Dangerous Hostage and Departure

When Minos requested some weapon research materials, the doctor was incredibly cooperative, almost eagerly handing over a large pile of documents to the two of them.

Facing Minos's somewhat confused gaze, Dr. Vegapunk shrugged, "This way, those fools from the World Government won't keep pestering me for results, and I can skim off more funding."

Minos curled his lip. He suspected that Dr. Vegapunk's research for the World Government was like squeezing toothpaste—slow and stingy. Most of the funding probably went into researching things he was personally interested in.

This was because Minos noticed that the so-called weapon blueprints were almost all relegated to corners of Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory. The research materials placed in the center had little to do with weapons.

Clearly, this doctor was quite adept at milking the system, dragging his feet, and using the World Government's funding and materials for his own research under the guise of public service.

Of course, there was another point: Vegapunk didn't believe Whole Cake Island could develop anything significant. In fact, apart from Red-Hair, the other Emperors, while established powers, lacked depth. Only Kaido, through his relentless militarization, possessed some research capability. The research levels of the other factions were mediocre, essentially on par with amateur enthusiasts.

Otherwise, in the original story, Charlotte Linlin wouldn't have been tricked into funding Caesar for so long.

Therefore, Vegapunk naturally didn't care about pirates taking some weapon blueprints. After all, without sufficient processing precision and fundamental material science, most high-tech weapons would be no different from scrap metal. Tianlai Novel Network.

Of course, there were freaks everywhere in the Pirate World. Take Iron Man Franky, for instance, who could directly use scrap metal to transform himself into a cyborg, making him far more monstrous than Tony Stark in Marvel. However, even such a master of black technology could only process some weapons himself; mass production was absolutely impossible.

But Minos didn't care about these things. He didn't want these weapons or blueprints for himself. They weren't even for the Charlotte Pirates. They were for Baby5's sake.

Baby5's Weapon-Weapon Fruit actually had immense potential. In a world with extremely advanced technology, with this fruit's ability, Baby5 alone could sweep aside the Emperors.

Ordinary guns and cannons couldn't unleash the full power of the Weapon-Weapon Fruit. At the very least, using something like an electromagnetic cannon or a laser sword would be considered standard development for the fruit's abilities.

With the blueprints, the Weapon-Weapon Fruit didn't require materials or craftsmanship; it could directly transform into these high-tech weapons. Therefore, Baby5 was actually a learning-type Devil Fruit User, but she had been completely held back.

Even if Vegapunk's weapon blueprints weren't to his liking, Minos could directly use the Golden Scales to exchange for high-tech weapons from other worlds. Such technological products, as long as they weren't too outlandish, wouldn't deviate too much from the world's rules.

As he exited the base, Minos immediately saw Marines standing before him, along with Katakuri and his group.

"Young man, could you hand Dr. Vegapunk over to me?" Kizaru asked with a grin, his eyes narrowed.

Although he spoke with a smile, Kizaru exuded a dangerous aura. Minos was certain that the slightest opening would result in a Flash Kick.

However, standing opposite Kizaru, with a cold expression, was Katakuri. Though somewhat disheveled, he was unharmed and somewhat blocked Kizaru.

In the Great Sea, strong individuals often had counters, and undoubtedly, Katakuri, with his future-seeing Observation Haki, was a natural counter to Kizaru, who was known for his extreme speed.

If it had been Aokiji or Akainu, Katakuri, after fighting for nearly ten minutes, wouldn't just be disheveled; he would have sustained significant injuries.

Kizaru raised an eyebrow and didn't make a move. Facing Katakuri, who possessed the ability to foresee the future, even though Kizaru was arguably the fastest on the Great Sea, he knew he had no chance of recapturing Dr. Vegapunk.

Minos smiled, "Of course, Dr. Vegapunk is crucial to the entire Marines, even the entire World Government. We, the Charlotte Pirates, wouldn't dare to shoulder such a burden!"

Although the Emperors roamed the New World with impunity, and even the World Government and Marines couldn't do anything about them, it was only because the cost didn't match the benefits.

In terms of combat power alone, the Marines could suppress two Yonko Crews. Garp, Sengoku, and the new generation of Three Admirals could absolutely match three Yonko Crews in terms of high-level combatants. Not to mention the unknown hidden forces of the World Government.

If they truly angered the World Government and Marines, crushing a Yonko Crew would merely be a matter of how much they were willing to pay.

"However," Minos continued, "we must ensure our own safety before we can release Dr. Vegapunk, right?"

Hearing Minos's words, Kizaru narrowed his eyes, "That is indeed a problem. If I let you go, and you don't return Dr. Vegapunk, what then?"

Minos smiled, "How about this, Admiral Kizaru? You lend us your fastest ship, and you accompany us for a distance. How does that sound?"

"Once we're a good distance away from this island, we'll return Dr. Vegapunk to you, and then you can sail back."

"With your strength, you're stronger than all of us combined, yet not strong enough to directly protect Dr. Vegapunk in a chaotic battle. This way, both sides have something to hold the other accountable for, preventing any misunderstandings."

"A very fair proposal. Are all pirates this cunning and shrewd nowadays? It's truly terrifying." Kizaru put on a scared expression but showed no signs of objection, immediately ordering his subordinates to prepare a ship.

Unfortunately, after witnessing his recent display of power, no one believed the old fox's act. Among the Three Admirals, Kizaru was arguably the most calculating and cunning. Almost no one could tell what he was thinking from his facial expressions.

Well, perhaps it was just his natural face and expression, and his acting ability was too strong...

Minos inwardly felt fortunate. It seemed Kizaru had backed down because of the hostage he held. However, Minos knew very well that Dr. Vegapunk's combat power might not be inferior to Kizaru's. The so-called hostage was essentially baseless. He was just taking a gamble, betting that no one in the Marines truly knew Vegapunk's strength.