Chapter 80: FreedSteel Company (Part 2)
The revelation of a secret underground laboratory above the secret underground laboratory certainly shocked little Perona's already impressed mind. However, what baffled the infant was the nature of the projects that were being carried out in this new laboratory.
Engineering and biology at the same time? In what kind of projects did someone need to mix these two disciplines? Were they creating cybors like in science fiction books? That was even possible? Was there something that Fred didn't dare do, no matter how difficult or immoral it was? But what about Stephen? Would he agree to perform inhumane experiments? Am I their next test subject?
Perona's brain was suddenly filled with all these disordered and chaotic thoughts that were getting crazier and crazier with each passing second
Until they burst her bubble with a realistic example of their work
"For example the automail project!" Marlon said, showing off his metallic prosthetics as if he were a bodybuilder. "Perfectly controllable cybernetic limbs, as if they were your real limbs."
"Oh! So you guys did this?" Said Perona surprised. She had certainly noticed that Marlon had an artificial leg and arm, but she never thought they were homemade.
"Yes, it wasn't easy, but between the three of us, combining our biology and engineering knowledge... and the test subject's pirates that Fred brought us... we managed to achieve it." Stephen said, remembering with some disgust and regret each and every one of the failed attempts, some of them fatal. "Partially thanks to previous research with Den Den Mushis, we discovered the formula to restore and stimulate the nerves responsible for movement of the extremities and managed to create a device to connect it to these nerves and convert the signals they send into electrical impulses.
These electrical impulses move the electric motors and pneumatic actuators within the prosthesis and emulate the orders that the brain would give to the limb, creating the exact movement."
"At first we required external batteries to make the arm move, the internal mechanisms weren't very powerful, it broke easily and the extreme temperatures caused certain problems...
However, by purchasing the right materials, refining the technique and a lot of trial and error, in the end we got these beauties that perfectly emulate my lost strength twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year without the need to use batteries.
Besides! I have added submachine guns on my arm!
Although this one does require a battery for this extra option" Marlon said showing everyone his latest customization located on his knuckles, which opened to show the barrel of a firearm.
"Incredible!" Perona yelled quite impresed, although she would have been much more excited if he were a boy "And are you currently selling this?"
"Not currently, but not because it's not fully functional.
Ignoring the high total sales price and maintenance cost, it has quite a few problems…" Said Stephen with some bitterness despite being practically in love with this project "First of all, Fred would have to perform the difficult and painful nerve-connection surgery personally on each and every patient, something he didn't have time for
And similarly me or my father would have to design the custom automail
To promote this product we intended to recruit qualified medical personnel to perform the surgery on Fred's behalf and in my case I was about to design an adjustable automatic production process for automails, at least for arms and legs for now, but...
Right now I don't know if..."
CHAF!!
However, an unpleasant sound interrupted this important explanation.
"FRED! CAN YOU STOP AMPUTATING AND REGENERATING YOURSELF WHILE I EXPLAIN?" Stephen shouted on behalf of all living beings inside that room
Living beings who, as was normal, found extremely unpleasant to see someone cut their arm off over and over again! Regardless of the fact that that same person turned the amputated arm into a cactus spike, stuck it in the severed part and immediately recovered his severed arm again!
"I have to train my amputation pain resistance! If I give in to the pain the moment someone amputates my arm and that causes me to lose time in counterattacking I could lose a fight.
And now I can finally train this without any concern!
And don't worry, I'm using the Seimei Kikan to prevent my blood from flowing through my arm, I won't stain anything" Fred said nonchalantly as he moved his combat knife against his arm again.
CHAF!!
Was certainly unpleasant for everyone no matter what he said, but luckily most of them already got used to having him around doing his extreme training, although not as extreme as this one so far.
"Exactly that...
His Life Life No Mi is capable of completely restoring amputated limbs at low cost and without the need for maintenance" Stephen said somewhat depressed, banging his head against the metal table to show his negativity "Years of research, investment, passion and effort to the garbage"
Initially, the automail project was created to improve Marlon daily life and have second chances in the event that someone in the family could lose a limb, something that can happen even to a Yonkou
Reason why Fred didn't have too much consideration when it came to amputating his arm when it was invaded by the powerful hydra venom.
