Admiral Kizaru Borsalino let out a long, drawn-out sigh, his usual lazy pout firmly in place. "Ooooh~ Fleet Admiral Sengoku, tasking me with such things..." He shrugged helplessly, though a familiar, unreadable glint flashed behind his yellow-tinted sunglasses.
"Rest assured, Kizaru," Sengoku added, his tone serious, anticipating the Admiral's reluctance. "To assist you with this... investigation, we have enlisted the aid of Dr. Vegapunk."
Kizaru's eyebrows shot up slightly. "Maaa~ Dr. Vegapunk himself? The man whose intellect is said to be 500 years ahead of humanity's?" A slow, almost blindingly bright grin spread across his face. "Well now, that changes things entirely! With the good Doctor and my own brilliant scientists working together... Ooooh~, I feel much more confident! No problem at all!"
Feeling considerably more optimistic, Kizaru casually scooped up a handful of the Senzu beans from the pouch on Sengoku's desk, tucking them away somewhere in his striped suit. With a lazy wave, he ambled out of the Fleet Admiral's office, leaving a trail of faint light particles in his wake.
Once Kizaru was gone, Admiral Akainu Sakazuki spoke, his voice a low growl, his brow deeply furrowed. "Gensui (Fleet Admiral). Are we certain this 'Senzu' is truly as effective as it appears? Could its potency not vary depending on the user's own strength and resilience?"
It was a valid concern, one Sengoku himself had considered. Pure healing that ignored the user's own limitations seemed almost too good—or too terrifying—to be true.
"An excellent point, Sakazuki," Sengoku declared, rising from his chair. "There's only one way to be certain. Gentlemen, Vice Admiral Tsuru, let us proceed to the training grounds!" With a sweep of his hand, the highest echelon of Marine command made their way out, their footsteps echoing with purpose.
On the vast expanse of the Marineford training grounds…
At Sengoku's signal, Akainu stepped into the center of the field, his expression stony, though a bead of sweat trickled down his temple. Tch... relying on some strange pirate medicine...
"Sakazuki!" Sengoku called out, his voice booming across the grounds. "Lower your defenses completely! Do not resist! Endure whatever comes!"
Akainu's jaw tightened, his hands clenching slightly. He glanced down at the single green bean resting in his palm. Can this little thing truly protect me?
"Kuzan!" Sengoku then turned to Admiral Aokiji, who had just donned his sleep mask, seemingly preparing for a nap despite the circumstances. "A few ice spears, if you would. Aim for non-lethal areas on Admiral Akainu."
Aokiji slowly lowered his sleep mask, a rare, mischievous glint in his usually lazy eyes. "Ara ara... You want me to attack Sakazuki-san? With official permission?" He stretched languidly. "Well, if you insist... it would be rude to refuse." Suddenly, his lazy demeanor vanished, replaced by a focused intensity that sent a chill through the air – literally.
"Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!" Aokiji roared, perhaps a bit more enthusiastically than necessary. The sheer force of his shout made Akainu flinch instinctively. A spear of razor-sharp ice, crackling with frigid energy, materialized and shot directly towards Akainu's face with terrifying speed!
Oi, oi, isn't that a bit much?! Sengoku frowned, slightly alarmed by Aokiji's trajectory.
Akainu's eyes widened as the icy point zoomed closer, his face paling slightly despite his usual stoicism. That damned Kuzan!
"KUZAAAAAAN! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Akainu bellowed, his enraged roar echoing across the training grounds, drawing the immediate attention of every Marine within earshot.
"Eh? Isn't that Admiral Akainu-sama and Admiral Aokiji-sama?"
"Why is Aokiji-sama attacking Akainu-sama?"
"And why isn't Akainu-taishou (Admiral Akainu) fighting back?!" Murmurs rippled through the onlookers.
Seeing he'd sufficiently rattled his colleague (and perhaps shown off a little), Aokiji smirked. With a mere thought, the ice spear abruptly changed direction mid-air, performing an impossible curve.
SHUNK!
It slammed, point-first, directly into Akainu's unprepared backside. A spray of icy particles erupted on impact.
"GUWAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Akainu howled, his body arching in pain and utter humiliation. He whipped around, eyes blazing with magma-hot fury. "KUZAN, YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR I'LL MELT YOU!"
