Within a pale golden domain, inside a core laboratory sealed layer upon layer.
The scientific research led by Vegapunk, with Ren, Law, and the others assisting, finally came to an official end.
Everyone looked utterly exhausted, because this research had lasted for roughly a year before the final result was produced.
Law withdrew his ROOM space. Vegapunk picked up a glass cover, sealed the result inside it, then handed it to Ren.
It was something shaped like a heart, yet radiating golden light.
"This is the result you wanted."
Vegapunk's expression was complicated—emotional, wistful, and carrying a trace of expectation.
The result he handed to Ren might very well be the greatest masterpiece of his entire life.
Only he, as a scientist, truly understood just how many unbelievable prizes had been consumed during this research.
Although converted into Beli, it was only around ten billion or so, those materials had all been things that the old him could only encounter by chance and never seek out.
Whether there would ever be such a level of support again in the future was another question entirely.
But no matter what, he had delivered an answer sheet so strict and perfect that no flaw could be found.
"The Heart of the Blazing Sun. It integrates Mother Flame technology, Seraphim technology, Lineage Factor technology, and those miraculous tools of yours.
"To be honest, even I never imagined I would create such a culmination of everything."
Vegapunk said, "It is an infinite energy source in the truest sense. Its output power is twice that of the original Mother Flame, and it is even more terrifying and violent.
"When you fuse with it, the Lunarian race's innate talent will use the heart as its source, continuously altering your body's innate qualities.
"In doing so, it will grant you a physique with no upper limit in adapting to the power of the Heart of the Blazing Sun.
"You must understand that even though the original Lunarian race possessed extraordinary innate talent, their flesh still could not withstand the power of the Mother Flame.
"Even for the original version, my idea was to install it inside a city and use it to power an entire kingdom.
"But this thing has twice the output power, and at the same time, it can endure the innate physique produced by your More-More Fruit's hundredfold amplification.
"If not for those unbelievable things you provided, I'm afraid I would never have had any possibility of producing such a terrifying result.
"In addition, I integrated every Lineage Factor I could control into the heart. It will produce golden blood to replace your original blood.
"At the same time, it will combine and qualitatively transform together with the traits you mentioned, forming an effect far beyond what existed before…"
Vegapunk continued explaining.
Ren kept nodding, but in truth, his gaze was fixed on the long list that had popped up from the Dimensional Roulette.
.
[Heart of the Blazing Sun]
[Origin: One Piece Dimension]
[Type: Hybrid Rule Creation]
[Effect: A research result led by Vegapunk, combining multiple technologies, Rule Creations, and a large number of items.
It was unified under an extremely special environment and under the influence of the Ope-Ope Fruit's spatial ability.
Its method of use is to implant it into the chest and replace the heart. Afterward, it will completely fuse with the subject, combining with the body's traits to form a corresponding qualitative transformation.]
[Cost: None]
.
The description was extremely brief, because only by implanting this heart could the things custom-made according to Ren's traits truly undergo qualitative transformation and form their results.
After Vegapunk finished his explanation, Law supported him and took him back to rest.
Ren held the glass cover containing the Heart of the Blazing Sun, left the research institute, and simultaneously dispelled Space-Time: The Creator Domain.
The card was being filed away. He glanced at the sky. It was currently night.
Unable to wait any longer, Ren flew above the clouds.
High above the firmament, he opened the glass cover and shoved that golden heart into his chest.
The golden heart beat once. His original heart vaporized and vanished, and then the Heart of the Blazing Sun replaced it and implanted itself into Ren's body.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The heartbeat sounded within his chest. Golden blood surged out, and an abnormal sensation spread through his senses before becoming a tsunami-like sweep.
The violent energy vaporized his entire body. Then, a new shell reappeared within golden flames.
Evolution began!
One new trait after another refreshed within his perception, undergoing datafication and integration.
.
[I Am the Blazing Sun]
[Description: Your heart has already transformed into an eternal, ceaseless solar wheel. From this moment on, you are an incarnation of the blazing sun walking upon the earth.]
[Effect: Can provide endless solar energy and grants mastery over the power of the blazing sun.]
[Remark: The blazing sun descends!]
.
For Ren, who possessed Meteor Burst and the More-More Fruit, this ability was undoubtedly the most important and most terrifying one.
He no longer needed Judgment's main cannon, nor did he need to draw energy from the outside world.
He himself was the sun!
.
[Walking Sun]
[Description: Born from the combination of gigantification technology with traits such as Giantization and Size at Will. By beating the heart and liberating the power of the sun,
it forms a descending blazing sun, bringing destruction down upon the mortal world.]
[Effect: Forms a Solar Wheel of corresponding scale according to the energy invested, and proportionally increases related parameters.]
[Remark: Burning mountains and boiling seas is but a single thought!]
[Body of the Sun God]
[Description: A trait formed with the Indestructible Vajra Glazed Body as its foundation, integrating Immortal, Designated Immunity, Lineage Factor technology, Lunarian race technology, Rule Creations, and more.
The sun nourishes all things, and therefore embraces all things.]
