—Broadcast —
Rome - Scientific Research Facility
Plague Queen represented a particular type of scientific madman—one whose obsession with biological transformation exceeded all rational boundaries or ethical considerations. His fascination with animal physiology and hybrid anatomy made him deliberately abandon the path of complete mechanical augmentation that someone like Victor pursued. Instead, Queen chose alternative route toward what he termed "physical ascension"—forced evolutionary advancement through surgical intervention and alchemical manipulation.
Caesar Clown, Queen's former MADS colleague, had also worked for the Beasts Pirates during certain period—approximately two years serving as contracted researcher. During that tenure, he'd developed artificial Devil Fruits that functioned essentially as biological blind boxes: random Zoan transformations with unpredictable results and severe limitations compared to genuine articles.
The artificial fruits caused tremendous suffering among unlucky Beasts Pirates crew members selected as test subjects. Many experienced catastrophic rejection reactions, others gained useless or grotesque animal traits, and some died screaming as their bodies rejected the foreign transformation entirely. Caesar's perfunctory approach to quality control—his deliberate sabotage disguised as incompetence—ensured the Zoan legion Kaido pursued remained disappointingly half-baked in actual combat effectiveness.
The Beasts Pirates would eventually realize how thoroughly they'd been deceived, Caesar reflected with dark satisfaction. Setting such obvious trap for one of the Four Emperors' organizations and having them fall for it so completely—that represented my finest work with them.
As the Beasts Pirates' only remaining senior scientist after Caesar's departure, Queen recognized that artificial Devil Fruits didn't represent viable long-term solution for creating elite combat force. The fruits' limitations became increasingly apparent with each generation of failed subjects. He needed something revolutionary—something that could genuinely transform ordinary combatants into superhuman warriors.
During excavation of ancient ruins in Wano Country's deepest regions—sites dating back centuries, possibly even touching the Void Century's forgotten knowledge—Queen encountered fragmented records describing an ancient experiment called the Ascension Ceremony.
He'd begun preparing human experimentation protocols immediately, treating the discovery like divine revelation. The concept consumed him completely: forcibly accelerating evolution through systematic intervention, creating hybrid beings that transcended their original biological limitations.
During the experimental process, many innocent races became Queen's failed subjects. The evil scientist didn't discriminate in his appetite for test subjects—any unique biology, any interesting physiology, any creature displaying unusual characteristics might end up strapped to his surgical table. Mink members, Fish-Men, various rare animal species, even captured humans with distinctive features—all fed into Queen's relentless experimentation.
Judging from actual results, even Admiral Kennen Kennen—despite achieving functional survival and developing apocalyptic combat capabilities—still represented a failure by Queen's exacting standards. The three-way fusion hadn't produced the seamless integration the scientist desired. Too much internal conflict, too much psychological fragmentation, too much evidence of separate beings fighting for dominance.
The Ascension Ceremony that created Kennen had combined three specific subjects locked together for the experimental protocol:
1. A yellow-skinned mouse species capable of electrical discharge - Small rodent with childlike intelligence but remarkable bioelectrical generation capabilities.
2. A Devil Fruit user who called himself a god - Specifically, the previous holder of the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit), whose arrogant personality and supernatural lightning manipulation provided second electrical source.
3. A special Mink member - Technically classified as Yordle subtype, following the Beasts Pirates during certain campaign, possessing natural electrical discharge capabilities that distinguished him from standard Minks.
All three had been imprisoned together, their bodies and consciousness forcibly merged through the Ascension Ceremony's horrifying protocols. The result—while generating unprecedented hybrid electrical manipulation—proved too unstable for Queen's ultimate purposes. The constant personality conflicts, the medication dependency, the inevitable merger approaching as consciousness boundaries eroded—these represented flaws undermining the technique's military applications.
However, despite categorizing Kennen as failure, the experiment provided Queen with invaluable data. The systematic documentation of what worked and what failed, the physiological measurements tracking fusion progression, the neurological scans mapping consciousness integration—all this information allowed the scientist developing simplified version of the Ascension Ceremony.
The new protocol minimized psychological side effects as much as possible while retaining the Zoan-type essence that Kaido valued so highly. Rather than merging complete consciousnesses, the simplified version integrated only biological capabilities and instincts—granting enhanced physical prowess without creating multiple warring personalities within single skull.
