"So this is the Dragon Vein!"
Standing on the soil of Loulan, Vegapunk stared at the energy meter he had just developed, his face full of surprise; the reading made even him doubt his own eyes.
Simply put, the Dragon Vein's output rivaled that of the weather tower. If one took Shukaku as the benchmark, the tower's energy was nearly ten times that of the Tailed Beast.
"With numbers like these… apart from the Nine-Tailed, whose exact capacity is still unclear, this is probably the mightiest energy source in the entire Ninja World at present."
Although it was called Dragon-Vein Chakra, it had long been established that every form of energy in the Ninja World was labeled Chakra. In truth, the so-called Dragon-Vein energy had nothing to do with Chakra; rather, it bore a closer resemblance to Natural Energy.
Sara, who stood behind Vegapunk, looked rather pale. The saying "ignorance is bliss" applied perfectly—she was no longer the person she had once been.
Before fully awakening her bloodline, she had merely sensed the Vein's immense power. Now, with her bloodline active, she truly understood how vast its energy was.
A minor fluctuation from that power could reduce Loulan to rubble; a complete rampage might obliterate a tenth of the Land of Wind.
The realization that her nation had been built atop such a bomb made her shudder. When she considered Vegapunk's plan to harness it, she wanted to dissuade him.
"Um… Dr. Vegapunk," she began, only to see his expression turn feverish and ecstatic as he muttered technical jargon under his breath, utterly spellbound. "Isn't this energy far too dangerous…?"
She swallowed the second half of her sentence. While Vegapunk was usually easygoing, he also possessed the mad, cold edge of a genius scientist. Once something intrigued him, no one could pull him back.
Of course Vegapunk knew the danger; otherwise he would not have invested such effort in cultivating Sara.
But her potential was now fully tapped. No amount of training would bring a qualitative leap in her ability to control the Vein.
In this situation he could either wait years for a technological breakthrough—or take the risk now.
After all, he still had people in the One Piece World. Under his initial orders they should be safe for a few years, but if he stayed away for decades, who knew what might happen.
Even Hancock had her two sisters back on Amazon Lily. The Empress might claim that having darling beside her was enough, yet it was impossible for her not to miss her kin.
There was another crucial factor he had not told Sara: near Loulan's oasis, a weather tower scan of the Land of Wind had detected a radioactive zone. Analysis indicated a uranium deposit dozens of meters underground.
Although not fuel for fusion, such radioactive ore was essential for the initial high-temperature ignition—using fission heat to trigger fusion.
With just a small amount of that mineral, his fusion reactor could be ignited, and once running it could in turn light further reactors—much like those online scams: "I have tens of millions in the bank; I only lack a few hundred to unlock it."
This radioactive substance seemed to be a companion mineral to the Dragon Vein. Whether by coincidence or some deeper link, Vegapunk could not abandon the opportunity.
Solving the Vein would grant him not only a spacetime-related energy to study but also the most vital asset for research—virtually unlimited power.
Coupled with the quantum brain's near-infinite computing capacity, he was certain he could soon find a way back to the One Piece World.
During the previous crossing, the quantum brain had recorded large amounts of data, giving him both direction and a major head start—another reason for his urgency.
"All right, Sara, come with me. Let's unseal the Dragon Vein!" Vegapunk waved and headed for the seal site. Sara hesitated, then felt a light tap on her back; she turned to see the tall Hancock.
"Still dawdling? Hurry up and go with darling, you cowardly, useless test subject!"
Sara shrank. She wasn't Pakura; even anger was useless. And Pakura herself avoided quarrels or fights with Hancock—victory was impossible.
Not just because of Hancock's strength, but because Vegapunk's favor and trust toward her eclipsed that toward anyone else in the Ninja World. Whenever a technological breakthrough occurred, she was first to benefit; Pakura had no wish to court humiliation.
Gritting her teeth, Sara followed; she had no right to refuse.
Loulan was now a ruin, the sealed site buried underground.
Fortunately none of them were ordinary. Even Sara's Chakra reserves were several times those of a Jonin; without Ninjutsu, her Chakra-boosted physique made her a minor superhuman, clearing rubble with ease.
With a crash Vegapunk slashed open a heap of stones, revealing an underground palace.
"So this is where the seal lies?"
Seeing the numerous Sealing Formulas on the floor and the Flying Thunder God trident dagger at their center, he asked.
Sara nodded, nostalgia in her eyes. After years of wandering, she had returned.
"Let me see how to break this… yes, sever these nodes and the seal will gradually fade…"
After a brief study Vegapunk began unsealing it directly.
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