Chapter 227: Devil Fruit Experiment

"Miss Wednesday, be careful. The other party is that Pirate Hunter who rejected our Baroque Works recruitment..."

"So that's how it is. To think he dared to refuse our Baroque Works invitation; it seems we need to teach him a lesson!"

Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi finished speaking in a rehearsed manner, making Uchiha Feiyu's mouth twitch. Before Usopp, who was standing nearby, could explain anything, the Sandai Kitetsu in his hand had already been unsheathed.

With a *whoosh*, Mr. 9 felt a chill on his scalp. The crown on his head fell to the ground with a *clatter*, split into two halves. The cross-section was incredibly smooth and perfectly symmetrical, looking as if it had been measured with a ruler.

Mr. 9 froze completely. Then, he reached out a hand to touch his scalp. After confirming his head hadn't been sliced open, the serious expression on his face turned into a fawning smile:

"That... Lord Zoro, actually, I'm not that close with Baroque Works. Look... can we reconcile?"

Uchiha Feiyu slowly sheathed the Sandai Kitetsu and said indifferently:

"First, my name is Uchiha Feiyu, not Zoro. I also don't have green hair or a bandana!!"

"Second, whether you are close with Baroque Works is your business, but I do find your companion a bit familiar."

Companion!? Mr. 9 took a step back, walked to Princess Vivi's side, and asked in a low voice:

"Miss Wednesday, do you know this guy in front of us?"

Cold sweat dripped down Princess Vivi's forehead, and her mouth twitched:

"How would I know such a powerful expert... Haha, I guess he must have mistaken me for someone else!"

Oh no, oh no, oh no. After joining Baroque Works, I haven't really shown my face much. Could it be... that he is someone who has seen me before?

If this identity is exposed... that would be truly disastrous!

However, what one fears often comes to pass. Just as the smile on Princess Vivi's face became somewhat strained, Uchiha Feiyu spoke directly:

"Miss Wednesday? Heh, I don't know about any Baroque Works agents, but your appearance is clearly that of the heir to Alabasta, King Cobra's daughter, Princess Vivi!"

"Wh-wh-what!!"

Mr. 9 was dumbfounded, his eyes bulging and his mouth hanging wide open. With an expression of disbelief, he looked at his companion:

"You... you are the princess of Alabasta!! No way! My partner is actually a real princess!"

Mr. 9 often wore a crown in his daily life and looked like a king. Although he gave off the feeling of a "monkey wearing a crown," it was clear this guy quite yearned for the status of a king or prince.

Suddenly hearing that his companion was a genuine princess, and one who would become a Queen in the future, Mr. 9 was momentarily stunned.

"What kind of joke is this... How could I possibly be the princess of Alabasta? A princess wouldn't run off to Baroque Works to be an agent, right!"

Vivi's complexion was a bit pale, and she smiled stiffly, trying her best to explain.

"Don't be silly, little girl. I don't know why you ran to Baroque Works to be an agent, but you wouldn't even disfigure yourself, just put on some makeup and went undercover... Heh, you really take others for fools!"

"It's just that most of those agents in Baroque Works aren't very cultured and don't read the newspapers much. Otherwise, if they had seen your photo in the papers, I'm afraid your identity would have been exposed long ago!"

Princess Vivi was rendered speechless. Disfiguring oneself might be fine for those grown men, but for a little beauty like Princess Vivi, she really couldn't bring herself to make that decision.

You have to know that when she prepared to go undercover at Baroque Works, she was only 14 years old. A 14-year-old girl, a middle schooler—who has the heart to ruin their own appearance?

As for the many flaws in joining Baroque Works... there's no helping it. A major characteristic of the One Piece World is that everyone's IQ isn't very high. Not to mention the protagonist Luffy, whose IQ is arguably not much higher than a monkey's; in fact, most people in the entire One Piece World aren't very smart.

It wasn't just the people in Baroque Works who weren't smart; they hadn't discovered Princess Vivi's identity for two years. Only Robin had sensed something was amiss.

Moreover, Princess Vivi herself wasn't very smart. A princess of a nation, and one who had been in the newspapers at that, just joined the reactionary forces within her country as an undercover agent. Her only disguise was dressing like a delinquent girl, and she couldn't even dye her hair. This is by no means something a smart person would do.

