Cultivating a new Sunlight Tree Eve meant being able to better develop "branch bases."
Although Fish-Men and Merfolk could survive even in the dark depths of the sea, the quality of life was a completely different matter.
It was the difference between a sunlit high-rise and a dark slum.
At present, throughout the entire world, Sunlight Tree Eve was one of a kind, and this was not a good thing for Fishman Island.
Resin technology, on the other hand, was directly related to bubbles. Female Merfolk could at least split their tails at the age of thirty, but male Merfolk would spend their entire lives with only a fish tail for their lower bodies.
Bubbles could only be used within the influence range of Yarukiman Mangrove, so transplanting the tree and strengthening bubbles could be considered a livelihood project.
When the ship dropped anchor and stopped, a certain degree of vibration appeared along the hull. This vibration had little effect on the laboratories aboard, but the ship's sudden halt still made some people curiously come out.
The first to appear was a thin, frail blond youth with a gloomy expression. Following him was a hawk-nosed man with slicked-back black hair and two horns on his head.
The one who came out first was Vinsmoke Judge, and the one who appeared afterward was Caesar Clown. Although they were still young, only seventeen or eighteen, when it came to scientific talent, they were already ahead of most people.
Perhaps they hadn't used that talent on the right path, but in terms of technical skill, they truly left many adults far behind.
"Why did we stop the ship? It's still half a month to the next island, isn't it?"
"Yeah, that island is the legendary dream entertainment island! Why waste time here?"
Judge and Caesar were clearly dissatisfied with this temporary stop, and their questioning voices also disturbed the others in the laboratory.
"You two have had enough! Don't interrupt me while I'm doing experiments!"
"Interrupt? How could that kind of thing ever succeed? Scien, if you want peace and quiet, go apply for an independent lab!"
The last person to come out was taller than both Judge and Caesar. His white lab coat was casually draped over his shoulders. He also had blond hair, but it was much wilder than Judge's.
Compared to a researcher, he looked more like a delinquent.
Scien was his name. Perhaps it sounded unfamiliar now, but in the original timeline, Scien would later join Kaido and take the codename Queen.
Faced with Judge's doubts, Scien was clearly unconvinced. The argument escalated, turning into a full-blown brawl that broke quite a few lab equipment in the process.
The noise here also caught Wobbegong's attention. By the time he arrived, the place was in complete disarray.
"You three b*stards… why are you messing around again?!"
At first, Caesar had only wanted to watch the show, but as Scien and Judge kept fighting, he ended up getting dragged into it as well.
"Wobbegong! Don't get involved in this! This is a personal grudge!"
"I don't care how badly you beat each other up. I'm giving you three minutes. Before my Boss comes aboard, restore this place to its original state!"
"What does your Boss have to do with us?"
"He's one of the biggest project investors on this research ship."
Nereus didn't rely on the threat of force to send Wobbegong over. On one hand, Wobbegong himself had a certain level of ability, and on the other, it was a matter of research funding.
This funding was allocated separately to Wobbegong, and he could freely distribute it to certain projects. As long as Vegapunk or others were willing to help him research something, they could obtain experiment funds.
Wobbegong didn't care how the money was used. He only cared about results.
Producing sufficient results within a given time frame meant you were qualified.
Everyone who joined MADS had their own ideas and wanted to research what they needed. For example, Judge hoped to use the power of the Lineage Factor to revive the Germa Kingdom.
And since investors' funds always had designated scopes, in moments like this, whether one could win the favor of the financier and obtain more investment became especially important.
Upon hearing that the sponsor was arriving, the three were clearly motivated, but instead of cleaning up the broken equipment, they went to organize their project proposals.
As for the situation here, they all stated that they would come back later to clean it up.
Wobbegong didn't really mind. After all, once these people ran out of funding, they would understand just how much influence someone in charge of allocating research funds could wield.
Although Nereus's ship was a seized warship, it had undergone some minor modifications. Its speed was not slow, and it quickly drew close to MADS's paddle steamer.
"Boss!"
"It's been over a year since we last met, Wobbegong. How does it feel?"
"Very good. Boss, your advice was right. Going out to learn makes progress easier than working behind closed doors. Give me a bit more time and I'll definitely be able to cultivate a second Eve.
Also… we've made some breakthroughs with the Lineage Factor. At the current pace, we should see results within two years."
Wobbegong pulled Nereus to a quieter part of the ship and spoke to him in a low voice about the situation over the past year.
"Boss, you were absolutely right. That Vegapunk really is a genius. Some of the things we found in the sea ruins, he managed to successfully replicate part of them.
As for the others…
Scien leans toward human modification and viral weapons. He's a bit of a pe*vert.
Judge has made considerable achievements in cloning technology.
Caesar Clown is all talk. While he does have some skills, he talks far better than he acts—he's a total charlatan.
And then… there's someone on this ship who's just freeloading."
"A freeloader?"
"Wobbegong, we're old acquaintances, aren't we? Is it really okay to badmouth me behind my back like this?"
On the nearby deck, Buckin, dressed as if she were on vacation, walked over.
"Hmph. Whether you're freeloading or not, you know that yourself, don't you?"
"I've contributed plenty of data. Providing funds counts as help, doesn't providing data count too?"
Buckingham, also known as Stussy, had been nicknamed the "Science Robber" back when she was still with the Rocks Pirates.
She not only loves treasure but also has a significant interest in scientific achievements. However, Buckin valued a technology's ability to be monetized more than anything else, and over the years she had accumulated quite a stockpile.
Coming to MADS is a form of technical investment as she was here to obtain certain things.
"Speaking of which, Nereus, you really were farsighted. Back then everyone thought you'd driven Wobbegong back to Fishman Island, but it turns out you'd already sent him here."
"You're the one whose presence surprises me. Shouldn't you be with Newgate?"
Nereus did remember that Buckin had managed to get aboard the MADS ship, but he hadn't expected it to be this early.
"That's not important. Your gains at God Valley must have been considerable, right? If you're looking to cash in that batch of treasures, how about letting me handle it?"
TN: Hey guys, I will be releasing extra chapters for every 20 power stones. (5-7 chapters.)
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