Science Unit Instruments Arrive

Marine Headquarters, Marineford was one of the rare islands on the Grand Line that followed the seasons. In winter, the soldiers changed into thick, long-sleeved uniforms. Seeing two imposing figures striding toward them, the patrol immediately stood at attention and saluted, their faces filled with admiration.

"Chief Instructor Zephyr! Mr. Ron!"

Ron was only a recruit. He had not even left the New Recruit Camp and held no rank whatsoever. Yet his strength had earned the recognition of every soldier two months ago. He was a legendary figure continuing the myth of the Three Marine Admirals being monsters! In this world where strength commanded respect, their salute came from admiration and fear of the strong.

With Zephyr present, Ron did not dare be careless. He stopped and raised his hand in return.

In the past, he would have merely raised a hand in greeting when he encountered a patrol. But now, Zephyr definitely would not allow him to disregard discipline... Until he could defeat Zephyr, Ron was very self-aware.

After the two sides passed one another, the patrol captain watched them leave and sighed wistfully. "Sometimes, you just have to admit that the gap between people is really huge. I've been a Marine for over twenty years, and I'm only a master sergeant now. Chief Instructor Zephyr can't even remember my name, while Ron is still just a recruit... Sigh!"

"Whose fault is that?"

An old soldier familiar with him teased, "Who told you to piss your pants the first time you fought pirates? I heard it was only because of your family connections that your superior didn't throw your embarrassing ass out... A soldier from Marine Headquarters' military academy, huh? You sure brought honor to the school!"

"B-Bullshit!"

The captain instantly flushed red. "That was seawater, understand? Seawater!"

After that came incomprehensible remarks like "Pirates are nothing!" and "I assisted my superior in killing three!" The air was filled with cheer.

In this world belonging to the strong, this was all the happiness ordinary people could have. They did not harbor grand ambitions; they only wanted to survive and live better.

But that was not the happiness Ron wanted, and it was the fundamental reason he had constantly challenged his limits.

A mediocre life was no different from poison to him!

Either die gloriously, or live brilliantly!

There was no third choice!

Following Zephyr, Ron walked all the way to the rear of the fortress and stopped before a tall building. Looking at the sign erected before its entrance, he scratched the back of his head and asked strangely, "Teacher Zephyr, why did you bring me to the Science Unit?"

The white building before them was none other than the Marine Science Unit's base at headquarters... The Science Unit had several bases—in other words, several laboratories—scattered throughout the seas, all of them highly secretive. Aside from Sengoku and the World Government's upper ranks, no one knew their exact locations. But this one at Marine Headquarters, Marineford was undoubtedly the largest.

After all, Admiral Kizaru, one of the Three Admirals, had always lived here rather than maintaining a separate residence at headquarters like Aokiji and Akainu.

Zephyr had kept this matter from Ron for nearly three months, and the finished products had arrived a week ago. He felt it was time to let Ron take a look, so he explained, "I submitted the materials related to your Lightning Stimulation Method. Vegapunk imitated it and made a batch of devices that can be used for stimulation training, though the precise results remain uncertain. Before they are deployed across the military on a large scale, the Fleet Admiral wants you to test them and give your opinion."

"Hmm???"

Ron's eyes widened, leaving only one thought in his mind.

"Holy shit!"

There was nothing surprising about people coveting his Lightning Stimulation Method. After all, anyone could see that Ron's rapid growth depended entirely on it. Since he had dared to reveal it publicly aboard Garp's ship, he had anticipated that the Marines would take notice and intended to exchange it for benefits.

But three months ago?!!!

Zephyr had submitted the materials three months ago. Thinking back on it now, that was exactly when he had taken Ron as his disciple.

Could it be...

(*￣︿￣)

Seeing Ron's increasingly speechless and resentful gaze, Zephyr coughed dryly, his face flushing for once. He did not want Ron to see him as a shameless man who profited from his disciple's possessions, so he immediately explained, "Don't worry, you won't be shortchanged! Rather than having you negotiate with those two old foxes, Sengoku and Tsuru, later on, it's better for me to step in. They won't dare treat you unfairly then."

That did make sense.

An innocent man gets into trouble because of his wealth!

Even if Sengoku and Tsuru regarded Ron as one of their own, they would still prefer to give him a little military merit and send him away for the sake of the Marines.

Now, although Zephyr had reported it early without telling him, with those words from Zephyr, Ron would not lose out!

Thinking of that, Ron could not help feeling touched. His own teacher really was good, considering every angle. He had even disregarded years of friendship and called them "old foxes."

