[Current Research Project]: "Research on the Intrinsic Connection Between Conqueror's Haki and Lineage Factor"
[Necessary Conditions for This Research]: Lineage Factor Theory, ???
[Necessary Conditions Not Met]
"?"
When he saw the three question marks in the necessary conditions, Eddie couldn't help but be stunned.
It was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
Focusing his attention on the question marks, he immediately saw the corresponding explanation.
[Missing crucial knowledge.]
..."Perhaps it's a fundamental knowledge equivalent to 'Lineage Factor Theory'."
Eddie thought, guessing.
What could it be?
He had no clue.
Unable to figure it out, Eddie temporarily set it aside, closed his research materials, and left the laboratory.
"Zodiac Dragon."
"Heavenly Father, what are your orders?"
"How has the gold from half a year ago been handled?"
"We've already exchanged 40 billion Berries through the black market, and there are still about ten tons left."
Forty billion, in cash.
Eddie was now richer than the kings of some countries.
For example, the Dressrosa Kingdom in the New World.
In the original story, when Shichibukai Doflamingo demanded 10 billion from King Riku, King Riku couldn't produce it and had to borrow from his citizens.
But if 40 billion were placed in the field of scientific research...
"Building a cloning laboratory should be enough."
Eddie wasn't planning to put the cloning laboratory in Wano; he needed to choose a new location.
The ultimate goal was to build an island of science, and the cloning laboratory was just the first step.
"By the way, Heavenly Father. You've always asked me to keep an eye on Devil Fruits in the market. Recently, there's a rumor that a grand auction will be held on Sabaody Archipelago, where Devil Fruits will appear."
"Is the intelligence accurate?"
"It was told by the black market merchant who bought our gold, so it's uncertain if it's true."
Eddie thought for a moment and decided to go take a look.
It had been two and a half years since he transmigrated, and he still hadn't touched a proper Devil Fruit.
The main reason he wanted to acquire one was for research purposes.
Devil Fruits have a mysterious characteristic.
As soon as a person takes the first bite, that person becomes an ability user, and the remaining parts of the fruit lose their effect.
Eddie asked, "When?"
"Tomorrow at 2 PM."
"You should have told me this earlier."
Eddie sighed, "Get ready; let's go. Notify roger (clon) to come along."
...
Sabaody Archipelago is located at the end of the first half of the Grand Line.
Pirates departing from Reverse Mountain, following their respective magnetic navigations, eventually converge here.
Eddie arrived on the island that day.
The auction would be held tomorrow, at GR No. 1, which is Area No. 1.
Sabaody Archipelago is divided into 79 areas, with Areas 1 to 29 being lawless zones.
Here, human trafficking shops, human auctions, casinos, red-light districts, and various other businesses are conducted openly.
"First, find a hotel."
To facilitate his participation in the auction, Eddie simply chose to stay at the largest hotel in Area No. 1.
Inside the hotel room on the second floor.
Eddie sat by the window, and Zodiac Dragon immediately brought him coffee.
"Heavenly Father, what's next?"
"Go ask someone what the conditions are for participating in the auction."
Eddie put a few sugar cubes into his coffee, stirring it as he instructed.
Such minor matters were naturally left to his subordinates; he only needed to drink coffee here and wait for news.
As soon as Zodiac Dragon left, roger (clon) yawned and said:
"Heavenly Father, why do we have to follow proper procedures? Can't we just break into the auction and snatch it?"
"We're not pirates."
Eddie elegantly savored the rich aroma of his coffee, feeling speechless at roger (clon)'s constant talk of robbery.
After a short while, Zodiac Dragon returned.
"Heavenly Father, I asked the hotel owner. To participate in the auction, you need to verify your assets; at least 10 million Berries are required to qualify."
This was a reasonable measure to prevent unruly people from disrupting the auction.
However.
Eddie shook his head and said, "Find a pirate with an invitation, and snatch one."
roger (clon) grinned, "So we still have to snatch it after all."
Was Roger so mischievous when he was young?
Eddie glanced at roger (clon), wanting to give him a good beating to let him know what Heavenly Father's love was.
...
The next day.
Eddie took two Zodiac members to attend the auction.
After Zodiac Dragon presented the snatched invitation, they easily blended in.
Those who came to the auction were all wealthy people, both men and women, dressed lavishly.
Compared to the others, Eddie and his two companions felt like a crane among chickens.
Fortunately, besides the wealthy, there were also some pirates who came to join the fun.
They probably mistook Eddie and his group for pirates, as the rich and nobles all kept their distance, as if to draw a line, separating their worlds.
And the auction organizers had also arranged it this way.
The first floor was for ordinary participants, and the second floor was for nobles and tycoons.
After being seated, and waiting for a while, the lights in the auction hall suddenly dimmed. Immediately after, two spotlights shone on the center of the stage.
"Welcome, all human elites, royalty, nobles, and brave sea adventurers who have come this far! Welcome to this grand auction!"
"I am your auctioneer for today, Kibis!"
