"Captain Buggy, you might have some misunderstandings about transponder snails. These little things have low reproductive capabilities; they can only reproduce once in their lifetime, and each time they only produce 1 to 2 offspring. There simply aren't enough samples to study."
Ain felt that Buggy was being a bit whimsical; even the Science Division found it very difficult to breed transponder snails.
"Only reproduce once in a lifetime... If you use your ability to restore the transponder snail to its pre-reproduction state after it breeds, wouldn't it be able to continue reproducing?" Buggy asked.
Ain was suddenly stunned; she had never thought of such a thing before... "In theory, that could work, but..." Ain stammered, "Keeping a transponder snail constantly in that... reproductive state, isn't that a bit much?"
"Is the intelligence of transponder snails high?" Buggy asked.
"There's no such thing as intelligence for them; they're just at the level of ordinary insects."
Ain looked down at the juvenile white transponder snail on the ground. Its sudden transformation into a larva made it a bit uncomfortable, and it was crawling around cheerfully.
"Then there you go. Maybe they're enjoying themselves," Buggy said nonchalantly.
"Even if we can keep these transponder snails reproducing, there still aren't enough of them."
Ain remembered her mission was to observe the situation in Wano Country, not to breed and study transponder snails.
"Don't worry, it indeed isn't enough with just your strength alone, so I've found someone to cooperate with you," Buggy said.
Orochi should be in the Flower Capital; a ninja as 'eye-catching' as her shouldn't be hard to find.
Sure enough, after a while, Mr. 3 arrived with a pink, gourd-shaped ninja; it was indeed Orochi.
"I already said I wouldn't work for your Buggy Pirates. Why did you bring me here?" Orochi kept complaining.
"Working in Wano Country is working for us; there's really no difference," Buggy said.
"...That's still better than working for you directly," Orochi said. "I've heard of your reputation. What, couldn't resist making a move on a beautiful ninja like me?"
"I know you men have fantasies about ninjas, shrine maidens, landladies, widows, and the like. How could a pirate like you resist a ninja like me?" Orochi lamented.
"I'm not a saint, but I'm not blind either," Buggy said flatly. "Use your ability on this juvenile transponder snail."
"Do you want to make it mature?" Orochi asked.
"That's right. Use your ability slowly and see if you can ripen it to its estrus period," Buggy said.
"Are you using a double entendre?" Orochi said while using her ability. "Teasing me with such vulgar language."
"These are technical terms! Why the hell would I tease you?!" Buggy snapped.
Under the influence of Orochi's Juku Juku no Mi ability, the juvenile transponder snail slowly grew, its tentacles becoming straight.
"That's enough... the transponder snail has already reached... its estrus period," Ain whispered.
"This one is male, right? Are there female transponder snails?" Buggy looked at the transponder snail's tentacles thoughtfully.
"No, transponder snails aren't divided into male and female, but it takes two of them to reproduce."
While explaining, Ain used her Devil Fruit Ability to slowly reverse the age of another transponder snail, bringing it back to its estrus period.
The two transponder snails met eyes, sparks of instinct flaring, and they began reproducing in front of a room full of powerful individuals.
"What on earth is this Concubine watching?!" Hancock exclaimed.
"Is this some kind of twisted hobby of the Captain's?" Bonney muttered.
But the others were serious.
"Do you know how many Berries a common communication transponder snail can sell for?" Crocodile said in a low voice. "At least over a million Berries."
Transponder snails were biological creatures with lifespan limits, and few small Pirate Crews could afford them.
"This isn't a game. If we can really keep transponder snails reproducing continuously, we can obtain countless Berries just by selling them," Moriah said.
"Not only that..." Hawkeye added quietly. "If everyone has a transponder snail in the future, the world's connections will become closer. This might truly change the world."
"Is it really that impressive?" Hancock asked, still frowning.
"Of course, this thing has infinite potential," Buggy said.
Before long, the two transponder snails completed reproduction and went still.
"New transponder snails will be born in about ten days," Ain said, unable to hide her excitement.
"No, continue using the Return-Return ability," Buggy said. "Bring them back to their estrus period again."
"Eh? Why?" Ain asked.
"I want to see if your ability can be used repeatedly on transponder snails."
Buggy needed confirmation that there would be no limit.
The result was clear. Under Ain's ability, the two transponder snails were pulled back into their peak state once more.
"It seems this can be done without me," Orochi said.
"Your ability is equally important," Buggy replied. "The newborn transponder snails will need your ripening."
Using these two abilities in combat would be wasteful; here, they were irreplaceable.
Devil Fruits were truly the most miraculous things in the pirate world.
---
A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San