"..."
Inside the office, Roy stared at the plaque now hanging on the wall.
He was beginning to question his life choices.
What made it even more unbelievable was that Fleet Admiral Sengoku had actually approved the existence of the plaque.
"Although in principle, only Admirals are allowed to openly promote the 'Justice' they carry. But you defeated the Golden Lion. That achievement has yet to be formally rewarded, and the seas are becoming increasingly unstable. Letting the evils of this world see the banner of the Marines' 'New Age' and hear the voice of the New Age is not necessarily a bad thing."
That was what Fleet Admiral Sengoku had told him earlier.
"Roy, if you do not fear the hostility the Twelve Zodiac may direct toward you because of this, and if you are willing to shoulder the name of 'Justice'... then leave it hanging."
'Fear the Twelve Zodiac?'
'I am the damn Twelve Zodiac!'
Roy could neither laugh nor cry, but there was nothing he could really do about it.
Since Sengoku had already spoken, then hanging a plaque was no big deal.
Besides,
"Justice Above the Stars" did fit rather well with his identity as the "Star Lord."
So compared to that, Roy was currently sipping cola while reviewing the latest intelligence reports that had arrived during his absence.
For example,
[The World Government is currently discussing candidates to fill the vacancy among the Seven Warlords of the Sea left after Crocodile's death. The preliminary selection appears to be "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma]
[The World Government's "World Inspection" envoy has been confirmed to be a Celestial Dragon, though the specific individual remains unknown]
[BIG MOM's pursuit of Zishu has begun slowing down, but many pirates and islands under her control in the New World have started showing unusual activity]
[Top Secret, Reliable intelligence indicates that, due to anger over the disappearance of Dreamland Island, BIG MOM intends to hold this year's birthday Tea Party ahead of schedule and formally declare war against the Twelve Zodiac during the event]
[In addition to the usual Tea Party guests, it is rumored that "Pirate Patriarch" Wang Zhi (Ochoku), who also showed immense interest in Dreamland Island, has been invited as well]
Roy flipped through the intelligence documents in his hand.
His authority level ensured that the information he received was both highly important and extremely diverse.
And without question, the replacement of a Warlord of the Sea was only natural and not particularly surprising.
It was just that in the original story, Kuma had replaced Hanafuda's position, whereas now, due to Roy's actions, he was taking Crocodile's seat instead.
As for the World Patrol Envoy, after determining that the release of the Twelve Zodiac's bounties likely involved the shadow of "Imu" behind the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), Roy had basically understood that the envoy was highly likely to be a member of the God's Knights.
After all, if Imu truly feared Star Lord and the Twelve Zodiac that much, then only those Celestial Dragons possessing immense combat power and close ties to Imu would qualify to carry out such a cleansing mission.
As for BIG MOM's reaction, Roy was equally unsurprised.
Among the Yonko, BIG MOM was already the most unstable.
Her personality was as temperamental and childish as a spoiled child, completely unconcerned with consequences. Zishu had already become her enemy earlier, and her pursuit of Zishu and the other members of the Twelve Zodiac had never stopped.
And now, the "Dreamland Island" she coveted was highly likely connected to the Twelve Zodiac as well.
At this point, Roy would not find anything that Yonko did surprising anymore.
"A formal declaration of war, huh..." Roy muttered inwardly, coldness flickering within his eyes.
"That suits me just fine. Still, she's a Yonko after all. If I want to deal with her... hm, I'll need to obtain that ability first."
While muttering to himself, he continued flipping through the information in his hands.
Then,
"Hm?"
His gaze landed on another report, but this one was not top-secret intelligence.
Instead, it was a special operation report submitted by a Marine Detention Unit battleship.
[Report from Marine Detention Unit Battleship DT-G-83]
[Following a report from SSG scientist Dr. Vegapunk, this vessel proceeded to Punk Hazard to detain the SSG researcher "Caesar Clown," who violated safety regulations and caused the recent "Punk Hazard Explosion." However, upon arrival at Punk Hazard, the World Government informed us that the criminal required separate detention. The prisoner was therefore transferred to a World Government escort ship]
[The escort ship was sunk somewhere in the New World, and Caesar Clown escaped during transport. His current whereabouts are unknown. End of summary]
Upon reading this report, Roy frowned slightly.
In fact, after returning to Headquarters, he had already heard about it,
During the period in which he had gone to East Blue to kill Golden Lion, repair the ship, and sail back, a major incident had occurred within the Marines' Special Science Group, the SSG.
Namely, the SSG's chief scientist Vegapunk had reported his colleague Caesar Clown for conducting dangerous illegal experiments.
Enraged, Caesar detonated a certain research product.
As a result, the SSG research center "Punk Hazard" was completely destroyed and transformed into a forbidden zone devoid of life.
Vegapunk's laboratory was subsequently relocated to the New World, while Caesar Clown was arrested and later escaped during transport.
And now, the Marine Detention Unit report filled in the missing details behind the incident.
"The World Government wanting to separately imprison Caesar makes sense. After all, he's a former member of MADS and exceptionally talented in scientific research, especially Lineage Factor studies."
Roy, who knew the original plot well, naturally understood,
In canon, Caesar was one of only two people capable of manufacturing Artificial Devil Fruits.
But that also raised another issue.
"A World Government prison transport ship follows routes classified as top-secret intelligence, so secret that even the Marines' Detention Unit wouldn't know them."
"And yet such a ship was still attacked, and Caesar escaped..."