The flamboyantly dressed auctioneer seemed to have walked out of a circus.
He also held a small wooden staff in his hand.
"Now, there are still a few distinguished guests waiting. In the meantime, please enjoy a song and dance performance."
After speaking, Kibis bowed to the crowd and exited the stage.
The red curtain opened, and a group of scantily clad dancers began to dance on the stage.
roger (clon) rested his chin on one hand, crossing his legs: "What's so good about this? When will it start?"
"Hehehe... these dancers here are rare."
A man beside him grinned, revealing a lewd smile: "These dancers are worth a lot; it takes hundreds of thousands of Berries to invite one for a night."
Eddie was surprised: "The auction house does this too?"
"Where do you think this is? If you have money, you can buy anything."
The man chuckled, "My name is Yugis, navigator of the Raven Pirates, bounty 33 million Berries. You're pirates too, right? How much is your bounty?"
When pirates greet each other, it's customary to ask about the other's bounty.
Although Eddie was not a pirate.
"Eddie, a scientist, currently mainly engaged in human cloning research."
"A scientist?"
Yugis looked bewildered, "Scientists come to participate in this kind of auction too?"
Area No. 1 is a lawless zone, primarily for human auctions.
"Oh, I get it! You're buying some consumables for experiments, you're conducting human experiments!" Yugis thumped his fist into his palm, a look of sudden realization on his face.
Eddie: "..."
He hadn't said anything at all.
What was wrong with this world? Couldn't they think something good about scientists?
After chatting with this pirate for a few moments, a commotion suddenly arose on the second floor.
Eddie looked back and saw three Celestial Dragons.
"Celestial Dragons are here!" Yugis's expression changed, "Were they the distinguished guests the auctioneer mentioned earlier?"
World Nobles, Celestial Dragons.
A group of people who had ruled this world for 800 years.
Their attire was very peculiar; they wore white outfits like spacesuits and soap bubble head coverings.
The auction organizers had specially prepared the most honored seats on the second floor for these three Celestial Dragons, directly facing the auction stage.
Eddie wanted to take a closer look, but Yugis, who was next to his seat, immediately whispered:
"Lower your head! Don't look! They are descendants of the creators; staring at 'Gods' will be considered an offense! You'll be killed!"
You're surprisingly kind, aren't you?
Eddie smiled and didn't bother to look at those Celestial Dragons any further.
All three were male, appearing to be in their twenties or thirties.
The entire venue became much quieter due to the arrival of the Celestial Dragons.
Even those nobles and wealthy elites who usually looked down on others now bowed their heads.
roger (clon), with his arms crossed and legs still propped up, picked his nose and said, "They look really weak. Why are these people so afraid?"
"Because harming a Celestial Dragon will attract an Admiral's sniper," Edie shook his head.
Sabaody Archipelago was the Celestial Dragons' backyard, so seeing Celestial Dragons in such a place was commonplace.
As they spoke, the dancers finished their performance.
Kibis, the circus auctioneer, reappeared, and after an opening speech, quickly got to the point:
"...Thank you for your patience. Now, let's begin! First, let's bring out our first auction item!"
He flicked the small wooden stick in his hand, and the next moment, a masked female staff member walked out from one side of the stage.
Behind the female staff member, two men pushed an iron cage to the center of the stage.
Inside the cage were three trembling little girls.
Edie raised an eyebrow, feeling that these three little girls looked somewhat familiar.
Especially the one in the middle, whose delicate little face was filled with fear.
"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce!"
The auctioneer clapped his hands and quickly began his introduction.
"This item has an extraordinary origin! The three of them were kidnapped from a Kuja Pirates ship!"
"The Kuja Pirates, some of you may not know, is a large pirate crew composed entirely of women."
"The Captain of this pirate crew is the Empress of Amazon Lily!"
"And what's exciting is that the three people in the cage are actually the children of that Empress, and they are even sisters!"
"Therefore, the starting bid... 5 million Berries! Each bid must not be less than 1 million!"
As soon as the auctioneer finished speaking, a wealthy businessman on the second floor eagerly made a bid.
"10 million!"
"11 million!"
"12 million!"
The price soared, rapidly approaching twenty million.
"So it's the Snake Princess Three Sisters... No wonder they looked familiar."
Edie rested his hand on the side of his cheek, finally confirming the identities of these three little girls.
The Boa sisters.
The eldest sister, Boa Hancock.
The second sister, Boa Sandersonia.
The third sister, Boa Marigold.
As for the auctioneer's claim that these three sisters were the daughters of the current Empress of Amazon Lily, he was skeptical.
It might be a fabricated background to drive up the price.
However, no matter what, Edie still wanted to bid for them.
"Kuzo, 30 million."
Upon receiving his Heavenly Father's instruction, Kuzo immediately raised his paddle, "3..."
However, before he could speak, an excited voice came from the second floor, instantly silencing the entire venue.
"100 million!"
The bidder was none other than a Celestial Dragon.