HST: Chapter 157: Artificial Devil Fruit

“You can’t auction me off! I’m useful!”

Caesar stiffened his neck and shouted stubbornly.

“What use are you exactly?”

“On the surface, you bully the weak and fear the strong, but in reality, you’re bold enough to fabricate data to scam Charlotte Linlin out of research funding, then blow all that money on your own luxuries.”

“What good are you like this?”

Caelan sneered, exposing him without hesitation.

Forget about your abilities, just based on your personality and the way you conduct yourself, you're not someone who would make a reliable subordinate.

You have no loyalty to any superior and only follow whoever feeds you.

You’re cruel even to your own subordinates, treating them purely as tools and test subjects.

You’re inhumane. Just because of a disagreement with Vegapunk, you went and gassed an entire island.

How could I ever trust someone like you?

“What?!” Caesar jumped up, staring at Caelan like he had seen a ghost. “How do you know about that?!”

What Caelan had said was absolutely true. It was like he had seen straight through Caesar.

Especially the part about scamming Charlotte Linlin—just hearing it made Caesar break out in a cold sweat. Big Mom still didn’t know about that.

Even Doflamingo believed that the gigantification experiments Caesar was conducting on the island were part of her request.

Only Caesar knew the truth: the gigantification experiment was a dead end, and the children were just a cover.

Yet Caelan had exposed it all with ease, like some kind of ghost.

“You’d better worry about your own situation rather than how I know it.”

“If that’s all you have to say, then just sit there and wait to be auctioned.”

Caelan crossed his arms and spoke coldly.

Caesar clenched his teeth and said, “Aren’t you interested in Vegapunk’s artificial Devil Fruit? The one he left behind is just a failure. The artificial Devil Fruit I developed is the real, completed product!”

That was where his confidence came from. Vegapunk had personally admitted that his fruit was a failure, and Caesar had believed that.

The artificial Devil Fruit Caesar spent years developing from Vegapunk’s blueprint had to be superior.

Caelan looked at Caesar like he was a fool.

When someone like Vegapunk calls something a failure, it might just be modesty. And you really believed him?

After years of research based on Vegapunk’s work, the fruits Caesar produced weren’t even one-tenth as effective.

Wait a second… If Caesar truly believed that fruit was a failure, then maybe his research was based on the reversed logic of Vegapunk’s design?

If that were true, then it made sense why Caesar’s results were such garbage.

“Did you reverse-engineer Vegapunk’s artificial Devil Fruit?”

Caelan asked curiously.

“No, I tried both forward and reverse methods. Following his model directly produced a failure. After many improvements, I finally achieved my current results.”

Caesar didn’t understand why Caelan was asking this, but he answered truthfully anyway.

He had borrowed some ideas from that fruit.

But overall, the current production method was his own creation.

“Oh.”

Caelan’s contempt deepened.

This guy couldn’t even copy the right answer properly.

Instead, he flailed around on his own for years and ended up producing something completely off the mark.

His way of thinking wasn’t necessarily wrong. He was just completely incompetent.

“The Devil Fruit created by Vegapunk is not a failure. In fact, other than the color, it’s identical in ability to Kaido’s Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Azure Dragon.”

“Vegapunk is a perfectionist. A fruit that turns out the wrong color is something he’d call a failure.”

Caelan spoke calmly.

“That’s impossible! You’re lying!”

Caesar looked at Caelan in disbelief.

Years of hard work—outclassed by something Vegapunk had discarded?

No way. He couldn’t accept it.

“You’ll understand once you see it for yourself.”

Caelan pointed toward the door, speaking indifferently.

At that moment, Gion, Kalifa, and Tashigi returned with what they had retrieved.

Gion held the artificial Devil Fruit that Vegapunk had left behind, while Kalifa and Tashigi each held the five artificial Devil Fruits made by Caesar.

Just from their appearance, the difference was obvious.

Vegapunk’s fruit was a deep blue with circular patterns on it, resembling a typical Mythical Zoan-type fruit.

Caesar’s, on the other hand, were pitch-black, rough, and unappealing to look at.

“Kalifa, eat this.”

“This is the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Dragon. Vegapunk based it on Kaido’s Azure Dragon Fruit.”

“Except for the color, it shares nearly all the same abilities.”

Caelan took the fruit from Gion and handed it to Kalifa.

“Huh?!”

Kalifa widened her eyes in shock.

This was the same fruit as the one Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, possessed, and it was being given to her?

She was moved.

Gion frowned slightly. If this was true, then she had completely lost her bet with Caelan.

Tashigi didn’t react much. The fruit Caelan had given her before was also a powerful Mythical Zoan-type.

“Hurry and eat it.”

Caelan patted Kalifa’s shoulder and gestured for her to eat.

“Okay!”

Kalifa nodded vigorously and took a bite.

Caesar watched Kalifa nervously, unable to accept that Vegapunk’s “failure” could be superior to his life’s work.

Gion was also conflicted. On one hand, she hoped Kalifa had truly gained a powerful ability. On the other, she didn’t want to lose her bet and face the embarrassing consequence.

Caelan remained confident, unfazed.

Under everyone’s gaze, Kalifa began to undergo a dramatic transformation.

Antlers, a camel’s head, a snake-like body, fish scales, eagle claws…

Kalifa transformed into a pink dragon.

Her body stretched dozens of meters long. If the room weren’t so confined, she could have become even larger.

The majestic dragon coiled through the monitoring room. Every step she took left behind wisps of white flame, making her look even more divine.

After a while, Kalifa returned to her human form and threw her arms around Caelan in excitement.

“Wonderful! I can be strong too! I can help you now!”

“Congratulations!”

Gion and Tashigi congratulated her.

But Gion’s expression was a bit sour.

She had lost the bet, and the punishment was coming.

When she looked up, she saw Caelan holding Kalifa with a smug look directed at her.

On the other side, Caesar and Monet were filled with discomfort.

“I’m worthless…”

Caesar’s eyes lost focus. He looked utterly defeated.

Watching Kalifa’s transformation, he had to admit—Vegapunk’s abilities were far superior.

And now, he could only resign himself to being sold off by Caelan.

If he’d known it would come to this, he wouldn’t have tried so hard to play the fool.

He was finished. His heart was broken.

“Damn it!”

Monet glared at Caesar with resentment.

That fruit had powers like Kaido’s. If released into the world, it would cause a frenzy among countless strong people.

If she could’ve gotten it to her young master, things would be different.

But now, such a treasure had been claimed by Caelan, and artificial Devil Fruit production would likely grind to a halt.

Even worse, it seemed like Caelan had set his sights on the Donquixote Family.

Faced with such an invincible opponent, she could only feel despair for her young master.

(To be continued.)