You can read ahead up to 30 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.p*treon.com/darkshadow6395
Bartholomew Kuma had lived a twisted and turbulent life.
Slave, Revolutionary Army member, priest, king, pirate… his ever-changing identities were proof of that.
His origins, race, and abilities had led him to experience far too much.
Those experiences had never changed his character or his nature, but they had inevitably made him calm and steady.
Yet at this moment, even someone as composed as him… Could not help but be moved by the good news Vegapunk had brought.
"'Fountain of Youth' can cure Bonney's illness?" His voice trembled slightly.
Jewelry Bonney, his daughter, is the unique treasure left behind by the woman he loved. But she suffered from the same strange disease as her mother, a horrific illness called "Sapphire Scales."
Gem-like crystals would continuously grow across her body. Her flesh would gradually harden until, in the end, her entire body would turn to stone, and she would die in agony.
Exposure to sunlight and moonlight would accelerate the progression of the disease even further. It was an incurable illness, one that even the greatest doctors in the world could do nothing about.
"No, this isn't simply a matter of the 'Fountain of Youth.'"
At that moment, the equally emotional Vegapunk looked toward Kuma.
"Kuma, I already told you, Bonney's condition is extremely complicated. The illness she has isn't a normal 'disease' at all."
He spoke with a grave expression.
"It was most likely caused by experiments the Celestial Dragons conducted on certain slaves in a research facility… But regardless, its essence is a genetic disease caused by defects in the 'Lineage Factor'! The crystals growing on Bonney's body are the physical manifestation of her life force. They continuously drain her vitality."
As he spoke, he raised the bottle of Fountain of Youth in his hand.
"The Fountain of Youth can directly restore Bonney's life force. In other words, with enough Fountain of Youth, she can indeed survive, but…"
But survival was all it could provide.
Kuma was not foolish, so he naturally understood.
A leaking wooden bucket, if the broken part was never repaired, then no matter how much water was poured into it, it would only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.
And for Kuma… What he truly wanted was for his daughter to be completely cured.
So…
"If that's the case, then I still think making a deal with Saint Saturn is the safer option…"
"No, listen to me first!"
However, upon hearing that, Vegapunk immediately interrupted him.
Because he understood very clearly what had happened recently.
Not long ago, shortly after he relocated his research facility here, the man before him had suddenly appeared.
Bartholomew Kuma, the "Tyrant," the great pirate who had once overthrown an entire nation by himself.
He possessed an incredibly powerful and unique Devil Fruit ability, allowing him to bypass the numerous defensive barriers Vegapunk had set around the island and infiltrate Egghead.
To be honest, Vegapunk had thought he was doomed at the time. But he never expected that Kuma had not come to kill or plunder.
On the contrary, he had come to make a request.
"I was guided here by someone. Please save my daughter."
He begged Vegapunk to save her.
As mentioned before, Bonney's disease was an incurable terminal illness tied to one of the world's greatest secrets, the "Lineage Factor." And Vegapunk was undoubtedly one of the few people in the world whose research into the Lineage Factor had reached such depths.
So after confirming that Kuma was a descendant of the legendary extinct race known as the Buccaneer Clan, he decisively agreed to Kuma's request, and the two reached a partnership.
Vegapunk would treat Bonney's illness, while Kuma would provide blood samples for research and cloning.
Vegapunk intended to use the naturally powerful Buccaneer bloodline to create the "Pacifista," a project he had long envisioned as a means to restore peace to the seas.
But the problem arose there.
Their deal was overheard through a special monitoring Den Den Mushi used by one of the Five Elder Stars, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.
This member of the Five Elders halted the agreement between Vegapunk and Kuma and proposed an entirely new condition, one so cruel it was almost inhuman.
Kuma had to become a Warlord and undergo human modification, surrendering all sense of self and consciousness to become a mindless "slave," in exchange for Bonney's treatment.
And the crucial point was…
After the treatment, Bonney would be separated from her father and kept as a hostage. Until Kuma completely lost his sense of self, she would never be allowed to see her father again.
Vegapunk naturally understood the true meaning behind it.
"That bastard Saturn… that despicable deal of his… he wants to torture you!"
He gritted his teeth, rarely displaying his emotions so openly.
Yes.
What Saturn proposed was not merely a transaction.
A father would accompany his gravely ill daughter through her treatment and when the daughter was finally cured, her father would undergo modification and lose even the concept of "love" within his heart.
It was the cruelest torment imaginable.
The Five Elders were punishing Kuma, the last survivor of the Buccaneer Clan, a race said to have committed crimes against the World Government long ago.
"I know." Yet Kuma merely replied gently: "But this will cure Bonney, won't it?"
