Hancock Rescued

Stussy relaxed, while Vegapunk stroked his chin, clearly entertaining even more ideas.

"This seems like a perfect opportunity. With the World Government's backing, my Power Development has already gone far enough. Next, I can fake my death, slip into the shadows, and reappear under a new identity!"

"By then, I'll make up for my greatest weakness and become a true powerhouse!"

Hearing this, Stussy's expression on the screen turned somewhat strange, as if she had thought of something.

Just then, another woman's cool voice rang out beside Vegapunk. "Hmm? Faking your death, changing your identity? Becoming a true powerhouse? Boss, you just want plastic surgery, don't you?"

Crack. Vegapunk's body stiffened slightly as he slowly turned his head.

Behind him stood two young women around twenty years old. One had long black hair, a mature and intellectual air, and a sharp denim outfit. A strange smile played on her lips as she looked Vegapunk up and down.

"Ha... ha... How could it possibly be for plastic surgery...?"

"If it isn't for plastic surgery, then why did you abandon the plan to cultivate the strongest Physical Body using Kaido and Charlotte Linlin's genes, only to choose Cavendish's genes instead?"

A little devilish smile appeared on the intellectual beauty's lips. She looked thoroughly delighted, but her words left Vegapunk with no way to refute her.

After aligning himself with the World Government while secretly dealing with both the Four Emperors and the Revolutionary Army, Vegapunk had never lacked research data or experimental materials. He even possessed plenty of cell tissue samples from Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.

Those two were practically the pinnacle of talent in the Pirate World. Charlotte Linlin in particular—despite giving birth to enough children to field several soccer teams and stuffing herself every day—had still firmly held her position among the Four Emperors. Her talent was so outrageous it was practically on par with a monkey mutating into a gorilla. If pure strength were the goal, their genes were unquestionably the best materials.

The problem was that both of them possessed giant-like builds. Even with Vegapunk's Technological Means, he could not compress the Clones created from their genes. For convenience, he had ultimately chosen Cavendish's genes as the foundation—but that was merely an excuse. The real reason was that Cavendish was handsome!

The Brain-Brain Fruit was indeed one of the most powerful Devil Fruits in the Pirate World, but while it vastly enhanced intelligence, the reduction to one's physique and charm was immediate and obvious!

No matter how handsome or beautiful someone was, a head several times larger than their body would never leave anyone thinking they were attractive. It would only make people wonder whether they had encountered Aliens.

Not to mention that Vegapunk himself had never been handsome. Back then, because of that enormous head, he had often endured people staring at him with strange looks.

His willingness to take the enormous risk of cutting off and separating his own giant head, just like the original Vegapunk, and turning it into an auxiliary thinking avatar almost like a quantum computer, was not unrelated to those stares.

After waving his hands twice, Vegapunk finally spread them helplessly. "Fine, I admit it! Whether you're strong or not is a matter of the current era, but whether you're handsome or not lasts a lifetime! Is there anything wrong with wanting to be more handsome, Robin?!"

"Of course not! But no matter what Lord Punk looks like, I like you best!"

A crisp female voice rang out. It did not belong to the sharp-tongued Robin, but to the other girl standing beside her, a breathtaking beauty with a voluptuous figure.

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl lunged forward and wrapped Vegapunk in a tight embrace.

"Urgh, argh! L-Lighter! My bones, my bones are going to break! Hancock, let go!"

Vegapunk felt as though he were suffocating, his face buried between two soft, ample mounds. Unfortunately, he had no lewd thoughts whatsoever.

Like a walnut clamped in a pair of pliers, Vegapunk could feel the bones in his shoulders, ribs, spine, and everywhere else she held beginning to creak.

"Ah! I'm sorry, Lord Punk! I lost control again!"

The stunning girl hurriedly released him in panic. Only then did Vegapunk finally manage to catch his breath, though his entire body still ached so badly that he bared his teeth.

Damn it, I need to transfer my Physical Body as soon as possible. How am I supposed to live like this otherwise?

The giant brain had taken more than ninety-nine percent of this body's nutrients. Whether Vegapunk trained himself or used his advanced biological modifications, neither had much effect on this Physical Body.

In contrast, Hancock, the girl before him, had reaped most of the benefits from Vegapunk's biological modifications thanks to her exceptional talent. Her physical strength was nearly comparable to a miniature Charlotte Linlin.

Just think of five-year-old Charlotte Linlin. She could swat at a mosquito on a giant and break several of the giant's bones in the process. Vegapunk already felt deeply grateful that he had not suffered any serious injuries yet.

Even after being enhanced, Hancock could not compare with the current Charlotte Linlin. But compared with six-year-old Charlotte Linlin, she was far stronger, and Vegapunk's physique was nowhere near that of a giant.

Boa Hancock had been rescued by Vegapunk from the Celestial Dragons. As the World Government's foremost scientist, it was not difficult for him to obtain a few slaves from the Celestial Dragons. However, Hancock and her two sisters were highly valuable slaves, so Vegapunk had paid a small price.

Well, he had merely made a few decorative Giant Dragons for those idiotic Celestial Dragons, while using the opportunity to secretly draw some of their blood with tiny robots.

At first, Boa Hancock was still highly resistant toward Vegapunk, her savior. Though Vegapunk had pulled her out of misery, Hancock and her sisters had been slaves at the time and trusted no one connected to the Celestial Dragons.

That changed after Vegapunk created a Clone of that Celestial Dragon, secretly took the risk of swapping out the original, and handed him over to Boa Hancock. After that, Hancock and her sisters became utterly loyal to him.

In truth, that operation had been quite risky. The Celestial Dragons had identity Chips used to verify who they were. If Vegapunk had not already tampered with the Giant Dragons he made and constantly monitored that Celestial Dragon, he would never have discovered the location of his identity Chip or completed that sleight-of-hand operation.

After carrying out two more such operations, Vegapunk no longer dared take further risks. The Celestial Dragons were surrounded by countless guards and had identity Chips. During the third attempt, Vegapunk had nearly been exposed.

Of course, the rewards from those risks had also been immense. The Celestial Dragons' status within the World Government was beyond question. Through those Celestial Dragon Clones, Vegapunk not only gained enormous funding, but also infiltrated many departments of the Marines and the CP Organization with his Subordinates.