Chapter 40: The Paramecia-type Munch-Munch Fruit!

Mary Geoise, within the Moon.

Im was reviewing various reports sent over by the Five Elders.

After all, having decided to personally steer the World Government, such work was inevitably unavoidable.

Regarding the Drum Kingdom, the Ice Stairs and Ice Bridges connecting the peaks of Drum Mountain had been completed through Kuzan's efforts.

From the photographs, they appeared extremely grand and magnificent, shimmering under the sunlight like miraculous works of art.

The Ice Stairs, in particular, stood at a staggering height of five thousand meters.

Consequently, the scale and volume of the stairs were exaggerated, almost encircling half of the Drum Mountain peak, with spacious platforms located every thousand meters.

It was said that the Administration Department's construction teams were not only building the medical school and World Hospital facilities but would also construct small buildings, pavilions, and benches on these platforms for people to rest.

Even so, the difficulty was not small, considering the task of transporting construction materials up a five-thousand-meter mountain.

As for Gia Island, it had now become a breeding base for News Coos.

The plan was to turn it into the world's largest zoo, housing all kinds of rare animals, making it the ultimate research site for zoologists.

The island's security work was handed over to the Army, as a Marine G-branch was located nearby.

Turning to the situation in Water 7.

Im picked up the report and read it carefully.

Overall, everything was proceeding smoothly. The former Ship Graveyard Island, which used to be piled with hundreds of broken ships, had now been cleared by the Administration Department's construction teams.

They were working urgently to build the new Tom's Workshop and the research factory for the Sea Train.

The reason for the urgency, as mentioned in the report, was that every June or July, Water 7 was struck by a super tsunami known as the "Gods of the Water."

Therefore, they had to construct facilities capable of withstanding the tsunami's impact and seawater inundation before June.

To this end, the Administration Department had even requested technical support from the Science Division.

Seeing this, Im's brow furrowed, and he murmured in a low voice, "'Gods of the Water'... that is indeed a big trouble."

Water 7 had previously been a major manufacturing site for Marine warships and was destined to become the research and manufacturing hub for the Sea Train.

The latter, in particular, concerned the transportation issues of all the member nations under the World Government and thus had to be prioritized.

"I must find a way to resolve it; otherwise, facing a massive tsunami year after year won't work..."

However, Im had no immediate ideas. He could only helplessly place the report back on the coffee table and pick up another one.

This was regarding the renovation progress of the Thriller Bark.

Originally, the Administration Department wanted to tow it to Water 7 and hire the best shipwrights to carry out the construction.

However, after an inspection by professionals, it was discovered that its renovation had little to do with shipwrights and instead required a large number of architectural craftsmen.

Thus, this vessel—which was called a ship but was large enough to be considered an island—was currently at a secret location adjacent to the Red Line, where a large number of craftsmen were repairing, renovating, and redecorating it.

According to the plan, the Gothic castle clusters on board would be painted white.

The forests would also be cleared to be converted into Marine training grounds, dormitories, and so on.

However, the construction period was somewhat long, estimated to take about six months.

This displeased Im slightly. The maritime situation was becoming increasingly chaotic.

Due to the rumors of the "Great Treasure," the number of pirates had surged significantly.

Currently, several Marine G-branch bases in the first half of the Grand Line were overwhelmed with work.

In particular, bounties were being issued in massive batches.

Therefore, this Marine branch base at Reverse Mountain was crucial.

The subsequent reports covered various topics.

There were the views of Dr. Kureha and many excellent doctors from the Drum Kingdom regarding the "Platinum-Lead Disease."

There was also the performance of Shiryu after becoming Akainu's adjutant, and a letter from Monkey D. Dragon to the Five Elders.

Shiryu's matter was insignificant; with Akainu there, there was no fear of him being unable to keep him in check.

Im placed more importance on the Platinum-Lead Disease and the matter of Dragon. Regarding the former, Kureha and others had personally inspected the condition of patients sent secretly from the North Blue by CP4.

