Roy's Mysterious Mission

Vegapunk remained staring at the newly extracted Munch-Munch Fruit, his expression one of intense excitement, speechless for a long time.

Just then, Roy took out a Devil Fruit from his pocket, its pattern resembling a bullseye and its shell gleaming with a metallic sheen, and gently placed it on the control panel.

"And this, the Mark-Mark Fruit."

"I want you to help me create a new type of weapon and fuse it with this fruit."

Vegapunk raised an eyebrow, glanced at the fruit, and was about to ask a question when Roy succinctly and forcefully added:

"A Sniper Rifle with long-range precision targeting, energy-accumulated penetration, high-speed response, and controllable trajectory... modeled after the largest caliber precision rifle ever made."

He paused, then said calmly, "I don't need it to be fancy. Maximize its destructive power; ideally, it should be able to penetrate the armor of a Warship in one shot."

Vegapunk was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he became excited.

"Kid... what's going on in your head?!"

He couldn't help but slam his hand on the table. "Mark-Mark Fruit fused with a high-pressure kinetic energy system, a controllable weapon with intelligent aiming?! You're a genius, damn it!"

"But if this thing could actually be made..."

His eyes deepened, as if he were seeing a wild and magnificent blueprint for Battlefield:

"Then this era should be renamed 'The Pirates Are Gone'..."

Roy chuckled softly but remained silent.

At that moment, the two of them tacitly understood that they were now completely on the same side.

Outside the Punk Hazard Laboratory

Sunlight filtered through thin clouds, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the damp lawn outside.

Chopper and Bonney were playing enthusiastically in the snow, an experimental product created by a special climate control system, which crunched underfoot.

Chopper, hat on top of his head, carefully used his hooves to build a crooked snowball. "Uh... add a little more snow so it won't fall over..."

Bonney giggled, patting the snow down with a small shovel as she stuck a carrot on top of the snowman's head with a "thud."

"Completed! 'Bonney's Special Snowman X' is complete!!"

Chopper exclaimed, "Wow! What a beautiful snowman!!"

"Yours crooked and twisted one is quite unique, isn't it?" Bonney added with a laugh.

"Hey--you're the one who's twisted!!"

The two little ones were laughing so hard they were practically falling over, as if they weren't in a world of war at all, but in a fairytale Paradise.

Not far away, Kuma and Luo stood quietly under the shade of a tree, watching the frolicking scene with gentle eyes.

Watching Chopper and Bonney interact, Law smiled gently. "Those two... they get along quite well."

Kuma nodded slightly and replied in a low voice, "Outside of war, the laughter of children is the most luxurious thing."

At that moment, the metal door of the Laboratory slowly slid open, and Roy and Vegapunk walked out side by side, looking relaxed, with an unusually harmonious atmosphere.

Kuma immediately came up to him. "Roy, are you done talking?"

Roy nodded. "Yes, everything went smoothly."

He glanced at Chopper building a snowman in the distance, a gentle light flashing in his eyes, then looked at Kuma and suddenly smiled, saying:

"By the way Kuma, there's something I'd like to ask you."

Kuma was startled, and almost instinctively straightened up, his expression serious as if facing a formidable enemy:

"Roy, don't say that. Whatever it is, if you ask, I'm willing to do it!"

Roy was amused by his "I'd go through fire and water" reaction, waved his hand, and shook his head with a smile:

"Don't exaggerate, it's nothing serious, and it won't go against your wishes."

As he spoke, he leaned close to the Kuma's ear and whispered a few words.

Just a few words.

Vegapunk and Law stood not far away, vaguely hearing the key words, and their expressions instantly became interesting.

Vegapunk's eyes widened suddenly, and he stuck out his tongue. "You brat... what the hell is going on in your head? This is so wicked!!"

Luo silently rubbed his forehead, sighing softly, "Luckily, I'm relatively honest... otherwise you would have screwed me over long ago."

After hearing the details of the mission, Kuma remained silent for a few seconds, his brows furrowing slightly, and asked in a low voice:

"Roy, is this really a good idea? Isn't it too risky for them?"

