The sudden appearance of the three individuals startled Pudding, who had been deep in slumber.
Having been imprisoned here for dozens of days, the place was so silent it felt as if time stood still, with the same lighting and environment day after day.
Only the soldiers who brought her food each day allowed her to vaguely regain her senses; she was still alive...
Pudding opened her eyes and looked at the newcomers, immediately freezing in surprise.
Her body trembled uncontrollably, and she stumbled backward, her forehead throbbing.
The pain of having her eye gouged out still lingered, a primal ache even after several days.
Sakasuki opened the cell door, pulling out the resisting Pudding and removing her Seastone chains.
Pudding, stunned and before she could react, was grabbed by the neck and lifted by Sakasuki, then moved towards Jinbe-Seraphim.
"Use the Mero Mero no Mi's ability on her."
Jinbe-Seraphim nodded, raising a massive palm and pressing it onto Pudding's struggling back.
Her neck constricted, and Pudding's face turned red. Her pupils contracted as she felt a continuous surge of power leaving her body.
However, she was helpless against the hand gripping her neck.
Sakasuki, through his palm, could sense Pudding's growing aura and condition, and he nodded slightly.
He took out an optimized nutritional fluid and injected it into Pudding's body.
With the Mero Mero no Mi's ability combined with the optimized nutritional fluid, Pudding's aura immediately surged, and it continued to rise rapidly.
The remaining nutritional fluids were also successively injected into Pudding's body.
The third eye that had been brutally gouged out surprisingly regenerated, and it seemed different, radiating a mysterious aura.
A moment later.
Pudding's appearance transformed from that of a young girl to a more mature woman.
Sakasuki, sensing Pudding's aura, said to Jinbe-Seraphim:
"Stop."
Then, he released his grip and dropped Pudding onto the ground.
"Has the ability of the Three-Eyed Tribe awakened?"
Suddenly released, Pudding gasped for air like a drowning person rescued.
Hearing Sakasuki's question, her body trembled uncontrollably, and she spoke with fear:
"Awakened... awakened..."
The change in her third eye was undeniable. Even if she lied, Sakasuki wouldn't believe her, so it was better to be honest.
Sakasuki nodded.
"What about the Devil Fruit ability?"
Pudding sensed her power and replied with a slight tremor in her voice:
"None."
Sakasuki frowned slightly.
"Not awakened then..."
The Mero Mero no Mi's ability, combined with the energy from the optimized nutritional fluid, had caused Pudding's aura to increase severalfold, making her comparable to some Vice Admirals.
Even her gouged-out eye had regrown and awakened.
A young girl had been transformed into a Vice Admiral-level combatant in moments. While powerful, Sakasuki's initial intention wasn't to create a fighter.
He wanted to see if, by accumulating energy through the Mero Mero no Mi and optimized nutritional fluid, he could directly force a Devil Fruit user to awaken.
After all, for a certain young boy that Shanks held high hopes for, his growth time was insufficient. He had considered capturing him and forcibly accelerating his growth, then throwing him at Mary Geoise.
But it was clear that this attempt had failed.
It seemed he needed to consult with Vegapunk.
Sakasuki shook his head, bent down, and placed his left hand on the neck of the terrified Pudding slumped on the ground, lifting her up.
In the silent prison, Sakasuki's eerie voice sent shivers down the spine:
"Awakened Three-Eyed Tribe..."
His left hand flicked lightly.
Crackling—
A series of crisp sounds echoed.
Pudding's bones were dislocated by the force, and she fainted.
Sakasuki raised his right hand.
*Splurt—*
This newly awakened eye was gouged out by Sakasuki.
He threw Pudding to Carol.
"Lock her up."
"Don't let her die."
Carol looked at the girl in his arms and said helplessly:
"Yes."
"It's indeed Fleet Admiral Sakasuki..."
He returned her to the cell, reattached the Seastone chains, and vanished, reappearing moments later with a tube of nutritional fluid, which he injected into the unconscious Pudding.
The area where the third eye had been gouged out slowly healed, and her aura stabilized, ensuring she wouldn't die.
Sakasuki's fingers moved slightly, twirling the gouged-out eye in his fingertips, and he suddenly let out a light laugh:
"Prepare this eye, destroy all its components, and make it a specimen."
He tossed the eye in his hand to Carol.
"Send it to Charlotte Linlin."
The Three-Eyed Tribe, whom Charlotte Linlin saw as her hope, had awakened. What a pity...
She would get nothing.
*Snap—*
Carol caught the evidently extraordinary eye and smiled.
"Yes."
"A heart-piercing blow..."
----------
New World, Egghead Island.
In the secret laboratory amidst the clouds.
Vegapunk was conversing with Sakasuki on the large screen.
After listening to Sakasuki's idea and description, Vegapunk's brow furrowed deeply.
"The idea is good."
"But Paramecia-type Devil Fruits involve certain rules."
"It's obviously unrealistic to achieve Devil Fruit awakening through energy accumulation."
"Those rules cannot be deciphered with current scientific and technological means."
"To forcibly mature an awakening, technology would need to reach a level where Devil Fruit abilities can be fully analyzed."
"Only then can targeted stimulation trigger awakening."
"However..."
After hearing Sakasuki's thoughts, Vegapunk also had a flash of inspiration.
"Perhaps Zoan-types can."
Among the three Devil Fruit types, Zoan is the easiest to replicate and the easiest to analyze. Zoan users are powerful due to their physique, or rather, their energy.
If, by relying on the Mero Mero no Mi and nutritional fluid,
It might be possible to force Zoan-type Devil Fruit users to awaken without side effects.
But the amount of nutritional fluid required would likely be immense.
The cost would be too great, disproportionate to the outcome.
On the other side of the screen.
Sakasuki, in his Fleet Admiral office, narrowed his eyes.
"Zoan-types, huh..."
----------
New World, the front line in front of Whole Cake Island.
At the Marine position.
Zephyr and Garp were both present.
Although they hadn't seen each other for a long time, and there had been some disagreements between Sakasuki and Sengoku earlier, they were, after all, comrades who had served together for many years, and they were happy to see each other after so long.
Garp, stuffing donuts into his mouth, laughed heartily.
"Why did you suddenly decide to come here?"
"Still not admitting you're getting old, Zephyr."
Zephyr snorted softly, a slight curl to his lips.
"You're older than me, aren't you?"
"If you haven't admitted you're old, how can I?"
"I am 'Black Arm' Zephyr!"
The epithet "Black Arm" once represented a Marine Admiral who made pirates tremble in fear.
Garp's mouth was full of donuts.
"Hahahaha."
"You..."
*Rumble—*
Thunder boomed outside.
Zephyr and Garp exchanged a look and walked out of the house.
Garp, with a face of indifference, continued to chew his donuts.
*Crunch, crunch—*
"Is that guy having another episode?"
On Whole Cake Island.
A powerful burst of Haoshoku Haki and killing intent erupted, palpable even from the Marine base across the sea.
Charlotte Linlin's furious roar echoed across the island.
"SAKASUKI!!!!"
Looking at the familiar yet strange eye specimen in her hand, Charlotte Linlin nearly lost her mind.
The awakened eye of the Three-Eyed Tribe...
Hate...