A deal?
What was this guy suddenly talking about?
Bright had to admit that Vegapunk's abrupt, nonsensical remark had completely thrown him off.
What kind of deal could they possibly make?
And at a time like this, why talk about a deal?
All he needed to do now was grab this guy and escape.
Though Vegapunk's words had confused him somewhat, Bright did not hesitate in the slightest. He reached straight for Vegapunk.
This government chief scientist, whose technology was five hundred years ahead of the world, would become his lifeline afterward!
Slap.
Vegapunk casually raised a hand and smacked away Bright's outstretched claw, saying with some distaste, "You brat, do you not like listening to people talk?"
Bright's eyes widened in shock.
That single slap had nearly numbed his hand.
The scales he had confidently believed could even withstand bullets seemed utterly useless! Cracks had been easily struck into them, and the force from his arm had spun his whole body around!
"Naughty brat."
Vegapunk paid no attention to Bright's reaction. He casually pulled over a stand used for holding equipment and sat down, his tone slightly impatient. "Fine, then let's talk about the consequences of you escaping from here."
Bright took two shocked steps back, putting some distance between himself and Vegapunk.
Was this guy really a researcher?
What was with that strength?
Bright was on guard, but he said, "The Ryugu Kingdom is a government-affiliated nation, and Fish-Man Island is the Whitebeard Pirates' territory. The government won't launch a full-scale attack on Fish-Man Island over an unknown nobody like me."
Fish-Man Island might not matter much to the government, but the Whitebeard Pirates were different. They were opponents the government needed to make thorough preparations to face.
"Since Fish-Man Island will be fine, I don't believe the government can catch a fish-man like me in the sea."
Though he could not swim now, he could fly.
"That is indeed true. Looks like you aren't entirely brainless."
Vegapunk jumped onto the stand and squatted down. Then the world's greatest scientist curled his lips into a teasing smile. "But what about those fish-men in Impel Down?"
Bright's expression froze.
Right. Arlong and the others were still locked up in Impel Down.
Although Arlong had been scum in the original story—no, fish-man scum—he had truly treated his fellow fish-men well. Before Bright recovered his memories, Arlong had taken great care of him. To Bright, he had been like an older brother, second only to Brother Fisher Tiger and even on par with Jinbe.
And—
Vegapunk was right. If he chose to run away, Fish-Man Island might be fine, but they would be the ones in trouble.
But what made Bright feel ashamed was that he had never seriously considered their situation before.
Or rather, he had been clinging to the lucky thought that this probably won't implicate them, right?
Bright sighed.
"Tell me the terms of your deal, Doctor."
Since things had already come to this, there was no harm in spending half a minute hearing Vegapunk out.
"Excellent!"
Vegapunk was practically beaming. He pushed up his glasses and said, "Trust me, brat. You definitely won't regret it."
"I can tell you something in advance. The government has been in contact with the new captain of your Sun Pirates, that fellow called Jinbe. By my estimate, when he becomes a new Shichibukai, that will be the moment you captured lot regain your freedom."
He smiled. "Strictly speaking, you coming into contact with a secret government institution has nothing to do with that, but with my approval, it becomes a different matter."
Bright nodded without giving anything away. He had already known that. "Then what do I need to give in return?"
This brat was quite composed.
Vegapunk said with great interest, "What you need to do is simple: cooperate with my research."
"Research?"
Bright's eyes darkened.
He had no interest in letting someone study his body.
"Don't be so quick to refuse. This should be research that benefits you greatly!" Vegapunk took off his glasses and breathed on them, then casually used a corner of his white lab coat to wipe them clean. Squinting, he actually looked somewhat kind. "Do you know what Devil Fruit you ate?"
Bright pretended to know nothing and shook his head. "I don't know, but I think it must be a very powerful fruit."
"Hahaha, then thank you for the compliment."
Vegapunk laughed heartily and put his glasses back on. "It is an Artificial Devil Fruit I created using Beasts Kaido's Lineage Factor as a blueprint."
"An Artificial Devil Fruit? Incredible!" Bright tried his best to show just the right amount of surprise. "So my power is a copy of Kaido's Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon Form?"
"Hahahaha, you really don't like listening to people talk, do you?"
Vegapunk's smile was full of mockery. "Didn't I say it? It was based on Kaido's Lineage Factor, not his ability."
"..."
Bright's expression stiffened.
Was it what he thought it was?
"If I had to put it another way, you should be a Kaido Fruit user, right?" Vegapunk's smile was incomparably bright. "Based on blood relations, what should you call Kaido? Father? Or elder brother?"
