New World – Punk Hazard
Originally, this island was destined to fall into chaos due to Caesar Clown's illegal research. However, with Doflamingo's capture at the hands of Roy and Gion, the secret connection between him and Caesar was severed. Kaido, sensing the crisis, recruited Caesar ahead of schedule for his own "artificial Devil Fruit" project. As a result, the "poison gas incident" never occurred, and Punk Hazard remained unscathed.
Today, it was still the World Government's top-secret research facility.
The heavy metal walls reflected a silver-gray light, and the air was filled with the scents of disinfectant, coolant, and superheated steel. Deep within a corridor, an electronic door opened to reveal the main control room, where Dr. Vegapunk, the head of the Navy's science division, was immersed in a sea of holographic projections and complex formulas.
In the center of the vast room, Vegapunk stood before a set of floating holograms, his expression focused as his fingertips flew across a virtual keyboard.
"Target individual modification experiment... a stability rate of only 13.7%..." He frowned in thought, pulling up another database of test subjects labeled "C-Class War Criminals." His eyes were weary but still precise.
However, just as he turned to grab his notes—
Swish!
There was no wind, no sound. A dark figure silently materialized behind him, as if space had been cut open by an invisible force and then quietly stitched back together.
"Whoa!!" Vegapunk yelped, nearly knocking over a rack of chemicals behind him. He whipped around, and upon seeing the lazy smile on the person's face, he clutched his chest and cursed, "You brat! Are you trying to scare this old man to death?!"
Standing behind him was a face that was both familiar and a headache—Roy, dressed in casual clothes, hands in his pockets, with his usual languid smile. "Long time no see, Doctor!"
Vegapunk took a deep breath and quickly walked to the control console. He expertly typed in a series of encrypted codes, and every surveillance device in the room instantly "crashed," automatically erasing the last minute of video data and replacing it with a preset loop. The entire process was silent and flawless, done with a painful level of proficiency.
"Now no one will know you were here," he sighed while working. "The alarms didn't even make a sound. Your 'space jump' ability is getting more and more ridiculous..." Vegapunk wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Could you give me a heads-up next time? These old bones can't take the shock!"
Roy shrugged. "If I gave you a heads-up, I'm afraid CP0 would be having a chat with you before I got here."
"Tch..." Vegapunk rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. "If the World Government had your abilities, I'd probably be dead ten times over." He dusted off his lab coat and said in a half-joking tone, "Alright, spill it. What do you want? You're not the type to visit me for tea when you have nothing better to do." He paused, his smile becoming meaningful. "Not to mention, you're a major shareholder in my experimental projects."
Few people knew that Roy and Vegapunk's first meeting wasn't through the Navy, but through a special intermediary—the leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon.
Back then, Roy had not yet made a name for himself in the New World, but Dragon, having learned of Roy's knowledge of red revolutionary ideals, already had high hopes for him, seeing him as a key figure who could change the world. With Dragon's connection and Tesoro's strong financial and intelligence support, Roy had quietly invested in several of Vegapunk's "personal projects." None of this ever appeared in any World Government or Marine Headquarters file.
Though their allegiances differed, they admired each other and maintained a rare, secret partnership built on tacit understanding and trust.
As Vegapunk walked deeper into the lab, he asked without turning back, "What do you want this time? Something illegal? Unreasonable? Or... inhumane?"
Behind him, Roy had a familiar smile on his face, his steps steady as he casually slid a finger across a cold, gleaming lab bench.
"Don't make it sound so bad, Doctor," he chuckled. "When have I ever asked you for something that dangerous..." As he spoke, Roy's gaze sharpened, though his voice remained calm. "I heard... that you once used Kaido's lineage factor to create an artificial Devil Fruit."
Vegapunk's steps faltered slightly. He slowly turned around, his eyes as inscrutable and cautious as ever.
"PX-K7?" he raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking about that... 'failure'?"
"You call it a failure," Roy shrugged, "but it was made from the lineage factor of the 'Strongest Creature,' something you spent twenty years researching. Even if the color is wrong, its abilities can't be simple."
Vegapunk snorted, his tone a mix of disdain and vigilance. "The World Government did demand I hand it over, but I used the excuse that 'the fruit's color doesn't match the original' to refuse. It's currently locked in a deep cryo-storage unit here on Punk Hazard." He continued walking, his voice tinged with annoyance. "CP0 sent people again recently, talking about 're-evaluating the fruit's strategic significance'."
At this, he suddenly stopped and turned to Roy, his gaze probing and intense. "What do you want it for?"
Roy didn't answer immediately, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"I need that fruit," he said, his tone simple but firm.
Vegapunk narrowed his eyes, sensing the boy wasn't telling the whole truth, but he didn't press the issue.
"Then what are you prepared to offer in exchange?" His tone became serious, filled with the long-absent anticipation of a researcher and a collaborator.
"I heard..." Roy began, as if making small talk, "that you've recently run into a bottleneck with your 'clone soldier' project."
Vegapunk stopped walking again. This time, his expression finally changed. He turned to face Roy, a flicker of shock in his eyes. "How much do you know?"
"Your problem is the unstable fusion between 'individual genetic adaptability' and 'extraordinary physique tolerance feedback'," Roy said, taking a step closer and lowering his voice. "What if I could find you a willing test subject... from the Buccaneer race?"
"What?!" Vegapunk's eyes flew open, and he gasped, forgetting to keep his voice down. "You said... the Buccaneer race?!"
The air froze. Those two words represented one of the World Government's deepest taboos, a bloodline that had been "erased" from history, a name they desperately wanted to bury.
Vegapunk's gaze sharpened intensely, but he quickly reined in his emotions. He was silent for a few seconds before a meaningful smile appeared on his lips. "What a dangerous little brat..." he muttered to himself. He turned and continued walking, waving his hand as he spoke. "Alright. As long as you can really solve my research problem, I'll take care of the 'ownership issue' of that fruit for you."
"No matter how closely CP0 watches, they won't be taking it from me!"
A slight smile touched Roy's lips, a profound light flashing in his eyes.
"Deal."
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