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Arthur, disguised as a CP0 agent, reached Vegapunk's lab without arousing suspicion.
"Sir!" Sado Nath and Dragon saluted respectfully.
"Sir?" Arthur, momentarily taken aback, nodded curtly.
'So, this guy was a higher-up.'
No wonder the guards hadn't questioned him. He didn't need strength, only authority. Which explained why he'd been so easy to kill—no resistance whatsoever.
"I have urgent business with Dr. Vegapunk. You two, dismissed." Arthur mimicked the dead agent's voice, lowering his tone, making it sound raspy, as if he had a sore throat.
Sado Nath and Dragon, unfazed by the unusual voice, left the lab immediately.
The Marine Science Division was more heavily guarded than Impel Down, yet Sado Nath hadn't even considered the possibility of an intruder, hadn't bothered with even basic security checks.
"Has the World Government become this complacent?" Arthur wondered, watching them leave.
A place like this—every visitor should be thoroughly vetted. Yet, he, in a stolen disguise, had walked right in. The irony wasn't lost on him. It was as if the lower ranks simply accepted the authority of their superiors without question.
As Sado Nath and Dragon walked away, Sado Nath, noticing Dragon's silence, asked, "Dragon, what's wrong?"
"Nothing…Just—a feeling of disappointment…" Dragon's voice was low, his tone laced with a barely contained frustration.
"Disappointment? About what?" Sado Nath, his masked face tilted in confusion, didn't understand.
Dragon didn't respond, quickening his pace, eager to leave.
The seeds of revolution had been sown.
——
Arthur approached the locked laboratory door, using the external Transponder Snail to contact Vegapunk's assistant inside.
"Dr. Vegapunk, a CP0 officer is here to see you."
The assistant relayed the message.
"Another request? Tell them I'm tired. Give them Funkfreed and send them away." Vegapunk waved his hand dismissively, tired of the constant interruptions, the World Government's never-ending demands.
He had pursued science to satisfy his own curiosity, a thirst for knowledge that had driven him his entire life.
Science was meant to be free—an exploration of the unknown, a puzzle to be solved. Being trapped in this gilded cage—forced to serve others, it stifled him.
"Sir, that's not a good idea. CP0 represents the World Government. If we refuse…" The assistant hesitated. He admired Vegapunk, but his loyalty ultimately lay with the World Government.
Vegapunk sighed, his gaze piercing. "Fine, then. Open the door."
The assistant, punching in a complex code, deactivated the electronic lock, allowing Arthur inside.
"Make it quick. I need to rest," Vegapunk said, not even bothering to look up. He was untouchable, protected by the World Government. He feared no one.
Arthur chuckled, unfazed by Vegapunk's rudeness. He dismissed the eager assistant with a wave of his hand.
The doors slid shut, leaving Arthur and Vegapunk alone in the laboratory.
"Dr. Vegapunk, you have a short memory. It hasn't been that long, has it?"
Arthur's hand glowed as he released a pulse of electromagnetism, checking for surveillance devices. He slowly removed his mask, a smile playing on his lips.
"You're…?" Vegapunk's initial confusion morphed into shock, his usual composure gone. "Seabury D. Arthur? How…How did you—? This is incredibly reckless!"
Arthur laughed.
'Zzzzzzt!' He was about to unleash an electromagnetic pulse.
"Don't bother. There are no surveillance devices in here. I disabled them long ago." Vegapunk's tension eased, replaced by a flicker of excitement.
He stared at Arthur's hand. "Is that—the Electromagnetic Pulse? The attack that disabled the surveillance snails in Level 6? The Rumble-Rumble Fruit…is remarkable."
The EMP could fry electronic devices, creating a surge of voltage that caused irreparable damage. Even the Transponder Snails, though living creatures communicating via electromagnetic waves—were vulnerable.
"If you wanted this fruit—why didn't you just kill me back in Impel Down?" Arthur asked, his hand lowering, the electromagnetic energy dissipating. The question had been nagging at him.
If Vegapunk had ordered his execution—the World Government wouldn't have hesitated.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit would have reappeared somewhere in the world two years later. And the World Government, valuing Vegapunk so highly, would have spared no expense to find it for him.
If anyone could unlock the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's true potential—it was Vegapunk. No one, not even Arthur himself, was better suited to wield its power. It was a bitter truth to acknowledge—but undeniable.
Arthur's understanding of electromagnetism was rudimentary compared to Vegapunk's.
"You misunderstand. While the World Government values my research, they would never allow me to wield true power myself. A tool is only useful as long as it's controllable, wouldn't you agree?" Vegapunk looked tired, his usual energy replaced by a weary resignation.
"So—you're making an investment?" Arthur asked.
"Precisely." Vegapunk, pushing himself up from his chair, his tall, thin frame towering over Arthur, said— "Tell me. Why are you really here? You wouldn't risk infiltrating The Marine Science Division just for a casual chat."
Arthur chuckled.
"It's always a pleasure dealing with intelligent people." Arthur stated his purpose, "I want to know how to imbue inanimate objects with Paramecia-type Devil Fruit powers. Surely, a genius like you has figured that out."
Vegapunk raised an eyebrow, surprised. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you had someone on the inside. How else would you know about that?"
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