Under the watchful eyes of Maude and Lafitte, a procedure that could potentially reshape the world's balance was about to begin...
Whether it would succeed or fail was still an unknown.
Baby-5, sensing the shadow of death looming over her, began to struggle against her restraints.
Bam!
Jim acted swiftly, delivering a single punch to knock her unconscious.
Law walked over, casting a cold gaze at the unconscious Baby-5.
This former "companion" of his was now just one of the many bricks in the towering wall he sought to dismantle.
"Room."
Raising a finger, Law conjured a dome-shaped Room just large enough to encompass himself and Baby-5.
The smaller the Room, the greater the precision of his abilities.
To maximize the chances of success, there was no need for an overly large Room.
"I'm starting."
Law glanced at Maude, who stood just outside the Room.
"Go ahead," Maude replied with a nod.
Law closed his eyes but didn't begin immediately.
Instead, Maude's words from their prior discussions echoed in his mind, offering a framework for this moment.
It was these conversations that had given him a new perspective on the potential of his Op-Op Fruit.
"If even a 'soul exchange' is possible, then surely preserving the 'devil' within a Devil Fruit user's body should also be achievable!"
After a long pause, Law slowly opened his eyes.
Before this operation, he had already tested Maude's hypothesis—the concept of soul exchange.
It sounded impossible, yet he had succeeded.
The secret to it lay in…
Out of the corner of his eye, Law glanced at Maude, recalling his words.
"Law, the true strength of the Op-Op Fruit isn't its ability to grant immortality to others. It lies in the unparalleled control you wield within your domain."
"For instance, removing a heart or excising a virus—these are merely expressions of that control."
"So when your mastery reaches a certain level, why not dare to think bigger?"
"Don't limit yourself to manipulating the physical body. What about the mind? Or even the soul? Would you immediately dismiss such a possibility?"
"Compared to separating a heart, this kind of task would indeed be more complex."
"But what if you approached it differently?"
"For example, by tethering what you perceive as a 'soul' to the heart itself…"
"You're the wielder of the Op-Op Fruit. No matter how incredible or bizarre the idea, as long as you believe it's possible and achievable, that's all that matters. Do you understand?"
"Try this method and see what happens. If it works... then next, you can replicate the process to confirm that the essence of a Devil Fruit also resides within the heart."
"If you succeed in a soul exchange, I have no doubt you'll rise to my expectations."
As the memories replayed, Law stood silently.
The voice in his mind conjured vivid imagery of the ideas Maude had shared.
"Maude... just who are you?"
Inwardly, Law contemplated.
If even the soul could be controlled, then…
All he needed was to treat the essence of a Devil Fruit as part of the soul.
"Slaughterhouse."
Law muttered as he extracted Baby-5's heart.
Thump, thump…
The heart pulsated rhythmically, encased in a transparent, jelly-like protective membrane.
With this membrane, even if Law deactivated the Room, the heart would remain active and undamaged.
Gazing at the heart in his hand, a glimmer of determination flashed in Law's eyes.
"Let's begin…"
Whispering to himself, Law concentrated, enlarging the protective membrane around the heart until its internal space doubled.
Then, with utmost focus, he placed a pineapple into the expanded membrane.
Now, the heart and the pineapple coexisted within the protective field.
"Next step…"
Law's gaze shifted to Baby-5, a faint trace of killing intent in his eyes.
The methodology behind this experiment was another of Maude's ingenious suggestions.
Over time, Law had come to fully embrace the unorthodox ideas Maude had presented.
Sometimes, he couldn't fathom how Maude came up with such concepts.
It almost felt as though Maude, not he, was the true wielder of the Op-Op Fruit.
Shaking his head slightly, Law dismissed the thought.
This was no time for distractions.
Would it work?
Slowly crouching, Law used one hand to swiftly and decisively snap Baby-5's neck.
The officer of the Donquixote Family died without a sound.
Thump… thump…
The heart in Law's hand began to slow in both rhythm and intensity.
Moments later, it stopped completely.
Outside the domain, Maude and Lafitte focused intently on the heart and pineapple within the protective membrane.
If the hypothesis was correct, then upon the user's death, the devil—or rather, the soul of the Devil Fruit—would leave the deceased heart and seek a compatible fruit as a new host.
If the membrane truly prevented the soul's escape, then it would remain trapped within until it encountered an appropriate host—such as the pineapple inside.
Time ticked by in the silent cabin.
Suddenly, the pineapple's orange exterior began to change, its color shifting to a faint purple as strange, swirling patterns emerged on its surface.
"It worked!"
Maude clenched his fist in excitement at the sight of the transformation.
Lafitte stood motionless, though his eyes gleamed with brilliance.
Jim, on the other hand, remained indifferent, as if the success mattered less than the prospect of what was for dinner that evening.
"It actually worked…"
Law stared at the newly formed Devil Fruit in disbelief.
This meant he now had the means to hunt for Devil Fruits using this method.
If the Navy were to learn of this…
A chill ran down Law's spine.
It wasn't pure fear—it was a thrill laced with the danger of risk.
A complex sensation he couldn't entirely put into words.
"Maude."
Law stepped forward, handing the newly crafted Arms-Arms Fruit to him.
Maude accepted it with a smile. "Care to join me on a little trip?"
"Where to?"
"To an island ship."
A sharp gleam appeared in Maude's eyes.
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