Upon arriving at the laboratory, Lloyd encountered another familiar figure, Caesar Clown.
Caesar clearly did not recognize him.
When he saw Dr. Vegapunk enter alongside Lloyd, Caesar immediately frowned, irritation written all over his face as he barked out loudly, "Dr. Vegapunk, where have you been? And who is this guy? Since when is this laboratory open to just anyone?"
Dr. Vegapunk's expression darkened.
He was just about to reprimand Caesar when Lloyd calmly raised his hand.
The space around them distorted.
Buzz.
An overwhelming gravitational force surged forward.
In an instant, Caesar was dragged across the floor, completely unable to resist, and was yanked straight toward Lloyd.
Lloyd's hand closed around Caesar's neck, lifting him cleanly off the ground.
Lloyd's grip was like iron.
Caesar's face rapidly turned blue, then purple, his eyes bulging as he struggled uselessly.
With what little air he could force out, he rasped, "Ho how is this possible? My ability…"
Dr. Vegapunk, standing to the side, immediately shouted, his tone sharp and urgent.
"Caesar! Do you even know who you just offended? This is Saint Lloyd, the sole heir of the Figarland Family!"
Caesar's pupils shrank violently.
Only then did true terror set in.
The heir of the Figarland Family was someone who stood on the same level as Saint Saturn.
This was not a man he could afford to provoke, not even in his wildest dreams.
Dr. Vegapunk, despite his complicated feelings toward Caesar, had no desire to watch him die on the spot.
He turned to Lloyd and said quickly, "Saint Lloyd, Caesar did not recognize you and spoke out of turn. Please, show mercy."
Lloyd glanced at Vegapunk from the corner of his eye.
Without a word, he loosened his grip.
Caesar dropped to the floor with a heavy thud, clutching his throat as he gasped desperately for air.
The suffocating fear of death still lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.
Dr. Vegapunk let out a breath of relief and repeatedly thanked Lloyd.
Lloyd merely waved his hand dismissively and stepped past Caesar, who was still sprawled on the floor, heading deeper into the laboratory.
Caesar lay there for a few more moments, his mind blank.
Only after Lloyd and Dr. Vegapunk had walked some distance away did he shakily push himself up.
His lower body dissolved into gas, and he hurried after them, forcing a grin onto his face.
"Shiro ro ro… Saint Lloyd, my deepest apologies for my rudeness earlier. I truly meant no disrespect."
Lloyd did not even turn his head.
His voice was cold and flat.
"Make that sound again, and your mouth will never open again."
Caesar froze instantly.
His entire body trembled as he clamped both hands tightly over his mouth, nodding frantically.
The three continued walking through the facility until Lloyd suddenly came to a stop.
They were passing one of the many sealed rooms that lined the laboratory corridors.
Each was a small independent research chamber.
Through the transparent glass, Lloyd saw a woman inside.
She had short, softly curled golden hair and delicate features.
Her body was curled inward, arms wrapped around herself, floating quietly within a nutrient filled culture chamber.
Seeing Lloyd's gaze linger, Dr. Vegapunk immediately explained, "Saint Lloyd, she is the result of my research. Clone Number One, Stussy."
Lloyd nodded slightly.
"She resembles the woman I saw at God Valley, the one who was with Whitebeard. Her name was also Stussy."
"Yes," Vegapunk replied.
"Clone One is her clone. I created her back when I was still part of MADS. At the time, she was only a child, and her body was extremely fragile. I placed her in a specialized nutrient solution to strengthen her body and accelerate her growth."
Lloyd looked at the chamber thoughtfully.
"Interesting. Perhaps you should have named her Dolly."
Vegapunk blinked, momentarily confused.
"Dolly? Does that name have some special meaning?"
"No," Lloyd replied calmly.
"Just a thought. Stussy is fine."
Even if Vegapunk possessed genius intellect beyond comprehension, there was no way he could connect that name to a sheep cloned decades after his own lifetime would have ended.
With that small piece of dark humor indulged, Lloyd stepped closer to the chamber, observing the woman inside through the glass.
Although Stussy was unclothed, her curled posture concealed everything.
In truth, Lloyd had no interest in her body at all.
What interested him was her potential.
This woman was far from ordinary.
In the future, she would rise to become one of the key figures controlling the underground world, someone whose influence and abilities could not be ignored.
That was what Lloyd valued.
Without turning around, he asked, "When will she wake up?"
Dr. Vegapunk answered immediately, "At any time. I was planning to awaken her within the next few days. If she can function normally, it will confirm the success of the cloning experiment."
"Oh?" Lloyd's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked in a casual tone, "Then tell me, can you also create clones for Uncle Garling and myself? When our bodies grow old, we could simply replace our organs with younger ones. Would that not grant us eternal life?"
Vegapunk did not sense any hidden danger in the question.
With the seriousness of a true scientist, he answered honestly.
"That could extend one's lifespan, but true immortality is impossible. Aging cannot be reversed."
"Then what about transferring consciousness?" Lloyd continued.
"Replace the entire body when the time comes."
Vegapunk shook his head.
"That is beyond me. Consciousness is far too complex. At most, I can erase or alter fragments of memory. And bodies like yours, Saint Lloyd, or Saint Garling's, are nearly impossible to clone."
"Why is that?"
"Because your lineage factors are too powerful," Vegapunk explained.
"A pirate named Kaido was once captured and brought here. Among all the experimental subjects, none possessed a stronger body than his. I extracted his lineage factor and attempted to clone him repeatedly, but every attempt failed."
Lloyd's gaze sharpened.
"Even given enough time, you could not succeed?"
Vegapunk answered without hesitation.
"The stronger the lineage factor, the harder it is to clone. In Kaido's case, I could not even form a complete life. If the subject were slightly weaker, it might be possible, but the result would no longer be a true clone. It would be a different person entirely, with extremely low intelligence."
"And compared to Kaido," Lloyd asked quietly, "whose lineage factor is stronger?"
Vegapunk looked at him with certainty.
"Yours, Saint Lloyd. The Figarland Family's lineage factor is already among the strongest in existence. Add to that the two additional lineage factors within your body, and cloning you becomes utterly impossible."
"I see," Lloyd said, spreading his hands as if genuinely disappointed.
"That is truly regrettable."
Neither Vegapunk nor Caesar noticed the faint black glow that briefly flickered across the back of Lloyd's right hand.
If Vegapunk had given a different answer just now, Lloyd would not have killed him immediately.
But he would not have lived much longer.
This world had no need for more than one Lloyd.
____
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