The doctor wanted to see this guy again!
And only a week had passed!
Hag waved off the Marine who had come to deliver the message, his brow already deeply furrowed.
Something was wrong!
There had to be something wrong with this.
His face darkened as he opened the cell door.
Inside the cell, Bright was going through his usual training.
This body already possessed exceptional talent, but to turn that talent into strength as quickly as possible, he needed even more tempering.
But when he saw Hag push open the door and enter, Bright knew the agreed time had come.
A week had passed. The remaining fruits should have finished growing by now, right?
Bright felt a little expectant.
Yet Hag, who normally would have stepped aside to let him out, was still blocking the doorway.
Bright frowned.
What was this guy up to?
"Why has the doctor been seeing you so frequently?" Hag asked coldly, suppressing the disgust in his heart.
Vegapunk's blatant behavior had indeed made this man suspicious?
Bright thought to himself, but calmly replied, "Of course it's to cooperate with his research."
A hint of teasing entered his voice. "Don't you know what kind of person Vegapunk is?"
Of course Hag knew that Vegapunk was a fanatical scientist who cared about nothing but research.
But that was precisely what made it troublesome. He truly feared that this cunning, despicable Fish-Man before him had deceived Doctor Vegapunk.
He firmly believed that, in order to survive, this disgusting Fish-Man was capable of anything!
There was no point asking this guy anything. It would be better to ask the doctor directly.
Hag stepped aside. "Come on. We're going to see the doctor."
What was this guy trying to do?
As Bright walked outside, he pondered it inwardly.
Of all days, it had to be today.
This guy wouldn't get in the way, would he?
Amid both apprehension and excitement, Bright arrived outside Vegapunk's laboratory once more.
He pushed open the door.
"Doctor, I'm here."
Bright walked into the laboratory, then casually tried to close the door behind him, only for a hand to press against it.
Hag walked in.
This guy really couldn't hold himself back anymore?
Bright's thoughts raced.
Troublesome.
What if this guy discovered something?
Should he run immediately?
Or should he see if he could kill this guy, eat the fruits, and then escape?
No rush. He would first see what Vegapunk had to say.
"Doctor!"
Hag swept his gaze around the laboratory, then spotted Vegapunk, who was holding a pen and scribbling across a broad sheet of paper spread over a table.
This was the first time he had seen the doctor in quite a while.
Hearing Hag's voice, Vegapunk looked up and frowned tightly. "Hag? What is it?"
The Rear Admiral found himself momentarily speechless.
He couldn't exactly say he was afraid the Fish-Man had deceived him by mistake and dragged him into working alongside him, could he?
"Doctor, I'm simply worried about this Fish-Man."
After thinking for a moment, Hag decided to speak frankly. "This guy has perfectly inherited his race's baseness and cruelty. Contact with him too frequently is dangerous."
Bright glanced at the Rear Admiral.
"What an interesting thing to say."
Vegapunk set down his pen and stretched, his spine crackling loudly. "But I think this kid's pretty good. He's helped me a lot."
Hag was shocked. "Doctor, you must have been deceived by this guy!"
"All right, I don't have time to waste on nonsense," Vegapunk said with little interest, waving a hand. "Get out. I'm about to begin the experiment, and the government is pressing hard."
"But, Doctor—"
"Don't waste my time, Marine!"
This was the first time Bright had seen Vegapunk look so displeased.
Right. He was also waiting for the next stage—eating the fruits.
Hag looked incredibly unwilling, but he also knew he could not change Vegapunk's decision.
"I'll stand guard outside, Doctor. Please call for me if anything happens."
He went out, closing the door behind him.
"Doctor, he seems very worried about you." Bright casually locked the door and turned back.
"He's not worried about me. He's worried about Doctor Vegapunk," Doctor Vegapunk replied casually.
Bright smiled knowingly.
"All right, enough nonsense. Did you leave enough room in your stomach?"
Vegapunk walked to one side of the laboratory and opened a cabinet, taking out eight fruits in succession and lining them up across the table.
"What a spectacular sight."
Bright could not help but sigh sincerely.
They were not Devil Fruits, but at least they looked like them. Lined up together like this, they really made an imposing sight.
Vegapunk began introducing the abilities contained within the fruits one by one, along with the bloodlines they came from.
There was no need to say more about the bubble bloodline.
The rest were:
"First, strength and endurance, from the super-ancient Big Eater, the Didom Giant Lanternfish."
"The Primitive Diamondfish from the ancient deep sea provides defense. Its neighbor, the cruel deep-sea hunter Reaper Giant Squid, provides extraordinary agility and reflexes, along with sensory abilities suited for the pitch-black depths."
Vegapunk pushed the first three fruits in front of Bright, then gestured over the next three. "Then come lightning, fire, and violent wind."
