Standing before Star Lord, Vegapunk finally revealed his true request.
It was news that could shake the seas.
Dr. Vegapunk, the chief scientist of the SSG, whose every invention had changed the world, wanted to betray the World Government and join the Twelve Zodiac?
To put it bluntly, if even a hint of those words reached the Five Elders, they would immediately move to eliminate him.
He was truly risking his life.
Roy, meanwhile, fell silent.
There was simply too much information to process. Even for someone who knew the original story and had spent so much time investigating the world's secrets, what he had just heard was shocking.
And among everything Vegapunk had revealed, one detail stood above all others.
The world did not allow new Lineage Factors to exist. All Devil Fruits were being restrained.
That was the conclusion Vegapunk had reached after years of experimentation.
But the important thing was...
Star Lord looked at the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. His gaze settled on the Lineage Factor Development progress bar and the line written beneath it.
[Upon completion of analysis, the 'Devil Fruit Creation Slot' will be unlocked.]
At that moment, he finally understood the meaning behind the Encyclopedia's latest update.
'After Lineage Factor Development comes Devil Fruit Creation... exactly as Vegapunk described.'
He was almost certain now. Once the analysis was complete, he would reach the essence of Lineage Factors themselves, the ability to create entirely new Devil Fruits.
With that realization, Star Lord's answer came without hesitation.
"Agreed." He nodded lightly.
He was confident that completing the analysis would allow him to grasp the true nature of Lineage Factors. In that case, Vegapunk's research and talent would become extraordinarily valuable.
Naturally, he had no intention of turning away the world's greatest scientist. After all, the organization already had plenty of unusual members; one more wouldn't hurt.
Actually... now that he thought about it, it wouldn't just be one.
"Besides you, Bartholomew Kuma can also join the Twelve Zodiac," Star Lord spoke calmly. "You, Jewelry Bonney, and Kuma can all leave with Dreamland Island today. I'll have Hitsuji provide Bonney with the Fountain of Youth every day to prevent her condition from worsening until she is completely cured."
When Star Lord finished speaking, Vegapunk finally smiled.
"No, Leader." He directly changed the way he addressed Star Lord, though he then shook his head. "I do hope you'll take Kuma and Bonney away. But please forgive me, for now, I cannot leave."
His expression turned serious.
"There is still an unfinished project on Egghead. It's extremely important. To complete it, I need access to certain classified materials provided by Saint Saturn, so I can't leave yet."
As he said that, anticipation filled his eyes.
"If the research succeeds, I can fulfill one of my greatest dreams. I can create... unlimited energy."
Hearing that, Star Lord immediately understood which project Vegapunk was talking about.
"Emeth?" He looked at Vegapunk and spoke the name.
"Huh?" Vegapunk looked utterly confused. "Emeth? Who's that?"
"The robot you're studying."
As Vegapunk's eyes widened once more, Star Lord continued calmly, "It was Joy Boy's companion. Emeth is its name."
For a moment, Vegapunk couldn't find any words.
'How do you know everything?' he desperately wanted to ask.
Because Star Lord was absolutely correct. The reason Vegapunk insisted on staying behind was the giant robot from the Ancient Kingdom.
Two hundred years ago, it had suddenly appeared and attacked Mary Geoise before shutting down when its power source was exhausted. Saint Saturn had handed the robot over to Vegapunk for research, and Vegapunk had indeed discovered something important.
The key lay in its energy source.
According to his findings, the robot had once been powered by an incredibly special form of energy, something he had encountered before while investigating the Pluton shipyard in Water Seven.
The energy source used by the robot had once been known as the Eternal Flame. Using that clue, along with highly classified Ancient Kingdom research materials supplied by Saturn, Vegapunk had nearly reached the core of that energy's secrets.
He had even already decided on a name for it: 'Mother Flame.'
He was convinced it could fulfill one of his greatest dreams as a scientist: a source of truly limitless energy for the entire world. That was why, even after learning the connection between Imu and the World Government, he still intended to remain on Egghead for a while longer.
But what he hadn't expected was this.
"Y-You... do you actually know that robot?"
For the first time, Vegapunk felt genuine doubt.
This Star Lord seemed to know everything. The truth about Imu. The truth about the World Government. The truth about the world itself. And now, even the name of a robot from eight hundred years ago.
Combined with Star Lord's profound understanding of Lineage Factors and the obvious caution the World Government showed toward him...
'Gulp.'
Vegapunk swallowed nervously.
"Forgive me for asking... how old are you, exactly?"
He couldn't help wondering: could Star Lord be like the Five Elders and Imu, an immortal being who had lived since ancient times?
Naturally, Star Lord had no intention of answering.
