"Sabo."
Sabo hurried back to Dragon's side.
Ivankov waved flamboyantly at the newcomer. "Hee-haw! Long time no see, Phoenix Boy! It's been over half a year, hasn't it? You're getting stronger and stronger!"
Marco gave Ivankov a brief nod in greeting. Back at Marineford, Ivankov had been on their side and had helped them a lot.
Dragon stepped forward, his tone polite. "Nice to meet you, Marco, Kaido, and Big Mom. I am Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army—"
Before he could finish his introduction, Vegapunk rushed over, flustered and excited. "Marco! Is that Ancient Robot Emit really with the Phoenix Pirates now? And the energy stone you mentioned—is it there too? How are the Seraphim doing?!"
Seeing Vegapunk and the others crowd around, Marco answered calmly, "The energy stone is on the ship, and the Seraphim are there as well. But they were soaked in water, so they all seem to be malfunctioning. They need you to repair them."
"Don't worry! Leave it to me!" Vegapunk declared, full of confidence. "But, you know, research is very expensive. You'll have to provide me with sufficient research funds."
"That's no problem," Marco replied. "Not just me—Kaido and Big Mom also promised to support you."
Big Mom smiled at Vegapunk, her expression sweet but dangerous. "Mama mama… I always had something I wanted you to research for me. I went to Caesar before and gave him a lot of money, but it all ended up wasted. But I believe in you. You're the world's greatest scientist. You can definitely help me fulfill my dream, can't you, Vegapunk?"
Vegapunk stiffened under Big Mom's looming gaze. Her huge face suddenly filling his vision would startle anyone. He quickly ducked behind Marco and yelled, "Before I joined the Phoenix Pirates, I already said it—if it's research on weapons of war, I absolutely won't agree!"
Big Mom covered her face, looking delighted. "Mama mama… Don't worry! It's not a weapon of war. This is a dream I've had since I was a child, and only you can help me realize it."
Kaido snorted, gaze full of contempt. "Hmph. 'Not researching weapons of war,' you say. Seraphim, Pacifista, that so-called Mother Flame… aren't all of those weapons of war you developed?"
Vegapunk immediately shouted, "I've never used any of my inventions for evil! The Pacifista and Seraphim research was only meant to reduce Marine casualties. Even when they face pirates, their role is to capture, not kill. As for the Mother Flame, it's an infinite source of energy. With the Mother Flame, no one would ever have to worry about energy again. I swear, all of my research has been for the advancement of all humanity."
Marco said calmly, "Egghead Island is gone now. Aside from the four Seraphim, the Mother Flame and the Pacifista are all destroyed. There's no point talking about them anymore."
"Hmph, I don't care what kind of research you do, and I don't care about money," Kaido said, clearly displeased. "The reason I risked my life to save you on Egghead Island was for one thing: I want you to help me fix a ship. As long as you can repair it, I'll pay whatever it costs."
"A ship? Could it be… Pluton?" Vegapunk's pupils shrank sharply.
"Pluton?" The members of the Revolutionary Army were stunned. None of them had expected to hear such explosive news so soon.
"You know about it?" Kaido raised a brow in surprise, then turned to Marco. "Did you tell him about Pluton?"
Marco gave a slight nod. "Yeah. After all, that ship's already broken, isn't it? If it can't even move, then even if it's the Ancient Weapon Pluton, it's nothing but a steel coffin—worthless. It only has value if it's repaired. But the doctor has a condition."
Kaido fixed Vegapunk with a cold stare. "What condition?"
Vegapunk met Kaido's gaze and said seriously, "I can help you repair Pluton, but I can't guarantee success. It's technology from eight hundred years ago, and it's been submerged for eight hundred years."
His expression grew even more solemn. "But if it is repaired, the Pluton battleship must remain under my supervision. I will install a self-destruct program on it. If you abuse Pluton's power, I have the right to destroy it."
Hearing this, Kaido's expression twisted with fury. He roared, "Vegapunk, do you have any idea who you're talking to? You want to install a self-destruct on my Pluton?!"
Boom—!
In the next instant, a violent surge of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Kaido's body, rippling outward in all directions.
"Ah, ah, ah, ah! I'm just a scientist…!"
Vegapunk shrank back in terror, darting behind Marco like a frightened turtle pulling into its shell. At the same instant, a heavy pressure rolled across the area—Marco had unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, colliding head‑on with Kaido's to shield Vegapunk.
The nearby members of the Revolutionary Army stiffened as they felt the overwhelming Haki of the Yonko Kaido. Aside from Dragon, the other three were visibly shaken.
"Calm down, Kaido," Marco warned.
As the oppressive Haki slowly faded, Vegapunk cautiously stuck his oversized head out from behind Marco and raised his voice, "I don't want to repair Pluton only for you to use it to destroy the world, and then have me branded as the criminal who destroyed the world. If you don't agree to that, then there's nothing to talk about. The Pluton battleship should be completely covered in ancient text, right?"
Kaido's expression tightened for a moment, and Vegapunk pressed on, "I'm the only one in the world who can read ancient text and might be able to repair Pluton. If you don't accept my conditions, then even if I die, I won't fix a weapon that can wipe out the world."
"Vegapunk… You, a mere scientist, and you dare—!" Kaido's fury boiled over, veins bulging on his forehead like writhing worms.
"That's enough, Kaido." Marco cut him off without hesitation, his tone turning cold. "If the Pluton battleship can't be repaired, it's just a steel coffin—useless. Only if it's restored can it show its true value."
Kaido snorted, hot air flaring from his nostrils. "Fine! I'll go with that. But if you can't fix it, I absolutely won't let you off."
Vegapunk instantly ducked behind Marco again, looking aggrieved. "How am I supposed to guarantee something like that?!"
Marco, however, wasn't particularly attached to Pluton. Now that the World Government had lost an ancient weapon, the playing field was more level. With the system, he could slowly grow stronger and one day defeat Imu.
In the end, Pluton was just a weapon. If the Gorosei or Imu really wanted it destroyed, it wouldn't be difficult.
Just like Marco himself—once he found the right chance, hadn't he directly destroyed an ancient weapon as well? Ultimately, it's people who decide the outcome of war.
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