"Lightning and fire are simple. The Ancient Electric Eel, the ocean's strongest producer of electricity, combined with the Demon Fire Ray, which terrified marine life in ancient times—those two can meet your needs."
His hand rested on the third fruit. "Even wind, the most troublesome one, was achieved through the Giant Fogfish, which can create clouds and mist, along with Weatheria's technology."
"Oh, speaking of Weatheria," Vegapunk said with a smile, "what I taught you was only their wind-making technology. If you want to learn the rest, you can visit Weatheria yourself."
Bright was somewhat speechless. "Doctor, why did you have to make it so complicated?"
"Because all you wanted was wind, wasn't it?" Vegapunk grinned.
"All right, now for the last one."
He also slid the three fruits representing fire, lightning, and wind in front of Bright, picked up the final fruit, and tossed it to him. "You really are terrified of dying, kid."
"Take it. A bloodline from the dawn of life itself—the adaptability of the Giant Water Bear."
Hag stood guard outside the laboratory, his fists clenched tightly.
The doctor actually trusted that disgusting Fish-Man over me.
He was just a disgusting Fish-Man.
Could Vegapunk, the world's smartest man, truly have such a foolish moment?
"Oh! Hag, why are you standing guard here?"
An elderly voice rang out.
Hag turned around in delight. "Vice Admiral Okam! Why are you here?"
The white-haired Base Commander slowly approached. "A message came from Headquarters. There's something we need to discuss with Doctor Vegapunk."
Perfect.
Hag said seriously, "The doctor and that Fish-Man are in the laboratory. The doctor has been seeing that Fish-Man too frequently lately. Vice Admiral Okam, I'm afraid he's been misled by him."
"Oh."
The old Vice Admiral nodded in understanding, then smiled. "Honestly, Hag, have faith in the doctor. He isn't someone who can be misled. Since he's conducting an experiment, let's wait a little."
"That Fish-Man is here too? Perfect. What I need to discuss concerns him."
Rear Admiral Hag secretly gritted his teeth.
That old fossil was about to retire, so was he simply too lazy to stir up trouble?
But anger did not make him lose his reason. He had heard the Vice Admiral clearly. "Something concerning that Fish-Man? What is it?"
"This? You don't know yet? A new Shichibukai has been appointed—the Sun Pirates' Fish-Man Jinbe. When he agreed to become a Shichibukai at the government's invitation, he made one condition."
"What?"
A shrill voice came from outside, one that even the heavy metal laboratory door could not completely block out.
Bright, who was struggling to swallow the final mouthful of fruit, patted his chest.
He had no time to care what that guy outside was shouting about. He had eaten eight huge, disgusting fruits in a row. His stomach could hold them, but he himself was having a hard time enduring it.
"Hahaha! Kid, digest them well from here on out."
Vegapunk laughed happily. "I'm really looking forward to seeing what you'll become in the future."
"I'm looking forward to it too."
Bright bared his teeth in disgust. It took a long while before the nauseating taste finally began to fade.
"All right, then let's not keep the people outside waiting too long."
Vegapunk walked over and opened the laboratory door.
"Oh, the experiment is already over?"
The Vice Admiral Base Commander Bright had met once before walked in slowly with his hands behind his back, smiling kindly.
Bright noticed that the Vice Admiral glanced at him.
What he noticed even more was the gloomy expression on Rear Admiral Hag's face behind the Vice Admiral.
"Vice Admiral?"
Vegapunk asked with interest, "What is it?"
Even Bright knew that this Vice Admiral, because of his age, was too lazy to run around much. His appearance here today meant there was certainly important business.
"A message from Headquarters,"
the Vice Admiral said cheerfully. "The Sun Pirates' Fish-Man Jinbe has finally accepted the government's invitation to become the new Shichibukai, but he made one condition."
Bright's heart began pounding fiercely when he heard that.
Had the moment finally arrived?
"He hopes the government will release all the Fish-Man Pirates from the Sun Pirates who were captured," the Vice Admiral added.
"No!"
Rear Admiral Hag finally could not restrain himself any longer. He shouted angrily, "The other Fish-Men who aren't here don't matter, but this guy—"
He pointed at Bright. "He caused enormous damage before. How can we just let him leave like this?"
"Besides, this base contains government secrets. He has already come into contact with the government's secrets!"
"That's the situation. I'm somewhat hesitant as well. Jinbe requested that none of his companions be missing, and when the government first contacted him, it guaranteed that all of his companions were safe. If we tell him one is missing now, I'm afraid he won't accept it."
The Vice Admiral sighed. "This concerns the recruitment of a Shichibukai, but our base really is classified. So, Doctor—"
He looked toward Vegapunk. "I'd like to hear your opinion."
Hag looked at Vegapunk.
Bright looked at Vegapunk.
Thanks to the great supporter 'System Seeking Cheats' for the two-hundred-point donation. Thank you!
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