Vegapunk's Ideals
The silver-white room, the leaping arcs of electricity, and the constantly flashing data streams on the screen all showcase a futuristic hue that transcends this era.
Bang!
A loud thud came from outside the door as something heavy hit the ground, but the figure inside the room showed no reaction, calmly watching the data stream on the screen.
The laboratory's electronic door requires fingerprint, password, and voice verification to open, but this did not stop Roy from moving forward. His body Virtualization, and the next moment he appeared inside the room.
"Devil Fruit, as expected, are the most unreasonable power in this world. The electronic door, made entirely of Adamantium, is so difficult that even a top Supreme Grade Sword Great Sword Master cannot force his way in. But it's practically defenseless against your bizarre fruit power. It's truly frustrating." Vegapunk shook his head, seemingly very dissatisfied with the result.
"Hmm, Dr. Vegapunk, you don't seem surprised by my arrival..." Roy was also observing this legend of the Pirate World with great interest.
He was wearing a plaid shirt with a white lab coat over it, which made him look very capable and energetic. Although his face was unremarkable, his eyes, which seemed to see right through people, were unforgettable.
"Anyone who can directly pass through the body of the Giant Soldier to enter this inner world is naturally not a simple character, let alone someone like you who is considered a major threat by the World Government. Am I right, Nightmare Roy of the Shichibukai?" Vegapunk said calmly.
"Oh? You know me?" Roy was also a little surprised. Shouldn't mad scientists be clueless about social niceties?
"It seems Roy has quite a few misunderstandings about me. I am a scientist, but not a savage. I know what I need to know," Vegapunk said with an innocent expression, shrugging.
"That's good, it saves me the trouble of introducing myself." Roy nodded slightly, then looked towards the door. "However, Doctor, it seems you didn't pass on the information that I entered this world to the Navy and the World Government, otherwise that fat guy outside carrying a giant axe wouldn't have been so unvigilant."
"Heh, Roy is joking. Even if Sentomaru is on guard, what's the point against a pirate giant like you? It's just a matter of whether he can hold out for half a second or a second." Vegapunk clearly knew Roy's fighting strength and knew how big the gap was between his bodyguard and the other.
"Moreover, in a sense, I'm being imprisoned here by the World Government. It's good enough if they don't kick me when I'm down. As for siding with them, forget it."
"That would be wonderful, and with your wisdom, Doctor, you should be able to guess the purpose of my trip."
"It's precisely because I guessed it that I have a headache," Vegapunk said, rubbing his head. "Can I choose to refuse?"
"Of course, if you're not afraid of dying, Doctor!" Roy said "understandingly."
"I knew it. You're not much different from the World Government. Even if I get out of here, I'll just be moving from one cage to another," Vegapunk said, shaking his head.
"In terms of funding and technology, I may not be able to give you much, but in terms of freedom, I can give you fewer restrictions." Roy also knew that Vegapunk was different from others, and if he didn't offer enough temptation and conditions, even if he forcibly took him back, it would be difficult to make much difference to his plans.
"Not restricting my freedom? It seems the rumors were true; you are indeed an extremely confident person. However, are you really prepared to face the World Government' head-on?"
"It's not that I'm intentionally emphasizing my position in the World Government, but the fact is that my current research on human mechanization is precisely for those important figures in the World Government and the Celestial Dragons."
"The fear of death makes no difference whether he is a penniless beggar or a powerful emperor. By taking me away from here, you have almost destroyed their hope of eternal life. You should be able to roughly imagine the hatred they feel," Vegapunk said with a playful expression.
"Indeed, it's not the right time yet, but the World Government is nothing but a pile of bones in a tomb. It won't be long before it completely collapses. Preparing for a new home in advance shouldn't be a bad thing for the Doctor." Roy casually dropped a bombshell, causing Vegapunk to change color involuntarily.
"You actually want to overthrow the world? It seems others have underestimated your ambition!" Vegapunk gave Roy a deep look, without asking any further questions. He just found the rumor that Roy was the closest to becoming the Pirate Kings somewhat laughable; others didn't take the so-called Pirate Kings seriously at all!
"A person's ambition always grows with power. At first, my enemy was only the navy. Later, my enemy became the 'government.' But in the end, my enemy will be the whole world!"
"I know you are the same kind of person as me. I know you also have the ambition to change the world with the technology you have. Otherwise, you wouldn't have built the so-called Mechanical Empire in this small world."
"My ambition?" Vegapunk murmured to himself, "At first, I just wanted to use mechanical technology to help everyone and heal the wounds of this world."
"People who have lost limbs can gain stronger bodies, and elderly people whose vitality has declined can be replaced with more energetic bodies."
"After that, I began to think about how to use the power of machinery to create greater value. If everyone could become powerful and wealthy, perhaps wars and conflicts would no longer occur."
"Finally, I realized that human greed is endless, and the power of technology cannot change the world at all. I began to get tired of all of this and started to study how to use mechanical power to slow down aging. Only eternal life is the true meaning."
"Unfortunately, no matter what I do, there are always too many people who jump out to criticize me, using their shallow and ignorant ideas to speculate on my ideas, and even giving rise to a lot of absurd claims that I want to replace life with machines."
"In fact, I understand better than anyone else that life is the most perfect and magnificent creation of nature. Even the most sophisticated instruments cannot compare to the humble ant in terms of construction."
"Creating life is God's domain, and I never intended to dabble in it. I was merely trying to perfectly integrate life and machinery."
Roy understood that Vegapunk's initial semi-mechanization experiments in the Future Country might not have been due to a lack of funds or technology, but rather because they touched a nerve with certain people, which led to their forced cessation.
Those who are one step ahead of their time are geniuses, while those who are two steps ahead are often considered madmen. People like Vegapunk, who are countless steps ahead of their time, are naturally incomprehensible to the world and are even feared as world-destroying demons.
It's like a doctor who travels back to ancient times. When he thinks he can finally show his skills, he finds that his methods of "opening up the intestines" are considered murder for money. If he were to actually use them, it wouldn't be surprising if he were beaten to death by angry villagers.
"The higher you fly, the smaller you appear in the eyes of those who cannot fly; mediocre people are destined never to understand our philosophy."