NRA Enhancement

The NRA Enhancement, an acronym for Nanorobotic Retroviral Armament, is a unique form of nanotechnology developed by the Iron Legion, which Dr. Weil himself invented after grasping the full potential of his Devil Fruit. This new technology employs a peculiar kind of nanite viroids which will “infect” the host down to their Lineage Factor, altering it so they will be able to produce more of their kind. The host will become, in essence, a brand-new kind of, with considerable augmentations in terms of physical abilities as well as heavy forms of modification; an award that very few warriors in the Legion, due to the extreme invasiveness of the procedure, can withstand.

Description
The NRA enchantments are based on the alteration of the target Lineage factor through special nanomachines, obtained by a hybridization of both organic and metallic elements, carrying out pieces of modified genome.

The process of alteration works by injecting the nanomachines into the user’s bloodstream. They process can be achieved swiftly through a transfusion, but much like many viruses, they can diffuse through air. Regardless of the system used for the infection, the nanomachines won’t active immediately, being programmed to activate only when receiving a special radio signal which only the machines of the Legion can produce.

Once they receive the signal, the enhancing nanomachines will spread using a mechanism similar to retro-viruses: first, they will reverse-transcribe their code into the host DNA; once the transcription is complete, the infected DNA will “command” its new sequences to synthetize new viral machines until the cell is saturated nearly to the point of exploding.

Given the radical and sudden rewriting of the host DNA, their body will undergo in a phase of extreme rejection, as its immunitary system will try to take down the intrusive cells. To avoid lethal reactions, the host must be taken under extensive and unremitting care through the entirety of the take-over, which may last for weeks, giving them nourishment intravenously and subjecting to anti rejection therapy.

Without such care, the lethality rate of the NRA enchancement approaches the 100%, but even with all the cautions the cautions the process will successful on less than a person in thousands and killing the rest. To diminish the probability of death, the candidate to receive the treatment is carefully selected on the basis of his health and blood compatibility; many also are subjected to a series of genetic therapies to make the final transformation smoother and less traumatic.

If the user survives the treatment, it will wake up virtually unchanged in his basic appearance. However, regardless of his physical ailments, the user will look fit and healthy, at the prime of his physical shape. They will also manifest a glimmer on their eyes, whose color depend on the type of nanomachines used in delivering the retrovirus.

Basic Programming
The first major effect granted by the RNA enhancement would be a massive rising in all their physical abilities, which is proportional to what the user is already possessing. Normal people would grow naturally faster and stronger than most human rac3es, while seasoned warriors will have their genes optimized to the point of turning in veritable monsters on battlefields. The bio- nanorobotic enhancement will involve pretty much all of the host traits, including their senses and brain power.

In addition the nanomachine will constantly operate as repairers of broken or infect cells, triggering process of mitosis without wasting any telomere, while also defending it from any invading virus. Every cell hosting the nano-virus will perform dramatically their own specialized function, with red globuli carrying much more oxygen per capita or lymphocytes being ungodly efficient at eliminating pathogenic agents. The resulting treatment would be a much more slowly-aging host with a nigh immunity to all illnesses or poisons. Also, the modified DNA will be able to biosynthesize the full breadth of the proteins which human body necessitates, dramatically diminishing the need of food.

The advanced programming behind the nano-robots will grant the user an advanced regeneration of tissues far beyond their grade of specialization, with the user being able to recover from wounds at a rate several time faster, up to having their limbs fully regenerating from maiming wounds. Every injury, no matter how small, will trigger in the nanomachines a feedback reaction which increase the resistance and strength while repairing the tissues. Because of the way physical training works, by breaking down muscles fibers during labors and having them rebuilt with collagene, the RNA will also make workouts more effective in improving the host, creating a virtuous chain reaction of raising parameters between the nanomachines initial enhancement and the increase provided by a more efficient training regime.

Unlike normal retroviruses, which becomes proactive and merely replicate once they have affected the host cells, the NRA nanomachines are capable of absorbing and processing new Genoma and, consequently, reintegrate it the host’s organism. That property makes the RNA an ideal template for future genetical treatments. The NRA nanites are usually interfaced with the Legion LOAD technology, allowing for a streaming of the host’s cells and nanites.

Iron Core
More powerful uses of the nanites can be employed if the RNA machines are supplied with enormous levels of energy. Human body alone, even with the more efficient metabolism granted by the NRA, can seldom generate more power than the minimum to make the nanite work in the same place. To bypass this problem, doctor Weil has programmed his nanomachines to trigger a second transformation within the user, turning their heart and lungs in an integrated baldifuel reactor, the s.c. Iron Core.