"Most of the Beasts Pirates' crew members have completed the Ascension Test over the past year," Caesar Clown explained to Vegapunk, his voice carrying professional detachment discussing what amounted to systematic violation of hundreds of individuals. "The organizational restructuring following widespread experimentation created new classification system based on successful integration."
The classification hierarchy emerged as follows:
Beast Soldiers (Lowest Tier): Basic crew members who'd undergone simplified Ascension and survived with enhanced capabilities. Stronger than artificial Devil Fruit users but not approaching true elite status. These represented Queen's mass-produced augmented infantry—expendable combatants whose enhanced durability and strength made them superior to conventional pirates.
Special Beast Soldiers (Mid Tier): Ascension subjects who'd reached power levels comparable to the Tobiroppo—the Flying Six who served as Beasts Pirates' officer corps. These warriors possessed sufficient mastery over their augmented capabilities to utilize them tactically rather than relying on pure enhanced physicality.
Beast God Generals (Highest Tier): Ascension subjects achieving disaster-level combat prowess—strength rivaling the Three Calamities themselves. These represented Queen's ultimate successes: warriors whose forced evolution had pushed them into genuinely apocalyptic power categories.
"This represents roughly what I know about the beast soldiers' capabilities across different classifications," Caesar admitted, spreading his hands to indicate limited information. "But the fat bastard Queen deliberately withheld detailed specifications from me. Trade secrets, he claimed—though more likely he feared I'd replicate his techniques and undercut his monopoly on the process."
However, certain facts remained indisputable regardless of Queen's secrecy. The most basic Beast Soldier proved significantly stronger than the most basic artificial Devil Fruit user—the enhancement gap wasn't marginal but fundamental. With such terrifying individual combat quality distributed throughout the Beasts Pirates' entire crew structure, ordinary pirate organizations or even small Marine detachments couldn't dare approaching Wano Country's territorial waters without suicidal intent.
The Beasts Pirates had transformed from merely dangerous pirate organization into something approaching military superpower—every crew member enhanced beyond normal human limitations, creating force that could potentially challenge even Marine Headquarters if deployed strategically.
Dr. Vegapunk turned his gaze toward the sleeping Admiral Kennen, his distinctive features displaying profound sadness as he regarded this ill-fated experimental subject. He could offer only the most basic sympathy for someone who'd suffered such catastrophic violation. As for actually separating the three beings merged within Kennen's body—even the world's strongest scientist felt genuinely helpless before that challenge.
Queen created something I cannot undo, Vegapunk's thoughts acknowledged with bitter frustration. For all my genius, for all my technological advantages, I lack the specific knowledge required for reversing this particular atrocity. The Ascension Ceremony's complete specifications remain fragmented, scattered across ancient texts I haven't accessed.
"But I discovered something unexpected during Kennen's comprehensive examinations," Caesar Clown announced suddenly, his tone shifting toward conspiratorial excitement. The chief scientist leaned forward, eyes gleaming with enthusiasm that suggested he was about to reveal something genuinely shocking. "When conducting full neurological mapping, I detected evidence of a fourth consciousness existing within his mind—separate from Kennen, Pikachu, or Enel's personalities."
Caesar immediately gestured for all auxiliary personnel to vacate the laboratory space. He wanted discussing this topic with Vegapunk privately, away from subordinates who lacked appropriate security clearances or scientific understanding. The implications of this discovery demanded absolute discretion.
After ensuring complete privacy—doors sealed, monitoring equipment disabled, no witnesses remaining—Caesar continued with barely suppressed excitement.
"I believe the fourth consciousness originates from the Devil Fruit itself," Caesar stated bluntly. "Not merely passive supernatural energy or ambient power—but genuine independent will. If Devil Fruits can be proved scientifically to possess their own consciousness, their own goals, their own agency... the implications revolutionize everything we understand about their nature."
The hypothesis emerged from accumulated evidence and disturbing patterns Caesar had observed throughout his career. "Consider: It might not be the user who chooses which Devil Fruit they consume. Perhaps the Devil Fruit chooses its user through mechanisms we don't understand—subtle influence over circumstances, unconscious attraction toward compatible candidates, deliberate positioning to ensure specific individuals encounter specific fruits."