But...

His Lightning Stimulation Method was not some good thing!

Although it was highly effective and could rapidly improve physical strength, the process was absolutely anything but pleasant!

Everyone who had seen it knew that. Garp still shuddered at the memory of Ron ending every training session during that first month covered in blood and looking like a vicious demon. He had repeatedly warned everyone about it during meetings.

Even if it could be successfully developed, it definitely was not something that could be equipped on a large scale!

That pain and torment could easily crush a person's will and spirit!

Only elite Marines whose potential development had reached its limit, who had hit a bottleneck, and who possessed exceptional resilience could attempt to use it.

Thus, after Ron regained his senses, he did not expose Zephyr's little scheme. Instead, he frowned and asked, "Are you sure this is feasible? If something goes wrong, that would be outright murder!"

Ron knew his own situation best. The Lightning Stimulation Method had evolved from that self-mutilating training method that had nearly killed him. It merely replaced the tools used to inflict pain and injury with lightning.

If not for his Self-Healing Ability that far surpassed ordinary people's, his cockroach-like tenacity, and the nutrient-rich food of the One Piece World that was comparable to immortal pills, even he would not dare use it. Yet they had actually cobbled together a device based solely on the materials and wanted to imitate the process?

No wonder people said scientists were all crazy!

They simply did not consider the consequences!

"Murder... That would be going a little too far..."

At that moment, a slow, lazy voice sounded from beside them. Golden light flickered through the air and gathered into a figure as Kizaru, wearing brown sunglasses, appeared beside the two of them.

Seeing him, Ron obediently saluted. "Admiral Kizaru!"

"Oh, long time no see... little thunder guy!"

Kizaru remained as unserious as ever, greeting him in a lewd, drawn-out tone. Then he slowly looked toward Zephyr and said, "I thought Teacher Zephyr had forgotten about this, since we discussed it a week ago..."

Zephyr merely snorted and gave Kizaru no pleasant expression.

"Hmph! As the New Recruit Camp Chief Instructor, I am busy with official duties. It is perfectly normal for me to have no time!"

"Eh?! Is that so? But I heard that Teacher Zephyr has been drinking tea in his office every day lately. You seem quite leisurely."

"You only saw the time I was drinking tea, Kizaru!"

"Oh, is that so? Then let's leave it at that..."

Sensing the faint fluctuations of Armament Haki emerging from Zephyr, Kizaru stopped while he was ahead. Then he looked once more at Ron, who was watching quietly from the sidelines, and said, "Ordinary soldiers certainly do not need these to awaken their potential. These are intended for elite officers whose potential development has reached a bottleneck... Don't underestimate everyone's endurance, Ron. In order to grow stronger, they can endure any pain."

"I hope so..."

As the developer of the Lightning Stimulation Method and the genius who had further created the Overload Form, Ron did not think highly of the device. Still, it had aroused his interest. He was certain he had never come into contact with Vegapunk. As a recruit, he simply was not qualified!

So, completely setting aside him, the developer, and relying only on the materials, just how far could Vegapunk—the legendary genius scientist who stood five hundred years ahead of the world—go?

The Science Unit's base was unlike an ordinary military camp. There were no soldiers sweating profusely everywhere, only researchers in white lab coats hurrying about.

The Science Unit had not been established because Vegapunk existed. Rather, Vegapunk had appeared centuries after the Science Unit was founded. Before Vegapunk appeared, matters such as Marine firearm upgrades and warship construction had all been handled by the Science Unit, maintaining the Marines' leading position and suppressing the seas... Just as these researchers were doing now.

"What's that?"

"A Repeating Machine Gun. It can fire bullets continuously."

"What about this?"

"Um... an Inflatable Sleeping Bag. It helps soldiers carry out long-term missions on islands."

Kizaru was quite competent as a commander. Along the way, Ron occasionally fiddled with whatever strange tools he spotted: New Type Flintlock Guns, Self-Propelled Grenades, and high-tech devices capable of firing Heat Melt Rays and Freezing Rays. He played with them endlessly. Yet no matter how strange the object was, Kizaru could explain a thing or two about it.

"Then... what's that?"

Following Ron's pointing finger, a glint flashed through Kizaru's eyes as he kept his hands in his pockets. "A New Type Cannon..."

In the open space ahead stood a silver-white creation that resembled a flintlock gun more than a cannon. It was over three meters long. Its front end was not a cannon muzzle, but two irregular metal bars. It was something Vegapunk was developing, the weapon installed in an earlier Pacifista blueprint.