That gentleness was precisely why Vegapunk's emotions were fluctuating so violently now.
During their time together, he had already come to understand what kind of person Kuma truly was.
Kind, calm, powerful, faithful to his promises, deeply loyal and compassionate…
Even Vegapunk acknowledged him as a saint-like man.
Just like at this very moment.
For the sake of his daughter, he was indifferent to his own fate.
Pain, torment, death, such things were insignificant and worthless in the face of Kuma's love.
"You really can't be a little more selfish, can you…?"
Yet Vegapunk could only shake his head helplessly. He had already guessed Kuma would say something like that.
If there was not absolute certainty, Kuma would definitely choose to continue cooperating with Saint Saturn in exchange for guaranteeing his daughter's complete recovery.
And precisely because Kuma was this kind of person, Vegapunk could not bear to watch him end up with such a fate.
They had not known each other for long, but Vegapunk had already come to regard him as a friend. In fact, Vegapunk had originally even prepared certain "plans" in secret to preserve one final sliver of hope for Kuma.
For perhaps the first time in a long while, his brilliant mind had made an irrational decision.
For the sake of a pirate, he truly intended to defy the orders of the World Government.
Naturally,
That had only been his original plan, but now, after researching the Fountain of Youth…
His thoughts had changed.
"Kuma, the important thing is not the Fountain of Youth itself, but the creator of the Fountain of Youth."
He looked at Kuma seriously.
"The creator?"
"Yes. My research shows that the water of the Fountain of Youth could not possibly have formed naturally. Its structural sequences and coding are extremely unusual, belonging to a Class-X formula structure… In short, according to the DMF-314 reagent tests, there is a 97.813% probability that it is an artificial creation. And the Lineage Factors within it contain at least more than three separate groups."
Vegapunk spoke excitedly.
"Do you know what that means?"
Kuma: "…"
'Are you making things difficult for me, Vegapunk?'
But Vegapunk failed to notice his friend's silent thoughts and merely continued speaking excitedly, practically spraying saliva everywhere.
"I've studied Lineage Factors for many years and believed I had at least some understanding of them, yet I still have not even glimpsed their true nature. 'Lineage Factor' is simply too vast a field of study."
"To cure Bonney, I would need at least half a year to study her Lineage Factor and slowly modify her body. During that process, I would also require a massive amount of research materials supplied by the World Government."
This was also why Saint Saturn had been so confident.
Bonney's treatment had to be carried out inside Vegapunk's laboratory and required the support of World Government resources.
Kuma would neither flee nor dare to flee.
And Saturn's true goal was for Kuma to face his fate while drowning in the helplessness of knowing he could change nothing. But clearly, Saturn would never have anticipated the conclusion Vegapunk had now reached.
"The Fountain of Youth is most likely the product of a Devil Fruit ability."
Even Vegapunk himself sounded astonished as he said this.
"And the Devil Fruit abilities within it are not limited to just one!"
Naturally, he understood what this conclusion implied.
"In terms of Lineage Factor research, the creator of the Fountain of Youth possesses knowledge far beyond my own. No… compared to him, my research is practically worthless!"
At that point, Kuma finally felt he understood.
"You mean… he can definitely cure Bonney?"
"There is a very high probability."
Vegapunk maintained the rigor expected of a scientist.
"Even if the creator of the Fountain of Youth himself cannot do it, the person behind the 'Lineage Factor technology' he possesses definitely can. If my guess is correct, it should be that individual known by the code name 'Star Lord.'"
"Star Lord?"
Hearing this, Kuma became even more curious.
"You believe Dreamland Island really belongs to The Twelve Zodiac?"
Clearly, he had also heard the rumors, though they were not yet the mainstream view across the seas.
"I analyzed every possibility. The probability that Dreamland Island belongs to 'The Twelve Zodiac' exceeds 82%. And if we factor in the research results of the Fountain of Youth, along with the abilities displayed by the officers of The Twelve Zodiac, that probability rises to 99%."
At this point, Vegapunk's voice suddenly turned grave.
"And now, I think I finally understand why the World Government fears Star Lord so deeply. They were willing to throw the seas into turmoil just to forcibly search for his whereabouts."
"If his research into Lineage Factors advances even one step further… he may very well reach the essence of the Lineage Factor itself!"
"The essence?"
Hearing that, Kuma's tone also became serious.
He did not understand these scientific matters, but he did understand one thing,
Anything feared this much by the World Government had to be one of the greatest secrets in the world.
And Vegapunk, standing before him, was perhaps one of the few people who had vaguely sensed that secret.
"Yes. The essence of the Lineage Factor…"
"The method of creating Devil Fruits."
"Creating Devil Fruits? The research topic your colleague was studying?"
