Several hours after Saul's ship vanished beyond the horizon, another figure quietly appeared on the deathly silent shore.
Dragon walked alone, his heavy steps crossing the scorched earth toward the enormous remains of the tree roots at the island's center.
This time, Adams did not show himself. He merely watched quietly from the Floating Island high above.
Those who followed different paths could not work together. He could not stand Dragon's childish revolution, one with no follow-up support, no ideals, and no ideological guidance.
Not long after Dragon disappeared, the old friend Dr. Clover had been waiting for finally arrived.
A sailing ship flying a cross-star flag docked on the coast opposite Saul's landing site.
Vegapunk, with his enormous head, came ashore. Adams descended like a ghost at once and brought him to the Floating Island.
Their reunion was not as emotional as expected.
Dr. Clover merely gave Vegapunk's shoulder a heavy pat, his voice hoarse. "You came."
Vegapunk's enormous head nodded. His gaze swept over the small sanctuary floating in the sky and the scholars who had survived the catastrophe before finally settling on Clover.
"Mm. Good... you're still here."
A thousand words were contained in those few.
During their greetings, Clover solemnly introduced Adams to Vegapunk, specifically emphasizing his extraordinarily unusual constitution.
Vegapunk abruptly turned toward the silver-haired youth, his eyes blazing with fervor.
"Young man, truly... thank you very much. Otherwise, I would have lost an old friend forever." His tone was sincere, but then immense curiosity overwhelmed him. "But... I never imagined that this legendary constitution truly existed. It's simply unbelievable. This completely overturns common sense!"
"Saving Dr. Clover was what I should have done."
Adams's voice was steady and powerful. He remained calm beneath that blazing gaze of scientific inquiry.
"As for my constitution, my ancestor left behind a saying: 'Everything humanity can imagine is a reality that may come to pass.' It suits my situation well."
Vegapunk cried out in surprise. His enormous head snapped backward, and his eyes widened round.
"So you're... Dr. Ganon's descendant. What a surprise. I agree with that saying as well."
His speech suddenly sped up, like floodgates opening. Spittle flew as he sank into a state of self-forgetting excitement, both hands animatedly sketching complex theoretical models in the air. Strings of obscure technical terms and formulas poured from him like a barrage.
Seeing that this scientific fanatic was about to completely lose himself in his vast universe of knowledge, Adams had no choice but to raise his voice and interrupt him.
"Dr. Vegapunk, I want to discuss something more important with you!"
Vegapunk's voice stopped abruptly, as if someone had grabbed him by the throat. He blinked blankly.
"What could be more important?"
Adams took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the thin air at high altitude. He stared directly at Vegapunk and spoke each word with absolute clarity.
"I want to ask for your help. Restore the science and technology of the Ancient Kingdom from eight hundred years ago, and bring that lost nation back into this world!"
Before he had even finished speaking, Dr. Clover shuddered and cried out.
"Little Adams! You..."
The old man's eyes were filled with shock and an indescribable excitement.
Adams turned to him, his gaze gentle yet resolute.
"You are one of the few family members I have left. Finding a way to help you fulfill your lifelong wish is what I should do."
"You... you've really grown up..."
Dr. Clover's voice caught, and cloudy old tears finally rolled down his face.
Vegapunk, meanwhile, was completely stunned, pure confusion written all over his face. "Restore it? Ancient people... had technology more advanced than ours?"
At this point, he had not yet delved into the study of ancient writing and knew nothing about ancient technology.
After steadying his emotions, Dr. Clover began using the simplest descriptions to reveal to Vegapunk a mere glimpse of the technological miracles of the Ancient Kingdom.
The more Vegapunk listened, the wider his eyes became behind his lenses, and even his breathing quickened. It was the pure excitement and fanaticism of a scientist facing the ultimate mystery.
"This! Why didn't you tell me earlier?! If you had said so sooner, I would have agreed long ago!"
Vegapunk abruptly grabbed Clover's arm, his voice trembling with excitement.
He did not care in the slightest about the historical truth the World Government had defined as taboo. All he cared about was that lost ancient technology.
Clover smiled helplessly. "You refused so decisively back then. How was I supposed to tell you?"
"Enough nonsense! Hurry! Let me see those ancient writings! Right now! Immediately! I can't wait any longer!"
Vegapunk cut him off impatiently, like a child demanding candy.
"So, you're agreeing?" Adams spoke at the right moment, his voice steady.
"Of course! Although the government has defined researching that period of history as a crime, science is innocent."
Vegapunk did not hesitate. His enormous head nodded forcefully, his lenses reflecting the cold light of the high sky.
"Then come with us and leave now."
Adams extended his hand. He was simply trying his luck; whether it worked or not was fine.
The fervor in Vegapunk's eyes cooled slightly. His enormous egg-shaped head slowly shook, carrying the weight of reality.
"No. I can't leave now. The World Government invests astronomical sums into me every year. Those resources simply cannot be provided anywhere else. Scientific research... cannot exist without the practical foundation of money."
He paused, and his voice lowered.
"Besides... my companion is still in Cipher Pol."
