New World – Punk Hazard – Vegapunk's Laboratory
Swoosh—!
Space suddenly warped, a vortex blooming in mid-air as Roy, along with Kuma and a sleeping Bonney, silently appeared in the center of the lab. Worried about Bonney's condition, Kuma had requested they travel at top speed, and the two had used their teleportation abilities to return to Punk Hazard in the New World as quickly as possible.
Inside the lab, Vegapunk was concentrating on calibrating a set of neural sensors when he suddenly detected a sharp fluctuation in the environmental data. He whipped his head around—
"Whoa!!"
The old doctor leaped up, almost jumping onto his analysis console, his glasses knocked crooked. "Roy! Can't you stop popping up like a ghost every single time, you brat?!" he roared, adjusting his glasses. But his hands were already moving with practiced skill, inputting commands into the control panel. The entire lab's surveillance system froze, and all data logs entered a state of "suspended animation."
"Relax, Doctor," Roy shrugged with a lazy smile. "Look what I brought you." He stepped aside, revealing the towering Kuma behind him. "A genuine Buccaneer, and a user of the Paw-Paw Fruit, no less."
At these words, Vegapunk's pupils contracted, and then his eyes lit up like a child who had just been given the key to a toy store. "He actually exists?!" He rushed forward with a speed unbecoming of an old man and circled Kuma twice, muttering to himself, "The bloodline of a giant, muscle density far exceeding a normal human, bone mass, neural response values... this is a perfect reference subject for my experiments!"
He excitedly reached out to touch Kuma's arm, but was stopped by a calm, firm voice. "Doctor."
Kuma spoke, his tone gentle but firm. "I need you to confirm something for me first." He slowly knelt down, his large hands carefully presenting Bonney from his arms—the small figure was sleeping peacefully, a childlike smile on her face. "My daughter... does she really have Sapphire Scale disease?"
Vegapunk's movements paused. His fanatical research gaze instantly turned serious, his expression solemn. He leaned in to observe Bonney's face. "I'll need to take a small blood sample for genetic screening. Is that alright?"
Kuma nodded without hesitation, gently placing Bonney on a nearby examination table. The girl remained asleep, her eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. Vegapunk took out a small, precise needle and gently pricked Bonney's finger.
"Paw-Paw: Pain Transfer!" A soft glow emanated from Kuma's palm. Bonney didn't even frown as the impending pain was precisely drawn from her body.
"That ability..." Vegapunk glanced at Kuma in surprise, but quickly returned his focus to the task at hand. He swiftly collected the sample and dropped the blood into an analyzer. A moment later, a massive holographic projection rose from the console, blue data streaming down like a waterfall, forming viral maps and blood structure analyses.
The atmosphere in the lab was suffocatingly tense. Kuma stood before the projection, his fists clenched, his body trembling slightly. Roy leaned against a wall, his sharp gaze fixed on the screen.
Finally, Vegapunk let out a long sigh, his expression heavy. "It is indeed the Sapphire Scale virus. The genetic map is a perfect match for Ginny's case from years ago."
Kuma was struck as if by lightning. His body swayed, his powerful physique suddenly feeling as if it had lost all support.
"This disease... has almost no symptoms in its early stages," Vegapunk continued. "But the virus gradually erodes life energy. Once it enters the active phase, their life force will burn out as quickly as ignited paper." He paused. "In Bonney's case, she has until she's ten, at most."
The air grew cold. Kuma looked down at Bonney, at her innocent, sleeping face, and felt a cold blade slowly slicing through his soul.
"Doctor," Roy suddenly spoke, his voice calm but firm. "You can cure it, right?"
Vegapunk nodded seriously. "It can be treated with a stem cell transplant, specialized immune induction, and nano-level reconstruction systems. But this solution... is extremely expensive."
"It starts at several hundred million Berries. The budget for an entire cyborg project would be tight."
"It doesn't matter," Roy said, walking to his side with a faint smile. "Put all the expenses on my account. Just cure her."
"...Are you sure?"
Roy's smile was meaningful. "Don't worry about it. A certain someone still owes me a big favor."
Vegapunk shook his head in resignation, but ultimately smiled. "Fine. Then you just wait for the results."
Kuma stood motionless, his gaze fixed on the tall figure, his eyes filled with a complex light. He had never imagined that someone would invest such vast resources for his daughter unconditionally, just for a blood sample and his cooperation. At that moment, he truly realized—Roy hadn't come for the experiment. He had come for Bonney's future.
His voice was low but filled with reverence. "...Thank you, Roy."
Roy turned his head and smiled back at the giant figure. In that moment, a dim but steady light seemed to illuminate the cold laboratory.
Vegapunk walked quickly through a heavy alloy door, inputting multiple passwords. After a blue light scanned his entire body, the door opened with a click. What came into view was a huge cultivation area—cold light shone on rows of culture pods, each containing unformed embryonic tissue suspended in a pale green, high-concentration nutrient fluid. It was like a silent "life factory."
"This is the first generation of 'PX Project' clone units," Vegapunk explained as he walked, his tone calm but proud. "They were originally designed for clone soldiers, but this batch of biological containers is resistant to extreme viruses, making them perfect 'carriers' for Sapphire Scale treatment research."
He adjusted the parameters on a pod in front of him while taking a high-precision collection device from a nearby metal box. "I need your cell sample," he said, turning to Kuma with a slightly apologetic tone. "It might hurt a little."
Kuma rolled up his sleeve without hesitation and extended his arm. "It's fine."
The collector pressed against his skin and, with a hiss, pierced deep into the muscle tissue, beginning to extract blood and cell samples. Kuma remained expressionless, not even flinching. Vegapunk quickly implanted the sample into the cultivation core, and the entire system began to operate, with temperature, oxygen pressure, and nutrient ratios rapidly calibrating. A low hum filled the lab.
"It will take at least two weeks for the clone to mature," he said, pushing up his glasses, his gaze serious. "During this time, I will use inhibitors to slow Bonney's illness and prevent it from entering the active phase."
Kuma nodded silently, his eyes never leaving the sleeping little face, filled with a father's complex love and pain.
Roy approached quietly, his voice low. "Kuma, let Bonney stay here for now. Vegapunk can monitor her vitals more consistently."
Kuma's shoulders trembled slightly.
"You don't trust him?" Roy asked.
Kuma was silent for a moment before saying softly, "No, it's just... I don't want to let her out of my sight again." His voice held the fear and struggle of a father who had lost too much.
Vegapunk walked over and patted his leg somewhat awkwardly. "Don't worry. I'll take care of her as if she were my own granddaughter. Even though I'm a scientist, I know where to draw the line."
Roy didn't respond immediately. He looked out the window at the darkening sky and said slowly, "Kuma, I have another suggestion..."
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