Caesar's voice dropped to near-whisper, as though speaking heresy that might summon divine punishment. "The fruits' power being hated by the Mother Sea—rejected by the ocean itself—there must exist deeper meaning behind that fundamental antipathy. What if the fruits represent external consciousness attempting to colonize our reality? Parasitic intelligence from elsewhere seeking host bodies?"
The scientist's expression turned genuinely unsettling as he articulated his darkest speculation. "If a Devil Fruit could one day completely take over the body of someone with special abilities—the demon living permanently in place of the former master's consciousness—I think this might have already happened somewhere on these seas. We simply haven't recognized the signs because we weren't looking for them."
Caesar Clown had only glimpsed the corner of this unknown territory, barely scratching its surface. He was desperately eager to show off before Vegapunk, demonstrating that he'd discovered something the legendary genius had overlooked. But he failed noticing how the big-tongued old man's face transformed during the explanation—color draining away, expression turning genuinely frightened.
"This is a topic that neither you nor I can safely touch," Vegapunk stated with absolute severity, his voice carrying weight that silenced Caesar's enthusiasm immediately. "If outsiders learned you were researching Devil Fruit consciousness—particularly if certain parties discovered your investigations—it would bring catastrophic disaster upon you. I'm not exaggerating or being melodramatic. This represents genuine existential threat."
The image of Saint Jaygarcia Saturn flashed through Vegapunk's mind with visceral intensity. He'd worked alongside this particular Five Elders member for extended period, collaborating on the second-generation Seraph Homelander's development. Throughout their partnership, Vegapunk had always sensed something profoundly wrong about Saturn—a fundamental incongruity between the man's surface presentation and his underlying nature.
The extreme animality suppressing his humanity, Vegapunk's thoughts catalogued with growing horror. The way his eyes sometimes reflected completely inhuman consciousness. The occasional verbal slips suggesting knowledge predating his supposed birth. If Saint Saturn represents a Devil Fruit consciousness that successfully took over a human host—if the Five Elders discovered we were investigating this phenomenon...
The old man couldn't complete that thought without genuine terror gripping his chest. Some secrets killed everyone who learned them. Some knowledge proved too dangerous for even geniuses to pursue safely.
After recognizing the situation's genuine seriousness—reading Vegapunk's fear as validation rather than mere caution—Caesar Clown immediately ceased his research into Devil Fruit consciousness. Even his reckless ambition possessed limits when confronted with threats that might attract Five Elders' personal attention.
Vegapunk already knew too many dangerous secrets. The Anti-Life Equation alone represented knowledge that could justify his assassination if World Government leadership fully understood its implications. He absolutely didn't want leaving this world prematurely before completing that research—before deciding whether activating such apocalyptic technique represented necessary evil or unforgivable sin.
"Putting aside whether Devil Fruits possess genuine consciousness," Caesar pivoted toward safer ground, "I can definitively state that compatibility matters tremendously based on various samples I've collected over years. Some ability users demonstrate remarkably high synchronization with their Devil Fruits—natural harmony suggesting predestined pairing. Others show poor compatibility despite consuming powerful fruits."
Caesar gestured self-deprecatingly. "My own Gasu Gasu no Mi (Gas-Gas Fruit) compatibility registers disappointingly low. I'm a Logia-type user whose combat capabilities fall far behind other Logia users of comparable experience. The way I utilize the Gas-Gas Fruit could be described as wasteful—unique distinction across these entire oceans."
Fortunately, Caesar consoled himself privately, I don't rely on Devil Fruit power for professional standing. My scientific expertise represents everything. The gas manipulation merely saves time during airless experimental procedures—convenient laboratory tool rather than combat foundation.
"However, several individuals within the Marine demonstrate compatibility exceeding eighty percent with their respective Devil Fruits," Caesar continued, referencing his classified research data. "Including the three current Admirals: Sakazuki with his Magu Magu no Mi, Kuzan with his Hie Hie no Mi, and Borsalino with his Pika Pika no Mi. Each exhibits near-perfect synchronization with their fruits' inherent properties."
Then Caesar reached his most shocking discovery—the measurement that had initially made him question his equipment's calibration.
"As for Admiral Wendy—the Sky Dragon Devil Fruit user—her compatibility rating approaches ninety percent. When I first measured that result, I genuinely believed my instruments had malfunctioned. Such extraordinarily high compatibility seemed statistically impossible."
