Meeting Orochimaru

The ninjas under Vegapunk had all been artificially matured by him. They might not have lacked frontal combat power, but they had enormous shortcomings in support ninjutsu such as Secret Techniques, perception, reconnaissance, and concealment.

Orochimaru, meanwhile, was the type of Kage-level fighter who was both versatile and proficient in all manner of Secret Techniques. No matter how one looked at it, Vegapunk's ninjas could not possibly have truly monitored Orochimaru's movements—unless Orochimaru had deliberately allowed it.

By his calculations, Orochimaru should have only recently defected from Konoha. His reason for coming to Sea Country might have been that he had noticed the current chaos overseas and wanted to avoid Konoha while establishing a Secret Base.

The fact that Orochimaru had been able to take Kimimaro away so easily later on clearly meant he had some intelligence support. He had likely begun infiltrating overseas territories from this very point onward.

Once Hancock learned that Vegapunk was going to meet another genius Scientist, she became somewhat more obedient, though her curiosity was also piqued.

Having spent so much time with Vegapunk, Hancock understood his standards better than anyone. Even if the Orochimaru Vegapunk spoke of was only as gifted as Vegapunk without the enhancement of a Devil Fruit ability, he would still be an extraordinarily remarkable Scientist.

Especially in this world, where the existence of Chakra had made its technology tree vastly different from that of the Pirate World. Who knew what kind of black technology the other man might have developed based on Chakra?

"We're here, my lords. Up ahead is where we discovered Orochimaru. There should be one of Orochimaru's Secret Bases there..."

Before the guiding ninja could finish, Vegapunk gave a slight wave of his hand. "You may withdraw first. It seems the other side already knows we have arrived and has even prepared a welcome ceremony for us."

"Ah...?" The guiding ninja froze for a moment. Then, with a crashing sound, the dense forest ahead suddenly collapsed. A massive serpent with three heads, three or four meters in diameter and at least several dozen meters long, shot out. It immediately opened its jaws and bit down at Vegapunk's group.

Vegapunk raised a hand to stop Hancock beside him, drew a longsword from his waist, and casually swung it. A cold flash over ten meters long streaked through the air, and the serpent was instantly cleaved in two.

Vegapunk's current new body had been built with Cavendish's genes as its foundation. This future Supernova of the Pirate World was an absolute natural talent, though most of his talent had been invested in swordsmanship, which was why his physical qualities did not appear quite so terrifying.

In terms of swordsmanship alone, even though Cavendish hardly ever trained, he could still be considered one of the better swordsmen. His even more terrifying second personality was an elite swordsman close to the level of a Great Swordmaster.

After Vegapunk's genetic modifications, this new body showed no tendency toward split personalities. Instead, it fused all the talents of both personalities. Combined with enhancements from several other exceptional genes, its Physical Body strength had increased severalfold, allowing its swordsmanship to be displayed to the fullest.

Even now, Vegapunk's Physical Age was only around thirteen or fourteen, yet the combat power he displayed had already slightly surpassed that of the original Cavendish in his prime.

And that was only in terms of swordsmanship, Haki, and the like. Factoring in the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and Magnet-Magnet Fruit powers installed in his body, Vegapunk was only stronger now. Even in a direct battle against Orochimaru, he had an eighty to ninety percent chance of winning.

Of course, Orochimaru was not a fighter who specialized in direct combat either. Forbidden techniques such as Impure World Reincarnation, Living Corpse Reincarnation, and the Heavenly Curse Mark were his true specialties. If he really summoned several monsters, Vegapunk could only flee with his head in his hands.

In truth, Vegapunk the Scientist was the same in this regard. If he made adequate preparations and produced powerful Subordinates, their combat strength would undoubtedly far surpass his own.

But in a supernatural world, without sufficient personal strength, one had no real say. Thus, even as a Scientist, Vegapunk would not neglect his own combat ability. At the very least, he needed the power to protect himself and could not be easily eliminated by a decapitation tactic.

After the magnificent Flying Slash cut the great serpent into several pieces, it had lost little of its force. The cold gleam swept through the forest and flew several hundred meters, carving a broad road over ten meters wide through the woods amid a thunderous roar. Trees and rocks alike were split in half along its path.

"Mr. Orochimaru, are you still not coming out?"

Vegapunk sheathed his sword, fixed his gaze on a patch of ground, and spoke calmly.

"What remarkable swordsmanship. What terrifying sensory ability. I never expected a remote little country like Snow Country to produce a monster like you."

Amid a voice filled with admiration, a figure slowly emerged from the earth. Pale yellow clothes, a thick purple Shimenawa around his waist, reptilian pupils, and a pale complexion—it was Orochimaru, one of the Sannin.

"Those ninjas are your Subordinates, aren't they? To train such cannon fodder so well—your intelligence truly cannot be underestimated."

"But a place like Snow Country will only bury your talent. Why not come with me and see the most magnificent side of this world?"

Vegapunk paused slightly, then smiled. "The most magnificent side of this world? Sorry, but I am the most magnificent person in this world. If you want to see grand scenes, why not work under me instead?"

Orochimaru reacted much as Vegapunk had, pausing slightly. Was this boy not being far too arrogant?

In each other's eyes, the other was merely a newcomer. Both believed the other had the potential to become their best assistant. The difference was that Orochimaru had only guessed at Vegapunk's age and strength based on appearances, while Vegapunk truly knew Orochimaru's background.

"Hehe, interesting. You wish to recruit me? This is the first time I have seen someone with such abundant confidence... especially a boy who is only thirteen or fourteen."

Orochimaru's words practically stopped short of pointing at Vegapunk's face and calling him arrogant. After all, he was a ninja from the strongest ninja village, one who had experienced two Ninja World Wars and had even been a candidate for Naruto. He stood at the very top of the Ninja World.

He had personally offered to recruit a young ninja from some backwater, one who had at most come up with a few novel gadgets, only for that young ninja to think that he could become his assistant?

Even if this young ninja was indeed highly talented and powerful, Orochimaru considered it a provocation!

"Hehe, do you think the Physical Age you see is my true age? What a disappointment. To think you are developing ninjutsu of the same type yourself!"

Facing the barb in Orochimaru's words, Vegapunk answered with a face full of disappointment.