From the Doctor's expression, and recalling the horrific scene on Lantis, Rosen could understand why he was so repulsed and wary of this experiment.
Clearly, he knew the experiment would not succeed. The rampaging monsters and the spreading virus were within his predictions.
Immortality and destruction, two extremes within the same experiment. Unfortunately, this path to immortality was a mistake. Even if, by some miracle, it succeeded, the vessel achieving immortality would certainly not be human.
Because Vegapunk had calculated that the human mind and brain capacity could not withstand the changes brought by an immortal body. Once they buckled under the strain, degeneration was inevitable.
To this day, Vegapunk hadn't found a way to reverse this change. Perhaps it was irreversible.
"If a subject survived, with shallow infection and not having fully transformed into an aberration, there wouldn't be major side effects. But based on my estimates, the mixing of Devil Fruit user genes with biological genes would lead to uncontrollable infectious diseases. Survivors would be fewer than one or two out of ten." Seeing Rosen's grim expression, Vegapunk spoke somberly.
Out of over a million, only a few tens of thousands survived.
"Damn it!" The Doctor gritted his teeth, his heart bleeding. He hated the World Government, but hated himself more. A million lives, just gone like that?
"For those infected by aberrations, who haven't lost their sanity but have partially transformed into non-human limbs, is there a way to reverse them back?" Rosen continued, thinking of Leah. She was like that.
And he knew that while she acted nonchalant on the surface, having more contact with the outside world made her very self-conscious about the spiny bone growths on her legs.
Everyone often went ashore together on island visits, but she rarely joined. Not just her, many Landisians were like this, even forming a dedicated military unit for their kind.
"It's impossible. The mutation is irreversible. But it can be ameliorated. This is also a sin I committed. I'll do my best to save them. Bring them to..." The Doctor stopped mid-sentence.
He looked at the unconscious guards on the floor, remembering that this man was an intruder. The Doctor himself didn't mind, but judging by his actions, he was likely a pirate.
Getting pirates here was highly unrealistic. No one knew this island's defensive strength better than him.
If all defensive measures were fully deployed, even a Marine Admiral might not escape. But such situations were rare, and they wouldn't activate everything just for a few fugitive pirates.
"Ameliorated? How?"
"The reason they mutated, but didn't become complete aberrations, is because their will and bodies were relatively strong. If supported by an even stronger Lineage Factor gene, though they wouldn't achieve immortality, the outcome could change. Over the years, I've been thinking. I could use enhancement-type biological genes to strengthen their bodies, but they must be human genes. That way, when changes occur, they'll tend towards human forms..."
"Enhancing physical abilities without monsterization? That's practically creating super soldiers. Hasn't the Navy asked you for this?" Rosen was taken aback.
"It's different. This wasn't researched for healthy humans, but as a preparation in case of future human mutation. Although I oppose and disapprove of initiating immortality experiments, I also know that someday, someone will be unable to resist trying. Immortality is too tempting. I shouldn't have written this stuff in the first place, and certainly shouldn't have let the World Government get their hands on it..." The Doctor was filled with regret.
"Please give me the formula for that gene serum. Don't try any tricks. I know the whole World Government treasures you, but I also haven't forgotten that you're a weapons development expert." Rosen was skeptical, but this was crucial for the mutated "warriors" of Lantis.
Many of them still couldn't integrate into society because their mutations were too obvious. If they appeared on a bustling island, they might be recognized, alerting the World Government that Landis's army still existed.
That would be disastrous.
"Weapons expert? Hah... how grating. Initially, I just wanted to invent things useful for human life." The Doctor was dejected, muttering bitterly to himself.
Rosen was silent.
All the formulas are in my head. I'll write them down for you. Have a seat first. I'm curious about you too...
Rosen sat as instructed, but remained vigilant, watching the Doctor closely. Then he probed, "Doctor, with the World Government's resources and your abilities, how long do you think it would take to conquer the world?"
The Doctor paused slightly at this question while writing, "Conquer the world? I don't have that kind of ability."
"No, you do. If you were willing, combined with the World Government's power, even the Emperors might not pose much threat in the future. I suspect that's the purpose of this island." Rosen was confident.
Just the artificial Devil Fruit technology alone gave Kaido a powerful army of ability users. Just the partial application of Lineage Factor made Germa 66 a dominant nation in its sea, with high-tech clone soldiers—absolutely loyal and powerful. Even Big Mom desired such forces.
Not to mention the Pacifistas recently unveiled to the world, and his understanding of Devil Fruits. What he could create in the future was unpredictable, with his intellect leading the era by five hundred years.
Five hundred years—more than half the World Government's history. The leap was terrifying. Simply put, most of this world's firepower was relatively backward, with sailboats still the mainstream.
Yet against this backdrop, such powerful cyborg warriors as the Pacifistas were born. Scientifically speaking, it was ahead of its time.
"You're clever. I don't know if the World Government will completely control the world, but perhaps total unification might be a good thing." The Doctor wasn't sure. The Doctor wasn't sure. If unification and military force couldn't suppress this era, then many things he created would exist not for peace, but for destruction.
This was a rationale he often used to convince himself. If he could help suppress the pirate age and help the World Government fully control the seas, maybe peace would come.
"Unification means relative peace. If that's your wish, your direction isn't wrong. But the question is, does peace align with the interests of those at the top..."
"What do you mean?" The Doctor's expression shifted. Was the World Government's goal not peace?
"Nothing, just a possible speculation. As far as I know, the easiest thing for a dictatorship to produce is a situation where personal whims and interests come first, with the nation and its people secondary. War and peace are just means to an end..." Rosen said calmly.
This Doctor truly harbored hopes for peace. He might even have named the Pacifistas himself.
But... The Doctor grew uneasy.
"Don't dwell on it. It's just a possibility. Actually, I'm wondering whether I should kill you right now. Leaving you alive poses too great a future threat to us. But taking you with me would probably make the World Government hunt us more fiercely than if we killed several Admirals. Troublesome..."
"Kill me? Why?" The Doctor couldn't understand what reason a pirate would have to kill him.
Taking him would bring greater benefit. But as he said, if he were taken, the World Government would wage any war at any cost.
Because they still hoped he could one day fulfill their wish for immortality.
"You'll understand later. While I have this chance, can you tell me the true nature of Devil Fruits? I imagine you've researched them thoroughly." Rosen was curious.
"No harm in telling you. One more person knowing or one less won't make much difference."
(End of Chapter)