"Hey, if Kaido suddenly learned that he had another blood relative, he'd probably be very happy, right?"
Happy?
If that monster learned about this, the first thing he would probably do was fly over and turn Bright into paste with a Thunder Bagua.
How could that guy allow anyone else to possess the same power as him?
Not to mention that Bright's ability had been born from Kaido's humiliating past.
"So, Doctor, are you saying that besides gaining the same ability as Kaido, I will also obtain the body of a monster like Kaido?" Bright was still somewhat excited.
If so, the gains would be even greater than he had imagined!
Though Kaido would most likely target him later, it would absolutely be worth it.
Kaido was a true natural-born monster, able to stand alongside Charlotte Linlin! His physique was among the strongest in the entire world!
If this fruit could copy even Kaido's innate physique, it would be absurdly powerful!
Looking at it this way, Momonosuke in the original story really had been the chosen one.
He should have inherited the bloodlines of two monsters at once, right?
"That's right." Vegapunk nodded as though it were only natural.
"That's incredible!"
Bright praised him sincerely.
"But don't celebrate too early," Vegapunk added. "Physical growth takes time. Alterations at the Lineage Factor level differ from gaining abilities; they have to be completed bit by bit. And what the final result will be depends on whether it is compatible."
"Is that so?"
Bright was somewhat disappointed.
But it did not matter. His goal had only been to wait peacefully for the Straw Hat Pirates to change the world. As long as he had enough strength to protect himself, that was enough.
"Then, Doctor, what exactly is this research you mentioned?" Bright asked.
Vegapunk had not hidden anything about this fruit, seemingly showing considerable sincerity.
Bright's guarded heart relaxed slightly. There was no harm in listening.
"How about trying to make you stronger?"
Vegapunk jumped down and walked in front of Bright. His cheeks were flushed red with excitement, and that appearance made Bright unconsciously take a step back. This guy's eyes were terrifying right now. "I incorporated Kaido's Lineage Factor into this fruit, so why can't I incorporate even more Lineage Factors?"
Bright said nothing.
He knew absolutely nothing about this sort of thing.
"Lineage Factors are very wondrous things."
Vegapunk spread his arms and backed away while spinning in circles. "Within the Lineage Factors of us humans lie traces of millions of years of evolution. But most of them are useless, redundant parts abandoned through our long evolution. They are already dead."
He abruptly stopped spinning and balanced on one leg in a vigorous pose, his left leg raised high as his right hand pointed at Bright. "But you fish-men are different."
"Your Lineage Factors record information about all your ancestors. All that information remains active, and every newborn fish-man or merfolk randomly activates the bloodline of one ancestor."
"So, since you have already fused Kaido's Lineage Factor, why can't you activate several bloodlines at the same time?"
Several bloodlines?
What an imaginative idea.
But Bright imagined what he would look like with several bloodlines at once—octopus arms, kissing fish lips, swordfish noses, and so on.
"I'd turn into a monster, wouldn't I?" he could not help saying.
"That is the heart of the problem."
Vegapunk changed poses, turning sideways with his arms crossed as he glanced at Bright. "Conflicts between different Lineage Factors would cause the body to collapse, just like how you can only eat one Devil Fruit."
He paused. "But it would be different if you used the ability you gained as a mediator. Just like Kaido's Lineage Factor, if you fuse Lineage Factors into the ability, you can avoid such conflicts!"
The ability?
It could actually be used that way?
Or was the fruit Vegapunk had created special?
Bright hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Doctor, what exactly are Devil Fruit abilities?"
"Heh, that's a very dangerous secret. You're better off not knowing."
Vegapunk gave an odd smile. Tilting his neck, he looked at Bright with his head nearly parallel to the floor. "You only need to answer me: will you join my research?"
"In the distant past, in that ancient era before intelligent life had appeared, the sea was home to many, many monsters! As their descendant, brat, don't you want to experience their power?"
He had to admit, he was tempted.
Bright thought for a moment. "Then, Doctor, I have two more questions. Why do you want to make me stronger, and why should I trust you?"
"Why? Naturally because this research is interesting. As for your second question—"
Bright saw a teasing smile spread across the doctor's face. "Brat, do you think you can leave without my permission?"
Bright's mouth tightened.
Thank you to _529_ and Tattoo365 for the 100-point tips, and thank you to Xi Cun and Shi Zhang Shi Xi for the 1,500-point tips! Thank you, thank you!
Who would have thought that Buggy the Genius really became a Yonko? Oda's little brain is truly impossible to figure out.
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