After sending off that fool Rosinante, Wright returned to the newly completed research lab, where Judge was leading Germa's top scientists in analyzing the blueprints drawn by Enel.
"Highlord."
Seeing Wright arrive, Judge greeted him with a respectful nod:
"This is truly incredible. This propulsion system seems to be entirely unprecedented in the world."
"The person who designed this system actually managed to use lightning energy as a power source!"
"It's a pity that the energy core has already been damaged. Otherwise, based on the information revealed by the propulsion system, the original energy core might have been capable of generating lightning!"
"Generating lightning?"
Wright was momentarily stunned. The Ark Maxim already had this function, though in a rather crude manner. If not for Enel being a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user and essentially acting as a living energy core himself, the Maxim wouldn't have been able to fly at all.
"So, this propulsion system's corresponding weapon system is also designed for lightning-based attacks?"
"That should be correct!"
Judge nodded seriously. "Moreover, it likely harnesses natural weather phenomena to enhance its attacks, ensuring maximum power and frequency."
As expected of a professional—his analysis was spot-on.
"Highlord, that Rumble-Rumble Fruit user previously substituted himself as the energy core. In that case, we can attempt to replace the lightning with the power of the Holy Light!"
Judge's eyes gleamed with excitement. "The power of the Holy Light isn't as violent as lightning, but its properties are vastly superior! If we Lightforge a battleship using special materials, the entire ship could effectively become an energy source!"
"And you, Highlord, could serve as the energy core yourself. In fact…"
Judge smirked with a hint of pride. "Through our research on Reiju's Lightforged Sigil, we've discovered a method to transmit the power of the Holy Light remotely!"
"!"
This time, Wright was genuinely shocked. Reiju, as the first and currently the only Lightforged individual, had the ability to channel power from him—a detail he had never paid much attention to.
Who would have thought that Germa had taken this concept and accomplished something Wright had never dared to imagine?
"Could it be… you've developed—"
"That's right, Highlord! We were planning to report this breakthrough to you soon, but I believe now is a better time. The research is essentially complete—all that remains is testing."
"The new Lightforged Sigil can be engraved onto objects made of special materials, allowing for a continuous flow of Holy Light energy. While the transmission efficiency isn't high, it's more than sufficient for non-combat applications!"
"Begin testing immediately. If this works, not only will the Lightforged Beacons no longer require my direct charging, but even the Lightforged Crystals will be self-sustaining!"
Wright fully grasped the importance of this technology. At this stage, having completely mastered the power of the Holy Light, Wright could now generate it almost endlessly.
Using the Holy Light in battle required mental focus and control, but if others could borrow his power, then the energy supply issue would be entirely resolved.
If the Lightforged Sigil was successfully developed, then beyond the aforementioned applications, even battleship cores could have an infinite power source!
This meant…
Wright stopped himself from daydreaming and refocused on the immediate task at hand.
"Understood, Highlord!"
Judge acknowledged the command but clearly had more to report.
"Highlord, the special material I mentioned earlier is another key breakthrough that needs to be reported."
"With the resources from Gran Tesoro, Germa has conducted countless experiments and finally synthesized an entirely new material. I have named it—Radiant Alloy!"
Judge retrieved a piece of platinum-colored metal with a peculiar shimmer. Though it was clearly metallic, it seemed to emit a faint golden glow!
"Radiant Alloy?"
Wright took the metal and infused it with a trace of Holy Light energy—only to be utterly shocked. This material's Holy Light compatibility was even higher than natural gemstones!
"This is the material intended for constructing the battleships? Can it be mass-produced?!"
"The metals required for synthesis are relatively abundant. However, the process involves the principles of Lineage Factor and shape-memory alloys used in combat suits."
"With the Holy Light acting as a catalyst during production, it is essentially semi-Lightforged, so while the process is complex, continuous production is entirely feasible given enough time!"
Judge gestured for Wright to squeeze the Radiant Alloy—almost instantly, it returned to its original shape:
"This material has already been used in crafting the new-generation combat suit, Radiant Gold. Law has already received his… and he was ecstatic."
Judge chuckled. As a fervent admirer of Germa, Law had nearly passed out from excitement upon receiving the latest combat suit.
"To address Law's issue of excessive stamina depletion, Radiant Gold passively restores stamina, while the inscribed Lightforged Sigil allows him to continuously draw upon Reiju's healing Holy Light energy."
"…"
Something about this felt off. Wright frowned. "That brat Law… Have the sigil reconfigured when we get back—he should be drawing power from me instead."
"A grown man relying on a girl for support—how disgraceful!"
"Understood, Highlord."
Judge suppressed a laugh. Truthfully, he was quite pleased with the dynamic between Law and Reiju—Law was two years older, and they shared much in common.
"With Radiant Alloy, our battleships will not only possess infinite energy but also the advantage of shape-memory adaptability—simply astonishing."
Wright mused, "Then the next step—our plan for a Holy Light Energy Main Cannon—can finally proceed."
"Yes, Highlord. That will be our next research objective."
"Then begin preparations. For materials, Alabasta can provide supplies, and the Golden City's (Gran Tesoro) resources will be transported via Alabasta to Skypiea, giving Kuina an excellent opportunity to hone her logistical command skills."
"My next task is to visit Dr. Vegapunk—I have another matter to discuss with him. Prepare a copy of the lightning energy design blueprints for me to bring along."
Judge handed over the blueprints. "Already prepared, Highlord. Vegapunk might have alternative insights, but when it comes to Holy Light energy, we hold the natural advantage."
"Of course, if things are handled well, you might even become his collaborator… in the near future!"
"I very much look forward to that!"
...
Ever since establishing his lab on Punk Hazard, Dr. Vegapunk felt his luck had taken a turn for the worse.
"That bastard Caesar is at it again, preaching his cruel theories. Why would the World Government place someone like him on my research team?!"
Though Vegapunk would never voice such thoughts openly, he couldn't help but shake his head in frustration.
The World Government highly valued the research at Punk Hazard, gathering numerous top-tier scientists under Vegapunk's leadership.
Among them was the so-called "genius scientist" M. Caesar Clown.
Unlike the benevolent Vegapunk, Caesar was highly skilled but also arrogant, ruthless, and utterly unscrupulous—qualities Vegapunk found abhorrent.
Caesar scoffed at Vegapunk's compassion, considering it a hindrance to scientific progress.
If only Vegapunk would adopt his proposals—such as using developing children as test subjects—the "Gigantification" project would have seen groundbreaking results!
Caesar constantly voiced his beliefs throughout the lab, even claiming that mass destruction weapons were what the Marines needed most.
Thus, tensions between Vegapunk and Caesar deepened. Vegapunk repeatedly thwarted Caesar's cruel methods, while Caesar opposed him at every turn.
Then, at last, Vegapunk received good news—a visit request from Vice Admiral Wright.
"Ah, finally something interesting! It's about time."
"Every visit from Wright brings intriguing ideas. I can't wait to see what he has in store this time!"
With that, Vegapunk set aside his work, picked up a briefcase, and made his way to the high-level reception room.
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