This was a bubble shield Vegapunk was currently experimenting with, capable of blocking and reflecting attacks.
However... the deep-blue laser was not something an ordinary attack could compare to.
The Pacifista that threw out the bubble shield, along with every Pacifista in a straight line for several hundred meters behind it, was pierced through.
Then the deep-blue laser erupted with violent energy. Blazing radiance rose together with waves of fire, lifting a massive mushroom cloud into the air.
It swallowed every Pacifista in the area!
They were clearly expensive weapons. They clearly used advanced technology. They clearly possessed the power to crush pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions.
Yet before the advancing blazing sun, they were as laughable as toys.
Biu—biu—biu—
Ren repeatedly flicked his "finger gun," and streaks of deep-blue laser light shot out, clearing away the incoming Pacifista at terrifying speed.
Amid the large number of damaged Pacifista, the iron giant Vegaforce-01 began to charge.
Its hands swung behind its back, and when they returned, it was holding two cylindrical objects.
The switches were activated. Two beams of laser light burst forth, transforming into laser blades as it leapt forward with a razor-sharp slash.
'An alternate use of lasers?'
Ren raised an eyebrow. Then he opened his mouth, and a deep-blue beam wrapped in two colors of Haki surged to the tip of his throat—
And roared out!
"Radiant Sun: Roaring Might!"
The incomparably compressed beam instantly pierced through the iron giant, melting it into molten iron before evaporating it entirely!
The instant a violent explosion rang out, Ren advanced like a ghost. His hand reached out, and a deep-blue longsword instantly took shape.
In the next moment, blade-light erupted, covering the entire battlefield in the blink of an eye.
Pacifista, or whatever other defensive measures there might have been, were utterly meaningless before a blade nearly as hot as the sun.
Cutting through melons and chopping vegetables—those were the only words that could describe the process.
"This is a one-sided massacre."
Inside the control room, Vegapunk himself murmured while watching the screens. "Just how strong is this guy? The Pacifista can't even slow him down."
"Isn't that only natural?"
Behind Vegapunk, a man whose head had the style of a motorcycle helmet spoke. "Demon Ren. Bounty: 5.2 billion Beli.
"It should be noted that this figure is already one major incident behind. Before long, it will continue to skyrocket.
"If we speak solely of strength, there have been far too many examples surrounding him recently. One of the Yonko, Big Mom, the destruction of Totto Land, and so on.
"The Pacifista are certainly powerful, but fundamentally, they are only relatively inexpensive weapons. They are not enough to deal with a monster like this."
"Hey, can you really identify him just like that?"
The rough, hostile question came from a beautiful woman in a skintight technological suit, with slanted bangs.
Compared to her appearance, however, her demeanor was more like that of a thug.
"That guy is so blinding. Shaka, how can you be sure of his identity?"
"You should address me as Dr. Vegapunk."
"Who here isn't Vegapunk? If we're all Vegapunk, no one knows who's being called. Of course we need distinctions.
"Hurry up and answer my question, or I'll blow your head off with a gun."
"How unpleasant, Lilith. As expected of the one responsible for the evil side."
Shaka's tone remained calm. Then he looked toward a strangely shaped robot with a wind-up key on its head. "Pythagoras, did you find the data?"
"I found it. One of the problems we are currently facing is that our external communication channels have been confirmed to be cut off.
"We attempted repairs, but still failed. It is as though everything we know about Den Den Mushi has become completely meaningless. It resembles the case the Marines previously submitted.
"The Den Den Mushi hijacking incident that once occurred during the Marineford War—no, rather, this is practically a recreation of that same scene."
Pythagoras gave his answer.
"There are no coincidences that happen twice in a row."
Shaka looked toward Lilith. "Also, you should synchronize with Punk Records.
"One of this person's characteristics has already shifted from the impression of thunderstorms to light and the blazing sun.
"His current performance is somewhat different, but judging from past intelligence, it falls within the normal margin of error."
"Tch."
Lilith let out a displeased sound, then looked toward the robot beside her, whose head was shaped like a melon seed.
"Edison, is there any way to deal with him?
"If we let this guy keep rampaging, I'm afraid the entire island will be razed to the ground."
"None."
Edison shook his head. "Our existing technology cannot handle an enemy like this.
