Of the two invitations in Loa's hands, one had come from Vegapunk. Together with the "generous gift" he had given Loa, it made his friendly intentions clear. Loa was happy to chat with him and probe him for information.
They sat down at a spotless white dining table. A staff member hurried over and set a box that could block sound and Observation Haki beside their feet.
The Metal Box was twenty centimeters on each side. Green indicator lights glowed at the four corners of its upward-facing surface; they had been off until it was placed on the floor. Around its sides were baffle-like panels dotted with thumb-sized holes in a hexagonal pattern. Through the holes, Loa could see the complex machinery inside.
Seeing Loa's attention settle on the box, Vegapunk smiled. "It's a little invention of mine. With your powers of observation, I doubt I need to explain what it does. As for how it works..."
Vegapunk looked up at Loa. "It's the same as the Sand-Sand Fruit."
The same as the Sand-Sand Fruit?
Loa immediately understood what Vegapunk meant. This invention, too, must have been an object imbued with a Devil Fruit after Vegapunk discovered the conditions for transferring one.
That was not all. Loa also thought of which fruit it was, and of its previous owner, the late Donquixote Rosinante.
The power of the Calm-Calm Fruit.
If that was the fruit, they really could speak freely without worrying about outsiders overhearing them.
"The more I see of your work, the more I admire you," Loa said sincerely. "As a scientist in a world where science has developed so unevenly, you must be under a lot of pressure."
"Who isn't?"
Vegapunk scratched his fluffy hair and smiled helplessly. "Even so, I'm a scientist. I should shoulder the responsibilities