Conference Room.
The room was silent at this moment.
When the last person, Borsalino, took his seat, Sengoku, who was personally presiding over the meeting, crossed his arms and set the tone for the discussion.
"Dr. Reddy has taken Punk Hazard. This is a provocation against the World Government!"
Everyone present remained silent.
Borsalino, as one of the only two Admirals currently stationed at Marineford and a direct participant in the incident, showed no intention of speaking first.
Everyone actually knew Reddy.
However, the fact that Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself was presiding over the bounty discussion made it clear that this was no small matter. It was inappropriate to speak without proper consideration.
Seeing that no one was willing to break the silence first, Tsuru subtly signaled to Momousagi with her eyes.
Momousagi, holding her sword Khabarovsk, thoughtfully asked, "Dr. Reddy... the genius scientist who developed the Activator and the Artificial Devil Fruit Serum?"
Tsuru quietly withdrew her gaze and took over the conversation to elaborate further. "Dr. Reddy is a genius scientist. The two major achievements he led in development hold significant value."
Momousagi, having fulfilled her task, nodded and said nothing more.
With someone breaking the ice, the others no longer remained silent and began expressing their opinions one after another.
"Doberman" slammed the table and stood up.
"Desertion is desertion. Marineford should immediately issue a bounty and put him on the wanted list!"
Momonga, with a gentle smile, tried to mediate.
"Alright, alright. Isn't this meeting precisely for determining Dr. Reddy's bounty?"
Doberman reluctantly sat back down.
"I suggest we first send someone to establish contact with Dr. Reddy. Perhaps this is a misunderstanding."
Tsuru knew the truth behind Reddy's desertion and was unwilling to hastily comply with the World Government's order to issue a bounty.
She now regretted it.
She shouldn't have secretly pushed the World Government to handle Reddy's situation, which led to such a talented scientist choosing to desert.
Because of this!
This time, she was determined to try and bring Reddy back, even if it meant defying the World Government's will.
"This is no misunderstanding!"
Onigumo coldly opposed Tsuru's suggestion, his tone resolute.
Tsuru had nothing more to say.
As luck would have it, most of the Vice Admirals currently stationed at Marineford were hardliners.
"Enough!"
Sengoku understood Tsuru's intentions but did not support them. He made the decision directly. "Borsalino, you take over."
Borsalino sighed, stood up, walked to the front, pulled over a whiteboard, and pinned Reddy's photo on it. Then, he began listing the details of Reddy's abilities.
"Dr. Reddy, in the field of Bloodline Factors, has received recognition from Dr. Vegapunk. Vegapunk has praised him as the foremost expert in this field!"
The first point Borsalino listed already made the others visibly moved.
Dr. Vegapunk was known as the world's greatest scientist. Receiving his personal acknowledgment was no small feat.
"He is a Devil Fruit user. The fruit is unknown, suspected to be a space-related ability."
The Vice Admirals were shocked once again.
An unknown Devil Fruit meant it had never been documented before, and its exact abilities remained a mystery.
If Borsalino's speculation was correct, it meant Reddy possessed formidable self-defense capabilities, possibly even overwhelming offensive power.
"The most terrifying aspect of Dr. Reddy is that he has mastered Bloodline Factor technology more advanced than Vegapunk's."
At this point, the others could no longer stay seated.
The conference room grew noisy.
Back then, Vegapunk had used Bloodline Factor technology to create a creature that did not belong to this world.
This information had not been leaked.
However, everyone present was part of Marineford's core leadership and naturally knew about it.
"It has been confirmed that Dr. Reddy possesses five powerful clones."
Borsalino then wrote the name Golden Lion Shiki on the whiteboard.
Seeing this name, Momousagi exclaimed in surprise, "The legendary pirate Golden Lion? When did Dr. Reddy obtain Shiki's Bloodline Factor and create a clone with such terrifying abilities?"
Sengoku, arms still crossed, added at the right moment, "Garp sent intelligence from Loguetown stating that the information about Shiki in East Blue was provided by Dr. Reddy. Therefore, we have reason to suspect that he once allied with Shiki before betraying him."
Momousagi was speechless.
So the guy had a history of betrayal.
"Blueno!"
Borsalino wrote the second name on the whiteboard.
This name was not unfamiliar to Vice Admirals like Momousagi. They all knew, to varying degrees, that this was a member of CP9, highly skilled in infiltration.
Borsalino's next sentence made the Vice Admirals drop their dismissive attitudes.
"This clone possesses the Door-Door Fruit ability and appears to have been modified by Dr. Reddy. Its strength is exceptionally formidable."
No one would question Borsalino's judgment.
If Borsalino assessed it as "exceptionally formidable," it had to be true.
"Baby 5!"
The third name Borsalino wrote made Tsuru's expression shift slightly.
"Isn't this girl an assassin under the Donquixote Family?"
Tsuru had been pursuing Doflamingo for a long time and was very familiar with the Donquixote Family. However, she had never imagined that Reddy would steal Baby 5's Weapon-Weapon Fruit ability.
"Perhaps I should pay more attention to this girl."
Tsuru silently noted this in her mind, planning to investigate the secrets of the Weapon-Weapon Fruit later.
"Including the clone with the Float-Float Fruit ability, the other two clones are modeled after Dr. Reddy himself. It's unclear what abilities they've stolen, but one thing is certain: they are all very powerful."
Borsalino reluctantly glossed over the other two clones.
The truth was, they showed no obvious external traits and had not demonstrated any special abilities, making it impossible to draw conclusions.
"What we need to focus on is that he has now taken Punk Hazard and can mass-produce highly capable combatants at any time."
Borsalino concluded by stating his view, highlighting the immense threat hidden behind Reddy's desertion.
The atmosphere in the conference room grew heavy.
Even hardliners like Doberman felt an overwhelming pressure.
A single individual like this could rival the entirety of Marineford... no, even the World Government itself.
Only now did everyone understand why Vice Admiral Tsuru had made such a suggestion.
"I believe Vice Admiral Tsuru's suggestion is very appropriate."
Momousagi had initially wanted to avoid deeper involvement in this matter, but now she had no choice but to stand up in support.
Letting such a dangerous individual slip out of control was irresponsible to the world.
A few moderate Vice Admirals like Momonga strongly agreed.
If negotiations could resolve this, that would be for the best.
Once a bounty was issued, it would essentially cut off any chance of recruiting Reddy.
After all, given Dr. Reddy's strong-willed personality, he might not accept any olive branch extended by the World Government.
Doberman and other hardline Vice Admirals, however, vehemently opposed this.
If Reddy was a threat to the world, then he should be eliminated at the first opportunity!
The moderate Vice Admirals were outnumbered by the hardliners, but the sheer scale of Reddy's confirmed abilities left the hardliners feeling suffocated. With their leader, Akainu, coincidentally away on a mission, the two sides were evenly matched.
Sengoku listened quietly to the Vice Admirals' arguments and shook his head silently.
These people were still too young. They hadn't realized the World Government's cunning.
"Justice does not tolerate compromise!"
The door was forcefully pushed open, and Sakazuki strode in, cigar clenched between his teeth.
"Akainu!"
Doberman and the other Vice Admirals stood up as their leader arrived.
Sengoku frowned when he saw Sakazuki return to Marineford at such an inconvenient time.
Sakazuki walked up to the whiteboard and slammed his hand on Reddy's photo.
"He possesses power that threatens this world. Before he commits even more dangerous acts, I propose his bounty be set at... three billion berries!"