The implications staggered imagination. Ninety percent synchronization meant Wendy and her Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Seiryū existed in almost perfect harmony—two entities so naturally compatible that boundaries between user and fruit barely existed.
"This explains from scientific perspective why Wendy unleashed full Devil Fruit capabilities almost immediately after consumption," Caesar reasoned aloud. "She completely skipped the training process that occupies most users for years or even decades. The Mythical Zoan's powers manifested instantly, fully developed, because her consciousness and the fruit's nature aligned so perfectly that no adjustment period was required."
Caesar's certainty intensified as he considered broader implications. "People like Admiral Wendy—individuals whose Devil Fruits demonstrate such extraordinary compatibility—definitely aren't uncommon across these seas. Which brings us back to the previous forbidden topic: Do Devil Fruits genuinely possess self-awareness that allows them selecting optimal hosts?"
Vegapunk finally couldn't bear the provocation any longer. Despite his terror about researching this area, despite his warnings to Caesar, the scientist in him demanded providing framework for understanding the phenomenon without explicitly confirming the consciousness hypothesis.
"Listen carefully because I won't repeat this," Vegapunk stated with absolute authority. "Express these insights however you like, but never explicitly research Devil Fruit consciousness. Some knowledge kills everyone who pursues it systematically."
Caesar nodded eagerly, recognizing he was about to receive wisdom from the world's greatest genius.
"The relationship between Devil Fruit user and their fruit's power can be conceptualized through simple metaphor: The King and the Mount."
Vegapunk's voice carried professorial cadence as he explained the framework he'd developed through decades observing ability users.
"For example, Admiral Wendy represents her own King—her consciousness, her will, her identity remains absolutely dominant. The Sky Dragon Devil Fruit serves as her Mount—tremendous power she controls completely, riding its capabilities toward her chosen destinations. The fruit enhances her strength but never threatens her autonomy."
The old scientist's expression turned grave as he described the dangerous alternative.
"However, some weaker-willed individuals reverse this natural order. The Devil Fruit becomes the King—the dominant consciousness dictating behavior and suppressing original personality. The ability user degrades into mere Mount—vehicle carrying the fruit's will rather than their own. This represents essential difference between two states, with profound long-term consequences."
The distinction wasn't merely philosophical but carried genuine practical implications for power development.
"When a Devil Fruit takes over the body—becoming the King and reducing the original consciousness to servitude—it generates huge benefits in the short term. Instant power access, immediate mastery of complex techniques, combat effectiveness that would normally require decades of training. But this represents borrowing from future potential, mortgaging long-term growth for immediate capability."
Vegapunk's warning intensified. "Over extended periods, allowing the fruit to dominate gradually overdraws the ability user's potential—consuming developmental capacity that should have fueled natural growth. It weakens the upper limit of how effectively they can ultimately utilize their Devil Fruit, creating ceiling they can never breach regardless of training or experience."
The alternative path—maintaining one's own consciousness as King—proved far more challenging but infinitely more rewarding.
"Only when the user becomes their own King—maintaining absolute dominance over the Mount beneath them—can they push their Devil Fruit capabilities to the strongest level achievable during any given period. This approach allows the fruit developing higher levels of potential because the user's growing strength pulls the fruit's capabilities upward rather than being constrained by the fruit's inherent limitations."
Caesar Clown absorbed this framework with growing understanding and uncomfortable self-awareness. "It seems I'm destined remaining a Mount," he admitted with rare honesty. "According to your theoretical model, if I wanted becoming a King instead, I'd need either regressing to what Freud termed the Id realm—operating on pure instinct without conscious restraint—or advancing to the Superego realm—achieving perfect self-mastery and integration. There exists no intermediate option between these extremes."
The psychological terminology referenced fundamental concepts about consciousness development. Most people remained perpetually stuck in the Ego stage—balancing between base instincts and higher ideals without truly mastering either, creating permanent internal conflict that prevented them from ever becoming genuine Kings capable of dominating their Devil Fruit Mounts.
"The King and Mount relationship fundamentally represents complementary partnership," Vegapunk clarified. "Neither can exist effectively without the other in Devil Fruit context. But the hierarchy between them determines whether the user develops toward their maximum potential or becomes permanently trapped below their theoretical ceiling."