Unveiling the Mysteries: The Ultimate Guide to Artificial Devil Fruits in One Piece

Highlights

The Lineage Factor's revelation by Dr. Vegapunk and Vinsmoke Judge has resulted in the creation of Artificial Devil Fruits, which provide abilities akin to regular Devil Fruits albeit with distinct mechanics.

Vegapunk's Artificial Zoan fruits have successfully replicated the abilities of existing Zoan fruits, producing remarkably similar results. However, there have been some initial limitations observed in certain cases, such as Momonosuke, which could potentially be overcome with time and experience.

In contrast, Caesar Clown's SMILEs, derived from the Lineage Factors of regular animals, do not grant the ability to transform into animals. Instead, they cause individuals to develop animal-like characteristics, but with a high rate of failure and adverse effects on emotions. Kaido has employed SMILEs to create members within his crew known as "Gifters" and "Pleasures."

Dr. Vegapunk and Vinsmoke Judge's discovery of the Lineage Factor, known as the blueprint of life in One Piece, has led to the creation of Artificial Devil Fruits. These fruits grant powers similar to normal Devil Fruits, but their functionality differs. They are produced by manipulating a user's Lineage Factor through their blood. Vegapunk and his former colleague Caesar Clown have produced these man-made Devil Fruits using various methods, though the process has been challenging. Currently, only Zoan and Paramecia type Devil Fruit powers can be replicated through scientific means. Logia types are too difficult to recreate.

Vegapunk's Artificial Zoans

When Dr. Vegapunk initially attempted to create Artificial Devil Fruits, he had confident notions that he could successfully recreate any fruit belonging to the Zoan class. His belief even extended to the highly uncommon Mythical Zoan fruits, although accomplishing this task required considerable investments of time and money. To achieve this, he utilized the Lineage Factor from existing fruits and their users to craft his Artificial Zoan Devil Fruits, which yielded outcomes that were remarkably close to perfection in certain cases. Diverging from the distinct shapes and swirling patterns of ordinary Devil Fruits, Vegapunk's Artificial Zoans were approximately apple-shaped and possessed smooth surfaces adorned with ring patterns.

Undoubtedly, the most widely recognized member of this assortment of Artificial Devil Fruits is the one consumed by Kozuki Momonosuke. Created using the Lineage Factor of Kaido, the former Yonko and leader of the Beasts Pirates, this Devil Fruit bestowed its user with powers akin to those of Kaido's own Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu. However, instead of transforming into an Azure Dragon like Kaido, Momonosuke initially assumed the form of a smaller pink dragon and struggled to maintain control over this form or employ any of Kaido's abilities such as flight and fire-breathing. As a result, Vegapunk and his sponsors in the World Government considered the fruit to be a failure.

Interestingly, all these flaws, except for the hue of Momonosuke's dragon form, were actually attributed to his youthful inexperience with the fruit. When Shinobu aged Momonosuke by 20 years, he suddenly attained a dragon form that matched Kaido's colossal size, enabling him to confront the Yonko during the climactic Raid on Onigashima. Through some practice, Momonosuke became adept at utilizing flame clouds for proficient flight and even mastered the art of breathing fire, suggesting that Vegapunk's dismissal of the fruit as a failure may have been premature. The potential ramifications of this fruit's success on the future development of Zoan fruits, particularly those of the base, Mythical Zoan, and Ancient Zoan categories, still remain unknown.

Caesar Clown's SMILEs

In contrast to Vegapunk's approach, Caesar Clown opted to utilize the Lineage Factor of regular animals in order to concoct what he referred to as the SMILEs. Notably, there existed several noteworthy distinctions between Caesar's SMILEs and Vegapunk's Artificial Zoan Devil Fruits, starting with their respective foundations for creation. The majority of SMILEs came into existence by infusing normal fruits with a specialized substance known as SAD, comprising a combination of Lineage Factors that was then introduced into the fruits.

SMILEs differ from typical Zoan Devil Fruits and Vegapunk's Artificial Zoan Fruits as they do not grant the ability to transform into animals or animal-human hybrids. Instead, SMILE users experience the growth of animal parts or segments of sentient animals from their bodies. These changes are usually permanent and cannot be controlled at will like regular Zoan Devil Fruits. Additionally, the abilities bestowed by SMILEs are weaker compared to those of normal Zoan Fruits and Vegapunk's Artificial Zoan Fruits.

Consuming a SMILE fruit comes with a significant risk, as only 10 percent of them successfully grant powers to the user. On the other hand, those who consume a SMILE and do not gain powers lose the ability to swim like with traditional Devil Fruits. They also become incapable of expressing any emotion aside from joy, earning the name "SMILE." Even if only partially eaten, these unsuccessful SMILE fruits continue to cause these effects. Kaido used this to his advantage by having 5000 members of the Beasts Pirates consume SMILEs, resulting in 500 individuals acquiring powers and becoming "Gifters," while the remaining unsuccessful recipients were referred to as "Pleasures."

The Seraphim's Green Blood

Vegapunk's advancements in replicating Devil Fruit powers have surpassed Caesar's efforts. Using a substance called Green Blood, synthesized with the Lineage Factor of a Devil Fruit user, he can reproduce their abilities in other individuals, specifically the Seraphim. Green Blood acts as both a base medium and a substitute for blood, catalyzed by the Lineage Factor of the Devil Fruit user being replicated. Although not a traditional Artificial Devil Fruit, the end result is almost identical.

Due to the presence of Green Blood, the Seraphim are unable to swim and are vulnerable to items or materials infused with the sea's energy, such as Seastone. In the Egghead Island Arc, Vegapunk successfully infused four Paramecia type powers into the Seraphim. These powers include Daz Bonez's Supa Supa no Mi used by S-Hawk, a clone of Dracule Mihawk, Senor Pink's Sui Sui no Mi used by S-Shark, a clone of Jinbe, Boa Hancock's Mero Mero no Mi used by her clone S-Snake, and Bartholomew Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu no Mi in his clone S-Bear. Considering Vegapunk's progress, it wouldn't be surprising if he eventually manages to mimic Logia Devil Fruit powers, completely altering the global balance of power in the One Piece story.

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