Chapter 79: Fruit Synthesis and Development (Please Vote for Monthly and Recommendation Tickets)

Szczesny awoke in an instant, the pain in his abdomen forcing a cry from his lips.

"I hope this pain keeps you alert, because your next words will decide whether I let you endure this operation in agony," Buffon said, his hands never pausing in their work.

Szczesny glanced at the group around him—only Buffon and his companions—and immediately understood his predicament.

He endured the agony and spoke: "The rebel army sincerely invites Dr. Buffon to join us."

Hearing this, Buffon laughed inwardly, thinking, "What a bunch of naive fools."

But Vivi, upon hearing these words, could no longer remain composed. "You're with the rebels? Can you tell Kosha I want to speak with him? I am Princess Vivi!"

Szczesny, suppressing his pain, sneered, "Talk? What is there to talk about? Can you persuade your father to hand control of the country to us? If you hadn't kept using Dance Powder in Alubarna, would the nation be in this state?"

Vivi looked at Szczesny, powerless, biting her lip to keep from crying. She knew full well that all this was Crocodile’s scheme, but who would believe her now?

After all, Mr. Crocodile’s reputation among the people rivaled that of her father.

"If only Captain Buffon had come to Alabasta earlier, things wouldn't be so difficult!" Vivi thought, then spoke with determination, "I want to go to Katleya. I want to see Kosha!"

Buffon saw her growing agitation and promptly knocked Szczesny unconscious with a swift chop, lest he further inflame the situation.

He signaled to Reiju, then continued suturing Szczesny’s wound.

Understanding, Reiju walked to Vivi's side and spoke earnestly, "Vivi, do you think you alone can stop an army of 700,000 rebels? There are only two ways to end this war: either one side wins, or you publicly expose Crocodile’s true identity and Baroque Works’ three-year plan to your people, and convince them."

Vivi calmed visibly after Reiju’s words, though her fists remained tightly clenched.

Seeing her composure return, Reiju continued, "And, of course, you must defeat Crocodile!" As she said this, her gaze instinctively shifted to Buffon.

Vivi followed her line of sight, focusing on the man diligently tending to the wound.

Though Buffon always spoke of healing and saving lives, Vivi had noticed from their first meeting that his actions always opposed Baroque Works.

So, Vivi decided to gamble—she believed Buffon would ultimately defeat Crocodile.

Fifteen minutes later, Buffon finished treating Szczesny’s wound, opened the door, and called out, "Is there anyone with blood type S? This man has lost too much blood and will need a transfusion soon."

Instantly, three or four local doctors who had been observing jumped forward, "Dr. Buffon, there’s no need to trouble you with such a small matter. We can handle it!"

Outside, the crowd that had witnessed Szczesny brought in with his organs spilling out now saw him, aside from his pale face, looking as healthy as any normal person. Applause and cheers erupted!

From their eyes, Buffon could read one word: hope.

Vivi, silently watching from behind the door, felt greatly encouraged. She gathered her courage and approached Buffon, asking, "Captain Buffon, if Alabasta is engulfed in war, will you treat any injured person with all your strength?"

Buffon didn’t hesitate. "Yes."

At this moment, Saul, who had been silent, suddenly chimed in, "If Captain Buffon were placed at the center of the battlefield, and both sides witnessed his medical skills, they might find war meaningless and give up fighting altogether!"

Vivi looked at Saul, puzzled, clearly not understanding.

Reiju smiled and explained, "If Captain Buffon is there, it’s hard for anyone to die. What’s the point of fighting a war with no victory or casualties?"

"Exactly! Because Captain Buffon is neutral!" Saul added with a laugh.

Until 10 p.m., Buffon worked tirelessly, and only then did the crowd at the hotel entrance gradually disperse under the city guards’ persuasion. True to his word, Buffon led his group to the Rain Banquet Casino.

They were escorted to a VIP suite prepared for them in advance. Buffon found a room and began pondering the synthesis of Devil Fruits.

He switched the fruit to the Dark Flame state to see what would happen, discovering that the black flames would extinguish themselves and could not be elementalized, fully inheriting the properties of the Dark-Dark Fruit.

With this, Buffon lost interest in further research. He separated the Burn-Burn Fruit and the Dark-Dark Fruit, then combined the Dark-Dark Fruit with the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, creating the Dark Shadow Fruit.

After switching to this form, Buffon immediately sensed a difference.

The shadow possessed the effect of Dark Water, whether it was the Shadow Bat or the Shadow Horn Gun; all attacks now carried an absorption effect.

The Shadow Box, formerly a control skill, now became both control and drain.

"So this is the correct way to unlock it!" Buffon praised inwardly.

Moreover, the Dark-Dark Fruit’s traits hidden within the shadow made it highly deceptive in combat.

As for the core skill, Shadow Sever, Buffon experimented on the shadow of an inanimate object.

He discovered he no longer needed scissors; he could simply absorb the shadow directly.

In other words, the skill had shifted from requiring a casting time to being instant, and no longer needed a dedicated weapon.

Coupled with the trait that those whose shadows are stolen perish in sunlight, this auxiliary skill had become a deadly technique.

The only drawback was its ineffectiveness indoors or at night, and if the original owner died, the shadow vanished as well.

But purely from an assassination perspective, this skill was an excellent choice.

Stealing a shadow unintentionally, and when the person unknowingly encountered sunlight...

The scene was too horrific; Buffon didn’t want to dwell on it.

"At last, I’ve synthesized a fruit worth having!"

With that, Buffon shifted his thoughts back to developing individual fruits.

To fit his future plans, Buffon switched to the Paw-Paw Fruit and began his research.

Drawing on the physics and chemistry knowledge from his previous life, Buffon immersed himself in a sea of creativity.