Though he had temporarily shifted his research focus, the creation of that single "Delusion" seemed to be an isolated case. His subsequent attempts to replicate it only yielded inert stones with strong resistance to change.
The power of lightning seemed locked within the gem's interior.
"It feels like a battery," Ren thought.
Actually, it wasn't just a feeling—it was fact. He had tried connecting two steel wires to both ends and found that electricity indeed flowed through it.
However, Ren was well aware that this thing might not operate on the same principles as a battery. But that didn't matter—at minimum, they served the same function.
Perhaps this could help bring Kuri into the electrical age. Ren even had bolder ideas—prototype series.
Prototype Raijin?
Of course, research had never been his strong suit. Searching all of Kuri or even all of Wano wouldn't turn up anyone knowledgeable in such matters.
If any of these people understood gravity, Ren would be impressed.
However, while such talent didn't exist in Wano, it did exist overseas.
This was a world with bizarre technological development. On the surface, it appeared stuck in the medieval era, but in certain aspects, it had advanced considerably.
Even putting aside Vegapunk, called "500 years ahead of the world," many others possessed difficult-to-understand technologies.
Human modification, pure gold, Pluton...
Human modification and Pluton could still be explained by science, but pure gold was something that bordered on the mystical. Ren felt calling it alchemy wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Before the World Government ruled this world, even more ancient civilizations existed. Some of their creations couldn't be explained by current science.
If Devil Fruit power could be combined with scientific power, there might be unexpected results.
Unfortunately, as those ancient civilizations met their end, the technology they left behind seemed to vanish completely.
"Tree of Omniscience..." Ren murmured.
Originally, he hadn't thought much of this place. In his impression, the scholars of the Tree of Omniscience were mostly historians.
They were more inclined toward humanities and social sciences rather than natural sciences.
The Tree of Omniscience was over 5,000 years old. It should have recorded the history and technology of the Great Kingdom, but now these were untraceable.
The World Government had likely erased not just history but also advanced technology.
Otherwise, those scholars wouldn't have been wiped out so helplessly. In fact, among the famous scientists who came later, including Vegapunk, none seemed to have come from Ohara.
This allowed Ren to calm down.
Rather than focusing on the Tree of Omniscience, he might as well turn his attention to the bottom of Wano's inland sea. There, another treasure awaited excavation.
—The Ancient Weapon, Pluton!
Ren wasn't particularly interested in Pluton itself, but he could draw upon its technology and modify it.
He acted on the thought immediately. So, in addition to training, Dvalin gained another daily task—salvaging Pluton from the inland sea.
Ren had dived down with Dvalin once, but Pluton's volume was simply too massive.
This was a gigantic battleship, extremely difficult to lift from the sea. And even if lifted, it would be hard to avoid attracting attention.
Pluton wasn't the only secret buried in these deep waters. Ren wasn't interested in non-technological things.
But he felt he could build an underwater laboratory in the inland sea specifically for researching Pluton.
However, this was a major undertaking. Even putting everything else aside, he had no research personnel.
"Looks like I'll need Higurashi to find some researchers." Ren immediately contacted Kurozumi Higurashi.
After the Den Den Mushi rang a few times and made a "baka" sound, its appearance transformed into Kurozumi Higurashi.
"R-Ren-sama..." Kurozumi Higurashi's voice sounded strange. It seemed tinged with fear.
This forced Ren to set aside what he had been doing.
"Something seems off about you. What happened, Higurashi?"
"A-a small complication has arisen, Ren-sama." She replied. "I am already working to resolve it with all my might."
Through the Den Den Mushi, Ren could see Kurozumi Higurashi's posture had become even more humble.
At this moment, Kurozumi Higurashi felt immense guilt and anger inside. The guilt was toward Ren, because she had failed at a task he had given her.
"What exactly happened?" Ren wasn't satisfied with her answer.
"Yes!" On the other end of the line, Kurozumi Higurashi nearly pressed her hunched back to the floor.
Her dry, raspy voice trembled as she replied. "Ten thousand apologies, Ren-sama. We have lost the Vampire Fruit. A group of pirates encountered our returning ship, and the fruit was taken from us."
"Hm?"
Hearing the cold voice at his ear, Kurozumi Higurashi quickly lowered her head even further.
She spoke with utter subservience. "Please do not worry, Ren-sama. I have already dispatched all our forces to pursue them. Kozuki Oden and the others are on their way as well. We will certainly recover the fruit!"
In this moment, Kurozumi Higurashi felt overwhelming guilt. As a servant, she had failed at the task Ren had entrusted to her.
Even death wouldn't be enough to make amends for her failure.
It was precisely because of this that Kurozumi Higurashi hadn't chosen to tell Ren immediately when the incident occurred. Instead, she had planned to recover it through her own power.
This matter shouldn't require Ren's concern.
But in reality, this was a foolish decision. Who could guarantee that fruit wouldn't be eaten by someone else?
Ren's voice grew cold. "Tell me your location, and the identity and location of those pirates."
Kurozumi Higurashi quickly provided both her location and that of the pirates.
Her own location wasn't important—what mattered was the pirates' location. And the trouble lay there.
These people were subordinates of Rocks.
Currently, over half of the great pirates in the New World had been brought under Rocks' banner. Shiki, Big Mom, Whitebeard, Kaido, Wang Zhi...
Even after Rocks' downfall, they had dominated these seas for nearly forty years.
Strictly speaking, the Marines and World Government had never truly eliminated the Rocks Pirates. They had only eliminated the threat of Rocks himself.
"That guy... is he still making enemies even at death's door?" Ren said coldly.
However, he also understood this incident definitely wasn't ordered by Rocks himself—it was an accident.
Simply put, pirates under his command had happened to spot Kurozumi Higurashi's ship and decided to practice their original trade.
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