She spent two years undercover and achieved nothing. After meeting Mr. 2, even though his characteristics were so obvious, she didn't realize he was a Baroque Works agent. One can only say this princess has the face of Nami, but in reality, she has the intelligence level of 1.5 Luffys.

Mr. 9 scratched his head. He was one of the fools Uchiha Feiyu mentioned. Despite being partners with Princess Vivi for so long, he had actually discovered no flaws at all.

"That's right, I am Princess Vivi. What exactly do you want? Are you going to report me to Baroque Works?"

Princess Vivi finally couldn't withstand the psychological pressure and admitted her identity. While speaking, she took a chain lock out of her sleeve; this was her weapon.

Although she felt it was useless, the other party had sliced open the crown on Mr. 9's head without hurting a single hair on Mr. 9's head. Even though the commotion wasn't big, if one thought about it carefully, one would know how brilliant the technique required for that was.

Her own Power Level was about the same as Mr. 9's. If the other party could take out Mr. 9 in one strike, taking her out would certainly be a breeze. However, she still had to put on a show of attitude.

After being surprised for a moment, Mr. 9 saw Princess Vivi's defensive expression and likewise took out two baseball bats, blocking in front of her—people in the One Piece World may be silly, but they are truly loyal. In the original work, this guy betrayed Baroque Works because of Princess Vivi, and now, facing Uchiha Feiyu, Mr. 9 made the same choice.

"Rest assured, if I really wanted to make a move on you two, you wouldn't have any room to resist at all!"

Uchiha Feiyu rolled his eyes and casually unleashed a Flying Slash, directly slicing off a section of the nearby cliff. With the *rumbling* sound of the cliff falling into the sea, Mr. 9 and Princess Vivi were both dumbfounded and lowered their weapons.

Clearly, compared to slicing a crown without hurting the scalp, this more direct and violent Flying Slash was even more shocking. And so, after seeing this move, the two of them immediately became obedient and calm.

"Alright, let's not talk about other things for now. If I'm not mistaken, you should have a Log Pose on you, right!"

Princess Vivi nodded very honestly:

"That's right, I have a Log Pose for Whiskey Peak on me... Additionally, I have a Log Pose for Alabasta, and a Log Pose for Little Garden..."

"Very good... Do you have a Log Pose for Drum Island?"

"Uh, I don't have one on me right now, but if we go to Alabasta, most Log Poses can be obtained."

This wasn't a lie. As one of the top major powers in the Grand Line, Alabasta basically had Log Poses for the vast majority of islands in the Grand Line.

Although Alabasta was currently in the midst of a severe civil war, with Princess Vivi's status, getting some Log Poses was naturally an easy task.

"Hmm, Alabasta, is it... Forget it, let's go to Whiskey Peak first. I remember that place is the lair of Bounty Hunters."

"Yes, most of the Bounty Hunters in Baroque Works are gathered at Whiskey Peak. After all, pirate crews that have just entered the Grand Line are considered the easiest to deal with..."

Uchiha Feiyu waved his hand, interrupting what Princess Vivi was about to say, and said:

"Alright, since that's the case, our first stop will be this Baroque Works stronghold!"

"It just so happens I need some materials, so I can go there to restock."

"Uh... may I ask? Mr. Feiyu, where did you get so much intelligence? Also, do you know the boss behind the scenes of Baroque Works?"

Right now, Princess Vivi didn't know much about Uchiha Feiyu and didn't dare to ask him to help Alabasta; she just wanted to ask about the boss of Baroque Works while simultaneously judging Uchiha Feiyu's stance.

Uchiha Feiyu saw through Princess Vivi's thoughts immediately, and he had nothing to hide:

"The boss of Baroque Works is actually easy to guess. In all of Alabasta, how many powerhouses can there be? Aside from that Seven Warlords of the Sea, no one else is qualified to be the boss of this behind-the-scenes organization, right!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Princess Vivi and Mr. 9 almost knelt down again. There was no helping it; the reputation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was just too terrifying.

Not to mention that Crocodile had been suppressing pirates in Alabasta for so many years, his strength displayed to the fullest. In the desert region, he could be called the King of the Desert, capable of easily whipping up sandstorms and wiping out a million-strong army. It would be strange if these two weren't afraid.