Evidently they also took into account the commercial attractiveness of the product, possibly highly sought after in a world with so many wars, conflicts and accidents of all kinds. For this reason they always thought of putting it up for sale despite the mass production problems they currently had since they thought they could solve them after a few years but...
Now Stephen, who was the most optimistic of all in marketing this product had just lost faith in this little dream...
"Little brother! Don't throw in your metal towel yet, our automail still has a future!"
But when one of the brothers fell, the other helped him up!
"Only I can grow limbs from virtually nothing and attach them perfectly easily... and there's no way I can meet the world's demand for new limbs on my own.
And even if it wasn't like that, it hasn't been a waste of time!
There is still a lot of unexplored potential locked in this research that could be used for other purposes…" Fred said, trying to regain his little brother's optimism with logical arguments, especially with his last argument "Like your beloved mind-controlled mechas for example."
One last argument that returned all the positive energy to Stephen's body
"MMM...
You're right!
I almost forgot that the negative one in the group isn't me!
"Steel-steel-steel!" Stephen said as he incessantly hit Fred's back with the palm of his hand, something quite dangerous since Fred had little patience, little tolerance for personal contactand and last but not least
He had a sharp knife in his hand with which he had been cutting human flesh until now!
And whether to avoid an accident with her son or because she could no longer bear some concern related to her husband, Roxanne take her turn to ask "Other than that...
Fred, honey, when can you give your uncle a real arm and leg?"
An almost imperative question that caused great controversy, especially in the Steel patriarch
"Uh, but honey, I don't need that...
I already have beautiful metal limbs that are better than the real ones" Marlon said with great concern as his married man's sixth sense shook with great violence, warning that something horrible was coming.
What every straight man in the middle of a relationship feared...
A couple's argument that couldn't be won and whose defeat meant saying goodbye to something precious
"You need them"
"But"
"You need them!"
"But I just put a gun on them!"
"I said you need them!
Yesterday while we were sleeping you hugged me and my hair got caught in your automail joints and you chilled me with your metal leg
And it's not the first time!"
"...
...
"Okay, ma'am…
…
Snif… sniff…"
The battle was lost before it began! Roxanne knew it, Marlon knew it and even Fred, Stephen and Perona knew it!
For that reason they left them space to resolve their issues and continued their tour across the secret secret laboratory
"And what is all this?" Asked Perona upon see the next point of the guided tour around the secret secret laboratory "A collection of Den Den Mushis?"
In front of her was a display case filled with dozens and dozens of sleeping Den Den Mushi, all of them with different sizes, shapes, and colours.
Some were recognizable to her, but the vast majority were completely alien to her... but not only to her, anyone who hadn't entered that room before would think exactly the same.
"That's right" Said Stephen, always willing to answer the questions of any curious child. "It's a collection of all the Den Den Mushi that Fred has created to date"
"Create them?" Asked Perona, more confused than before Stephen resolved her first rhetorical question "As far as I know, Den Den Mushi are natural born animals
Fred created them with his Life Life No Mi? But... you got this power on this trip, right?"
"I see you know something about the subject" Fred said, slightly pleased to see that he didn't need to start explaining from the beginning "Yes, they live in nature and communicate with each other through the waves they send and receive.
With domestication and a bit of biomechanical engineering like the one we use with the Automail, it is possible to transform them into short or long distance communication, photographic, video, surveillance devices and… not much more...
And as for these… they're products of genetic engineering"
At this point Fred expected to see Perona surprised and admiring him as she realized how capable her boss is in other areas besides massacring human beings… but seeing that the elementary school girl was more confused than before, Fred continued with the explanation.
"Each and every one of them represents my attempts to play with natural laws by altering their lineage factor to make the Den Den Mush'is smaller without losing communication range, increase their range, make them more resistant, make them require less food, program their behaviour or... combine different functions that only specific Den Den Mushis naturally have
And although some models you see here are good for certain purposes, this is the true jewel in the crown" Fred said as he opened a secret compartment behind the display case to take out two new Den Den Mushi's
One extremely small as well as elongated, as if it were a medicinal capsule. Black in colour and with practically his entire body inside his hard cylindrical shell
The other was quite similar to the previous one, but much larger in size and with a rectangular but extremely flattened shaped shell, as if it had been created expressly to occupy the least possible space in depth.
