Seeking Golden Lion
In reality, the temperature of a planet's core is generated by its own gravity. Even if the temperature drops in a short period of time, as long as the planet itself does not disintegrate, it can recover in a short time.
Once the planet's core recovers, its Magnetic Field and atmosphere will also return to normal over time. In other words, this is only a temporary weakness for the planet, almost like taking a nap.
But what is a tiny bit of time for a planet is a tiny fraction of a time for life on it! If environmental degradation and Mass Extinction were to occur, the time would be measured in tens of thousands of years.
The systems that sustain life are both robust and fragile. No matter how drastic the environmental changes, as long as they are not too extreme, life will always find a way out—but that refers to the ecosystem as a whole. When it comes to specific populations, extinction is not such a distant concept.
Even Vegapunk didn't have a good solution to this situation. As he told Queen, he might have a way to reheat the Earth's core, but the consequences could be even more severe than if the core had cooled down.
On the island of Laugh Tale, after everyone had heard Vegapunk's story, they all turned pale.
"This... this means... everyone is doomed?! Is there no way to salvage the situation?"
Princess Vivi asked, trembling all over. Vegapunk shook his head and sighed.
"Anyway, I have no other choice... The only solution is to temporarily transfer everyone to the Pocket Dimension I created to escape this disaster."
In fact, although Vegapunk can use instruments to create huge Pocket Dimension, this does not mean that those Pocket Dimension can truly replace planets.
Compared to planets in the universe that can exist for countless billions of years, the giant Pocket Dimension created by Vegapunk can only barely last for 100 years at most.
This is Vegapunk's best-case scenario estimate. It's important to know that the larger the space is opened up, the more fragile it becomes. In addition, an internal ecological cycle needs to be formed, which places even higher demands on it.
Another point that cannot be ignored is that the people in the Pirate World are not ordinary people. Various Devil Fruit User and Taijutsu masters are also very likely to cause huge destruction in the space.
Within that fragile Pocket Dimension, a battle at the level of Four Emperors) alone is enough to create Space Distortion in a region and even reduce the lifespan of the Pocket Dimension. If it were someone like Whitebeard, who possessed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit that could reach the edge of the dimension, it wouldn't be impossible for it to cause a large-scale collapse of the entire dimension.
Therefore, this can only be a temporary measure. In Vegapunk's eyes, the Pocket Dimension can only barely allow the residents of the Pirate World to survive for a dozen years. If it cannot completely cure this world, in the end, except for a small number of people, most people in the Pirate World will probably die.
After hearing Vegapunk's words, the Straw Hat Pirates exchanged bewildered glances. Luffy clenched his fist, clapped his hands, and said:
"In short, Dr. Vegapunk, you can't do anything about it... so we have to find the World Government leader who wants to exterminate humanity and then blast him away!"
Where did this conclusion come from? Vegapunk glanced at Luffy, neither confirming nor denying. Princess Vivi gritted her teeth and said:
"Maybe... the World Government has a way to restore the planet's Earth's Crust energy? Luffy's suggestion is also a possibility. Anyway, let's find that guy named Imu first and see if we can capture him and get the solution out of him!"
Honestly, Vegapunk didn't think Imu had any solutions. He believed the World Government didn't initially intend to cause Mass Extinction; they probably just wanted to extract a small portion of the energy.
However, it's highly likely that Vegapunk pushed too hard, causing the World Government to give up and go all in, which is why they extracted enough energy to affect the entire planet. As for what will happen to the Pirate World, they probably haven't even thought about a cleanup plan.
However, seeing Princess Vivi's shaky state, Vegapunk didn't try to discourage her further, but instead nodded:
"According to my estimation, the last remnant of the World Government, the so-called Lord Imu, is probably hiding somewhere in the ocean... At his level, he is no longer afraid of the Sea Stone in the sea."
Upon hearing that the other party had hidden in the sea, Luffy immediately went numb and his whole body went limp.
"Then I won't be able to go find that Imu. If I fall into the sea, I'll drown!"
Vegapunk doesn't count on Luffy. Even though Luffy 'Devil Fruit ability has evolved significantly, his actual combat strength is still just so-so. There are plenty of real monsters on his side!
Not to mention the Caped Baldy who has been traveling and feasting on Dream Star, or monster-level powerhouses like Hancock, Vegapunk himself, Tatsumaki, and Kaguya are all monsters whose strength exceeds the limits of the Pirate World.
Even though Imu has become much stronger by absorbing the Planet Energy, he still can't defeat monsters that can tear planets apart. At most, he's just a bit troublesome because of his special abilities, but he's not a real threat.
"Don't worry, that guy has someone to deal with him. The problem now is just finding him."
"By the way, you should be able to confirm that the energy and spirit of these planets will no longer flow out, right? If the Earth's Crust energy continues to be absorbed, I'm afraid the entire planet's external Magnetic Field won't even last half a month!"
"Don't worry, I can feel it. Everything here is telling me that the planet has returned to its natural state!"
Luffy patted his chest and said with a very serious expression.
Although Straw Hat is unreliable in many things, Luffy is more trustworthy in times of great crisis.
After confirming that the planet's energy would no longer leak out, Vegapunk and the Straw Hat Pirates left Laugh Tale. Before leaving, Vegapunk used his technology, ninjutsu, and Devil Fruit abilities to hide and seal the island again.
Furthermore, as a dream world of the planet, this place possesses extremely strong concealment capabilities, so it's likely that this Final Island will never appear on the ocean again.
"It's better if it doesn't appear... Although this island can be described as the so-called island of dreams of freedom, it is also easy for it to become the target of ambitious people. If it just disappears, perhaps the world will be a lot more peaceful!"
