Chapter 243: Magma-Magma Fruit, Ice-Ice Fruit
Matthew had a deep understanding of this.
Ever since he signed in and obtained the Glint-Glint Fruit ability, he had never relaxed his development of it.
But clearly, when his life level was not high enough, his use of the Glint-Glint Fruit had been extremely simple and direct.
After he signed in and obtained Big Mom's "Iron Balloon" body, however, his life level advanced rapidly, and his use and control of the Glint-Glint Fruit improved greatly.
After awakening Observation Haki, that improvement became even greater.
Then, after the Rumble-Rumble Fruit in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia was lit up and Matthew ate it, he combined it with modern scientific knowledge, and his development of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit immediately advanced at an explosive speed.
A series of directions derived from lightning were all successfully realized.
For example, strong magnetic field construction extended from electromagnetic force, electromagnetic rail attacks, full-spectrum electromagnetic wave control, electromagnetic resonance, atmospheric weather control, electromagnetic gravity, and more.
With modern knowledge, Matthew could develop these advanced applications—but only because, as his life level increased, so did his mental processing ability.
Devil Fruits were driven by will, yes.
But without the mental capacity to control them, their potential was meaningless.
For example, in the theory behind A Certain Scientific Railgun, every esper ability was based entirely on the user's mental processing ability. Accelerator was no exception. Once his brain was damaged, the power of his ability declined with it.
What made Devil Fruits special was that they could bypass the laws of physics to a certain extent.
That greatly lowered the difficulty of developing them. As long as one had sufficient theoretical knowledge and imagination, discovering new applications was only a matter of time.
But without enough mental processing ability, even if someone developed those applications, their control, mastery, and overall power would still be limited.
For example, without sufficient mental processing ability, Matthew could never have used gravity to tear apart and destroy the city of Moscow within the Mirror Dimension.
Fortunately, neither the Astartes, Raven, nor the Grey Knights lacked the mental processing ability to make full use of their powers.
As long as Matthew was there, the Empire endured, and its research departments continued to advance, they would always have strong support behind them. Combined with magic—another will-based power that bent the rules—and meditation to strengthen the mind, the limitations of mental processing ability would hardly be an issue.
Put simply, it came down to accumulated knowledge.
Why could geniuses perform calculations faster than ordinary people? Wasn't it because they possessed a greater store of knowledge and gradually improved their mental processing ability through learning?
Take the monster known as Thanos, for example.
Although Thanos was only at the sub-Skyfather level, once he obtained an Infinity Stone, he could immediately use it. In an instant, he could understand the knowledge and power contained within the stone, link with it, and bring out its power to the greatest degree.
But if another sub-Skyfather, or even many Skyfathers, were given the same conditions, their use of the stones would be very rough and difficult.
The principle was the same.
"Yes."
Reacher nodded solemnly, his mind already moving quickly as he began thinking of suitable candidates.
The others exchanged glances and grinned.
They rubbed their hands like flies and got ready to fight for the Devil Fruits they wanted.
Seeing this, Matthew slipped away.
He had no intention of taking part in these matters.
After Matthew left, the once-calm conference room immediately erupted into fierce argument.
"I have my eyes on this Glint-Glint Fruit. It's mine!"
"Shut up, Natasha. I'm your mother."
"Come on, Melina, that was years ago, and it was just a cover identity for a mission."
"The Magma-Magma Fruit looks good. I'll take it."
"Heh, this Ice-Ice Fruit is nice too. And the Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon. The Soul-Soul Fruit is good as well."
Reacher and the others were all incredibly sharp. They almost immediately set their sights on the top-tier fruits. In truth, there were many other excellent fruits as well, but for the first batch, they naturally wanted the very best.
As the argument grew more heated, it eventually escalated into a fight.
As a result, Needy opened the Mirror Dimension.
…
"Damn it. That bastard really can run. Every time we lock onto him, he disappears without a trace."
On the streets of Houston, Skye and Jessica walked side by side in coats and baseball caps.
They chatted as they walked, each holding a steaming cup of coffee.
Jessica, with her usual bad temper, cursed under her breath.
Skye had already gotten used to this fiery girl beside her. Bored, she looked left and right. In the distance, on the walls of a building, she could see large full-body portraits of several Houston Rockets All-Star players hanging there.
Skye did not have much interest in basketball.
She had simply never been to Houston before and was a little curious.
As the two walked, their steps suddenly stopped.
They stood in front of a shop, watching a news anchor reporting on the television behind the display window.
"At 10:15 this morning, we officially confirmed that the sitting President of the United States was the target of an assassination attempt."
The anchor's expression and tone were unusually grave.
"Inside the core office area of the White House, the President was handling official duties. There were no records of outside personnel being admitted. An unidentified mutated individual appeared out of thin air and carried out an assassination attempt on the President."
"According to the White House internal security route and testimony from the Secret Service team, this individual is a mutant with blue skin covering his entire body and a long, thin tail."
"This mutant possesses the superpower of instant spatial movement, allowing him to break through multiple layers of infrared warning systems and security forces in the White House."
"According to the information we have received, the President's arm was wounded. Two agents were killed, and three agents were injured. Fortunately, the President is safe."
"Currently, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and several other agencies have formed a joint mutant affairs task force to take full control of the assassination case."
"We must consider the meaning behind this assassination attempt, and whether it may lead to an all-out war between humans and mutants."
After the anchor finished, the television image quickly changed. The closed-circuit surveillance footage was somewhat blurry.
Outside the President's office, many agents in suits had been standing guard along the corridor.
Then a blue figure suddenly appeared through teleportation and moved through the hallway. The agents reacted very quickly, drawing their guns and firing.
But they could not hit a mutant capable of instant movement.
The mutant's long, thin tail carried terrifying strength. With one flash and one strike, it sent an agent flying as he spat blood.
The footage then switched to the President's office, where several armed agents protected the President behind them.
Unfortunately, under the mutant's ability, the President was still wounded, and several agents sacrificed their lives.
Thankfully, a large number of agents arrived afterward and kept pulling the trigger at the mutant, forcing him to flee in the end.
The footage ended abruptly.
Skye's fingers suddenly tightened around her paper coffee cup. The cup was warm, yet it could not warm the chill that rose in her heart.
She turned her head and looked at Jessica beside her. At the same time, shock and surprise flashed through both their eyes.
What shocked them was not the world-shaking act of a mutant attempting to assassinate the President.
It was that both of them had clearly caught the mutant's face in that fleeting moment on the screen—his eyes were pitch black.
"So... that guy did it?"