Adams fell silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Then if I accumulate enough funds someday and invite you again, would you still refuse? As for your companion... I think you should have her leave Cipher Pol sooner. That place is by no means good for anyone."
Dr. Clover immediately nodded forcefully, his eyes filled with a deep distrust of Cipher Pol.
"That's right. The longer you stay in a place like Cipher Pol, the deeper you get trapped! It is no good place."
Vegapunk's gaze moved back and forth between the earnest expression on his old friend's face and Adams's calm, confident eyes.
His enormous head lowered slightly as he sank into thought. With the abilities and potential Adams had displayed, obtaining vast sums of money in the future truly would not be a problem.
Besides, that special constitution would surely allow him to reach the pinnacle of the seas. Rescuing him through sheer strength in the future would not be an issue either.
In that case...
He abruptly raised his head, a trace of resolve flashing in his eyes. He took a strangely shaped Den Den Mushi from his white coat, its shell gleaming with cold metallic light. He quickly dialed.
Purururururu.
The Den Den Mushi was quickly answered. Its eyes lit up with a soft blue glow, and a clear beam projected from above its head. The beam condensed in midair, forming a lifelike image—the face of a blonde young woman.
Her face was full of surprise.
"Doctor? You're contacting me so suddenly? Is there an urgent mission?"
Vegapunk's voice was unusually serious.
"Stussy, listen carefully. Find an opportunity and leave Cipher Pol."
Stussy in the image was visibly stunned, her red lips parting slightly. She clearly had not expected such an order.
Leave? Her training camp courses had not even ended. This turn was far too sudden.
Just then, Adams's tall figure leaned forward slightly, entering the communication image's field of view.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Stussy. My name is Adams. You need not worry about Dr. Vegapunk's safety. When the time is right, I will help him leave completely."
Stussy's beautiful eyes instantly narrowed in the image, like a wary feline's, as she swiftly and sharply assessed this unfamiliar young man who had suddenly appeared.
A few seconds later, that slightly frivolous, teasing smile returned to her exquisite face, and her red lips parted.
"Oh? What an unbelievably confident little fellow. But big sister isn't such an easy girl to fool."
A vein instantly throbbed on Adams's forehead. At a loss for words, he turned to look at Vegapunk, who was frowning at the Den Den Mushi's image beside him, his voice carrying undisguised helplessness.
"Doctor... your companion's... emotions... aren't they a little... too abundant?"
What he really wanted to say was that Stussy teasing someone she had just met was rather socially terrifying, but considering the cultural differences, he put it another way.
A trace of embarrassment crossed Vegapunk's face as well, and he quickly explained to the Den Den Mushi image.
"Ahem! This... is all because of the nonsense those Cipher Pol training camps instill!"
There was a hint of annoyance in his tone. He turned toward the image, and his voice suddenly grew sterner.
"Stussy! Listen, forget all those boring lessons about 'how to use feminine advantages to achieve one's goals' immediately. You don't need that now!"
He looked like a stern parent scolding a child who had gone astray.
Stussy's expression in the image instantly froze, and that deliberate charm and provocation receded like a tide.
She instinctively shrank her neck, like a little girl caught red-handed. A trace of panic and grievance flashed through her eyes, and her voice lowered with timid obedience.
"Yes... I understand, Doctor."
Only then did Vegapunk's expression ease somewhat.
"Good. Do as I say. Find a suitable opportunity to leave. As for the road afterward..."
He paused, his enormous head nodding slightly.
"Take care of yourself."
As the tide of memories receded, only the rushing water and Stussy's suppressed sobs remained in the bathroom.
Other than the process of asking Vegapunk to create that special wristwatch, Adams told her everything.
Stussy curled up in the murky bathwater, her long golden hair plastered wetly against her pale cheeks.
Tears poured forth, mingling with the water on her face and falling into the bath, sending tiny ripples spreading across the surface.
She bit her lower lip hard, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
The sharp confusion and pain that had long torn at her between her identities as a human and a clone were now being washed over by an even more violent tide.
Seeing her cry like a helpless child, Adams walked to the bathtub and looked down at her.
"Without question, in Dr. Vegapunk's eyes, you were never some 'work' or 'creation.' You are Stussy. A living person with your own thoughts and choices."
I paused, emphasizing my words.
"And I think so too."
The sobbing gradually subsided. Stussy raised her wet face, her eyes red-rimmed. She looked at the silver-haired youth, tears still silently slipping down her cheeks, but something was violently surging within those beautiful blue eyes.
After a long while, she fiercely wiped her face with the back of her hand. Her voice was thick with tears, yet exceptionally clear.
"I'll do everything I can... to help you. That way... Doctor can leave the World Government sooner."
Adams nodded, crisp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
"Alright. I've told you everything I needed to tell you. It's time for me to go."
He did not linger. Turning around, he pushed open the door and left.
The bathroom door gently closed.
Stussy stood alone amid the swirling white steam. Yet the corners of her lips slowly curved upward, finally blooming into a vivid smile filled with a new kind of anticipation.
TO BE CONTINUED