Marine Science Unit Base, Punk Hazard.
Vegapunk stared at the row of crimson eyeballs in the petri dish before him, scratching vigorously at his sparse hair.
"How can this be... I successfully replicated them with just blood samples, yet ordinary people can't adapt to them..."
"It's too strange. The genetic sequence appears simple, but rewriting it is even more difficult than Devil Fruits!"
"Is it locked by something..."
...
While lost in thought, Sentomaru's voice came from the doorway.
"Uncle Vegapunk! Someone's here to see you. As the man with the world's tightest lips, I didn't tell him you were here!"
...
Vegapunk suddenly noticed abnormal fluctuations in the instruments. When he looked up...
Dozens of Sharingan in the petri dish all turned toward him simultaneously. The terrifying sight made him stumble and fall to the ground.
Griffin bent down to meet the fallen Vegapunk's gaze, then looked toward the giant petri dish.
...
"You've done well, Vegapunk."
——
The eyes seemed to possess their own vitality, emitting invisible, colorless waves of Eye Power that only Griffin could perceive.
Vegapunk had indeed successfully replicated the Sharingan, with each one being Three Tomoe level, possessing Eye Power equivalent to Griffin's from years past.
Having created replicas of the Fish-Fish Fruit using Kaido's Bloodline Factor (though with inconsistent coloration), replicating the Sharingan through Griffin's Bloodline Factor was even simpler.
However, unlike Devil Fruits that anyone can consume, using the Sharingan requires Chakra - a power that doesn't exist in this world.
...
To use an analogy, both Sharingan and Devil Fruits are like vehicles that need drivers. Devil Fruits only require 'stamina' as fuel to operate, while the Sharingan needs higher purity 'Chakra-grade oil' to function.
Vegapunk possessed technology far ahead of his time, but he didn't have the ability to cross worlds.
If he could develop Chakra without any clues, he would be even more remarkable than the Sage of Six Paths.
...
...
"The activity has significantly increased..." Vegapunk glanced at the instrument data before turning to Griffin.
"Though I don't know the reason, these eyes clearly require a special energy source to function, don't they?"
Griffin nodded. There was no point lying to someone as intelligent as Vegapunk: "Yes, I call it Eye Power."
"Eye Power... Not Haki, not Devil Fruit Ability, but a power unique to the eyes, like wrist strength... How marvelous."
Vegapunk leaned against the control panel, resting his large head sideways on the chair: "The Five Elders want me to create your clones to use these eyes."
"But I believe that without deciphering that unknown factor... without understanding this special power called Eye Power, creating clones would be useless."
"If they simply want combat power to maintain maritime order, I think it would be better to continue with the original Seven Warlords of the Sea human weapon project."
...
Griffin was momentarily surprised before smiling: "Can you casually tell me such things?"
Vegapunk waved his hand dismissively: "It doesn't matter. Everyone has the right to know about scientific achievements... and history too."
Griffin pretended not to hear Vegapunk's deliberately lowered words, pressing his palm against the glass wall of the culture dish.
Two of them, drawn by an invisible force, detached from the culture dish and landed in Griffin's palm.
Griffin carefully assessed them. If this had been over two years ago, the quality of these eyes would have been perfectly suitable as replacements for his own.
But now it was different...
At this level, they could only be used as consumables for Izanagi.
...
Not bad, but not enough.
Griffin reached toward the Sharingan in the culture dish, his palm emitting a fluorescent blue Chakra that seeped into the eyeballs.
This energy...
Vegapunk's pupils contracted sharply. His lifelong dream had been to create a world where energy could be freely shared, devoting himself to the development of "infinite energy."
In that instant, he keenly sensed a certain possibility...
...
After infusing the Sharingan in the culture dish with Chakra, Griffin turned his head and smiled faintly. "This should do. You can tell the Five Elders you've achieved a technological breakthrough. Given their knowledge base, they won't be able to tell the difference anyway."
"Even ordinary people can use the Sharingan, but there's one thing to note: the eyes will gradually go blind with use."
Making them consumables would ensure the World Government continued to invest money, and they needed to be given a taste of success too.
...
Vegapunk remained silent for a moment, his long tongue licking his dry lips. "Now it's my turn to ask you..."
"Mr. Griffin, such a miraculous power—are you really showing it to me so casually?!"
Sharing!
Vegapunk was absolutely certain that the blue energy possessed the characteristic of sharing!!
Energy that could be freely transferred between people...
Wasn't that the ultimate mystery he had been pursuing!
...
Griffin looked at Vegapunk, a dangerous smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"I have great trust in you, Mr. Vegapunk..."
"But you might become untrustworthy due to 'desire.' I have no choice but to place a restraint on you. Please understand."
...
Vegapunk stared blankly as the three Comma-shaped Jewels in Griffin's eyes rotated and connected.
A flash of crimson swept through the laboratory, and three Comma-shaped Jewels faded in Vegapunk's eyes.
——
——
Half an hour later, Griffin walked out, breathing somewhat heavily.
Vegapunk's innate genius intellect, combined with having eaten the 'Brain-Brain Fruit,' meant the amount of information stored in his brain was astonishing.
It had developed to the point where he needed to separate his brain to create a giant storage warehouse.
He also created six clones representing aspects of his own personality because he couldn't handle multiple research projects simultaneously.
Among them, York, who represented 'desire,' was the one who ultimately caused his death.
...
Griffin couldn't use the Sharingan to forcibly control Vegapunk. He wasn't a combatant, and a scientist with controlled thoughts would be useless.
What he did was plant a suggestion in Vegapunk's mind—a compulsion never to mention Griffin's uniqueness to anyone, not even realizing it himself.
If not for his current eyes, Griffin wouldn't have been able to accomplish such a thing.
...
Really... more exhausting than fighting powerful enemies for days on end. I'm just not cut out for delicate work.
...
At the doorway, Doll looked at Griffin as he walked out supporting his waist, her expression strange.
She had captured Pirates from the red-light district a few times and had seen similar movements.
"Was cooperating with the experiment... that exhausting?"
It was an experiment, right? There weren't any beautiful lab assistants in there, were there?
...
"Yeah, they drew a lot of blood. Help me write a report later. I'm going to ask Sengoku for funding."
Ah... so it's just drawing blood...
Doll clenched her fists and snorted: "That Vegapunk, does he think he can do whatever he wants just because he's the head of the science division? He doesn't consider others' physical condition at all!"
"When we get back, I'm going to impeach him for harming his colleagues!"
...
...
Even with Griffin's thick skin, he felt somewhat embarrassed.
"Well... let's forget about the impeachment. A couple of good meals will make up for it."
——
"Where should we go next? Should we return to headquarters to report?"
Doll followed Griffin onto the ship and asked.
Stretching his shoulders and neck, Griffin smiled faintly: "I'm not interested in listening to their boring meetings. Speaking of the Marines' duties..."
"Come on, let's go hunt down Red Hair!"
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