The moment Ezra D. Vale saw those words, his first reaction was disbelief.
Because he immediately recognized the handwriting.
And the person behind it held another identity entirely.
The true ruler hidden behind the world.
Imu.
"No way…"
"Rocks D. Xebec was actually Imu's younger brother?"
Ezra Vale's voice carried clear shock and disbelief.
If that were true, then did Imu have two younger brothers?
And was he, Ezra Vale, also connected to Rocks in the same way?
His thoughts turned into a tangled mess.
He placed the character biography back onto the shelf and continued scanning the surrounding rows of books.
He needed answers.
He had to know the truth.
So he went through one shelf after another, searching carefully.
But there was nothing else.
No more relevant information.
"Is this all there is on Rocks?"
Ezra Vale stood in front of the vast archive and muttered to himself.
Still unwilling to accept it, he continued searching through the shelves.
Then, as he passed one section, he suddenly stopped.
He turned back and looked at a specific book.
"Dr. Vegapunk… character biography?"
He reached out and pulled it down casually.
The dust on it was even thicker than the one on Rocks' book.
It looked like it had been untouched for centuries.
But that was impossible.
Could Vegapunk really have lived for hundreds of years?
With that thought, Ezra opened the book.
The first page showed Vegapunk's portrait.
Yellow hair, slightly long and messy.
Thick frog-like glasses.
A wild, almost maniacal grin.
Rather than a scientist, he looked more like a madman.
Ezra glanced at the image and flipped to the next page.
Just as expected, there was no proper biography.
Only basic information.
Birthplace: Mechanical Island, Future Kingdom, Baldimore.
"Interesting."
He raised an eyebrow and continued reading.
Vegapunk truly was a genius.
Human gigantification experiments.
Discovery of Lineage Factor.
Creation of the first artificial Devil Fruit.
Anti-toxin suits.
Unlocking the transmission conditions of Devil Fruit abilities.
Even the ability to grant objects Devil Fruit powers.
Most importantly, he was the only man who fully understood Devil Fruits.
A genius scientist in every sense, mastering both biology and machinery.
Even Ezra could not help but admire it.
But as he continued flipping through the book, he quickly noticed something unusual.
"Due to the discovery of the 'Life Design Blueprint,' it was deemed the most dangerous research by the World Government."
"Publicly announced as an arrest target, but secretly recruited to work for the World Government."
"And successfully achieved certain results. Thirty-eight years ago, it was used as experimental material…"
The rest of the page had been heavily erased.
Everything after that was unreadable.
Ezra's brows tightened.
Life Design Blueprint.
Just the name alone sounded like something forbidden.
And the timing.
Thirty-eight years ago.
It was hard not to connect it with Rocks.
"Could Rocks be related to this experiment?"
"And if so… where is he now?"
Ezra paused.
Then his gaze slowly dropped to his own hands.
"Don't tell me…"
A strange and bold thought surfaced in his mind.
A thought that made even him feel a chill.
Ezra D. Vale's current body.
Could it be Rocks D. Xebec?
That idea took root instantly and would not leave.
The similarities were too many.
Black hair.
Rare crimson eyes.
The same eyes as Imu.
The same as Rocks.
And that single line written in Rocks' biography.
"Imu's younger brother."
On top of that, Ezra's fragmented memories after transmigrating.
White coats.
A surgical procedure.
Everything began to connect.
He rubbed his temple.
The headache grew heavier.
He returned the Vegapunk file to its place.
There was nothing more useful in the archive for now.
Only one thing mattered.
The relationship between him and Rocks.
And that answer likely existed only with Imu or Vegapunk.
Ezra exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts back into order.
Then he turned and walked toward the exit.
A few minutes later, he reached the door.
The Five Elders were still waiting outside.
"Lord Ezra." All five bowed respectfully.
"Close it," he said calmly.
"Yes, sir."
The massive doors slowly shut under their mechanism.
Ezra stepped away as the archive sealed behind him.
The Five Elders approached.
"Did you find anything, my lord?" Elder One asked cautiously.
Ezra glanced at them.
"Barely."
That answer made their hearts tighten instantly.
But he said nothing further.
After leaving the archive, Ezra spoke again.
"I'm going to Imu's place."
"Yes, my lord."
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
After he disappeared around the corner, the Five Elders exchanged uneasy looks.
"He… must have noticed something."
"Careful!" Elder One snapped immediately.
The others stiffened.
"Do not speak carelessly about that matter."
"That experiment is not something we are allowed to discuss."
Meanwhile, Ezra D. Vale had already arrived at Imu's door.
-----------------------------
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