The process of transformation will come by inserting a genetic sequence inside the target, one that will replace the host’s cardiac and lung tissues with actual metal rather than having nanomachines bolstering their organic part. Thanks to the existing NRA nanites, it will suffice just to inject a new sequence of metal; the nanites will also help the user’s to better deal with toxins and avoid painful rejections.

While the Iron Core enhancement is much safer on a medical level than the basic NRA retroviral infection, it is incredibly complicated on a pure mechanical scale as building a baldifuel reactor requires an exceedingly advanced technology to begin with, let alone one capable of building miniature reactors. However, the Legion’s advanced engineering, coupled with Weil’s miraculous Awakened powers, makes the constructions of such devices feasible on an industrial scale and pace.

Once the transformation is completed and a phase of rehabilitation is passed, the entire process taking roughly a month, the user will receive an impossibly high boost in energy. The power produced by the baldifuel will improve manifold the speed and effectiveness of each of the NRA enhancements core functions: the user’s physical abilities will be further increased to a degree they will naturally exceed that of the strongest races, well the regenerative process will be sped-up to a point the host may regenerate lost limbs less than minutes. In addition, the host’s supply of energy and nutrient will be provided by a combination of the baldifuel energy and the NRA’s advanced biosyntethical properties, effectively removing any need they have to eat, sleep, drink or even breathe as long they Iron Core performs well.

An outstanding property of baldifuel lies in his capacity to convert nearly any source onto energy, from thermal to light. Because of that, it is extremely unlikely that the Iron Core will ever run out of steam. However, there a limits in how much energy the Core can provide in a given time, due both to technical limitations of the engine and the risk of overheat caused by excessive usage.

Iron Skin
A natural addendum to the Iron Core enhancement, it is a configurations nanites can take if supplied with levels of energy only the Iron Core could provide.

If boosted, the nanites residing the cells host will spread to cover the user’s cells, acting as a reinforcement of their natural barriers. The activation of the Iron Skin is signaled by the user’s skin turning in a dark-grey hue, nearly as black as Busoshoku Haki, and its veins becoming more prominent, almost bulging.

Having studied under some the greatest blacksmiths in the world, Weil knows like few other the exact molecular disposition of metal particles required to make the sturdiest equipment. The nanites will be programmed, enhanced by the Core magnetic properties, to position molecules of way in a way that will maximize durability without adding to much mass. The result would be an armor nearly as hard as the 12 Great Swords are sharp, and far above nearly all Pacifista’s chassis.

However, achieving such tremendous durability is so costly in terms of energy that it will take its toll even on a baldifuel engine. The Iron Skin boasts on optimal state of defense for just few seconds before the overheat forces the nanites to maintain weaker and weaker bonds, which makes the nano-armor far less effective under continuous fire. More advanced nanite are equipped with magnets which reduce the cooldown to mere seconds, regardless of the intensity, but they can’t negate the need of some reprise between enemies’ assaults. The high energy consumption also impairs the user’s regenerative powers while the Iron Skin is active.

To avoid unnecessary energy consumption, the Iron Skin nanites are programmed to activate only under physical trauma and return quiescent soon after. The response process is akin to how trained Logia users avoid blows, working on the user’s automatic reflexes, and it is incredibly fast; still, not enough to properly work against blows which are much above the user’s ability to properly understand and respond.

Also, as if with any metal construct, the Iron Skin is vulnerable against vibro-weapons, though weakness is mostly counter by having the NRA host’s being extensively trained in Hasshoken.

Iron Bending
Alongside the Iron Core and the Iron Skin, the last of the “basic” RNA enhancement would be the capacity of generating and accumulating electricity. That is achieved by splicing the user’s Lineage Factor with the Minks genes deputed to the production of Electro. The genetic implant will be done based on the user’s compatibility with Mink DNA, choosing among many exemplars to avoid illnesses.

The electric generation will be modulated by the nanites in a way it will generate magnetic fields: because of that, the user will be granted minor magnetic powers such as being able to push away or attract metallic objects of moderate mass. More importantly, it can help the Iron Skin holding out for a bit longer, switching baldifuel with Electro as a source of magnetic binding of the nanites

If boosted by the Iron Core, the user can discharge enough energy to create a makeshift EMP bomb, powerful enough to fry any electronic device in a considerable range that is not protected against radiations.