[Effect: You can withstand solar energy without upper limit. At the same time, you can release a layer of Sun Garment externally. Within the range that solar energy can affect, all attacks will be melted.]
.
The datafication refresh abruptly stopped here.
These three traits were what Ren obtained by implanting the Heart of the Blazing Sun. Compared with his original dense mass of traits, it seemed somewhat meager.
But only he himself knew how terrifying the combination of these three truly was.
Ren flew high into the sky, reaching a position even higher than ten thousand meters. Then, there, he beat his heart and liberated the power of the sun.
Endless light surged out, lighting up a blazing sun in the pitch-black sky. He once again used the power of the More-More Fruit.
The blazing sun expanded madly by a hundredfold, instantly filling the entire firmament where it stood.
In the depths of night, a sun suddenly rose.
The Skypiean residents above the sea of clouds, who had originally sunk into their dreams, walked out of their homes with blank faces. In utter astonishment, they discovered that the night had turned into day.
The light was extremely bright, but it did not burn them. Instead, it continued downward.
It pierced through the sea of clouds and shone into the Blue Sea. The Grand Line turned from night into day.
.
"Is it dawn?"
Sas, who had been working at his desk, stared out the window in shock. Then he leapt up and rushed into Haredas's room, waking his teacher, who had only just fallen asleep not long ago.
Then all of Weatheria fell into chaos. A group of Weather Scholars hurriedly got up in panic, then frantically recorded this unprecedented weather anomaly.
"This kind of celestial phenomenon has never been seen before. It must have great research value."
"How exactly did it appear? Hurry and activate the observation equipment!"
On the sky island, a telescope-like device was activated. The Weather Scholars traced the light source, and then discovered… there was only a sun in the sky.
But the original sun had already set. Why would a second sun appear?
Haredas could not understand it at all. All the parameters indicated that this weather anomaly existed merely because the sun had appeared.
.
In the Blue Sea below Weatheria Sky Island.
On the surging sea, Zephyr, who had led the NEO Marines to complete a pirate hunt and was now resting, walked out of the captain's room.
He frowned as he looked at the dazzling sky, astonished as to why the setting sun had risen once again.
"This weather is so strange. Since when did the Grand Line have this kind of climate?"
Ain muttered to herself, confused by the current weather anomaly.
"It may be some kind of climate phenomenon we don't understand."
Zephyr also found it strange, but he did not pay too much attention to it.
Not a single one of them would have identified this celestial phenomenon as the result of energy released by a certain person.
People cannot imagine things that do not exist within their understanding.
Even the legendary battleship Pluton could only destroy one island with a single shot.
.
Marineford, inside the headquarters that had originally fallen into dead silence after nightfall.
The current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Kizaru—Borsalino—looked at the sky with his mouth crooked. As a Logia-type Glint-Glint Fruit ability user, he keenly sensed the abnormality of that blazing sun. Even after night fell, the sun should not rise again.
Only one thing could be connected to the anomaly before him: Demon Ren.
But… as he stared at the environment that was no different from broad daylight, he still had no way of believing that it had been caused by Demon Ren.
"Tell the Marines to be more careful lately."
Kizaru issued that order, but did not take any practical measures.
.
The Holy Land, Mary Geoise, inside the palace of Pangaea Castle.
The Five Elders watched the daylit surroundings and exchanged looks before speaking.
"Nika?" Saturn asked.
"No. Nika is not like this, and cannot do something like this."
Saint Warcury frowned, searching through his mind, yet unable to find any related Devil Fruit.
"It should not be a Devil Fruit."
Saint Mars said, "We just received a report. Basically the entire Grand Line has turned bright, and the Four Blues have also received varying degrees of illumination.
"A weather anomaly of this scale should be a natural phenomenon, not something caused by a Devil Fruit ability."
"Even so, it is still extremely strange."
Saturn said, "Should we report it to Lord Imu?"
"There is no need. It is merely a change in the weather. It cannot affect anything."
In the end, the Five Elders still did not report it. Because the range was too exaggerated, they instead believed it to be a natural phenomenon.
They turned to discussing how to locate Egghead Island and retrieve the Mother Flame that should have belonged to them.
.
Wano.
Kaido, who was drinking together with Big Mom, frowned and looked overhead. He had not even drunk to his heart's content yet, so why was it already dawn?
Very soon, after King's report, he learned that the entire New World had experienced this daybreak anomaly.
Kaido found it interesting, so he simply had people bring out fine wine and began admiring this celestial phenomenon that had never appeared before.
"How interesting. So the New World can still produce a scene this amusing."
Kaido laughed loudly and drank heavily.
Beside him, Big Mom was eating desserts. Seeing this sky made her think of another person who was like the sun.
She could not help revealing a disgusted expression. "Why cooperate with the World Government? We can just go to Totto Land now.
"I refuse to believe he would abandon his own Cross Guild headquarters."
"No, Linlin. If that would work, the World Government's people wouldn't need to look for cooperation."
Kaido held a different opinion.
(End of Chapter)