Discovered by the illegal scientific research institute MADS, which was led by Dr. Vegapunk, the Lineage Factor is said to be the blueprint of all life in the world ofOne Piece. Seemingly equivalent to DNA in some respects, but possessing ramifications that extend far beyond it, this concept has been pivotal to a number of plot points after the time skip, coming into even greater prominence as therace for the One Pieceheats up in the Egghead Island Arc. The concept itself was regarded as a revolutionary breakthrough by the World Government, who wasted no time in enlisting the genius scientist Vegapunk to weaponize it for their own personal gain. Besides him, the individual who made the biggest strides in exploring the Lineage Factor’s applications was Vinsmoke Judge, one of Vegapunk’s colleagues at MADS, who used it to further his ambitions of restoring theglory of the Germa Kingdomwith a strict campaign of intense militarization.
Every lifeform inOne Pieceis said to possess the Lineage Factor, and it is possible to both modify and duplicate it for a number of different purposes. The Lineage Factor of an individual isaltered when they consume a Devil Fruit, which bestows superhuman abilities that are unique to them over the duration of their life. By extracting this modified Lineage Factor, researchers can duplicate the Devil Fruit itself, or infuse their abilities into another person’s body, which goes against the natural condition of each Devil Fruit ability being unique to a single person at any given time. This aspect of the Lineage Factor has been exploited by Vegapunk and Judge in their own research endeavors, which took divergent trajectories after the breakup of MADS. A range of intriguing products were yielded as a product of these experiments, proving highly beneficial for both the scientists and the political powers whose aims they are trying to achieve.
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The Might Of Germa 66
One of the most successful applications of the science surrounding the Lineage Factor emerged with the Germa Kingdom’sdevelopment of an army of clones. As a result, Vinsmoke Judge was able to effectively mass produce an army of extremely capable soldiers who were intensely loyal to his cause above all else. Even though the clone is genetically and physically identical to the individual whose Lineage Factor served as the foundation of their creation, they will have a soul and personality of their own. These clones are cultured and incubated in highly controlled tanks with accelerated growth rates that allow them to reach maturity at the age of 20 in only a quarter of the time — around five years to be exact. Around six different varieties of clones were created by Germa 66, with varying physical attributes suited to different military scenarios.
Besides this, the other most prominent use of the Lineage Factor by Judge was in the genetic enhancements he performed on his children prior to their birth. This was carried out by means of a surgery that modified the Lineage Factor of the fetuses she carried in her womb. While four of them — Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji — were successful, Sanji was the only one who did not manifest any abilities in his childhood, as a result of his mother taking a drug that would suppress such augmentation. Later on in his life, after donning a Germa 66 Raid Suit in the Wano Arc,Sanji’s latent powers were also awakened.
In effect, the enhancements included an exoskeleton that made the children’s bodies extremely durable, gave them increased strength, advanced healing abilities, and made them as strong as adult soldiers when they were still going through the early years of their lives. The only caveat to these enhancements was the fact that theyeliminated the Vinsmoke siblings' abilityto feel any emotions, save for Reiju, who did retain some sense of empathy. Combined with the clone army, this was the crux of Germa 66’s immense military might,
Artficial Devil Fruits
Another implementation of the science behind the Lineage Factor lies in the Artificial Devil Fruits created by both Vegapunk and Caesar Clown, although the latter scientist’s attempts have mostly ended in failure. Vegapunk was able to successfully replicate a number of Zoan fruits, including Mythical ones such as the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, which was created by extracting Kaido’s Lineage Factor. Eventhe World Government was interestedin the fruit, which is a testament to how incredible Vegapunk’s achievement truly was. This fruit, although initially deemed a failure, was eaten by Kozuki Momonosuke, who was able to harness most of Kaido’s own powers, with the only deviation between the fruits stemming from the fact that Momonosuke was a pink version of an Azure Dragon. He was also able to harness Paramecia abilities with the aid of Green Blood, a substitute he developed, which takes form as a synthetic liquid, used in bodies of both the Pacifista and the Seraphim.
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The other endeavor in creating Artificial Devil Fruits was conducted by Caesar Clown, who built on Vegapunk’s research. His Artificial Devil Fruits, called SMILEs, were manufactured using a substance called SAD. Like Vegapunk’s fruits, SMILEswere restricted to the Zoan class. Composed of a multitude of Lineage Factors extracted from different animals, SAD, when infused into a Devil Fruit, alters a user’s body to manifest the properties of said animal once ingested. However, SMILEs have an extremely high chance of failure, with only 10% of tests coming yielding positive results. In addition to taking away a user’s ability to swim, as in the case of standard Devil Fruits, SMILEs could also prevent a user from expressing negative emotions, such that they are condemned to a life of constant laughter and smiling, even if it completely contradicts their actual mental state.
The Science Behind The Seraphim
Serving as the successors to the Pacifista — who were clones of Bartholomew Kuma created by extracting his Lineage Factor — the Seraphim are the clones ofthe former Seven Warlords of the Sea, intended to replace the original members of the group. At present, the revealed roster of Seraphim in the Egghead Island Arc includes S-Shark (Jinbe), S-Snake (Boa Hancock), S-Hawk (Dracule Mihawk), and S-Bear (Bartholomew Kuma). The Seraphim are cyborgs created in the likeness of the Warlords, and boast exceptional strength, durability, and overall combat prowess, such that Vegapunk regards them as the “Strongest Form of Humanity” to ever take to the seas. Part machine, part biological organism, the Seraphim can age and mature over time, which also opens up the door for further improvements in their strength. One of the defining features of the Seraphim is their augmentation with the Lineage Factor of the Lunarian Alber — also known as King — giving them wings for flight, alongside the durability and the pyrokinetic abilities of the Lunarian race. The flames on their back are also far more durable than a normal Lunarian’s making them all the more difficult to face in combat.
In addition to this, the Seraphim’s bodies have also been infused with Green Blood, which gives rise to Paramecia-class abilities associated with the Warlord they were cloned from. For instance, S-Snake and S-Bear can use the Mero Mero no Mi possessed by Boa Hancock, and Bartholomew Kuma’s Nikyu Nikyu no Mi respectively. Additionally, the other Seraphim have also been given Devil Fruit abilities that align with their fighting styles, as seen in how S-Hawk has Daz Bonez’s Supa Supa no Mi, while S-Shark has Senor Pink’s Sui Sui no Mi powers. In effect, the Seraphim arethe crowning glory of Vegapunk’s exploitswith the Lineage Factor, embodying each of the applications he devised to their fullest potential, making them some of the most powerful weapons in the World Government’s arsenal.
