Vegapunk

New World Punk Hazard

Originally, the island would have descended into chaos due to Caesar Clown's illegal research, but with Doflamingo being captured by Roy and Gion, his connection with Caesar was completely severed.

Kaido sensed the crisis and recruited Caesar in advance for his "Artificial Devil Fruit" project, thus preventing the "poison gas incident" from occurring and Punk Hazard from being destroyed.

Today, it remains a top-secret research base directly under the World Government.

The thick metal walls gleamed with a silvery-gray sheen, and the air was filled with the smells of disinfectant, coolant, and the steely rust left by high temperatures.

Deep in the corridor, after the electronic doors open, the central control room becomes visible.

Vegapunk, head of the Navy Science Division, was immersed in a holographic projection and parametric formulas.

In the center of the massive control room, Vegapunk stood intently in front of a set of floating holographic projections, his fingers flying across the virtual keyboard.

"Target individual improvement experiment... the stability rate is only 13.7%...?"

He frowned in thought, then pulled up another database of experimental subjects whose names began with "Class C war criminals." His gaze was slightly tired, but still precise.

However, just as he turned to retrieve his notes—

"Whoosh."

There was no wind, and there was no sound.

But a dark shadow silently appeared behind him, as if space had been torn open by an invisible force and then quietly stitched back together.

"Whoa!!"

Vegapunk cried out in surprise, nearly knocking over the medicine shelf behind him.

He whirled around, and upon seeing that lazy, smiling face, he pounded his chest and cursed, "You brat! Are you trying to scare this old man to death?!"

Standing behind him was that face that was both familiar and troubling to him—

Roy, dressed casually with his hands in his pockets and a lazy smile on his lips as always, said, "Long time no see, Doctor."

With a deep breath, Vegapunk quickly walked to the control panel, skillfully entered a string of encryption code, and all the monitoring equipment in the control room instantly "froze," automatically erasing the video data of the past minute and then looping it with a preset screen.

The entire process was silent and meticulous, so skillful it was almost heartbreaking.

"No one will know you were here now." He sighed as he operated the device. "The alarm didn't even go off once. Your 'Spatial Jump' is getting more and more ridiculous..."

Vegapunk wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Could you give me a heads-up next time? This old man can't take a scare."

Roy shrugged. "If I gave you advance notice, CP0 would probably chat with you before I could."

"Cut..."

Vegapunk rolled his eyes, but couldn't help laughing, "If the World Government had your abilities, I'd probably be dead ten times over."

He brushed the dust off his lab coat and said in a half-joking tone, "So, what do you want? You're not the kind of person who comes to me for tea when you have nothing better to do."

He paused, then smiled meaningfully, "Not to mention, you're a major shareholder in my experimental project."

Few people know that Roy and Vegapunk's first meeting did not originate from within the naval system, but rather through a special intermediary— the Revolutionary Army leader Monkey D. Dragon.

That year, Roy had not yet made a name for himself in the New World, but Dragon, through the knowledge of the Red Revolution that Roy revealed, had already placed high hopes on him, regarding Roy as a key link that could change the world in the future.

With Dragon's help and Tesoro's strong support in terms of funding and intelligence, Roy was able to quietly acquire stakes in several of Vegapunk's "personal projects."

None of this has ever appeared in any of the World Government's or Marine Headquarters' files.

Despite their differing stances, the two admired each other and maintained a rare, secret cooperative relationship based on tacit understanding and Trust.

As Vegapunk walked deeper into the Laboratory, he asked without turning his head, "What do you want this time? Something illegal? Something unreasonable? Or... something inhumane?"

Behind him, Roy wore a familiar smile, his steps steady, his fingertips casually gliding across the coldly gleaming Laboratory Table.

"Don't put it so harshly, Doctor," he chuckled. "When have I ever asked you for something so dangerous..."

As he spoke, Roy's eyes suddenly sharpened, but his voice remained calm. "I heard... you once used Kaido's Lineage Factor to create an Artificial Devil Fruit."

Vegapunk paused slightly, then slowly turned around, his eyes revealing his unfathomable wisdom and caution as always.

"PX-K7?" He raised an eyebrow. "You mean that... 'failed prototype'?"

"To call it a failure," Roy shrugged, "Is still something you extracted Lineage Factors from the 'Strongest Creature,' something you spent twenty years researching. Even if the color doesn't match, its performance won't be simple."

Vegapunk gave a soft snort, his tone laced with disdain and wariness. "The World Government did demand that I hand it over, but I refused, citing 'the fruit's color not matching the original.' It's still locked in Punk Hazard's deep refrigerated compartment."

He continued walking, his tone slightly irritated. "CP0 has sent people again recently, saying they want to reassess the 'strategic significance of that fruit'."

He paused abruptly, turned to look at Roy, his gaze scrutinizing and authoritative. "What do you want it for?"

Roy didn't answer immediately, but a faint smile appeared on his lips.

"I need that fruit," he said succinctly, yet with unwavering certainty.

Vegapunk narrowed his eyes, sensing that the kid wasn't telling the truth, but he didn't call him out on it.

"So what are you going to use in exchange?"

His tone became serious, carrying a long-lost sense of anticipation between researcher and collaborator.

"I heard..." Roy said casually, "That you've recently hit a roadblock on the 'Clone Soldiers' project."

Vegapunk stopped again, his expression finally changing.

He turned to look at Roy, a hint of shock flashing in his eyes. "How far do you know?"

"Your problem lies in the instability of the fusion between 'individual genetic adaptability' and 'superior physical tolerance feedback'."

Roy took a step closer and lowered his voice, "What if I could find a 'Buccaneer Tribe' individual willing to cooperate with the experiment?"

"What?!"

Vegapunk's eyes widened suddenly, and he gasped in shock, forgetting to lower his voice.

You said... the Buccaneer Tribe?!

The air seemed to freeze for a moment. These five words represented the World Government's deepest taboo: a lineage "erased" by history, a name that the World Government kept silent about.

Vegapunk's eyes suddenly sharpened, but he quickly composed himself.

He was silent for a few seconds, then a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, "What a dangerous little brat..."

He muttered something under his breath, then turned around and continued forward, waving as he said, "Alright, as long as you can really solve my research problem, I'll take care of the 'ownership issue' of that fruit for you."

"No matter how closely CP0 watches, they won't take it from me."

Roy's lips curled up slightly, and a deep light flashed in his eyes.

"Make a deal."