"Even if we exploit the fact that he is a Devil Fruit user and use a new product for a targeted attack,
"judging from what we can see on the screens, there is no possibility of our counterattack producing any actual effect."
"Let me go kill him!"
A loud, energetic voice suddenly rang out.
The one speaking was a very large, rather adorable-looking little girl.
Every Vegapunk present rejected her in unison.
"No, Atlas!"
"Why not?!"
Atlas waved her fists in dissatisfaction.
"Enough. Even if you are responsible for the desire for violence, this is not an opponent you can deal with."
Vegapunk himself made the final decision, then looked at the other Vegapunks.
Yes, there were a total of seven Vegapunks here.
He was the main body, as well as the original Vegapunk. In order to conduct research more efficiently, he had split off his own desires.
Shaka was his desire for justice. Lilith was his evil negative side. Edison was his desire for creation. Pythagoras was his desire for knowledge. Atlas was violence.
Up to this point, including Vegapunk himself, there were only six.
Because the seventh... was a long-legged beauty with freckles on her face. She had not spoken the entire time and was instead lying on the floor, sound asleep.
"York is still sleeping," Lilith said, somewhat dissatisfied.
"After all, she's responsible for things like eating, drinking, excreting, and sleeping for all of us."
Atlas laughed cheerfully. "Just like how I help all of you digest through violent exercise."
"Enough. Stop fooling around. The current situation is already extremely troublesome."
Vegapunk watched the surveillance screens. The intruder had been advancing toward their location the entire time. Soon, this place would be directly threatened by the enemy.
"Shall we release the Seraphim?" Shaka suggested.
"They are not complete at all. Releasing them now would only be a waste."
Vegapunk refused. He had just been about to say something when the control room suddenly received a radio signal.
"Is it outside communication? Did the World Government solve the problem themselves?"
The Vegapunks chose to connect, but... the voice that came through was not from the World Government's side.
"It has been a long time since we last contacted each other, Shaka." Dragon's voice echoed inside the control room.
"Dragon..."
A ripple entered Shaka's tone, as though he had not anticipated this.
"I know you are surprised, because I violated the agreement between us and exposed your connection to the Revolutionary Army.
"But... surrender. Since Ren has made a move, there is absolutely no chance for you to win.
"I look forward to meeting you again, Shaka. I think you will be interested in the Pluton battleship."
"The Pluton battleship?"
This time, it was Vegapunk himself who exclaimed in shock. "You actually found that Ancient Weapon?!"
"Yes, Dr. Vegapunk," Dragon said. "Explaining the details is complicated, but I believe there will be an opportunity to explain very soon.
"Before that, however, please answer another call."
Buru Buru—
A second radio signal reached the control room, even though all their external communication channels were still cut off.
After thinking for a moment, Vegapunk still connected the call.
The voice that sounded from it made his expression change sharply.
"It has been a long time, Dr. Vegapunk."
"Kuma?!"
Vegapunk was incomparably shocked. The other Vegapunks, however, were all confused.
They did not know Kuma. There were no related records in Punk Records.
In reality, all records related to Kuma had been erased. Only Vegapunk's main body still remembered him.
"It's me."
Kuma's gentle voice rang out. "It would take a long time to explain, but could you surrender?
"I can guarantee that nothing bad will happen. The intruder on the island is my captain, and someone I acknowledge."
"..."
Vegapunk froze. Then he frowned.
A person acknowledged by Kuma could never be a bad person.
But under the current circumstances...
"Even if you put it that way, it is impossible for me to surrender. I am the person in charge of Future Island's projects, and I still need to answer to the World Government."
Vegapunk chose to refuse. He did not want to give up on the World Government's side.
This was exactly the same reason he had parted ways with Dragon.
Funding.
Technological research required enormous funding.
In this world, only a massive organization like the World Government could provide sufficient funding and resources.
If he left this place, many of his visions would lose all possibility of being realized.
However, his thoughts could not change the present reality.
Radio waves flickered inside the control room. Ren had caught the location of the signal.
White light abruptly erupted, swallowing the surrounding Pacifista. A huge fireball rose where he had stood.
Ren bent his knees and launched himself toward the direction he sensed.
In the very next instant—
Boom!
The control room shook. A meteor crashed into the room.
