"Binding? Collecting?"
Cobra murmured softly, sinking into deep thought.
Taro responded as if talking to himself,
"Yeah, collecting!"
Then, he also began to ponder.
While a Devil Fruit user is alive, the fruit's power isn't passed down to descendants through DNA; it only Rebirths after the user dies.
This hall, clearly built for a specific purpose, made the Legacy of Devil Fruits controllable.
It acted more like a recycling mechanism, ultimately achieving a circular reuse effect.
Looking at how Ace inherited freckles from his Mama Rouge, and how Vivi looks almost exactly like her mother Titi,
In this world, the principles of normal human genetic inheritance should be the same as in his previous life—they are effective!
This indirectly proved that the 'genetic blueprint' formed by the recombination of Lineage Factors and Devil Fruit powers doesn't truly change the human body.
It really is like an external 'Implantation'!
And it's the kind limited to the individual's own experience!
Was the essence of Devil Fruit Legacy a cycle of 'Implantation'—Recovery—'Re-Implantation'?
Precisely because of this, Taro believed this hall was a shackle used to collect the Devil Fruit power after a user's death, preventing it from escaping!
Tsk tsk, sustainable development—what an advanced concept!
So, Roger must have known this 'fact', right?
His pirate crew also seemed to have a tradition of 'not eating Devil Fruits'!
Rayleigh, Crocus, and Shanks all had no Devil Fruit Ability.
And then there's Buggy the Clown!
He ate his Devil Fruit by mistake and ended up resenting Shanks for decades because of it!
Of course, it's more likely Buggy didn't want to eat it because he wanted to sell it for money!
However, back then, when Buggy held a fake fruit and declared he was going to eat it,
He was mocked by other crew members on Roger's ship with things like 'young people are just impulsive'!
This showed that most people on Roger's crew weren't interested in Devil Fruits!
Shanks, who always looked up to Roger as a role model, seemed to have inherited this tradition with the Red Hair Pirates he formed!
The Alabasta Royal Family and the Celestial Dragons don't eat Devil Fruits either!
These clearly weren't coincidences!
Could it be that this 'Implantation' had some kind of drawback?
The more Taro thought, the more puzzled he became.
Damn it, I came here to solve a mystery, but I'm ending up with more and more doubts!
What a mess!
Now, I'll have to find someone from the Roger Pirates to ask!
Hmm... Shanks!
"Cough, cough...!"
Just then, Cobra began to cough violently.
Thinking for so long had drained too much of his mental energy, making him look even more exhausted.
Taro quickly supported him, his voice full of concern.
"Are you alright? These things can't be figured out in a short time! Don't think too much for now; I'll tell you once I've cleared everything up!"
Cobra shook his head gently, his voice very weak.
"No, some things are the responsibility of the Nefertari Royal Family!"
Taro's lips twitched, but the words of comfort ultimately didn't come out.
Everyone in this world has something they persist in; it's not something he could talk them out of with a few words.
In fact, it wasn't just these native pirates.
Even Taro himself had gone from being lost when he first underwent Transmigration to gradually having his own convictions now.
After a moment of silence, Taro nodded.
"The information I got today is enough. Thank you very much!"
"Let's head back now!"
He took one last look at the mural, then carried Cobra on his back and left!
...The two returned to the palace, and Taro summoned his old acquaintance Maga, asking him to take care of Cobra.
Maga was the cavalry commander who had once relied on 'meticulous and rigorous' logical reasoning to imagine that 'Taro alone forced Crocodile to retreat'!
He was now the fourth most important official in the kingdom of Alabasta, after Igaram and the two guardian deities.
Cobra leaned against the headboard and rested for a while, his spirit recovering slightly.
He took Taro's hand, his tone gentle yet firm.
"Taro, I'm entrusting Vivi to you!"
Taro heard a hint of resolution hidden in Cobra's words, as if he were entrusting his final affairs.
He stared into Cobra's eyes and said solemnly,
"Okay!"
Saying that, he smiled again, his tone lightening up.
"There's still time, and there's me. Don't think the outcome will be so bad; things will get better!"
Cobra gazed at Taro for a long time before revealing a slight smile.
"Naturally, I believe in you!"
Taro chatted with Cobra for a while longer, and seeing that he was getting drowsy, he took his leave.
Maga followed him out. He had just heard that besides talking about the marriage between Taro and Vivi, the King's words also seemed to imply entrusting his Legacy.
This made him feel very uneasy.
"Lord grand administrator, His Majesty..."
Taro waved his hand, interrupting Maga, and smiled:
"Maga, we're old acquaintances; you can just call me by my name!"
Then, he added,
"Don't worry, nothing will happen!"
"Also, don't let anyone else know about what His Majesty said!"
Although Maga was puzzled, Cobra and Taro's attitude clearly showed they didn't want more people to worry.
After thinking for a while, he nodded with difficulty, "I understand!"
Taro laughed again, patted Maga on the shoulder, and waved goodbye.
"Well, then I'm off!"
With that, he transformed into a Falcon and soared into the sky.
After circling once in the air, he flew toward Foosha Village.
The Goa Kingdom, where Foosha Village is located, is directly northeast of Alabasta.
Therefore, he would pass over Hot Spring Island, where Vivi was located, on the way.
However, Taro only lingered over Hot Spring Island for a short while before quickly leaving.
He didn't plan to see Vivi; too many things had been on his mind these past two days.
Vivi was a very sensitive girl; if she noticed anything amiss, it would likely cause more complications.
Currently, Vivi probably hadn't made Lord Imu wary enough yet, and Taro hoped to delay involving her in these matters for as long as possible.
As for that priest from the Sky Island, there was even less need to see him.
Even Eneru, the 'God', was completely clueless about the lunar civilization, let alone a mere priest like him.
What he knew was probably far less than what Taro knew!
Near dusk, Taro arrived back at Foosha Village.
At the pier, a pirate ship was anchored by the shore.
The figurehead was a very domineering red Dragon.
The Red Force!
Red Hair had already arrived!
Taro landed in the distance, staring blankly at the pirate ship.
Revolutionary Dragon's ship also had a 'Dragon' design—not the lizard-like Dragon of his name 'Dragon', but an Eastern 'Divine Dragon'.
These two big shots: one had once gone to Marijoa to see 'her',
And the other met with the Gorosei as if he were strolling through his own backyard.
Both their ships had 'Dragon' shapes; was there some connection between them?
As Taro thought about it, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.
He felt like he was being a bit hypersensitive now, associating everything he saw with something else!
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