"I've agreed to your request. You may remain on Egghead. When your research is finished, someone will come and take you away." Then he paused. "However... Joy Boy left something inside Emeth. I'm taking it."
---
Half an hour later.
"What's wrong with you, Vegapunk?"
Back on Dreamland Island, Kuma looked at the dazed scientist and Hitsuji standing beside him, unable to hide his confusion.
"Well, if you ask me, he was probably shocked by the Leader." Hitsuji stood nearby with his arms crossed, nodding repeatedly. "Honestly, even I get intimidated by that person's presence sometimes. It's perfectly normal."
Then he turned to Kuma. "The results of the discussion are settled. Lord Kuma, you and Miss Bonney will be leaving Egghead with me."
Hitsuji briefly explained the outcome of the negotiations.
When Kuma heard that he would be joining the Twelve Zodiac and leaving with Hitsuji, he didn't hesitate for even a second. Just as he had said before, as long as Bonney could be cured, he didn't care about any conditions.
However...
"Vegapunk, you're not coming with us?" For the first time, Kuma voiced an objection after hearing that Vegapunk planned to stay behind. He looked at the scientist. "If Bonney and I leave, Saint Saturn will..."
Naturally, Kuma understood exactly what would happen. The moment Saturn learned that he and Bonney had disappeared, Vegapunk would become the target of his anger.
"Let Lord Hitsuji take Bonney. I'll stay as well," Kuma made his decision without hesitation.
"No." Vegapunk seemed to finally snap out of his daze as he shook his head. "Your first scheduled modification under the agreement with Saturn is almost here. If you stay, I'll have to perform the procedure. Otherwise, I'd be openly defying Saturn. But if you leave now, I can simply claim that you broke the agreement yourself."
After a brief pause, he added with a wink, "After all, you're a notorious pirate."
At that, he blinked mischievously. "Even if Saturn suspects me, there's not much he can do. At worst, he'll increase surveillance. Without me, he can't complete that research."
Vegapunk sounded extremely confident. And as the greatest scientist in the world, he had every right to be. When it came to science, there was no one above him. Even the Warrior God of Science and Defense depended on him.
Kuma fell silent as he looked at the scientist standing before him. This was someone who had once been little more than a stranger, yet had helped him time and time again.
His gloved fist slowly tightened.
"It's fine." Ironically, it was Vegapunk who comforted him. He tried to pat Kuma's shoulder, but the difference in their height was so great that he ended up patting Kuma's waist instead. "When the day comes that I'm under heavy surveillance and can't leave Egghead anymore, you can come pick me up."
He grinned.
Kuma looked at him seriously. "When that day comes, I'll be there. No matter who stands in my way, I'll take you away."
It was a promise, and the two friends exchanged smiles.
"Hey, hey," Hitsuji couldn't help laughing from the side. "You're both members of the organization now. You can't just make plans among yourselves like that. I'm technically your superior officer, you know. At least show a little respect."
Even so, he made no attempt to stop their promise.
Then Vegapunk suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Kuma. What was that Den Den Mushi call about earlier?"
Even now, he was still curious about the information Kuma had received.
Kuma didn't hide anything. "Just as you guessed, it was related to the Warlord appointments. They said the announcement of two new Warlords will be published in tomorrow's newspapers.
The government plans to send warships to pick me up and bring me, along with Mr. Edward Weevil, to a World Economic News Paper interview."
His tone was casual, because it obviously no longer mattered. The moment he chose to join the Twelve Zodiac and tear up his agreement with Saturn, his status as a future Warlord ceased to exist.
However...
"Forgive me, Lord Kuma," a moment later, Hitsuji spoke calmly. "Did you just say... Edward Weevil?"
"Yes." Kuma looked slightly confused by the question, but answered anyway. "After the recent death of Gecko Moria, another Warlord seat became vacant."
At this point, his tone became somewhat strange. There were currently two empty Warlord positions: one belonged to Crocodile, and the other belonged to Gecko Moria. And both men had been killed by colleagues of the very Hitsuji standing before him.
Thinking about how he himself had nearly become a Warlord felt oddly surreal.
"Not long ago, the government received a recommendation from the Germa Kingdom, a member nation of the World Government.
They've decided to recruit the pirate Edward Weevil as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. According to the reports, he single-handedly destroyed more than twelve pirate crews in the North Blue within a single month and even helped suppress unrest in two countries."
Kuma shared everything he knew from the Den Den Mushi call.
"I see," Hitsuji nodded, his voice remaining calm. "I understand now."
Yet for some reason, both Vegapunk and Kuma suddenly felt a chill run down their spines.
(End of Chapter)
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