Immediately afterward, vast amounts of Haki lightning surged out like a tide, sweeping in every direction.
The six Vegapunk satellites had just begun moving in alarm when the lightning struck them, paralyzing them where they stood.
"Hello, Vegapunk."
Ren's figure appeared, one hand resting on Vegapunk's main body's shoulder. "Could I ask you to have a chat with me?
"I guarantee in Kuma's name that this will be the wisest decision you ever make."
Very clearly, Vegapunk in this state had no ability to refuse.
'If Kizaru were here, perhaps we wouldn't be this passive.'
Vegapunk thought to himself.
Ren seemed to see through his thoughts and grinned. "Even if Kizaru were here, he still wouldn't be able to stop me."
That was the truth. If Kizaru were here, what would appear would be two Rens.
Vegapunk's ideal was to create infinite energy.
In other words, to provide infinite productivity and thereby achieve a state of world peace.
At the same time, he was also passionately devoted to researching all kinds of technology.
In the original Egghead Island, there was a half-finished weather system. With enough money, a complete weather system could be created, one that could even control changes in the weather.
His research list also included holographic technology, the Seraphim's Green Blood, and so on.
If he wanted to complete research on all these things, he needed enormous investment.
Regarding this point,
Ren directly called Tesoro. Faced with the Golden Emperor, who controlled twenty percent of the world's Beli, and with the other party's promise of unlimited funding,
Vegapunk fell silent for a moment, then hesitantly... did not refuse.
In truth, he did not like the World Government's style of doing things.
He had only joined because only the World Government could provide funding.
But if there was an alternative... who would willingly work for an incredibly picky client?
"Although you put it that way, if this is discovered, the position that made the Golden Emperor what he is will collapse, won't it?"
Vegapunk still could not help raising a doubt.
Tesoro's status was partly due to his own commercial genius, but on the other hand, it was built on the rules tacitly permitted by the World Government.
If the World Government learned that Tesoro was standing against them, and once they launched an attack... the result would be obvious.
"That has nothing to do with you, a hostage who was kidnapped."
That was Ren's answer.
Vegapunk quickly understood what he meant.
If he was taken away as a hostage and then forced to work, then no matter what happened, it could only be attributed to the failure of the side responsible for protecting him.
Under such circumstances, he could completely jump back and forth.
First, he could use the resources provided by the Golden Emperor. Once the situation changed, he could jump back to the World Government's side.
After thinking for a moment, he asked another question. "What do you want?"
"A result. A result related to the sun."
Ren said, "I will provide the related data, materials, and any assistance you need. What I can offer in return is my support for you."
"Your enemy is the World Government, correct?" Vegapunk said meaningfully.
"Yes." Ren nodded.
"Then this is a transaction."
Vegapunk established the conclusion. Even though Dragon and Kuma both looked favorably upon the young man before him, and had even gone so far as to stand on his side, as a pure scientist, what he needed to consider first was still the stability of his research.
Infinite energy was his highest pursuit. He believed that once they entered the stage of infinity, all problems would naturally be resolved.
Therefore, even after seeing the problem, he did not place overthrowing the World Government as his first priority.
"...Fine."
Ren did not force him. What he needed was that result.
Once it was completed... in this world of overwhelming individual power, if he possessed the strength to completely destroy this planet, then no matter how many hidden secrets had yet to emerge, no matter how many difficulties there were, and no matter how many problems remained, before that absolute power, all of them would become meaningless.
"There are many devices on this island that I have only just finished building. With Kuma's ability, he should definitely be able to move them away.
"We do not have much time. The World Government will certainly react soon."
Vegapunk quickly became enthusiastic.
"That is too troublesome. Why not just move the entire island away?"
Ren spoke with clear implication. "This island is already my spoil of war, including everything else on it."
"..."
Vegapunk frowned.
"The mechanical giant. The warrior left behind by the Great Kingdom. It is on this island right now, isn't it?"
Ren directly pointed out the matter Vegapunk had hidden.
Vegapunk did indeed trust Kuma and Dragon greatly, but that did not mean he would trust Ren the moment they met.
That was why he had concealed the existence of the mechanical giant.
"You... know quite a lot."
Vegapunk's tongue hung out as though he was thinking about how to persuade the other party not to touch that mechanical giant.
(End of Chapter)