They discovered that these were typical symptoms of chronic heavy metal poisoning.

However, the strange thing about this "Platinum-Lead" was that it could actually be inherited by the next generation.

Logically, heavy metal poisoning should not be hereditary.

Yet, this was the case, and it wasn't just a one-time inheritance but a continuous one.

Nevertheless, these highly skilled doctors had discovered that the "Platinum-Lead" was mainly concentrated in the patients' livers.

Under the personal direction of the century-old Dr. Kureha, they were attempting to use miraculous surgical techniques to clear the "Platinum-Lead" from the livers.

However, the final results were not optimistic.

Afterward, they tried treating it with medication, but the effects of existing specialized drugs for heavy metal poisoning were unsatisfactory.

Therefore, a new specialized drug for Platinum-Lead had to be developed.

The time required for that was entirely unknown.

"Since conventional medical methods won't work, why not try the extraordinary powers of Devil Fruits..." The first thing that came to Im's mind was, of course, the Op-Op Fruit.

Wouldn't the future Law rely on it for self-treatment?

But who knew where it was in the North Blue right now.

Besides that, there was the Paramecia-type Heal-Heal Fruit, which would be a truly targeted fruit for this.

It could even restore both organic and inorganic matter to their original state by consuming lifespan; even without consuming lifespan, it could cure all living organisms of injuries and illnesses.

"Eh, Princess Shirahoshi of the Fish-Men might not have been born yet, but I could send CP6 to Dressrosa to look for this Heal-Heal Fruit..."

Im thought pensively. If possible, he naturally hoped to have such an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit in his hands.

Moreover, the Fish-Men themselves were worth befriending; they were known as the "Green Managers," claiming there was no plant in the world their race couldn't cultivate.

Wasn't that ability absolutely broken? Were they all incarnations of the Divine Farmer?

The problem was that these Fish-Men were said to have formed a grudge with the Donquixote Family 900 years ago, so by extension, they likely held no goodwill toward other Celestial Dragons.

That was a bit troublesome.

Right, he could also look for the Memo Memo no Mi of the future Princess Violy.

What was the concept of a 4,000-kilometer observation radius?

In his previous life, the diameter of China was 5,500 km north-to-south and 5,200 km east-to-west, and the Pacific Ocean was 19,900 km wide.

It would be equivalent to being able to see through three-quarters of China or one-fifth of the Pacific Ocean with a single glance...

[Knock, knock, knock]

Just as Im was increasingly feeling that the Kingdom of Dressrosa was a treasure trove, a gentle knock sounded on the treehouse door, and the information of the person knocking appeared in his mind via Observation Haki.

"Come in!"

A charming maid walked in carrying a silver wooden box, but she only dared to stand at the edge of the door.

"My Lord, this is something the Five Elders asked me to deliver to you. They said it is the Paramecia-type Munch-Munch Fruit found by CP5 in the Drum Kingdom."

"The Munch-Munch Fruit!"

Im was greatly surprised and delighted; this was a good thing.

Previously, he had only instructed the Five Elders to send people to look for it secretly just in case, but he hadn't expected them to actually find it.

However, he maintained his natural composure on the surface.

"Set it down."

"Yes."

The maid walked in, placed the wooden box on the coffee table, and then respectfully retreated from the treehouse, closing the door behind her.

Im reached out and took the Munch-Munch Fruit out, squinting as he examined the fruit. It was purplish-red in color, its surface covered in black spiral patterns, looking like a pair of interlocking steel teeth.

"It can perfectly fuse organic and inorganic matter, and can even swallow ability users to obtain their abilities. If used well, this is enough to benefit an entire civilization. I must carefully consider whom to give it to..."

"But then again, now that the Munch-Munch Fruit has been found, what about that Hito Hito no Mi?"

Thinking of this made Im feel a bit conflicted.

He didn't know whether he hoped to find the latter or not.

Because if he found it, wouldn't Chopper be gone?