"This one is so small it fits on a finger and still has the same communication range that a normal sized Den Den Mushi" Fred said as he placed his creations in Perona's hand "And best of all, it is capable of taking, sending and receiving audio, video and photographs
ALL IN ONE!"
"And most interesting of all! A slightly older brother who can store the information obtained by his little brother and reproduce it" Stephen said, as he took the small Den Den Mushi from Perona and in turn showed him the other Den Den Mushi. This wasn't easy to create
Neither biologically nor technologically."
Perona thought she was understanding everything Fred and Stephen explained to her and really sounded impressive. She had a vague intuition of what those snails could do, however she wasn't yet able to visualize the final product between the interaction of the two artificial Den Den Mushi she have in her hands
"And as you will see now this combination of Den Den Mushis can be synchronized and added to certain devices to operate them with different options" Stephen said as he gestured for Perona to follow him to his table "Give them to me, I'll insert them into their place"
A metal table where there was an object that Perona wasn't used at all unlike ten-year-old children from Western countries in Fred's previous world.
It wasn't exactly the same item that had accompanied Fred for so many hours every day in his previous world, but... it was extremely similar to a personal PC!
Yeah...
Based on Fred's rudimentary knowledge of computers and Stephen's ability to correctly interpret Fred's information and some of the expensive and difficult to obtain Vegapunk technology… the PC became real in One Piece, but adapted to this world
"When we turn it on with this button we can see the main screen, the audio folders, videos, photographs, registered calls, contacts, direct call, text messages… and that is all that is possible for now until we can add more of the absurd ideas of Fred" Said Stephen, who after adding the two Den Den Mushis in the structure of the PC showed the functions of his future new flagship product, which triggered a radiant shine in the eyes of Perona "By clicking on any of them we will be able to enter said folder and access the stored content, such as Fred's last birthday"
WOW! How is this all possible?
Videos, photos… even music!" Said Perona, who couldn't help but jump on Stephen to also touch the computer screen and see that this device really followed her instructions.
It was almost like magic! An incredibly intuitive and almost addictive magic!
Such was the happiness and interest that Perona exhibited when they let her use the PC Den Den Mushi the co-creator Stephen got so excited that began to explain how it worked "It's similar to pressing buttons, but more complicated
The genetically modified Memory Den Den Mushi is projecting an established image at all times on this screen and when you touch the screen an order is sent to it through electrical impulses to do one action or another depending on…"
He continued explaining until he realized that Perona wasn't even listening to him!
All her attention and concentration were placed on the best toy she had seen so far.
She wasn't even paying attention to the panda Po, who despite making the cutest poses he knew, was unable to compete with the PC Den Den Mushi!
This is why Stephen changed his strategy by presenting FreeSteel's true greatest innovation in this field
"My biggest challenge in those months was to miniaturize all this great structure in a small, practical and intuitive device that anyone can take anywhere" Said Stephen as he repeatedly passed in front of Perona's line of vision the truly greatest innovation of FreeSteel in the field of communications "And here you see it!
For the first time I present to you all the Smart Den Den Mushi!"
A Smartphone!
A fucking Smartphone that operated with tiny genetically modified Den Den Mushi's inside!
A Smartphone that, although didn't yet have important applications like Tinder, Candy Crush or Instagram, was perfectly capable of performing the essential functions of a Smartphone!
Make calls, video call, send text messages, record videos and audios, play songs, take photography, share and view stored content and... hypnotize children!
"Give me! Give me!
Please! Give me!" Perona said, jumping in front of Stephen and pleading with abnormal eyes filled with emotion and desire that didn't even blink. Her eyes only followed the Smart Den Den Mushi that Stephen was using to take photos of her "PLEASE! PLEASE!
Give me! Stephen-niichan!"
And while Perona's eyes were filled with emotion and curiosity and Stephen's with tenderness... Fred's were filled with tears and nostalgia.
"Finally...
