Dr. Vegapunk suddenly froze after the memory film was inserted into his mind.
For several seconds, he stood motionless.
Once he regained himself, he immediately began reviewing the information stored within his brain.
As he continued examining the blueprint for the Dark King, the expression on his face changed repeatedly.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Excitement.
Finally, he could no longer contain himself.
"This… this is unbelievable!"
Dr. Vegapunk's eyes widened as he stared ahead.
"This is the design blueprint for the Dark King!"
Since his six satellites shared the same brain, they had already processed the information as well. Every one of them wore nearly identical expressions of astonishment.
Even York, who usually acted carefree, was staring blankly in disbelief.
Lloyd remained indifferent.
"Don't copy the blueprint completely."
His voice remained steady and detached.
"The Mother Flame you developed before is useful enough. Integrate it into the Dark King."
Dr. Vegapunk immediately nodded repeatedly, his expression carrying both excitement and nervousness.
As a scientist whose intellect surpassed the modern age, what could possibly excite him more than witnessing the blueprint of an ancient weapon with his own eyes?
Lloyd swept his gaze across Vegapunk and his six satellites before continuing,
"If any materials are missing, notify CP0 and have them gather everything."
He paused briefly before adding,
"As for the Seraphim Kuma from earlier, perfect him after repairs are complete."
His tone remained casual, yet carried unquestionable authority.
"When he is finished, I'll take him back to Marineford."
Dr. Vegapunk nodded so quickly he looked like a rattling machine.
Beside him, York had already pulled out a small notebook, hurriedly jotting down every word Lloyd said.
Of course, with her intelligence, memorizing everything effortlessly was not difficult.
Still, writing things down made her look more attentive.
Lloyd glanced at York from the corner of his eye.
He knew exactly what this so called traitor desired.
To become a Celestial Dragon.
It was fitting for the satellite that represented "Desire."
Her greed was so overwhelming that it practically overpowered her judgment.
Some things in life simply could not be obtained through ambition alone.
Someone like York, who could barely even be considered an independent existence, had absolutely no chance of becoming a Celestial Dragon.
Still, Lloyd had no intention of crushing her dream outright.
Keeping her hopeful served a purpose.
After all, York was responsible for handling the daily biological needs of Vegapunk and the satellites, significantly increasing research efficiency.
For Lloyd, that alone made her useful.
In his eyes, York was nothing more than a donkey chasing a carrot hanging in front of it.
Watching from nearby, Pudding quietly clicked her tongue.
Since following Lloyd, she had truly witnessed what standing at the pinnacle of power looked like.
The way everyone moved according to his will without resistance.
The way even the smartest man in the world obeyed his commands without hesitation.
It was enough to leave anyone speechless.
Meanwhile, far away at Baltigo.
Inside a somewhat worn laboratory, sparks flickered nonstop.
Lindbergh, wearing a pair of goggles, stood over a workbench welding together the body in front of him.
Behind him, the Straw Hat Pirates watched in silence.
Their expressions were heavy.
No one spoke.
The only sound filling the room was the sharp crackling of welding sparks.
After an unknown amount of time, Lindbergh finally stopped.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a relieved sigh.
"It's done!"
As he stepped aside, the person lying on the workbench was finally revealed to everyone.
Chopper's eyes immediately widened.
"Franky!"
He quickly jumped onto the workbench.
However, the moment he got a proper look at the figure lying there, his expression froze completely.
The "Franky" before him looked nothing like the Franky he remembered.
If there was one way to describe it, it felt similar to seeing Sanji's old wanted poster.
Unrecognizable.
Completely absurd.
For example, Franky's signature bright blue hair had somehow been recreated using strips of cloth awkwardly sewn together.
No matter how anyone looked at it, it screamed fake.
Nami stepped closer and instantly froze as well.
A second later, she turned around and exploded.
"This is what you mean by exactly the same!?"
Lindbergh removed his goggles with a puzzled expression.
"What's wrong?"
He pointed proudly at the body.
"Doesn't he look just like before? I recreated him one to one using the photo reference!"
Nami nearly lost her mind.
"Are you serious!? Aren't you supposed to be the Revolutionary Army's top inventor? Is this seriously your level!?"
Lindbergh immediately frowned.
"Hey! What's with that attitude, Miss Nami? Are you doubting my craftsmanship?"
Nami was so angry she almost could not speak.
Meanwhile, Chopper bounced furiously atop the workbench.
"Baka! Baka! This doesn't look like Franky at all!"
As the argument escalated, Luffy quietly walked forward.
He stood in front of the workbench, staring at the reconstructed body in silence.
His expression remained unreadable.
After several moments, he finally spoke in a low voice.
"Stop arguing."
The room instantly became silent.
Luffy looked at the unmoving body.
"Even if he looked exactly the same…"
He paused briefly.
"What difference would it make?"
His voice grew quieter.
"He's not Franky anymore."
The words struck everyone heavily.
Nami and the others immediately fell silent.
Their faces darkened.
How could they not understand?
The argument had never really been about appearance.
They simply needed somewhere to vent the grief piling up inside them.
One companion after another had been taken from them.
The pressure had already pushed everyone dangerously close to breaking.
Still, what worried them most was not themselves.
It was Luffy.
Nami hesitated before cautiously asking,
"Luffy… are you still… yourself right now?"
Luffy gave a slight nod.
He raised his hand and gently touched Franky's chest.
Yet there was no reaction.
Franky remained motionless.
Seeing this, Lindbergh stepped forward.
Electricity crackled around one of his paws.
"He probably just needs power."
Lindbergh smiled.
"Don't worry, leave it to me."
Snap!
Before he could continue, Luffy suddenly grabbed his arm.
The crackling electricity stopped.
Luffy shook his head.
"No need, Lindbergh Senpai."
His gaze stayed on Franky.
"Franky doesn't run on that."
He looked up slightly.
"Do you have cola?"
Lindbergh blinked.
"Of course."
He tilted his head.
"You want some?"
Luffy shook his head.
"Just bring a lot."
Noticing Luffy's unusually low mood, Lindbergh wisely chose not to ask further questions.
Soon, someone delivered an entire crate of cola.
Luffy grabbed several bottles with one hand.
Using the other, he pressed against Franky's abdomen a few times.
Click.
A hidden compartment opened.
Lindbergh's eyes widened in surprise.
Without hesitation, Luffy placed the cola inside before closing the compartment again.
The next moment, something strange happened.
The blue cloth strips on Franky's head suddenly shot upright.
Then, with a sharp movement, Franky abruptly sat up.
He slowly turned his head toward Luffy.
Lindbergh stared in disbelief.
"He seriously uses cola as fuel?"
He rubbed his chin.
"That's honestly incredible…"
The figure slowly focused his eyes.
He looked directly at Luffy.
The first words out of his mouth made the room freeze.
"Joy Boy…"
Luffy's body trembled violently.
He slowly raised his head and looked into Franky's eyes.
After a brief silence, he spoke softly.
"Emet."
Without saying anything else, Luffy turned and walked away.
Emet tried to move after him.
However, he had only just synchronized with Franky's body.
He was still unfamiliar with controlling it.
The moment he shifted forward, he immediately lost balance and crashed off the workbench.
Nami and the others stared at him with mixed emotions.
Lindbergh quickly stepped forward to help him up.
Emet frowned deeply.
Yet the first thing he said completely shattered everyone's composure.
"Something feels wrong."
He moved his arms awkwardly.
"This body is incredibly difficult to use."
===
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