(Author's note: The conversation between Annus and Dragon in Chapters 34 and 35 has been revised; you can go back and reread it... Also, please keep reading. If the number of readers doesn't increase, this book won't make it to the third round, especially on Tuesday! Please help your streamer turn the final page! Don't stockpile chapters!)
Rocks intended to form a new, reliable force. Sain might prove useful, but Annus had little interest in Sain's field of specialization.
He would soon be returning to Sky Island, and biochemical weapons not only damaged the natural environment, but also disgusted him... a disgust rooted in his bloodline.
To be honest, compared to Sain, Annus felt he would be better off cooperating with another scientist who specialized in "Lineage Factor" and "modified humans."
That man was Vinsmoke Judge, the father of Sanji from the Straw Hat crew in the original timeline.
His personality was terrible, and his mind was nowhere near as useful as Vegapunk's...
That was why Annus had never paid much attention to anyone else at the Peace Research Institute besides Vegapunk.
Because all the others combined were not as dependable as Vegapunk alone. If that was the case, why bother wasting the effort?
"Alright, I understand, Mr. Annus. If I make a breakthrough in modified-human technology, I'll contact you first..."
Sain was somewhat disappointed that he had not received the answer he wanted, but he quickly pulled himself together.
There was nothing to be discouraged about. Compared to doing nothing, receiving Calamity's verbal promise was already an enormous gain.
Besides, there was Rocks! He was the most infamous vicious pirate of this era!
Thinking of that, Sain finally found some motivation again.
However, when he returned to the paddlewheel ship, he was mocked by his colleagues.
"Shururururu! Sain, stop trying to suck up to Calamity and Rocks! No matter how sincere and humble you act, they won't invest in you! Vegapunk is there, after all!"
The speaker was a young man with a devilish face, shoulder-length black hair, and a pair of demonic curved horns. At a glance, he was clearly no good person.
If Sain's appearance could be described with the word "thug,"
then this young man's appearance could probably be described as "sinister" and "cunning."
"Exactly. You should have realized it long ago, right? In proud Calamity's eyes, there's only Vegapunk. No matter how much effort you put in, it'll all be for nothing... Everything you're doing is completely pointless. What a waste of time..."
At that moment, Sain's other colleague also came over. He was a frail man who looked extremely ambitious, though among the three of them, he looked the most like a scholarly researcher.
Listening to Caesar Clown and Vinsmoke Judge mock him, Sain snorted unhappily. Then, a wicked idea suddenly came to him, and he smiled.
"Who said I failed? Calamity personally admitted that once I develop modified-human technology, Big Brother Calamity plans to provide me with funding!"
"Huh?"
"You're lying, right? Proud Calamity would pay attention to you?"
Sain's lie was immediately questioned, but it also stirred unusual ripples in Caesar and Judge's hearts, making it impossible for either man to remain calm.
What if it was true... Wouldn't they really have a chance to get some money?
Some more time passed. It was now the fourth month after the God Valley Incident.
All five of Annus's ships had been modified, and it was time for inspection and acceptance.
It was worth mentioning that the process should originally have taken longer.
But for some reason, the other two scientists who had remained aboard the ship, Vinsmoke Judge and Caesar Clown, had personally joined in without asking for anything in return. They guided Vegapunk's workers in their tasks, greatly reducing the required time.
"It's time to depart."
That day, after inspecting the performance of Aviation 1 through 5, Annus and his group finally prepared to leave Water 7.
"You lost the bet, didn't you? Garp's son still hasn't shown up, and that Azure Dragon Fruit..."
Before leaving, Rocks demanded his wager from Annus.
"What's the rush? Isn't he here now?"
Rocks froze. Following Annus's gaze toward the dock, he really did see a familiar figure walking toward them beneath the setting sun.
"Worororo... You actually called it... Come, Teach. Pay respects to your 'godfather'!"
Though he had lost the bet, Rocks was not upset. Instead, he was delighted.
There was nothing wrong with his son having another protector. He was already among the very strongest people in the world—where else could he find someone on his own level to serve as his son's protector?
Whether he won or lost, he had profited immensely. Because in the entire Rocks Pirates, Annus was the only person he trusted.
"Why does it feel like I'm the one losing out?"
Annus smiled, drew two-year-old Teach close, pressed a hand against Teach's shoulder, then dabbed his forehead with olive oil he had prepared beforehand.
"I anoint you as my 'godson,' so that you shall not fall into darkness," he said softly.
At the same time, Dragon walked toward them from afar, his gaze gradually becoming resolute.
"Looks like you've made your decision?" Annus asked Dragon.
"Mm." Dragon nodded.
"Then board the ship first. I'll assign you your task afterward..."
After saying that, Annus left Dragon standing there and walked over to Rocks.
At that moment, Rocks was saying his final farewell to his wife and child. He did not plan to go to Sky Island with Annus and the others. Instead, he intended to remain in the Blue Sea and continue his plans.
"Xebec, you have to be careful."
Alice held Rocks's hand. This strong woman, who had once been a pirate herself, did not stubbornly insist on leaving with her husband. Instead, she chose the safer, more conservative path.
That way, even if Rocks failed again, the bloodline of the Davy Clan would not be extinguished.
"Don't worry, Alice. I won't lose again." Rocks's lips curled into a wild grin. "This time, I'll definitely succeed! When that day comes, I'll go to Sky Island and bring you and Teach back!"
Little Teach said nothing, but he clung tightly to Rocks's leg and refused to let go. Although he was closer to Alice, the time they had spent together recently had also made him reluctant to part with his father.
"Have you said enough goodbyes? I'm very busy. The ships are about to launch."
Annus ruined the tender moment. "Rocks, you really don't plan to return to Sky Island with me?"
"Worororo! It can't be helped, because I'm that kind of man! I won't rest until I sit upon the throne of the world's king!" Rocks spread his arms wide, his bold voice echoing through the area.
Fortunately, there was hardly anyone nearby. Otherwise, the World Government would likely soon learn that Rocks was still alive and was right here in Water 7, in the first half of the Grand Line.
All Annus could do was shake his head helplessly.
Rocks alone was someone he could not interfere with. He was a man with his own ambitions, and his strength was no less than Annus's.
"Take care."
In the end, Annus left those words behind and boarded Aviation 1 with Alice and Teach, both of whom kept looking back with every step.
As Annus placed his hand on the ship's energy-gathering core, countless currents flowed through copper wires into the energy storage chambers. The Double Breath Dials beneath the hulls erupted with tremendous winds, while the enormous kinetic energy converted from the power released by hundreds of Electric Dials lifted all five ships into the sky.
Below, by the harbor, a fat, horned fish-man who had just arrived on the island looked up at the five ships soaring into the heavens, utterly dumbfounded.
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