The giant step I was waiting for" Said Fred, who couldn't help but get sentimental upon see an old and dear friend had come to see him from another world 'And I don't need satellites or anything like that to transmit the signal to the other side of the world unless it is a very strange place
Den Den Mushi have their problems when it comes to storing information, doing calculations and generally emulating apps, but some are incredible communicating with each other at low cost.'
"And you're going to sell this right? RIGHT? RIGHT!?" Perona insisted, refusing to accept an answer that wasn't positive "Please, say yes!"
"That's the intention we've always had" Stephen agreed, calming the overexcited girl who had become obsessed with taking photos of herself and Po "But we were facing a big problem until now.
These genetically modified Den Den Mushis are incapable of reproducing normally, so Fred has been fighting to obtain the cloning technology he insists exists, but...
That is no longer necessary for now!"
Right now Fred was creating them en masse with the help of his Life Life No Mi at zero cost!
"Well, we have already talked about the projects we have for sale and that are about to hit the market!" Fred said as he reconnected a severed arm again "Let's have the general meeting!"
After these words and demonstrating his magical snail production capabilities, everyone, including the pets, sat at the main table and waited for the president to begin his speech.
"During these years FreedSteel has kept a low profile in the West Blue markets, but that is about to change from... the day I made the announcement in the interview without consulting you...
Now that we have met our first objectives to start the expansion, we have my fame as a shield and marketing element and also enough strength to defend ourselves within these seas… the time to move to the middle leagues has arrived
Once we make all the preparations we will move to Ballywood and from there we'll expand to all ends of the world and become fucking rich and powerful!
MUA HAHAHAHA!!!"
A speech that didn't win many applause, less than expected despite the small audience.
"Ahem...
Having said that..." Fred returned to the charge after clearing his throat "Now that we have talked about the products that we sell and will sell... and ignoring those that are distant like the [Web] project or the [Apple] project... let's focus on the new routes which we will explore both commercially and internally"
After a long campaign of exterminating pirates Fred usually returned home with new ideas. Especially ideas on how to increase his effectiveness to continue exterminating pirates... and of course everyone expected that after eating Akuma No Mi with so many possibilities he would come up with a good list prepared.
Are you going to get into the food business?" Asked Stephen, who had a good idea of at least one of the proposals "Perona-chan explained to me how easy it was for you to make money today"
"I have never intended to enter this sector even though we have created a perfectly sustainable and highly automated aquaponic farm on the island, but…
I would be an idiot if I don't take advantage of my powers to make easy money!" Fred answered smiling with great pride and serenity whit his teeth, pupils and even his hair temporarily mutated, modifying their shape to emulate the symbol of the berrie "So yeah!
I will use my ability to get rich easily, like a hero would do!"
A terrifying morphing disease to which everyone, including Perona, was already accustomed
"Yeah… a hero…" Roxanne murmured before trying to predict Fred's next idea like her son did "¿And what's the next new project?
Create genetically modified animals for combat purposes and train them with your ability to talk to animals and Pact sorcery so that you can clone them when you need them with your Akuma No Mi in the form of heavily armed metal hybrids to fight for you?
Will you call it [Beast] project?"
This...
Yes... exactly that Aunt Roxanne.
But I will also do something similar with plants, I will call that project [Plant]" Answered Fred, somewhat astonished to see that his aunt hit the mark with his incredible and innovative idea to increase his combat power 'Have I become so predictable?'
And in the same way that Fred was stunned, this incredible deduction also left the rest of the room speechless, but unlike Fred... who was experiencing a small crisis... everyone else applauded, cheered and whistled at Roxanne's intervention.
"I know him almost as if I had given birth to him" Said Professor Roxanne, satisfied after having left Fred speechless... and somewhat blushing from the ovations she was receiving "In addition, I have read almost all his books, I have to do something since there're no children to teach on the island
Until now…"
However, that deduction not only aroused applause and ovations, also doubts that Perona had believed to bury in her subconscious "Wait...
Talk to animals? Can he really do that?
I thought he was crazy or something and I just went along with it"
"And he can also see the past, present and future of the world in dreams, he has a strange magic that forces you to keep promises and he snores like a monster" Stephen replied, showing definitive audiovisual proof of Fred snoring. "You see? That's not a sound that can be produced by a human."
