"This... how is this possible!?"
Queen stared, dumbfounded, at the snapped needle. His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets, his mouth agape.
To facilitate scientific experiments, all his syringes and needles were forged from the toughest metals available. After all, the viruses he created were engineered for maximum potency. His test subjects weren't limited to ordinary humans—he'd experimented on all sorts of ferocious beasts as well.
Some of those beasts had skin and scales as tough as rock, and yet his needles could pierce them with ease.
But now, the needle had just... snapped!?
What the hell is this guy's body made of? Steel!?
Queen, full of disbelief, walked up and began groping Daren all over. Daren shivered, visibly uncomfortable as goosebumps rose on his skin.
"Incredible..."
The more Queen touched, the more shocked he became. His beady eyes lit up with a mix of surprise, obsession, and excitement. Even the rolls of flesh on his face trembled with glee.
"Skin tough as steel, muscles like rock—strong yet still flexible."
"Muhahahahaha!!! Absolutely perfect! This is the perfect test subject!!"
Suddenly, he burst into manic laughter, sparks shooting from his eyes, his face flushed red with excitement.
"Marine! You're the one I've been looking for—my perfect experiment!!"
"Well... if I had to be picky, the perfect subject would be Kaidou-sama. But I can't beat him, so here we are."
Queen muttered under his breath, then looked up sharply, eyes burning as he stared at Daren like he was admiring a priceless work of art.
"Normal test subjects can't handle my viruses or bacteria. Even at the weakest doses, they collapse within seconds."
"But now I have you... hehehehe!!"
Grinning maliciously, the fat man in overalls wiped the drool from his mouth, then turned his attention to Bullet nearby.
"In that case, no need to rush. Let me check out your body structure too."
Queen chuckled pervertedly and walked over to Bullet, starting to grope him as well—pinching here, grabbing there.
"You bastard!! You fat freak!! I'll kill you!!"
Bullet's face flushed red as he yelled in a mix of fury and helplessness. But with serious injuries and Seastone restraints stacked against him, resistance was impossible.
"Hehehe, struggling's pointless. Scream all you want, no one's coming to save you."
Queen proudly puffed out his round belly, blew a cloud of cigar smoke, and flexed his arms to show off.
"Fat guys have charm too. I got this way on purpose—otherwise, too many people would fall for me, Muhahaha!"
"Your physique's not bad either. Strong like a damn dinosaur."
"Not bad... not bad at all..."
His beady eyes darted back and forth between Daren and Bullet, his laugh growing more sinister. He replaced the broken needle with a new one, then approached Daren again.
With a low shout, black Armament Haki surged over his arm like flowing liquid, spreading down into the syringe. The silver needle instantly took on a gleaming black sheen.
"This should do the trick..."
Queen stepped in, raised the syringe, and jabbed it into Daren's neck. Backed by Armament Haki, the needle paused only briefly at the skin before penetrating through the flesh and slipping into a vein.
Daren let out a muffled grunt.
"Try out my latest virus. You're about to experience a taste of hell... hehehehe..."
Grinning wickedly, Queen injected the glowing green fluid into Daren's bloodstream.
Thump!
Daren's heart gave a heavy jolt.
His pupils contracted to pinpoints as blood vessels burst and a web of crimson threads spread across his eyes.
Thump thump thump!
The dull, rhythmic thudding of his heart echoed loudly through the dark prison.
A tidal wave of pain crashed over him, overwhelming his senses in an instant. Daren dropped to his knees, letting out a beastlike howl.
It was the first time in his life he'd ever heard his heartbeat so clearly.
Under Bullet's wary, grim gaze, Daren's skin visibly reddened. Blood began leaking from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Steam billowed from the surface of his body.
Even more terrifying was the sight of his veiny, trembling chest. With every heartbeat, the skin visibly bulged in the shape of his heart—rhythmic and grotesque.
"Muhahaha! You feel that?"
"This is the Mummy Virus. Once infected, your whole body starts to burn up... the temperature quickly rises beyond what the human body can withstand, making you feel like you're being roasted alive..."
Queen let out a twisted laugh, eyes burning with fanaticism.
"Your blood will begin to evaporate throughout the process. Massive dehydration will cause your organs to dry out and shut down. In the end, your body will shrivel up like a mummy."
As he spoke, he swapped in a fresh needle and jabbed it into Bullet, injecting the Mummy Virus just the same.
Bullet's pained groans gradually echoed as his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Yes... that's it... this kind of pure agony and torment... hehehehe..."
Queen worked quickly, attaching various life-monitoring devices to both Daren and Bullet. He observed their reactions while scribbling down data on a notepad.
"Body temperature rising... already past 50 degrees..."
"Evaporating blood triggering signs of dehydration... five seconds after injection, organ function begins to deteriorate and enters failure..."
"Heart rate over 120 bpm... blood pressure dropping steadily... Tsk tsk tsk, if it were any regular human, they'd be dead by now..."
Now fully in research mode, Queen looked excited, his round face unusually focused.
"Almost there..."
After a full three minutes, he finally put the pen down.
Looking at the pages of densely recorded data, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
Daren and Bullet were both kneeling on the floor, gasping for air, their faces deathly pale. Beneath them, puddles of sweat had already formed.
"Well then, that's enough testing for today."
"We've got nine more days. Make sure you hold out. Don't give in too soon."
Queen grinned smugly, exhaled a smoke ring, locked the cell door, and turned to leave.
Lying on the ground, Daren gritted his teeth, watching the fat bastard's wobbling backside as he left... but then, he suddenly froze.
Wait!!
'This feeling...'
His eyes widened slightly, a flicker of disbelief in them.
His body—his physical condition—it felt like...
If this were a game, and he had a "status panel," then during the process of being injected with the Mummy Virus, he'd be shocked to see something like this popping up:
Physique +0.04, Physique +0.04, Physique +0.03, Physique +0.05...
Seriously... this actually works!?
...
(70 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake