When Whitebeard was mentioned, Buckin didn't quite know what to say. Back at God Valley, all Buckin had eyes for were treasures. By the time she and the others had each grabbed some loot, Whitebeard had already vanished to who-knows-where.
She didn't see Whitebeard again even after leaving God Valley. It was only later, through the newspapers, that she learned Whitebeard had ended up running around with a pirate called Polo Gram.
It wasn't that she didn't have a Den Den Mushi, nor that she didn't know Whitebeard's number. It was just that Den Den Mushi communication operates within a signal range, and making long-distance calls requires specially enhanced, high-signal Den Den Mushi.
Much like how real-world phones can't just casually make international calls, Den Den Mushi had similar restrictions.
At that time, Buckin had still planned to go find Whitebeard. However, she ended up encountering the MADS research ship. She had heard of Vegapunk's reputation before, and in the end, she became someone freeloader aboard the ship.
This freeloader was only in reference to research. Buckin still possesses a decent level of security capabilities* and the ability to communicate with the Underworld. After all, she had once been a subordinate of Rocks and has some real capabilities. [TN: Don't know what the author is trying to say here.]
"You don't seem like the type who's interested in other people's personal life. Anyway, turning things into cash through the Underworld always requires paying some handling fees. Rather than letting someone else earn that money, you might as well let me do it.
Fewer middlemen benefits both you and me.
Besides, we all spent time on Rocks' ship. I know your strength, and I know your abilities even better. I wouldn't dare play tricks in this regard."
There was no trace of emotional attachment in Buckin's eyes, only a hunger for money.
"That's true. I don't care how things were between you and Newgate. What you said makes sense. Wobbegong, when the time comes, let her handle turning those things into cash.
Also, here's information on two Devil Fruits. There's no record of them in the incomplete Encyclopedia I have on hand. Keep an eye on this matter, and let me know if there's any development."
Nereus did not refuse Buckin's proposal. Just as Buckin had said, the higher one's status, the clearer they understood Nereus's capabilities and strength.
Rookies who had just set sail might dare to shout about taking Nereus's head, but anyone who spent even a few days sailing in the New World and experienced its horrors would realize just how arrogant they had been before.
Buckin was greedy, but she also valued her life. In that respect, she truly didn't dare to play any tricks.
After handing a list and the materials over to Wobbegong, Nereus agreed to Buckin's request. As for how much Buckin could earn, Nereus didn't care.
She had the channels and connections. If she could make money, that was her own capability. Nereus only cared about how much she could actually turn into cash.
"I understand. I'll pay attention to these matters going forward. Dr. Vegapunk's rest time is in five minutes. Boss, would you like to go see him?"
"Boss is an investor, does he really need to wait around for his time? This doctor sure is quite arrogant."
"Sebastian, Dr. Vegapunk is extremely busy. He spends the entire day in the laboratory researching all kinds of things, and even when the ship docks, he rarely disembarks.
Even so, he complains every day that he doesn't have enough time. And my skills can't compare to his. Some of the things we need… still have to be researched with the doctor's help."
Wobbegong had once thought Vegapunk's reputation was undeserved. It wasn't until he truly interacted with him that he realized just how vast the gap in their skills was.
Although Vegapunk was the user of the Brain-Brain Fruit, what that Devil Fruit increased was merely brain capacity. It allowed Vegapunk to remember more things.
But research wasn't something that could be completed just by knowing the theory or memorizing information.
If simply memorizing formulas were enough to accomplish everything, then there wouldn't be any failing grades in mathematics or physics.
At this moment, Wobbegong truly admired the other party from the bottom of his heart. The other scientists on the ship were much the same. Though they sometimes sounded unconvinced out loud, they all knew the reality deep down.
Just as powerful fighters clearly understood the gap in strength between themselves and Nereus, these people at the pinnacle of intelligence on the seas also understood the gap between their own skills and Vegapunk's.
Hearing Sebastian complain that the other side was being arrogant, Wobbegong naturally spoke up in Vegapunk's defense.
"Alright, that's not the important part. It's all the same anyway."
Before long, in the ship's lounge, Vegapunk took the strong coffee handed to him by an assistant and also saw Nereus, who had been waiting there.
"You must be Mr. Nereus. Wobbegong mentions you every day, saying you're also one of the financial backers behind this ship. Adequate funding really has helped me solve quite a few problems. Thank you."
At this time, Vegapunk had not yet memorized all the books of Ohara, and his head was not yet that enormous. Even so, it still took up nearly half of his body's proportions, and with that large head, his overall height was about the same as Nereus's.
"It's simply a matter of mutual benefit. Everyone has something they need, isn't that right?"
"Yes… but Mr. Nereus, I have a question. I previously looked at the blueprints you had Wobbegong bring over. That seems to be part of some ancient technology.
Although incomplete, that should be the power core of some kind of weapon, shouldn't it?"
"More or less. It should be some kind of ship's engine. Maybe for a warship, maybe for a civilian vessel. That ruin only recorded this portion, but the power it provides should be more than strong enough."
"Yes, the experimental results do confirm that. However, Mr. Nereus, I believe that the crystallization of science from ancient times shouldn't be used for war."
MADS's full name was Laboratory for Peace, but on this ship, Vegapunk was probably the only researcher who genuinely wanted to study things for the sake of peace.
"Your dream is to create a world where energy can be shared freely, right?"
Nereus did not answer Vegapunk's words, instead posing a different question.
"That's right. Human wars are fought over resources. If there were infinite resources, then avoiding war—"
"Doctor, you're being a bit naive. Competing for resources can only be considered the objective of war.
As for the cause, isn't it human greed?
People are never satisfied. Even if you truly developed infinite energy, the outbreak of war would only be a matter of time.
If you want peace, energy alone won't be enough."
Infinite energy would still give rise to war, or rather, infinite energy itself was a special proposition. The Seer airship was always searching for infinite energy, yet whenever it obtained it, that infinite energy would always be given away for various reasons. [TN: Seer is a popular chinese game/cartoon about robots on an airship called Seer where they travel to find a legendary phoenix in a vast universe.]
Let's not even mention the distant examples.
The Undying Flame - the Mother Flame that Vegapunk developed could be considered the fulfillment of his goal, yet the Mother Flame could drive ancient weapons.
From this, it was clear that hundreds of years ago, someone had already mastered this kind of technology and produced special fuel, yet a massive war lasting a century still occurred.
Even whether the wars currently raging across the seas could be regarded as a continuation of that great war was still a question without a definitive answer.
"Doctor, if your research was taken by others and used as a weapon, would you still continue researching it?"
TN: Hey guys, I will be releasing extra chapters for every 20 power stones. (5-7 chapters.)
Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 25 chapters on my pa*reon.