"REALLY! NO WAY!" Perona shouted, not only from the obvious shock of discovering that her boss was even weirder than she thought, the video Stephen was showing her was also super funny and embarrassing "Horo-horo-horo!
The shutter moves every time he snores!
HORO-HORO-HORO-HORO!"
However, they weren't the only ones with reasons to scream right now.
"KIDS!" Fred shouted as he conficated the Smart Den Den Mushi with his hair and deleted this video from the memory storage "I haven't finished talking yet."
"Sorry" The pink-haired youngsters apologized "But give me back the Smart Den Den Mushi, please"
And after returning the Smart Den Den Mushi and also the seriousness to the conversation Fred went back to explain the future projects
"Aside from that, we will have to add another investigation that until now hadn't been a priority
The project [Hydrophobic]
Create a full-body battle suit that isolates an Akuma No Mi user completely from the sea or water energy even if he's completely submerged in it!" Fred then said with great emphasis so that everyone could forget about the video of the monstrous snoring… and after drawing everyone attention enormously, he again explained his motivations more slowly "I'm not going to lie
I want to reduce my number of weaknesses to a minimum
Not just because we live in a world where 98% of the surface is water and I can't swim
It's not impossible that in the future we will face people with kairoseki weapons or other materials capable of exploiting this weakness"
Since Fred saw One Piece and how the sea affected the Akuma No Mi users he asked himself a question...
If an Akuma No Mi user wore a full-body suit that was wide enough or had water-repellent properties, would that user be weakened by exposure to kaioseki and seawater?
And now that he was an Akuma No Mi was willing to resolve that doubt, out of scientific curiosity and self-interest!
"Hmm...
I like this project!" Stephen shouted, very motivated to know that this project, one of his specialties, would fall directly on him. "The challenge is to find or manufacture a material that absorbs or counteracts the waves generated by water…
It seems fun..!"
And this wasn't the last point of the day...
"I also wanted to talk to you about the future of the project [Apple] and the new [Philosopher Stone]" Fred said... before stopping dead partially against his will "But, You're still punished for laughing at me
Besides, in few days you will see better what I mean…"
"?"
"Forget it..." Fred said quickly to avoid giving more explanations. For this reason, he went on to the next fascinating topic to discuss with his favorite engineers so that they would forget about the suspense of his last intervention "How're you doing with the project [Underwold], VP Stephen and adviser Marlon?"
"I already made the blueprint for our new 100% metal submarine" Stephen said as he took out several of the plans he had drawn for the company's new means of transportation. "But I suppose you'll want to add modifications to complement your Akuma No Mi"
"You know me well," Fred replied, embarrassing himself once again for being so predictable. "You see, we would have to add an intake to allow some of the seawater to enter the cabin and we would have to replace certain guns with smaller caliber, longer range, high penetration weapons to…"
"OOOHHH!! Leave those weapons to me kids! "They look fun!" Said Marlon, excited like a child to see those new ideas "EH!?
You want us to change all these metals for HPX5?!
It is extremely expensive! Put aside finding them in some months, are you sure you got enough money to buy it and transport it here?"
"MUA HAHAHAHA!!!" Fred laughed like a villain again, which could mean a lot or nothing at this point "Don't worry about it, it's all under control!
I hope you don't fall on your ass when you see it!
MUA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
And so the redesign of the new submarine began!
The boys were completely immersed in their own little world and probably wouldn't return until dinner time. A very valuable time that the girls didn't plan to waste.
"Perona, the boys are going to be busy with their things" Asked Roxanne while offering her hand to Perona "Do you want to go play and have ice cream upstairs?"
"I totally agree!" Person said, accepting the offer without thinking for a single second. "Are you coming too, Hawky?"
"KYAHHH!!" Answered Captain McNugget, eager to get out of the underground as soon as possible
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You'll be able to see 8 chapters in advance in my Pa-treon
pa-treon.com/user?u=83938371
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Meralman
Meralman I hope you like reading this story as I do writing it and that you leave me your comment, review and vote if that's the case.
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