Aokiji simply shrugged, feigning innocence. "Ara ara... How was I supposed to know you really weren't putting up any defenses at all, Sakazuki-san?"
Sengoku sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, already regretting this idea. "Enough, both of you! Sakazuki, quickly now, test the medicine's effect!"
Shooting one last murderous glare at the smug-looking Aokiji, Akainu roughly popped the Senzu bean into his mouth and swallowed. Gulp.
A moment passed. Then, the familiar, vibrant green aura pulsed outwards from Akainu's body. FWOOSH! The bleeding hole in his posterior visibly sealed itself shut at an astonishing rate. Within seconds, the wound was completely gone, leaving behind not even the faintest scar, only slightly damaged uniform fabric.
"Hoohhh?!" Garp leaned forward, eyes wide with disbelief. "That effect... It's monstrously effective!"
Sengoku and Tsuru remained silent, but the sheer, unadulterated shock was evident in their eyes. It was too potent. Too unnatural. Healing that completely disregarded the individual's own inherent durability and strength...
Doesn't that mean... the unspoken thought hung heavy in the air, ...the stronger the person, the more terrifying the advantage this bean provides? Imagine someone like Whitebeard, or Kaido, using these...
Sengoku turned sharply to Tsuru, his expression deadly serious. "Notify Kizaru immediately. Cracking the secret of this 'Senzu' is now a top priority. Failure is not an option!"
Tsuru nodded grimly. The strategic implications were immense. This wasn't just about healing; it was about potentially upending the entire balance of global power.
Soon after, Admiral Kizaru Borsalino found himself face-to-face with the legend himself – Dr. Vegapunk, the man whose mind held the secrets to the future.
"Ooooh~, Dr. Vegapunk! It is truly an honor to finally meet you in person! You simply radiate brilliance!" Kizaru greeted him with his usual exaggerated politeness, bowing slightly. After all, much of his beloved Pacifista unit and other advanced weaponry originated from this very mind.
"Admiral Kizaru," Vegapunk replied, his voice brimming with an almost manic energy, completely ignoring the pleasantries. He was a whirlwind of scientific fervor contained in a human form. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku informed me you possess a medicine... a transcendent discovery that defies current biological understanding! Let us dispense with formalities! Show me immediately!"
Kizaru, familiar with the eccentricities of geniuses, simply chuckled. "Maaa~, straight to business, I see!" He gestured, and his subordinate, Sentomaru, pushed forward a heavily injured Marine, clearly taken from the infirmary. On Kizaru's signal, Sentomaru carefully placed a single Senzu bean into the wounded man's mouth.
Less than three seconds later… FWOOSH! The green light flared.
Before their very eyes, bruises faded, cuts sealed, and broken bones visibly mended at an impossible speed. The injured Marine gasped, sitting up, looking around in bewildered relief.
Vegapunk, who had been observing with intense, analytical focus, froze. His perpetually wide eyes seemed to bulge even further. The slight tremor in his hands betrayed his shock. Even for Vegapunk, who had witnessed and created countless scientific marvels, this was something else entirely. He understood pharmacology, the intricate dance of chemicals and cells. He knew, with absolute certainty, that achieving this kind of instantaneous, complete regeneration should be impossible.
"Who?!" Vegapunk suddenly grabbed Kizaru's arm, his grip surprisingly strong, his voice trembling with unrestrained excitement. "Who invented this?! This is revolutionary! Epoch-defining! I must meet this medical visionary! This mind!" He was practically vibrating with scientific ecstasy.
"Ooooh~, well, Dr. Vegapunk," Kizaru drawled, carefully extracting his arm from the scientist's grasp. "About that... I'm afraid the inventor is... well... a pirate. Currently residing with the Whitebeard Kaizokudan (Pirates)."
Vegapunk blinked, the manic energy faltering for a fraction of a second, replaced by confusion. "A... pirate?" He quickly composed himself, adjusting his lab coat. "I see! Then the research and development costs must be astronomical! The resources required... You must have paid a significant price to acquire even these few samples, yes?" He assumed such a groundbreaking discovery must be incredibly difficult and expensive to produce.
Kizaru scratched his cheek, a slightly awkward, almost sheepish expression crossing his features. "Maaa~, well, how should I put this, Dr. Vegapunk...?" He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Actually... acquiring them wasn't that difficult at all..."