Recently, Kuma had evidently discussed many things with Vegapunk, including the reason Vegapunk had come to Egghead.
"No, naturally it's different."
Vegapunk immediately shook his head decisively.
"Caesar's research in this field is indeed earnest and diligent, but his thinking is too extreme. The things he creates are destined to possess enormous flaws. That is the wrong path."
Vegapunk was not an arrogant man, but neither was he excessively modest.
He understood his own talent and could calmly and objectively recognize the differences in scientific ability between people.
Caesar's research into Lineage Factors was indeed profound, and in the eyes of ordinary people, he was undoubtedly a genius.
But…
Compared to Vegapunk, his talent was still worlds apart,
Like the light of a firefly compared to the brilliance of the moon.
The things he researched and called "Artificial Devil Fruits" were not even worthy of entering Vegapunk's field of vision.
"The organization I once belonged to, 'MADS,' did indeed discover some precious materials related to the essence of the Lineage Factor. All of our research into the Lineage Factor was based on those materials."
"I once believed I had grasped the key point and used up one portion of that precious material to create a Devil Fruit. It truly was a genuine Devil Fruit."
At this point, Vegapunk sighed, still seemingly regretful over the precious material he had consumed.
"But it was still a failure."
Kuma truly could not understand now. The goal had been to create a Devil Fruit, and an authentic Devil Fruit had indeed been produced, so why was it still considered a failure?
"Because…"
Vegapunk glanced at him before softly continuing.
In his mind, he recalled the Devil Fruit he had created.
When the World Government demanded that he hand it over, he claimed it was a failure, thus avoiding surrendering it. And the reason he gave the other researchers at the time was that "the color of the Devil Fruit was different from the original, so it was a failure."
But in truth, only he himself knew…
The difference in color was precisely the unique success of that Devil Fruit.
"The essence of that Devil Fruit was replication, not 'creation.'"
"It was still something bound by the laws of this world, therefore… it was a failure."
His sigh faded into silence.
Kuma looked at the scientist, who now seemed strangely melancholic, and chose not to ask further questions.
The things he cared about had never been topics like Devil Fruits or Lineage Factors.
"…"
He simply pondered what Vegapunk had just told him.
But at that very moment,
"Father! Father!" A voice suddenly called out to him.
He turned his head toward the greenhouse not far away.
Inside the greenhouse was a little girl with crystals growing across her face and pink hair.
That was his daughter.
And just as mentioned before, Bonney's illness meant she should have been unable to see daylight. Any form of natural light would accelerate her death.
Only inside Vegapunk's greenhouse could his specially engineered artificial light allow her to laugh and play for a while. But at this moment, Bonney, who should have been happily running around the lawn, was not playing.
Instead, she pressed herself against the greenhouse window and looked toward Kuma.
"Bonney, why aren't you playing?" Kuma asked gently.
"What's the point of playing if Father isn't with me? Oh, and Grandpa Vegapunk too."
Bonney said this, not forgetting to spare a certain lonely old man's feelings at the end.
Vegapunk: "…"
But upon hearing those words, Kuma froze for a moment.
Then…
"Go ahead first. I'll come play with you in a moment."
"Really?"
Bonney's face immediately lit up with joy.
"Then let's do the Dance of Liberation later!"
"Mm, we'll dance."
"Yay!"
With that, Bonney happily ran off.
The crystals growing across her body almost seemed to shine with happiness at that moment. And as Kuma watched his laughing daughter leave, he revealed the same gentle smile.
"Vegapunk."
"Hmm?"
"Do you know where Dreamland Island is right now?" Kuma asked softly.
Upon hearing that, delight flashed across Vegapunk's eyes.
He clearly understood, Kuma had accepted his proposal.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Seeing Vegapunk's expression, Kuma chuckled softly.
His gaze drifted toward Bonney in the distance. Within that cheerful figure, he seemed to see another person.
His wife.
"Kuma, promise me…" He could almost still hear her weak yet affectionate voice before her death.
"Take Bonney and live on for me… Live freely."
So…
"No one wants to die." He spoke softly. "I want to live too, whether for myself or for others."
Clearly, he had made his choice.
If absolutely necessary, he did not mind sacrificing everything he had in exchange for his daughter's health. But if there was a chance for him to remain by his daughter's side forever,
Then he was equally willing to give up everything for that possibility!
"That's good… that's good."
Hearing those words, Vegapunk finally let out a sigh of relief.
Only then did he seriously look at Kuma.
"As for Dreamland Island, I don't think you need to search for it."
"Hm?"
Kuma became confused once more, but Vegapunk patiently explained:
"Based on the recent newspapers and the current situation across the seas… I suspect that The Twelve Zodiac… will make a major move very soon."
(End of Chapter)