It was a vast underground chamber made of rock, spanning several football fields.
Apart from the many lights scattered here and there, the entire chamber was empty.
It had clearly just been built, with no time to furnish it.
Even so, its existence was astonishing. No one would have imagined such a place could exist under the government's surveillance.
Vegapunk sat on the floor, playing with a mechanically modified raccoon dog.
The raccoon dog was a failed specimen from an earlier biological experiment. Though its body was defective, it was exceptionally intelligent and loyal.
Vegapunk, who was rather lonely himself, had personally modified its defective body.
He had named it "Jack."
Its limbs, heart, and head had all been replaced with mechanical components, yet it retained its consciousness.
However, its genetic defects meant it was destined to live only a few years.
But the remarkable ability to alter the lineage factor was precisely what made devil fruits so powerful.
He had never settled on which fruit to feed it, until this batch of specimens arrived earlier that day...
Drip!
A drop of magma fell from the ceiling onto the floor.
Hiss-
It instantly expanded and coalesced into a human figure...
Sakazuki surveyed the enormous underground chamber.
He looked at Vegapunk and the little raccoon dog.
"Not bad."
"You carved out a place this big overnight."
"So it ate the Stone-Stone Fruit."
He walked over, sat down, and gave it a stroke.
During his days on the island, Sakazuki had seen this raccoon dog many times.
So rather than resisting, it enjoyed being petted.
Vegapunk said with a smile,
"Yes."
"I hadn't been able to decide which fruit to feed it."
"But the specimens delivered this time were good."
"You 'injured' that Stone-Stone Fruit user 'too badly.'"
"He 'accidentally' died."
"We