"These Devils," as Vegapunk put it, "wish to exist in the material world and manifest in the person to whom they are connected."
With that, the topic was closed, but Bill felt in his heart that it was something more sinister than merely the desire of Devil Fruits' "spirits" to exist in the material world.
He didn't know what it truly was and didn't want to delve too deeply into the issue, as he knew several people who had eaten Devil Fruits.
Bill feared that if it turned out that mortals unknowingly sold their souls for power by eating such a fruit, he would never be able to focus on anything else. He also feared that even if people found out, they still wouldn't care.
If that's the case, wouldn't it be better to try to make the world a better place so that people wouldn't need to crave such power?
That was his thought, and just as a joke could change his life, this random conversation shifted his priorities in life. In the future, reflecting on this time, Bill would simply say that Providence had a strange way of guiding events.
After checking the diagnostics of the capsule, Bill approached the forge, where cyborgs lay in a dormant state. These cyborgs were not only amazing scientific achievements but also true works of art. Moreover, in the process of developing these cyborgs, or rather, watching as Vegapunk created them, Bill learned how cybernetic limbs operated.
Contrary to intuition, the creation of advanced cyborgs was not based on a top-down control model.
Instead of using the brain as a central processor, each individual component had a very narrow range of input and output signals. These ranges were so small that by themselves they did not lead to any actions, but by working together in a system, they provided the full functionality of an ordinary limb. Therefore, hacking into these systems was as difficult as brainwashing a person since there was no single central commander controlling the movements. Essentially, Vegapunk created electronics that perfectly mimicked biological life.
Although Bill watched as Punk did this, he did not think he could replicate this system. He was almost certain that over the past two years he had learned to create cybernetic limbs that used the brain as a central processor—which was a tremendous achievement in itself—but the difference between this and Vegapunk's creation was like night and day.
Vegapunk's design was not only a scientific achievement but also a work of art. Knowing the science didn't mean one could recreate the art.
Bill approached the center of the room and saw people in lab coats moving aside around the energy generation machines. The forge was built into the lab floor, and when activated, steam erupted in all directions.
The necessary amount of energy was massive, as the cyborg, although supported by an external power source, required energy to be supplied to every microsystem in the machine for initial startup. Much like the energy needed to create a human body, these cyborgs required an enormous amount to begin functioning. In fact, strangely enough, it required almost the same amount of energy.
When the energy reached critical mass, the capsule slowly rose from the forge. It had only one small viewing window, glowing with a blue light. Minutes passed, and the blue light gradually dimmed until only darkness remained.
Once the light completely disappeared, a pshhh sound was heard, and the capsule's hatch opened, letting air inside.
Checking the diagnostics for the hundredth time, Bill made sure not to get too close until the hatch was fully raised and a familiar cyborg figure, the one Bill was most closely involved with during assembly, stepped out.
"Dr. Vegapunk, perform diagnostics before taking further action."
The cyborg looked at its hands, then at Bill, and said, "It worked, my boy, it worked."
Bill smiled despite himself but repeated, "Please perform the diagnostics."
Nodding, Vegapunk complied with the request:
"Neural channel and optical solvent — check
Organic tubes and quad servos — check
Superconducting fibers — check
Instability injector — within expected parameters, check
Spark igniter and ignition plug — operating at maximum power, check.
After that, Vegapunk listed several other biospecifications until he reached the most important technology within the cyborg.
"Mind arc — functioning at a theoretical level, check."
With the last check, Bill just smiled and said, "Amazing, Dr. Vegapunk, how do you feel?"
The scientist was still looking at his hands while announcing the diagnostic results, but upon hearing Bill's question, the cyborg looked up and said, "It's a strange feeling — being in two places at once, but I like it. I feel strong, maybe even stronger than you