"To think... to think it would be that Seven Warlords of the Sea..."

"No way, Mr. Krokfar, hasn't he always been the hero of Alabasta?"

Mr. 9 was full of emotion, and Princess Vivi was even somewhat incredulous, yet a look of mockery appeared on Uchiha Feiyu's face:

"Yeah, a world-renowned Great Pirate, a Seven Warlords of the Sea with eyes reaching the heavens, idling away and doing his utmost to solve problems for Alabasta, acting as the hero of Alabasta—what do you think he is doing it for, exactly?"

What for, what else could it be for? Princess Vivi's brain was, after all, a bit smarter than Luffy's, and having been born into royalty, she had sufficient vigilance in this regard:

"Could it be... he wants to usurp Alabasta?"

"Hmm... although that isn't his true goal, it's pretty much the same!"

Uchiha Feiyu did not explain too much; regarding Pluton, the Poneglyph of world history, and such, it would only make things more complicated. It was better to just let it be as Princess Vivi thought—that the old sand crocodile wanted to usurp Alabasta.

What does "pretty much the same" mean? What kind of conspiracy does that Seven Warlords of the Sea have, and what is his true goal? You should at least explain it clearly!

Princess Vivi had many doubts in her heart, but looking at Uchiha Feiyu's expression, she didn't dare to ask. Anyway, now that she knew who the enemy was, Princess Vivi only needed to defeat the opponent!

Hmm, after thinking about it carefully, Princess Vivi discovered that it seemed the entire Alabasta did not have the power to confront Krokfar head-on. Oh no, it's over.

"Alright, stop babbling so much, take us to Whiskey Peak!"

Uchiha Feiyu urged, brought the two back onto the Going Merry, also pulled up their small boat, hoisted the sails, and left Twin Capes.

On the Going Merry, Uchiha Feiyu stroked his chin, looked at the Vulture-Vulture Fruit user soaked in a water barrel, and after thinking for a moment, reached out a hand.

His palm pressed onto the head of the already incapacitated Vulture-Vulture Fruit user. In an instant, the Vulture-Vulture Fruit user's eyes bulged, his whole body trembled, and the blood inside his body surged out wildly.

The Dharma Power of the Blood Scripture formed once again within Uchiha Feiyu's body, but this time Uchiha Feiyu circulated his own Haki, beginning to slowly make contact with the Blood Scripture Dharma Power. Although he could still feel the pressure of the world's rules, the speed at which the Dharma Power disappeared was more than ten times slower.

The Haki and the Dharma Power did not completely fuse; they were just forcibly squeezed together, still remaining distinct. However, vaguely, the Haki seemed to have undergone some kind of special change due to the influence of the Dharma Power.

Uchiha Feiyu had no mind to care about these special changes. After discovering that the speed at which the Dharma Power disappeared had slowed down, all his attention was focused on that Vulture-Vulture Fruit user, and he finally sensed the strange Soul inside this ability user.

With a casual tug, Uchiha Feiyu finally pulled out the Soul of this Devil Fruit user, but this Soul was divided into two parts: one part was the image of this Devil Fruit user, and the other part looked like a vulture, with some strange patterns on it.

"That vulture-like Soul should be the Devil Fruit... who should I experiment on?"

Turning his head to look around, Uchiha Feiyu's gaze immediately focused on a lion that was napping on the deck.

Richie, the lion that had been dragged onto the ship by Uchiha Feiyu, was originally napping when he suddenly felt a chill in his heart. His body trembled, and he looked up, just in time to see Uchiha Feiyu standing in front of him with a weird smile on his face.

The fur all over Richie's body stood on end, and he turned to try to run away immediately, but was grabbed by the tail by one of Uchiha Feiyu's hands:

"Come, come, little lion, today I, your master, will give you a stroke of fortune. Lion plus vulture, you'll directly become a mythical beast griffin using a common Zoan fruit!"

As soon as the words fell, the piece of Devil Fruit Soul in Uchiha Feiyu's hand was slapped into Richie's body.

Richie let out a miserable howl, then froze for a moment. He didn't notice any changes in himself, and his eyes suddenly became a bit dazed and cute.

The next moment, his majestic lion mane fell off one after another, revealing an ugly, bald neck.

(End of this chapter)