are Lineage Factors? Simply put, they’re double-helix polymers that exist inside all living creatures. They fill every part of the body. You could say it’s the blueprint of life.

"If someone can control Lineage Factors, they can replicate, simulate, or even modify life at the genetic level. They could easily create all sorts of organisms this way."

Sakazuki nodded slightly, thinking, ’Lineage Factors are basically like DNA from my previous life... just like the modified humans and clones made by the Vinsmoke family.’

Vegapunk continued, "So what’s the relationship between Devil Fruits and Lineage Factors? It’s transformation.

"Devil Fruits alter Lineage Factors. Each fruit holds a unique, mysterious power. When someone eats one, that power rearranges their body starting from their genes.

"It shatters the original Lineage Factors, then reorganizes and reshapes them. That’s how the user gains new abilities. And the level of reconstruction it performs is far beyond anything our current science can achieve.

"Now here’s the crucial part: why does a person explode after eating more than one Devil Fruit? It’s because every living being has only one set of Lineage Factors."

Sakazuki repeated, "Only one...?"

Vegapunk let out a confirming hum. "Right. Just one. We’ve done countless experiments. Even identical twins, triplets, beings that look exactly the same, still have subtle differences in their Lineage Factors.

"No two naturally born creatures share the exact same structure. And when we tried artificially cultivating lifeforms, if we inserted a second Lineage Factor, no matter how similar, the entire genetic chain collapsed instantly."

He paused briefly, then added, "That’s why, once someone eats a Devil Fruit, their entire Lineage Factor is already altered. If they eat another, the new fruit’s power clashes with the first and that collision causes the body to break down at the genetic level.

"The result? Boom. They explode.

"The opposing forces of two Devil Fruits trigger a conflict that detonates the Lineage Factors scattered throughout the body, turning them into nothing but blood and mist. It is the real reason why no one can survive eating more than one Devil Fruit.

"But here’s where things get strange. The specimen you brought in... actually has three distinct Lineage Factors."

Sakazuki let out a deliberately surprised sound. "Three?"

Vegapunk’s voice rose with excitement. "Yes. Three. And here’s the incredible part, they all come from the same genetic source. There are only slight differences between them. Yet they haven’t collapsed. It’s... unimaginable.

"All living beings inherit their Lineage Factors from their previous generation, specifically from the mother. So what this is equivalent to... is like triplet sisters all being pregnant with the same child, at the same time. And somehow, there’s no conflict between them.

"However, it’s biologically impossible. Even if those three mothers somehow shared the same womb, it still wouldn’t work. The Lineage Factors would instantly clash and destroy the organism.

"Science is precise, there’s no way this should be real. But here it is, right in front of us. It’s just... beyond belief."

Sakazuki twitched the corner of his mouth. ’Science can’t explain it... but Devil Fruits can.’

He recalled the theories from his past life, and the broken logic of the Munch-Munch Fruit’s bizarre power. After all, in the original story, Wapol had swallowed two of his subordinates and fused them into a two-headed person.

But he didn’t speak his thoughts aloud. Secrets like this were better kept to himself.

Instead he said, "Good thing we didn’t let him grow any further. He actually ate three Devil Fruits."

Hearing that, Vegapunk shook his head. "Even if he had matured, it’s nothing to worry about. This guy... what a waste. Three Devil Fruits, and all of them were Zoan types. Don’t know if that’s lucky or unfortunate. He managed to eat three, and yet, they were all Zoan. Strange. But it doesn’t matter now. He’s dead anyway."

Sakazuki agreed. "Tragic, really... but tell me, can you tell what type of fruits he had?"

Vegapunk responded, "Yeah. Because the transformation happens at the genetic level, the Lineage Factors left behind by different types of Devil Fruits can be distinguished. It’s actually easy to tell them apart.

"For example, when a Paramecia-type user dies, their Lineage Factors tend to return to something close to normal. Since most Paramecia fruits don’t cause major alterations to the body, the changes are minor and don’t completely restructure the organism.

"In contrast, when a Logia user dies, their Lineage Factors become highly unstable and scattered, almost like particles. That’s because their entire body is reshaped at a fundamental level. That’s what allows them to become elemental, but it also makes their genetic structure the most fragile.

"Then there’s Zoan-type users. Their abilities are known for boosting cellular activity and physical resilience. That’s why they’re the easiest to identify. Even if a powerful Zoan user has been dead for a long time, the remaining cells still show abnormal levels of activity.

"In this case, although the specimen’s cells aren’t highly active, it’s still obvious that he was a Zoan-type user."

"I see." Sakazuki muttered. "What if we tried to clone him?"

Vegapunk rejected the idea with a shake of his head. "We already tried. The moment the embryo begins to form, its biological system collapses. In the past two days, we’ve attempted nearly a hundred times. Not one was successful.

"That makes sense... and yet it doesn’t.

"What does make sense is fusing multiple Lineage Factors should always cause failure. That’s a fact. What doesn’t make sense is, if it should collapse, then how was he even born in the first place?"

**

**

**

Thank you for reading! If you’d like access to extra Chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:

P@treon/SilverShark769

Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!

Your support means a lot, thank you!

New novel chapt𝒆rs are published on free(w)ebnovel(.)com