Roy gazed at the figures frolicking in the snow in the distance, a calm yet cunning glint in his eyes. He gently patted Kuma: "Kuma, you... you still underestimate them."

He smiled slightly, his gaze so resolute it almost pierced the heart. "Perhaps you won't be able to beat them then."

"?!!"

As soon as the words were spoken, Vegapunk and Kuma's pupils shrank simultaneously, a hint of surprise flashing through their minds!

"This kid... he's actually that confident?!"

Luo couldn't help but chuckle softly, hands in his pockets, and casually added:

"Indeed, their strength... is far more troublesome than you imagine. Kuma, you need to be careful."

Kuma's expression hardened. He took a deep breath and slowly nodded, "Don't worry, I'll do my best to complete the task you assigned me."

Just then, a burst of cheerful laughter broke the tense atmosphere.

"Roy! Roy! Come see our snowman!!"

Chopper pounced on him joyfully, waving his hooves wildly, his face beaming with pride.

Bonney ran a few steps, hugged the Kuma's leg, looked up, and asked with bright, sparkling eyes:

"Dad! Look at our 'Mega Snowman,' isn't it amazing?!"

Kuma's stern face softened instantly, and he bent down to ruffle Bonney's hair. "Hmm, very impressive."

Luo, who was standing nearby, also chuckled and squatted down, patting Chopper's hat. "Not bad, Chopper, you're almost as good as the bionic sculptures in the Laboratory."

Chopper's eyes immediately lit up. "Really?! I can become an artist too?!"

"At least I could win a big prize," Luo joked.

A chuckle rippled through the crowd.

As the sun slowly set, its warm orange glow spilled across the grass, casting long, long shadows on everyone.

The wind was gentle, the sunlight warm, and in the brief moment of tranquility, there seemed to be no war, conspiracy, or darkness.

Meanwhile, at the Marineford Harbor Marine Headquarters

"Splash--!"

The moment a small Warship docked, a dark figure leaped off the deck like a cannonball!

"Meat, please!!"

Luffy his hands high and roared to the sky, the sound so loud that the seagulls by the Harbor instantly scattered and flew away!

His eyes were brimming with tears, but his face was filled with the ecstatic joy and hunger of returning from the Hell Training: "It's finally over! I'm going to eat ten cows!!"

In the Training Grounds behind the Harbor, Ace and Enel were locked in a fierce battle, their fists exchanging thunderous Thunderclap.

Upon hearing that familiar roar, Ace paused, nearly getting struck by lightning. He quickly jumped back to avoid it, then couldn't help but chuckle, covering his forehead. "Luffy... he's finally back."

Enel picked at his ear, looking disgusted. "Tsk, still so noisy..."

Further away, Zephyr punched Sanji, sending him flying ten meters away, smashing a shallow crater into the ground.

Hearing the commotion at the Harbor, Zephyr's eyes lit up, and he threw his head back and laughed loudly, "Haha! He actually came back alive from that old madman Garp?! Not bad!"

Sanji rubbed his backside as he got up from the ground, his lips twitching. "That voice... could it be that loud-voiced Dragon Man Marine?"

Usopp looked horrified. "The sounds from the Harbor can reach this far?!"

On the other side of the Swordsmanship Training Ground, Light Sword and clashed.

Zoro and Kuina clashed with their swords, sparks flying and waves of air surging.

Suddenly hearing that extremely familiar roar, Zoro paused, a slow smile spreading across his face, "Hmph... that idiot, he's finally back."

Kuina sheathed her sword and chuckled, "This is going to get lively again."

Luffy had already transformed into a whirlwind, rushing into the Marine Headquarters corridor, knocking over documents, scaring away assistants, and even carrying away several potted plants cultivated by the Navy!

"Meat! Meat! Where's the meat?!"

His voice boomed like a war drum, soaring into the sky, shaking the entire Marineford!

Wherever he went, chaos ensued, with civilian officials wailing, "Who let him go?!"

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, the head chef had just brought the last pot of braised pork ribs to the table and was about to start serving when the door was suddenly slammed open with a loud bang!

"Give me the meat!"

This roar was like a surge of scalding blood injected into the entire Marine Headquarters.