Subduing Douglas Bullet / Subduing Douglas Bullet

"If you ever get the chance, and you can afford to fund my experiments, you could try kidnapping me."

"I could work for you, too."

As he spoke, he turned and smiled at Xia Le.

Xia Le paused, then smiled and nodded. "If I get the chance, I'll be sure to do that."

Vegapunk poured the liquid from one test tube into another. Crackling suddenly filled the air, as though sparks of electricity were forming.

It made Xia Le worry that the experiment might cause a massive explosion.

"I actually know quite a lot about you, Rear Admiral Xia Le."

Vegapunk's voice rang out again.

"I made those gloves you're wearing."

"Well? Aren't they useful?"

Vegapunk smiled at him as he spoke.

Xia Le raised his hand and nodded with a smile of his own. "They're excellent."

"Making a material as hard as seastone flexible takes some doing."

"They're the first pair in the world, and perhaps the last!"

Vegapunk said.

"I'll treasure them!"

Vegapunk nodded, then turned toward him again and stared into his eyes. "We're friends now, aren't we?"

Xia Le was taken aback. He couldn't quite follow the scientist's leaps in logic.

Still, he nodded again without hesitation.

"Yes, we're friends now!"

At that, Vegapunk breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"Good!"

"In fact, I've looked into everything about you!"

"Your hometown is Ohara in the West Blue, that renowned haven of archaeology!"

"I'm very interested in some of the ancient knowledge recorded in Ohara. If I get the chance, I'll definitely pay it a visit."

"The wisdom of the ancients is truly incredible."

Those words, however, left Xia Le stunned.

My hometown is Ohara, in the West Blue?

Even he hadn't known that.

"Two years ago, you killed a Celestial Dragon in the Sabaody Archipelago, didn't you?"

Vegapunk continued.

Xia Le was even more shaken. He stared at Vegapunk in disbelief. How had the man found out?

In just a few days, people who knew about something he'd believed he'd kept secret had surfaced one after another.

"Very few people in this world would dare do such a thing."

"Being able to do something and daring to do it are two different things."

"You're unique, unlike most people in this world!"

"That's also why I was willing to make those gloves for you."

Vegapunk spoke rapidly.

"If there's anything I can help you with, just ask."

"I like doing things for my friends."

Xia Le paused. He couldn't understand Vegapunk's generosity, but he gladly accepted it.

Something had quickly occurred to him.

"You've been researching Devil Fruits lately?"

He set the wooden case he was carrying on the table.

"That's right. I'm researching how to give objects Devil Fruit powers!"

"The Elephant-Elephant Fruit you brought is a specimen for my experiments."

Vegapunk nodded.

"Then is there a device or method for locating nearby Devil Fruits?"

Xia Le asked curiously.

He had thought of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on Sky Island, the Logia Devil Fruit that Enel had yet to eat.

"Locating Devil Fruits?"

Vegapunk paused, then answered quickly.

"Of course!"

"But I shelved that project very early on. The research wasn't particularly useful."

"It could only pinpoint a direction within two or three kilometers. Compared to the whole world, or even a single island, that's far too useless!"

"I much prefer creating them to searching for them!"

Xia Le's eyes brightened. "Could you tell me the method, or give me the device?"

Vegapunk nodded with a smile. "I don't know what you're planning, but of course I can."

"I should warn you, though, the chances of finding a Devil Fruit with this device are still far too low. It's best not to get your hopes up."

Xia Le nodded.

Vegapunk then spent a long while rummaging through the laboratory, finally finding a glowing object about the size of a palm. Strange patterns covered its surface, and it resembled an orange.

"A green light means no fruit has been detected."

"A red light means there's one nearby."

Vegapunk explained.

Xia Le took the device with a smile. "Thank you very much."

"Also, I'd be even happier if you let me study your body!"

"I hear you're immortal?"

"I've never seen a bloodline like that!"

Vegapunk licked his lips, his eyes shining as he looked at Xia Le.

That gleam sent a shiver through Xia Le.

He was absolutely certain that, given the opportunity, this man wouldn't pass up the chance to slice him up for study.

"It seems you're quite opposed to being studied."

"What a pity!"

Vegapunk said regretfully.

Only then did Xia Le breathe a sigh of relief and force a smile.

"Time flies."

"You should go now, but I'm very happy to have made friends with you."

"To tell you the truth, you're the first friend I've made in all these years!"

Vegapunk turned, picked up several sheets covered in drawings that lay scattered on the table, and handed them to him.

"If you get the chance, make sure you kidnap me."

"I know you'd dare do it. You may be the only one who would."

"You can rest easy about the Celestial Dragon incident. There probably aren't many people in this world who know."

"I merely used my brain to make a few deductions. Your expression just now confirmed them."

Xia Le blinked, then smiled and nodded.

"All right."

"I like helping my friends, too."

Their eyes met, and both smiled.

"I'll be waiting!"

Vegapunk said.

Xia Le turned to leave, as the guards at the door were already urging him to go.

Without question, though, this meeting with Vegapunk had brought him some wonderful surprises.

Winning over Douglas Bullet

Winning over Douglas Bullet

After leaving the Experimental Base, Xia Le soon saw the Vice Admiral at the harbor again. As he politely nodded to the man in farewell, the Vice Admiral raised a hand and pointed at the drawings he was holding.

"Compared to the case you brought, those drawings in your hand are the most important part of this mission, Rear Admiral Xia Le."

"Don't let your carelessness damage the mission cargo."

Xia Le paused and looked down at the drawings.

The sheets were covered in strange, winding lines, annotated with formulas, numbers, and letters. At a glance, he recognized the outline of a warship.

"Thank you very much for the reminder."

After nodding with a smile, he turned and boarded his warship.

The Vice Admiral watched him leave, then withdrew his gaze.

Even now, Xia Le didn't know the Vice Admiral's name, but he felt this trip had been immensely rewarding.

Making friends with Vegapunk?

A smile tugged at his lips. That was certainly an unusual turn of events.

Combined with the Brain-Brain Fruit's powers, Vegapunk's intelligence had likely reached an incomprehensible level.

If not for Xia Le's own formidable strength, facing a scientist of such immense intellect might have made him tremble involuntarily from the depths of his soul.

Just imagine: with that terrifying intelligence, he could see through everything about you with a mere thought. In a sense, such a human could already rival a god, existing on an entirely different plane from ordinary mortals.

Besides, Xia Le knew very well how terrifying this man's research projects would become in the future.

Artificial Devil Fruits, Pacifistas, Seraphim!

They were all unimaginable technological creations with tremendous destructive power.

Then he took out the device that could roughly locate nearby Devil Fruits and sank into thought.

A range of two or three kilometers was unquestionably tiny compared to the vast world of One Piece. No wonder Vegapunk had considered it practically useless and tossed it into a cluttered corner.

But Xia Le thought it was enough. With the information he possessed, he could roughly deduce where the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was. Given some time, he should be able to find that Logia Devil Fruit.

As for the drawings in his hand, after examining them closely, Xia Le concluded that they depicted one of Vegapunk's latest technological developments.

"Seastone warships!"

Yes, this was precisely the technology that allowed Marine warships to cross the Calm Belt safely and easily.

Such advanced technology was the foundation that allowed the Marines to travel swiftly and provide support throughout the Grand Line and even the world. It would undoubtedly slash the cost and time of their voyages, improving their mobility in certain respects.

"There are so many benefits to having a scientist under your control!"