Chapter 378: Chapter 378: Experiments with the Infinity Stones!
Chapter 378: Experiments with the Infinity Stones!
Immediately after, Garp was met with a synchronized punch from Sengoku and Tsuru.
"Ryuunosuke, don’t listen to him."
"This life essence... it must be related to the Infinite Green Stone."
"The abilities are probably connected," Tsuru said calmly. "And since Garp knows where to find them, he should take you there."
"Who knows—maybe we can even produce more life essence!"
After delivering Garp’s punishment, Sengoku spun around and promptly sold him out.
"You saw it earlier. The reason Garp keeps pushing his limits is because he never stopped training."
"But the two of us?" Sengoku gestured between himself and Tsuru. "We’re weaker now. Age caught up with us."
"So, we need this too."
"It’s not like we want it for free," Tsuru added. "We’ll trade it—for access to the Infinite Green Stones."
"Besides... Garp owes us."
She casually exposed all the dirt from Garp’s past.
Originally, Garp had planned to test Ryuunosuke a bit, maybe hold back some information.
But these two old traitors—
They aired everything out.
With his hand forced, how was he supposed to negotiate with Ryuunosuke now?
"...Old man, you were sitting on resources of the Infinite Green Stone this whole time!?"
"But if that’s true..."
Ryuunosuke looked at the three of them in confusion.
If Garp truly had access to the Infinity Green Stones, why didn’t he give any to Sengoku or Tsuru?
It would’ve been a major help for their original plan—to reform the Navy from within.
But clearly, only Garp had managed to avoid the decline of age and continue improving.
Was it because the other two were Devil Fruit users?
Could there be some kind of conflict between the Devil Fruit and the Infinity Stones?
"...You’re wondering why we didn’t use them, right?"
Sengoku spoke up, catching Ryuunosuke’s expression.
"Exactly."
He nodded. Something this powerful... he had to understand the risks.
"We can’t use it."
"It’s different from the life essence you created. Same aura, yes—but the energy is far more violent."
"Even before it merges into the body, it starts getting rejected."
"And no, it’s not just because we’re Devil Fruit users."
"Others tried as well. But..."
Sengoku’s voice trailed off, heavy with regret.
Ryuunosuke could already guess what had happened.
They must’ve experimented with the Infinity Green Stones on people they trusted.
People close to them.
People who shared their ideals during their time in the Navy.
And something had gone terribly wrong.
Only one name came to mind.
"...Was it Zephyr?"
He asked quietly.
Sengoku nodded.
Then, with a deep breath, he explained what had happened.
When Garp pushed them to try again, Zephyr discovered what they were up to.
After learning the full story, Zephyr volunteered to become the test subject.
He wasn’t a Devil Fruit user.
And he was one of their closest comrades.
Garp had only agreed to it because he wanted to rule out the possibility that the problem stemmed from Devil Fruits.
But the moment Zephyr made contact with the stone, he suffered a massive rejection.
He began vomiting blood almost immediately.
If Garp hadn’t pulled the Infinity Green Stone away in time, Zephyr would’ve died.
After that, they abandoned the idea entirely.
They never brought it up again.
If not for the life essence in Ryuunosuke’s possession, Garp wouldn’t have dared revisit the concept.
And Zephyr?
He never fully recovered.
Before his body could heal, he was ambushed by Weevil.
He lost an arm.
His family was slaughtered.
And when Weevil was later appointed as one of the Seven Warlords...
Zephyr finally lost all faith in the Navy and left for good.
That’s why Sengoku and Tsuru hadn’t dared face him again since.
"I see..."
Ryuunosuke fell silent for a moment.
Then, he slowly reached out his hand.
"...Can I try?"
"Let’s try it."
Although Garp hesitated, he eventually produced a sealed crystal box.
Inside it was a vibrant green stone—pulsing with fierce energy.
The Infinite Green Stone that Garp had shown him before had already fused into his body.
There was no taking it back.
This one, however, was still unbound.
As soon as Ryuunosuke held it in his palm, he could sense it—this aura was nothing like the previous Infinity Stones he’d encountered.
It was like pure, volatile life force, violently compressed into a solid form.
He placed it on his palm.
Immediately, a terrifying energy surged through his body.
It felt... alive.
Like it was searching for a host it could resonate with.
But within seconds, the violent surge was blocked.
Ryuunosuke’s own power burst forth instinctively, wrapping around the invading force.
A digestion process began.
Sengoku, Tsuru, and Garp watched nervously.
They were ready to interrupt at the first sign of trouble.
After all, they hadn’t forgotten what happened to Zephyr.
And if something happened to the captain of the Dragon Hunter Pirates now...
The entire Grand Line might burn in revenge.
The Navy wouldn’t survive it.
They watched as the energy within the stone grew more and more intense.
The aura of life was nearly overflowing.
Garp clenched his fists, ready to grab the stone away—
"Old man, I can still handle it."
Ryuunosuke’s voice interrupted him.
"This thing’s... pretty interesting."
Whenever he spoke, wisps of green steam leaked from his mouth.
"Oh my god—have you not brushed your teeth lately?"
"Why’s your breath glowing green? Are you rotting from the inside?"
Garp instantly retracted his hand and took a step back, but not without one last jab.
"...Garp, your timing is always impeccable."
Tsuru gave him a sideways look.
Even now, this guy was still cracking jokes.
Still, seeing that Ryuunosuke was stable, they all relaxed slightly.
Buzz!
Suddenly, the Infinity Green Stone merged completely into Ryuunosuke’s palm.
A powerful resonance exploded outward.
At the same time, Garp’s body also reacted—his fused stone vibrating in sync.
Feeling the disturbance, Shirahoshi immediately placed her hand on Ryuunosuke’s back.
The vibrations gradually subsided.
Garp, meanwhile, was flushed and panting—like something major had just happened to his body.
"What the hell did you do, brat?!"
His eyes widened as he glared at Ryuunosuke.
There was definitely something more going on.
It couldn’t be a coincidence that the moment Ryuunosuke absorbed the Infinity Green Stone, his body reacted too.
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