Standing at the stern, Luffy gazed at the island that had vanished under Vegapunk's seal and spoke as if with a sigh.
When he turned around, he found his crew looking at him with strange eyes, as if they were looking at some kind of monster.
"Tell me, who are you? Where did you hide our captain?!"
Franky spoke with a look of horror, while the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates nodded in agreement.
Luffy was completely bewildered, staring blankly at his crew. Just then, Vegapunk, who had flown back, chimed in with a comment:
"It's probably a side effect of Voice of All Things. Because he listens to it so much, his personality is also affected to some extent. So, Luffy's intelligence is temporarily enhanced in this sea area."
"Oh, I see. No wonder I felt a little different than before!"
Luffy made a fist with his right hand and slapped it against the palm of his left hand, looking as if he had just Satori. Then, as if he had suddenly come to his senses, he looked at Vegapunk:
"Something feels off about what you just said!"
At this moment, the Straw Hat Pirates breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing Luffy's belated realization, they burst into laughter again. Usopp muttered to Chopper:
"It seems that even if IQ increases, the increase is limited..."
"I'll develop a smart drug for the captain! I'll definitely turn Luffy into a super smart guy!"
Chopper clasped his two hooves together, revealing a determined look, which made Usopp purse his lips. He always felt that if Chopper really developed a smart drug, he should give himself a little bit.
The Laugh Tale incident ended quickly. Although Vegapunk and the others cut off the Planet Energy absorption channels, the lost energy could not be put back into the Earth's core. A huge change was about to occur in the entire Pirate World.
Upon his return, Vegapunk had no intention of quickly restoring order to the Pirate Planet. Instead, he focused on expanding and stabilizing the giant Pocket Dimension and preparing for the relocation of the inhabitants.
Besides that, there's the task of thoroughly searching the ocean and getting rid of that guy Imu — Vegapunk doesn't think Imu has a way to stabilize the Pirate Planet, but he has to find a way to eliminate this threat, otherwise, with that guy's power, he might destroy the fragile structure of the entire Pocket Dimension.
So before that, Vegapunk absolutely had to find Imu.
As for Luffy and his crew, they weren't idle either. Vegapunk also sent them to find Imu. In the Pirate World, there are concepts like destiny and fate, and it's even possible to predict certain aspects of the future. As the owner of the Nika Fruit, Luffy's chances of finding Imu are much higher than others.
After assigning tasks, Vegapunk didn't sit idle. Relying on the monitoring of Dream Star, he quickly found someone he had been looking for— the Devil Fruit User, Golden Lion!
Because of the butterfly effect caused by Vegapunk, Golden Lion did not encounter the Straw Hat Pirates and is still on his floating Skypiea, researching the so-called IQ Plant.
For Vegapunk, the most difficult task was not creating a giant Pocket Dimension, but transferring people.
Relocating people is no easy task. It involves migrating the entire population of an entire planet. Normally, it would take years, let alone a few months, to complete this task easily.
However, the various Devil Fruit abilities in the Pirate World are incredibly diverse, and many of them are helpful for this kind of migration.
The Golden Lion's Devil Fruit ability is extremely helpful for personnel relocation work; he could even be considered the king of relocation in the entire Pirate World.
After all, Golden Lion could easily move dozens of islands to float in the sky if he had nothing else to do. If he had been found earlier, he could probably have moved most of the islands in the Pirate World into the area by himself within a few months.
Even during the relocation, the residents don't need to do anything; they can simply be thrown in along with the island.
Although the Golden Lion hides in the sky and is usually undetectable, Vegapunk, who has established his lair in space, can find him in no time if he wants to.
Vegapunk quickly located Golden Lion's Floating Island using the Dream Star's monitoring system. After confirming the coordinates, he prepared to open the portal and meet this old pirate from the past.
"Hey, what have you been up to all day?! When are you taking us home?"
With a haughty female voice, Vegapunk was slightly startled and turned around, just in time to see Tatsumaki flying in from mid-air.
"What? Tatsumaki, do you want to go back?"
"It's not that I particularly want to go back... I'm just a little bored."
Seeing Tatsumaki slightly turn her head, her expression seemingly contradicting her true feelings, Vegapunk chuckled inwardly.
This superhero from the One-Punch Man World has a rather troublesome personality, being a typical tsundere.
She said she was a little bored, but she was probably incredibly bored inside. Although the Pirate World One Piece is also plagued by natural and man-made disasters, it is undoubtedly much more normal compared to the chaotic and bizarre Monsters in the One-Punch Man World.
In addition, heroes like Tatsumaki don't directly attack humans, so she hasn't fought in a long time since arriving in the Pirate World, which naturally makes her feel a bit bored.
However... Vegapunk pondered for a moment, carefully examining Tatsumaki from head to toe, and suddenly realized that Tatsumaki seemed to be a very suitable candidate.
Under Vegapunk's undisguised gaze, Tatsumaki felt a little embarrassed and annoyed, her face flushed slightly, and she said loudly:
"How long are you going to keep staring like that! Get your disgusting gaze out of your eyes!"
Vegapunk withdrew his gaze and suddenly asked:
"Tatsumaki, come with me on this mission! This guy named Golden Lion has abilities very similar to yours!"
Tatsumaki pouted, initially wanting to retort with a few more arrogant words, but after glancing at Vegapunk, she gave up, though her words still carried a hint of stubbornness:
"Since you've asked me for a favor, I'll take pity on you and help you out!"
"Yes, yes, the little Tatsumaki is the most powerful!"
"That 'little' word is unnecessary! And you, stop touching my head!"
After a brief period of playful banter, Vegapunk prepared to get down to business. With a wave of his hand, a portal instantly appeared amidst a pale blue light.