Vegapunk, MADS's Invitation

Chapter 24: Vegapunk and MADS's Invitation

Wearing sunglasses and a floral shirt, Oran stood before the man who was the director of MADS—Vegapunk, the scientific genius who, years later, would be renowned for being five hundred years ahead of the world.

Not long before this, while Judge and Queen had split off to act independently, Vegapunk had also arrived at the newly constructed smelting plant in the Kingdom of Sorbet.

Vegapunk could sense a disharmonious feeling; the entire style of the smelting plant didn't quite fit the Kingdom of Sorbet, both in terms of technology and architectural style.

MADS's regular researchers were discussing fees with the workers here, while Vegapunk, after making some inquiries, found Oran, who was coincidentally providing technical guidance.

"Hello, I'm Vegapunk, the director of MADS. I heard this place was built under your guidance; it's a brilliant concept."

Oran remembered Vegapunk; many of his invention projects were related to him.

While many technologies were replicated from ancient texts, that was still a skill in itself. Research wasn't something one could simply pick up and do after a glance at some documents.

If nothing else, the artificial Devil Fruits Vegapunk created in the original timeline were worlds apart from the inferior ones made by Caesar.

The current Vegapunk didn't yet have as many accolades and achievements. Furthermore, compared to future matters, this large head actually drew more of Oran's attention.

"Is it strange? I've seen people stranger than you. I'm Xidilier Oran, the technical director here."

After a brief self-introduction, the two casually chatted about some technical topics. The research ideas from different worlds began to intertwine. It was at this moment that Kate's call came in to Oran.

"Did you just say you were the director of MADS?"

"MADS isn't a particularly formal organization; its members have a high degree of freedom. I can go with you to take a look. If they've caused you any trouble, I'll handle it."

MADS was more like a salon gathering for scientific enthusiasts, where they exchanged experiences while researching the same things, without clear hierarchical relationships.

Vegapunk could manage others by controlling the funding. Due to trust issues, D. Fild had also handed over financial management to Vegapunk. If anyone caused trouble, Vegapunk could cut off their research funds.

Science itself is an expensive endeavor. Without an organization, most people couldn't support themselves, which was why MADS maintained relative stability.

"There might not be trouble, but let me say this upfront: I won't pay for any medical expenses."

Kate had explained it clearly: the other party had initiated the conflict. In such a situation, let alone injury, Oran would even consider it reasonable if Blitz's annihilation mode was triggered.

Vegapunk simply nodded silently. This was also an unwritten rule within MADS: members had high freedom and could act as they pleased, but correspondingly, if someone caused a major disaster, others wouldn't share the burden.

This location wasn't close to where Blitz was fishing. Even if Oran set off immediately after receiving the message, it would take some time to get there.

By the time Oran arrived, noon had turned into dusk. In the setting sun, three figures were running along the beach. This was Blitz's first long run since its creation, and for some, a period of youth they'd rather forget.

"How has this thing's energy not run out yet!"

"How should I know! It's all your fault for getting into trouble, you idiot!"

Blitz kept pace with Judge and Queen, maintaining a rather ambiguous distance—neither running them over nor letting them escape. If they slowed down, they'd experience what the Electric Fist was.

Queen and Judge deduced from the steam behind Blitz that it was a steam-powered robot. Victory would be theirs once its fuel ran out, but Blitz's endurance far exceeded their expectations.

After all, the Hex Crystal was Blitz's true energy core; trying to deplete it was an unrealistic goal.

"Blitz can chase you all day!"

This was a result of its learning module. Oran had only programmed Blitz with basic operational methods. Essentially, the current Blitz didn't understand emotions; anger and irritation were merely threatening vocalizations.

Blitz was acting this way because its program code determined that the other party's behavior required a lesson. Moreover, Blitz had spent a considerable amount of time with Kate recently, which led to Blitz developing some feline-like tendencies, such as how to toy with its prey.

"Blitz, that's enough now."

The voice wasn't loud, but Blitz's sensors received the message, and it immediately stopped its pursuit, turning back towards Oran and Kate. Queen and Judge, now freed, breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the sand, gasping for air.

"Master, Blitz awaits instructions."

"Operate freely in the vicinity and remain on standby."

"Understood."

Blitz swayed and moved to the side, assisting Kate with the day's catch. If they didn't process them soon, the fish would likely spoil.

"It's hard to imagine. Can it execute such a general command?"

This was Vegapunk's first time seeing a robot with such a high degree of intelligence. Although he had some achievements regarding robots, those robots required extremely detailed instructions, otherwise, they were prone to misinterpretation.

If you told it to buy a bamboo stick, it might end up bringing back something completely different.

But Blitz was different. If asked to buy a bamboo stick now, Blitz would choose the most suitable one for the current situation.

"Since it calls you Master, it must be your creation. Would you mind telling me your thought process when researching it?"

A desire for knowledge stirred within Vegapunk. For someone like him, unknown technology held immense appeal.

"I merely stood on the shoulders of giants and made slight improvements to existing technology. It's nothing major."

"Standing on the shoulders of giants is a good metaphor. Isn't science passed down from generation to generation like this? Mr. Xidilier, are you interested in joining MADS?"