Thinking this far, Roy let out a cold laugh.
He naturally understood,
This incident alone was enough to prove just how deeply connected the people behind the prison break were within the World Government itself.
And based on the later plot developments, he could almost directly identify the mastermind behind the hijacking.
Naturally, however, Roy did not particularly care about such petty schemes and dirty dealings.
What Roy truly cared about was,
"Now that Caesar has left Punk Hazard... that Devil Fruit should no longer be receiving any attention." He muttered softly to himself.
Yes.
He knew very clearly that within Punk Hazard's research facility, there existed a Devil Fruit that interested him greatly.
It was the only Artificial Devil Fruit created by Vegapunk himself, one the world's greatest scientist had personally labeled a "failure."
But in Roy's eyes, the truth was quite the opposite.
"Judging from the Artificial Devil Fruits known as 'SMILE' created by Caesar in the original story, Artificial Devil Fruits possess several very obvious flaws, at least the ones Caesar made do."
"But the one created by Vegapunk is different."
Roy understood clearly that, according to the original plot, Vegapunk's Artificial Devil Fruit was almost indistinguishable from the genuine original Devil Fruit.
It was practically "perfect."
Therefore,
"I'm not entirely certain whether Artificial Devil Fruits can be analyzed by the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. But Vegapunk's creation... is worth testing."
...
At the same time,
In the New World.
Marine Science Division, Research Facility No. 8.
Naturally, it had now been renamed "Egghead."
This island, located in the New World and belonging to the World Government, had originally not been a particularly noteworthy place. In fact, among the Marine Science Division's facilities, it ranked only eighth, meaning it usually was not used for especially top-tier research.
But now, things were obviously different.
At the request of Dr. Vegapunk, this island was about to become both the residence and primary laboratory of the genius scientist said to be five hundred years ahead of his time.
And so, naturally, this island would become "special."
For example, at this very moment,
"Buzz!!"
In the central region of the island, pure white clouds were continuously forming.
And anyone knowledgeable enough to witness the scene would immediately realize,
These were not ordinary clouds, but the unique "Island Clouds" of Skypiea.
Their endless accumulation silently revealed the ambitions of the island's owner.
He intended to raise this once ordinary island into the sky and transform it into a true "Skypiea."
And beyond that,
At the island's outer regions, massive ongoing reconstruction work could be seen everywhere.
Exposed cables spread throughout the landscape like biological nerve endings, while gigantic engineering arms directly reshaped the island's environment itself.
"Just modifying the laboratory and I already can't understand the design plans. Hey, can someone explain to me how Section B's structure was even completed?"
"Isn't that holographic projection technology? I heard three days ago it still wasn't finished!"
"Are you an idiot? That's Dr. Vegapunk we're talking about, what does three days ago have to do with now?"
"I remember Vegapunk saying this area is only the factory layer. If even this place looks like this, what kind of place must the Research Layer be?"
"By the way, Vegapunk hasn't appeared for several days... could it be he's invented something incredible again?"
Watching the robots constantly carrying out commands and bustling about, the scientists from the other research districts could only look on in awe.
They were all outstanding scientists themselves,
Otherwise, they would never have qualified to work here.
But precisely because their knowledge was so exceptional, they understood even more clearly just how vast the gap between themselves and Vegapunk truly was.
A single moment of inspiration from him might equal a lifetime of their own research.
"As expected of Dr. Vegapunk..."
They sighed in admiration while unconsciously looking toward the very center of the island.
There stood a structure resembling a gigantic egg.
That was the central region of the island's "Research Layer",
The residence of Dr. Vegapunk himself.
But naturally, none of them knew that inside that enormous egg-shaped research facility,
"You're saved!"
The world's greatest scientist, Dr. Vegapunk, was unexpectedly excited at this moment.
He was no longer young. His graying hair and wrinkled face made that obvious.
Combined with his apple-tree-like cranial shape and absurdly long tongue, even his movements appeared somewhat sluggish.
Yet right now, he was waving his arms enthusiastically as he spoke.
"You mean the 'Fountain of Youth'?"
Standing before him was an enormously tall and powerfully built man.
He wore a white spotted Marine hat with bear-like ears attached to it, along with rimless glasses.
He was "Tyrant" Bartholomew Kuma.
"That's right! The Fountain of Youth, no, this thing is absolutely not some naturally occurring spring water." Vegapunk spoke excitedly.
In his hand, he held a test tube.
And within that test tube was the famous seven-colored liquid known throughout the seas as the "Fountain of Youth."
Yes,
To the overwhelming majority of rulers in the world, including kings, the Fountain of Youth was an object of desperate desire yet impossible to obtain.
Even when someone occasionally managed to acquire a small amount of it, they would either preserve it for personal use or sell it on the black market for an absurd astronomical price.
But for Vegapunk, the chief scientist of the World Government,
Obtaining samples of the Fountain of Youth was never particularly difficult.
And during this recent period, Vegapunk had been continuously researching it.
Only today had he finally arrived at that astonishing conclusion.
"It can directly increase the life force of the one who consumes it. However, I suspect its original effect may actually have been the complete opposite..."
"Incredible! Truly incredible! I never imagined someone could actually accomplish something like this!"
That was what Vegapunk excitedly declared.
Kuma did not understand most of the scientific details.
But he could roughly grasp Vegapunk's meaning.
"You mean..."
"The Fountain of Youth can cure Bonney?"
(End of Chapter)
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