A new weapon said to be even more powerful than his own laser!

However, the amount of electricity required for each shot was terrifying!

Even a Pacifista, with its powerful body replicated from "Tyrant" Kuma's physique, could not withstand two firings.

With no other choice, Vegapunk replaced the weapon on the Pacifista with a laser emitter developed through research into Lineage Factors.

Even the little gadgets within the Science Unit showed that Vegapunk had studied the Fruit Abilities of all Three Admirals. He had ultimately chosen Kizaru because laser weapons were more suitable than Heat Melt Rays and Freezing Rays, both in manufacturing difficulty and practical combat value.

It was also because he needed to cooperate with Vegapunk in perfecting the Pacifistas that Kizaru had become the Science Unit's commander.

And this discarded New Type Cannon was the reason Kizaru had gone to watch a test on Ron's first day at Marine Headquarters.

Because after Vegapunk abandoned the first blueprint, he had said regretfully, "If only there were a Rumble-Rumble Fruit..."

"Enough. They're all unfinished toys. Let's move faster."

Kizaru withdrew his gaze, his expression betraying nothing unusual.

They took an internal elevator down through the building and arrived at the lowest level, where a separate underground harbor had been established. A warship was docked there. Staff members were inspecting equipment and installing Seastone plates onto the vessel. At present, only the Marines possessed this technology, so there was no issue with being more secretive.

Passing through the harbor, the three of them soon entered a large warehouse.

Before them stood over a hundred devices covered by white cloth. One had been moved separately to the entrance, where several researchers surrounded it, knocking and tinkering as they set it up. Seeing Kizaru enter, a balding old man in a white lab coat waved to him.

"Admiral Kizaru! The device has been checked and can be used at any time!"

"Is this it?"

Ron stepped forward and bent down to inspect the white cylindrical object. Its exterior was made entirely of high-strength ceramic, while its inner chamber was metal. There was a movable hatch above for entering and exiting. Inside, electrode pads stood neatly at the positions of the left and right hands, while an insulated pedal sat below. If the user could no longer endure the pain, they could step on it at any time to cut off the current.

"This is your task, Ron!"

Zephyr stepped over as well and said to Ron, "Test the similarities and differences between the stimulation produced by this machine and your Lightning Stimulation Method. If you do well, the Fleet Admiral will allow you to learn one additional Rokushiki technique."

"Another Rokushiki?!"

The reward for winning the New Recruit Camp's year-end evaluation had only allowed him to learn two techniques. Now, by helping with this small task, he could learn another one. Ron's eyes immediately lit up!

"I'm in!"

However, Kizaru spoke strangely from the side. "Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew, Ron! Have you already mastered the Rokushiki techniques we gave you before?"

"Hm?"

Ron looked up at Zephyr. "Of course! I can already use them in actual combat."

"Gasp..."

Kizaru immediately sucked in a breath and said in astonishment, "You can use them in actual combat after only two months? What terrifying talent for physical techniques! The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is practically wasted on you..."

"Hm? What do you mean by that, Kizaru?!"

Zephyr's old face darkened as he shouted.

When writing novels, it was inevitable to encounter situations where different readers had different tastes. If someone said one thing, naturally someone else would say another. Some people would even deliberately call a deer a horse just to appear unique and satisfy their vanity.

So how should an author judge what was true and gather information?

Answer: As long as it was not a matter of principle, just leave it alone.

The internet was false and free. What you cared about might not matter to others at all, and what you agonized over might be worthless in someone else's eyes. You could painstakingly revise your work, only to receive a reply saying, "Boring. Dropped it."

So, as long as it was not a matter of principle, just leave it alone.

Today, a reader somehow learned Big Tree's ID in World of Warcraft. At first, we had a pleasant chat, but then he went through Chapters 1 through 30 one by one, explaining how they should be written, telling me the protagonist should eat more Fruits and this and that. In the end, he even said, "I can't turn these ideas into a novel, so I'll let you write them."

So should I pay you copyright fees too?

Thanks, huh!

To be fair, he was a good person. He expressed his views and suggestions, and Big Tree thanked him for that.

But that phrasing of "I told you, so you have to change it" was disgusting. I refuse to acknowledge that I have such an unconventional reader. He must be an alternate account from some opposing force sent to ruin my mood.

So let me say a few more words here: as long as it is not a matter of principle, Big Tree will not change it, cannot be bothered to change it, and has no interest in changing it. Because one person's opinion is simply too weak and powerless.

A 4,000-word mega chapter, delivered!