Chapter 147 — The First Gene Analyzer
S.C. 1511 — Early March
Hidden Island — Bio Lab Section
The new section of the island lab was quiet—too quiet compared to the hot clang of yesterday's forge.
Glass vials lined the wooden shelves.
A hand-spun centrifuge sat half-finished on the main table.
The metal frame of Ren's microscope prototype gleamed faintly in the lamplight.
Ren adjusted the base screw again.
It still felt loose.
He frowned.
"…Tighten by one-eighth."
He turned the screw exactly one-eighth.
Perfect.
Zemo wagged his tail proudly, as if he'd contributed.
Microscope V1 — A Working Lens
Kiro walked in carrying a box of sand-polished glass pieces from Foosha's beach workshop.
"They're done," he said. "Took half a day, but the glassmaker finally agreed."
Ren smiled. "Good. This should be enough to finish the test lenses."
He sifted through the pieces.
Thin.
Clear.
Uniform enough.
Not perfect, but usable.
Using a hand-grinder connected to his small battery motor, Ren shaped the glass into two circular lenses—one convex, one flat.
Kiro watched, mesmerized.
"Every time I think you can't build something new, you surprise me again."
Ren shrugged lightly. "It's just glass. The challenge is precision."
Once the lenses were set into the metal tube, Ren adjusted the focal ring.
He placed a strand of Zemo's fur under the plate.
Kiro leaned over.
"What do you see?"
Ren peered through the eyepiece…
And his breath caught.
Hair fibers.
Detailed cuticle patterns.
Microscopic dust grains.
Not the finest resolution, but enough to see what the naked eye never could.
Ren stepped aside.
"Look."
Kiro pressed his eye to the lens—
"Whoa… Ren… this is insane! The hair looks like rope!"
Zemo barked proudly again, assuming he deserved praise.
Hand-Spun Centrifuge — Testing Impurities
Next came the centrifuge.
Ren attached a small crank handle and fixed the glass tubes into a wooden rotor.
"Hold it steady," he said.
Kiro gripped the base firmly.
Ren turned the crank.
Slowly at first.
Then faster.
Whirrrrrr—
The tubes spun rapidly.
Ren lowered the handle.
"Stop."
The tubes settled.
At the bottom of one:
oily residue
tiny sediment particles
a thin layer of clearer liquid on top
Kiro whistled.
"That separated really clean."
Ren nodded, pleased.
"This will help us separate plant extracts. Test impurities. Maybe even study blood cells later."
Kiro blinked. "Blood?"
"Eventually," Ren replied without expression.
Zemo decided this was the right moment to drop a mouse on the table.
Kiro flinched. "Gah—Zemo, don't—!"
Ren calmly picked up the mouse by the tail and set it aside.
"Zemo thinks he's helping."
Foosha Interruption — Makino's Concern
Makino arrived at the cave entrance with a basket of food.
"Boys? Ren? I brought lunch—oh my goodness!"
She stared at the spinning centrifuge, the metal tubes, the glass plates.
"Ren… what is all this?"
"Tools," Ren answered simply. "For studying plants."
Makino gave a long look that clearly said she did not believe that.
She set the basket on the table.
"You're working too hard. All of you. Eat."
Ren paused from adjusting the microscope.
"…Thank you," he said.
Makino ruffled Zemo's ears.
Zemo leaned into her hand with bliss.
"Try not to blow anything up," she sighed.
Kiro coughed. "No promises."
Gene Analyzer Prototype — The First Test
After lunch, Ren opened a new wooden case.
Inside were:
thin copper wires
graphite rods
a simple battery pack
glass plates
KEA fragments
two metal clamps
He assembled them into a small stand.
Kiro watched quietly.
"What's this one?"
"A crude gene analyzer," Ren replied.
"…A what?"
Ren placed a drop of plant sap onto a glass strip.
"Different biological samples react differently to electrical current. If I can measure the resistance and color change, I can categorize them."
Kiro blinked.
"So… a plant detector."
"Close enough."
Ren placed the strip on the metal stand, connected the wires, and gently activated the battery.
A faint hum.
The sap glowed slightly under heat.
A thin line darkened across the glass.
Ren recorded the color change and time.
Kiro leaned close. "Does that mean it works?"
"It means it responds. Real analysis will take more trials."
Zemo barked once.
Ren nodded.
"Tomorrow," he said, "we start categorizing everything."
Village Connection — Evening Return
When Ren and Kiro returned to Foosha for the evening, villagers waved from the docks.
Old man Haru asked Ren,
"You're building something new again, aren't you?"
Ren gave a polite smile.
"Just tools."
Haru nodded knowingly. "Tools that will save this island someday."
Makino overheard and flushed slightly.
She glanced at Ren with a softer expression.
"You really don't stop working, do you?"
Ren shrugged. "It's satisfying."
Makino smiled.
"And exhausting. Don't forget that part."
Zemo barked agreeing.
Night — Quiet Notes
Back home, Ren wrote in his notebook:
Microscope: functioning
Centrifuge: stable
Gene analyzer: early prototype
Next steps:
• refine lenses
• plant sample catalog
• blood analysis equipment
• enzyme extraction test
• equipment for gene mapping
He closed the notebook.
Zemo curled at his feet.
Kiro's excited face, Makino's worry, Luffy's shell, the villagers' trust—
They all drifted through Ren's mind.
Today wasn't dramatic.
But it was progress.
Real progress.
End of Chapter 147