Mechanical Fruit
"I don't know where you get this confidence from, Captain, but you're the boss, and you call the shots..." Vegapunk shrugged, having no intention of continuing the argument with Roy.
"I know that combining dreams with machinery is not an easy task, so I've also brought you some research materials for your reference." Roy opened his palm, revealing two data chips. "The part on the left contains research conducted by top scientists from around the world. Although they all failed without exception, they should still be of some use. As for the chip on the right, I copied it from the ruins of the Lunar People. It hasn't been fully deciphered yet, so I don't know if it will be helpful for research in this area."
"That's good. I haven't been out for over a decade. It'll be a good opportunity for me to see how far the technology of this world has progressed." Vegapunk didn't stand on ceremony. After taking the data chip, he inserted it into a large device. The central screen flickered for a moment, and then a large amount of data flowed through it.
"Using Devil Fruit fusion technology to make Signal Tower eat Dream-Dream Fruit? Has this guy already been beheaded by you, Captain! Giving Den Den Mushi sleeping pills to induce it to dream? Pfft, that's some real talent! Using Dr. Vegapunk's biomechanical theory to give Signal Tower life? Hiss, how come I didn't know I could do that..." Vegapunk at this moment resembled Roy's former homeroom teacher grading papers. He had always appeared calm and collected, but now he was furious, wishing he could dissect the head of the "top" scientist who produced this data to see what kind of shit was inside.
Roy looked embarrassed and almost began to doubt his own existence. "Are the researchers under my command really 'top' scientists? Could it be that they're all slackers?"
Vegapunk read the data at an astonishing speed; the data stream almost never stopped jumping around. If he hadn't been constantly commenting, Roy would have thought he was just going through the motions.
Vegapunk continued to offer his disjointed comments, but Roy sadly realized that he had no idea what he was talking about anymore.
"That's why I hate dealing with these scientists. It makes me feel like an illiterate idiot, a disgrace to the 985 university I attended in my past life." Roy pinched his brow wearily.
Within minutes, Vegapunk finished reading the data, tossed a data chip back, and said helplessly, "Captain, next time you don't need to bring this kind of research data that has no use other than polluting the database. However, the data on the Lunar People does have some merit, so I'll keep it for now."
Roy sighed. The data on the Lunar People was his trump card for recruiting top scientific talents. The scientists who had been forcibly brought here were initially unwilling, but after seeing the database, they were like kittens that smelled fish and couldn't be driven away. However, in Vegapunk's mouth, it became a source of some merit.
It should be said that Vegapunk truly deserves his reputation as a super genius with a technological level 500 years ahead of the world, even looking down on the technology of the Lunar People who created a brilliant civilization.
Thinking about it this way, Roy suddenly felt he could understand Vegapunk's mindset at that moment.
Imagine he's in a space research station, pondering how to take the spaceship into deeper space, while everyone else is exchanging tips on four-wheel drive racing. Hearing people around him talking about "Charge! Cyclone Charge Tornado!", you can imagine how frustrated he must be.
"Doctor, you haven't eaten Devil Fruit yet, have you?" Roy suddenly asked.
"No... As you can see, in this Mechanical Empire, I can obtain supreme power and status, but I cannot possess my own power. This is the bottom line that the World Government tolerates. Otherwise, as the Mechanical Emperor, I wouldn't be the only normal person in this empire who hasn't undergone mechanical modifications," Vegapunk said with self-deprecation.
"In that case, I'll leave this fruit to you, Doctor. With your understanding of mechanics, you might be able to develop it to the Awakening level soon. It should be quite useful in both self-defense and microscopic research." Roy took out the fruit he had prepared earlier.
"This is... Paramecia Mechanical Fruit?" Vegapunk's eyes burned with fervor, almost unable to look away from the fruit. "If I could obtain the power of this Devil Fruit, even without mechanical modifications, I could experience what it means to have a perfect mechanical feel, which would be enough to take my research on machinery to the next level."
"Haha, that's good. I was worried that you, Doctor, would resist the power of the Devil Fruit!"
Roy, with his vast wealth, gave away the Devil Fruit that he had bought from the Underworld for 300 million Beli without batting an eye or showing any sign of heartache.
Roy couldn't help but sigh, it seems that what they said in his past life, "Jack Ma regrets creating Jack Ma, Wang Jianyun has nothing," was indeed true.
Once you have a lot of money, it's just a bunch of meaningless numbers, to the point that he can't experience the thrill of making money (printing money) or the fun of working (robbing).
Get away from me, you annoying banknotes, get away from me and stop defiling my soul.
"This world ultimately belongs to Devil Fruit. Only by applying technological power to Devil Fruit can we determine the future of this world. That's why I crave this fruit that is most suitable for me!"
This made Roy feel quite emotional. His group of "half-baked" scientists always stubbornly believed that Devil Fruit only created a bunch of reckless brutes who only knew how to destroy. With the continuous progress of technology and the times, Devil Fruit would be eliminated sooner or later and swept into the corners of the world.
However, Vegapunk, who was fervently worshipped by those scientists, did not arrogantly believe that technological power was everything.
The scenery you see varies greatly depending on the height you stand at.
Vegapunk has a very clear understanding of the relationship between technology and fruits, believing that the combination of the two is the mainstream of future social development.
Roy strongly Devil Fruit Ability with this, saying that if he were to simply rely on scientific methods to explore dreams, he might not succeed even in 1000 years.
Seeing the slight apprehension and hesitation on Vegapunk's face, Roy reassured him, "Doctor, you don't need to worry about being found out that you ate the Devil Fruit. I've already planted psychological suggestions in the minds of the others, so even if you use your powers in front of them, they will just ignore it."
"Dreams... they really are an extremely convenient ability!" Vegapunk said with a hint of envy.