The Mysterious Vegapunk
In the central area, shrouded in a deep purple poisonous fog, massive buildings could be vaguely seen. This was a huge experimental base, but it was now closed off, and some areas even showed signs of decay and desolation.
As the giant dragon descended from the sky, it sneezed, and Ye Chen and the others stood in front of the research lab door.
As if they had known about Ye Chen and his group's arrival, the massive steel gate was opened a crack, and teams dressed in protective suits emerged from the research lab one after another, bowing in greeting.
"Admiral God, please enter the research room. Lord Vegapunk has been waiting for a long time."
They were highly trained, all of them either naval personnel or agents of the World Government.
Nothing happened; the group quickly entered the research lab and closed the door.
"Activate the venting system."
"Yes!"
As a gust of wind swept through, the toxic fumes that had drifted into the research lab as the door was opened were instantly cleared away.
"Admiral God, you can take off your gas mask now; it's safe inside." The leader, a middle-aged man, removed his gas mask.
"Take me to see Dr. Vegapunk." Removing his protective suit, Ye Chen looked at the middle-aged man before him with an indifferent expression.
"Yes, please follow me."
"Squat here, don't run around. If I come back and don't see you, I'll eat you." Just as he took a step, Ye Chen suddenly turned his head, looked at the furtive Fire Dragon, and threatened it, startling the latter, which quickly nodded.
"Smacking sounds" nearby, Bai Doudou was munching on a carrot, watching everything with curiosity.
Before long, Ye Chen and the others passed through a corridor and arrived at a huge research laboratory, filled with nutrient nests and various high-tech equipment.
"Reporting to Lord Te Ankes, Admiral God, sent by the Navy, has arrived."
After wandering around for a while, Ye Chen was led to a large, metallic door, where a masked man stood.
Looking at the man in front of the door, Ye Chen narrowed his eyes, because he sensed a powerful aura emanating from the masked man.
He is no ordinary person.
The gaze was cold and indifferent; even though Ye Chen was Marine Admiral, he showed no respect whatsoever in this person's eyes, and even revealed contempt.
"You are Marine Admiral God Ye Chen?"
With a hint of provocation, the masked man stepped forward, becoming two heads taller than Ye Chen, and looked down at Ye Chen.
Without the slightest reaction, Ye Chen ignored it and asked the person leading the way, "Where is Dr. Vegapunk?"
"My God, this is the bodyguard sent by the World Government to Vegapunk. Lord Te Ankes, Dr. Vegapunk is inside." Cold sweat beaded on the forehead of the middle-aged man leading the way, his voice trembling slightly.
A dangerous aura emanated from Te Ankes's eyes. He was a P, yet the other party was blatantly ignoring him, causing his expression beneath the mask to darken instantly.
"Come in!" Just then, a deep voice rang out, and the door opened automatically, easing the eerie atmosphere.
Ignoring Te Ankes, Ye Chen Ye Chen stepped into the research lab. As soon as he entered, it was as if he had stepped into a science fiction world, with all sorts of dazzling things that overwhelmed him.
The room was large, and on a research table, a tall figure in a white lab coat caught Ye Chen's eye.
"Admiral God, please wait one more night. I need to prepare some things before we can evacuate."
Turning around, he had a very ordinary face, wearing glasses, probably in his thirties or forties, very clean-cut, and didn't give the impression of a researcher, but rather like a friendly neighbor, radiating warmth.
His expression remained unchanged, but Ye Chen subconsciously became wary. Although this man gave him a very normal and ordinary feeling, for some reason, he felt his scalp tingle and even felt a little scared.
The eyes behind the glasses were gentle, and one could vaguely see sparks of wisdom within them, but to Ye Chen, they were like black holes, capable of swallowing everything.
However, that feeling was fleeting.
"Hello, Dr. Vegapunk. Fleet Admiral Sengoku has ordered me to bring you back to Marineford safely at all costs. Could you have them take care of the rest? Shall we leave here immediately?"
With a serious expression, Ye Chen looked at Vegapunk.
"There are some things they can't understand. One night is enough." Vegapunk smiled and declined Ye Chen's suggestion.
"Okay!" Ye Chen nodded immediately.
Thank you.
Vegapunk's gentle smile made Ye Chen feel somewhat uncomfortable, as if it had a hidden meaning, preventing him from coming up.
"Notify Lieutenant Vice Admiral Momonga to stay overnight and be on guard," Ye Chen instructed the Rear Admiral beside him, turning his head.
"Yes, sir." Upon hearing the order, a Rear Admiral stepped aside and dialed the Momonga's Den Den Mushi.
"Dr. Vegapunk, where is the criminal Caesar Kron? I need to confirm this." For some reason, Ye Chen didn't want to get too involved with Vegapunk, because just being face to face with him made him uncomfortable, as if all his secrets were known to the other party.
"Take Admiral God to the prison cell." Vegapunk nodded, looking at the officer who had led the way.
"Yes, Admiral God, please follow me."
Immediately afterwards, Ye Chen and his group left the research lab.
Watching Ye Chen's departing figure with a slightly meaningful look, Vegapunk's smiling face vanished instantly, leaving only an unreadable expression in his eyes. He then turned around and continued his various incomprehensible research.
The detention cells housed criminals and thugs.
Because Punk Hazard was originally a naval research base, housing prisoners, it was clear that these criminals would be used as experimental subjects when necessary.
Before long, Ye Chen arrived at a prison, which was not much different from the prison in Impel Down, except that the cells were not made of Seastone, but the prisoners' handcuffs were all made of Seastone.
Caesar Clown was originally one of the Navy's scientists and a colleague of Vegapunk. However, due to his extreme and biased ideology and constant opposition to Vegapunk, an experiment went wrong, causing the entire Punk Hazard to instantly turn into hell. Many projects were also destroyed as a result. Therefore, the World Government stripped Caesar Clown of his identity and made him a criminal.
The poisonous fog outside was this guy's doing, and he was even proud of it. He could be considered a mad and evil scientist.
Upon reaching the cell, Ye Chen saw a dejected man with long, dark purple-blue hair and a headdress resembling ram's horns, though it was unclear whether it was real or not. His appearance was somewhat bizarre, like a ghost. He was wearing a striped suit, his hands were Seastone Handcuffs, and he was sleeping with bubbles rising from his nose.
According to the information, this guy is Devil Fruit User, a very rare Logia Gas-Gas Fruit, and his abilities are very strong.
"You may all leave!"
"Yes!"
After dismissing everyone, Ye Chen opened the cell door, startling Caesar.
As the sleeping bubble disappeared, Caesar scrambled to his feet, staring wide-eyed at Ye Chen with a somewhat bewildered expression. Lost in his research, he was unaware of Ye Chen's identity.