The vanished Vegapunk was actually here.
After Vegapunk disappeared back then, the entire world had been guessing his whereabouts. The Revolutionary Army searched, the Underworld searched, the Golden Emperor Gild Tesoro searched, and even the Yonko searched.
No one could have ever expected that the World's Greatest Scientist had been secretly abducted by a tiny Marine branch in the East Blue.
'Seriously... what the hell!' This kid actually kidnapped the World Government's most prized asset right from under their noses.
And he had actually succeeded.
Zephyr snapped out of his daze, still in disbelief. With a bitter smile, he muttered, "I never would have thought you were actually here. Honestly, if Dante hadn't brought me himself, I never would have imagined you'd hide in this tiny branch."
"A lot has happened. When he came to invite me back then, I agreed without hesitation!" Vegapunk nodded emotionally, keeping his hands clasped behind his back. Sticking his tongue out with a smile, he added, "I could tell at a glance that your student was no pushover, he's someone destined for great things!"
Dante stared at the scientist, utterly baffled by the blatant flattery.
What 'agreed without hesitation'? The stubborn old man had been dead set against joining at first. If it weren't for a few serious threats, he probably would have run right back to the World Government.
Of course, Dante understood what Vegapunk was really after. He, the secret boss of the East Blue, the employer of the Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma, the protector of the Devil Child Nico Robin, and the silent partner of a Marine Admiral and Hero, wouldn't be swayed by such shallow praise.
'Fine.' He'd increase his research funding later.
"Forget it. It's better not to ask how you got here. The fewer people who know such secrets, the better," Zephyr sighed, looking curiously at Vegapunk's apple-shaped head. "What happened to your massive head?"
"I cut it off. It was too heavy. Moving around with it was incredibly difficult." After a brief explanation, Vegapunk looked at Zephyr's injury. "Now let me examine the condition of your right arm."
"My right arm..." Zephyr's face froze as he guessed Dante's intent. Helplessly turning to his student, he sighed deeply. "My arm is gone, then so be it. I've grown used to it over the years. Since Vegapunk is here, you need to keep him strictly hidden. He absolutely must not be discovered."
"Don't worry, not many people around here could even recognize Vegapunk," Dante waved off the concern. "Especially now that his giant head is gone. Nobody would guess this apple-headed old man is him, and he knows how to keep a low profile."
In the East Blue, as long as you didn't go around shouting that you saw Vegapunk, no one would pay attention. If push came to shove, they could just find a lookalike to show his face in the other seas. Given how face-blind the world could be, everyone would believe the decoy.
Dante smiled at Zephyr. "Let's look at the arm first. Otherwise, with only one hand, you'll only be able to beat up Smoker."
"You brat..." Zephyr smiled helplessly, though he was deeply moved inside. "Better not let Smoker hear that. But fine."
He had dedicated the first half of his life to Marine HQ. He supposed he could dedicate the second half here. He genuinely wanted to see just how far this kid could go in this messed-up ocean.
"I'm counting on you, Dr. Vegapunk."
"A minor matter. Let's do an examination first," Vegapunk said casually. "Follow me."
He led Zephyr into the inner lab, but Dante stayed behind. He trusted Vegapunk to handle the medical details properly.
Compared to forging the massive Seastone mechanical arm known as the Battle Smasher, Dante genuinely hoped Zephyr's original arm could be restored. Zephyr was known as 'Black Arm' Zephyr, his true strength lay in his fists and Armament Haki. Even if the Battle Smasher packed heavy firepower, it still wasn't his own flesh and blood, and it was incredibly heavy. Especially at Zephyr's age, swinging that massive weapon drained his stamina instantly. Restoring the original arm was the best path forward.
Dante casually observed the research institute. Recently, it had expanded quite a bit, practically hollowing out the island's interior. Even the surface had undergone modifications. He recalled Vegapunk applying for extra funding to expand downward toward the seafloor.
As expected, a single small island was still too limiting for Vegapunk's genius.
And it wasn't just the lab space that had expanded, all sorts of bizarre testing facilities had been added. After the Donquixote Family's downfall, most of their executives had been shipped here. Who knew what Vegapunk was extracting from those valuable Devil Fruit users?
Dante took a brief look around and checked on the lab's primary power source: the former Thunder God, Enel. The captive god had become even more numb and vacant, thoroughly broken by the constant power siphoning.
Sometime later, the examination concluded, and Vegapunk emerged with Zephyr.
"No major problems. I'll clone his right hand," Vegapunk stated directly. "However, directional cloning of a single hand is quite difficult, more troublesome than cloning an entire person, in fact. Are you really not considering having me forge a mechanical arm instead? It would definitely pack more destructive power than the original."
"Forge a mechanical arm?" Dante pondered for a moment, looking at his teacher. "What do you think, Zephyr-sensei?"
"I'm fine with anything." Zephyr nodded with a genuine smile. "To be honest, I never thought this arm would ever be usable again."
"Is that so?" Dante turned back to Vegapunk. "Then let's do both."
Vegapunk stared blankly. "What, so you want me to install a cloned biological arm and also build an attachable mechanical weapon for it?"
"Exactly."
"This... could work," Vegapunk let out a long breath. "It's just that it will cost significantly more funding. Whatever, you're the boss. I'll get it done. Though..." He paused, thinking. "If that kid Law could come help, the surgery would be much simpler."
"Law?" Dante nodded. "I'll ask him later if he has time."
After the Dressrosa incident, Law had left with his crew to search for the secrets of the Will of D. Dante figured he would let him be for now. They weren't exactly short on surgeons, and for major procedures, they could just invite him in for a consultation. Let him gain more experience out on the seas first.
Dante then asked Vegapunk if his other research had made any progress.
"It's only been a few days!" Vegapunk defended himself. "I'm just one person. I have to research treatment plans, clone limbs, and develop new weapons. How much progress do you expect?"
Looking at the assortment of seemingly useless gadgets cluttering the lab, Dante eyed him suspiciously. Vegapunk realized he had indeed spent most of his time lately on wild, impractical ideas and sneaking out to soak his feet at Romance Dawn. Worried about funding cuts, he gave an awkward chuckle and hurriedly promised to focus entirely on the main projects.
Only then did Dante prepare to leave. The real treatment would take time, as the biological arm hadn't even been cloned yet. Best not to disturb the process.
Before leaving, Dante noticed one of the 'useless' inventions: Vega-Coffee. Just add a drop of water, and it instantly brewed a steaming, perfect cup of coffee.
Dante decided to take this piece of Magitech with him. He could set up a factory for mass production back home. It would be highly profitable to sell instant luxury coffee to sailors and adventurers traversing the seas.
As they walked back to the surface, Zephyr suddenly spoke up. "That secretary in your office... she's the Devil Child wanted by the World Government, right?"
"Yes." Dante wasn't surprised Zephyr had guessed Robin's identity, nor did he try to hide it. Working in the same building, it was bound to be discovered eventually.
"Although Robin is technically wanted," Dante began, "she is highly responsible, proactive, down-to-earth, and hardworking. She has a positive attitude, assists her colleagues, and always completes her tasks on time..."
"Stop, stop!" Zephyr interrupted, exasperation clear on his face. "Did I ask for her performance review? Don't change the subject." He narrowed his eyes. "She's that female pirate, isn't she?"
'I just gave you the perfect corporate excuse, and you still saw right through it.'
Before the silent Dante could respond, Zephyr let out a heavy sigh and patted his shoulder wistfully. "Is this female pirate really that good? You better watch yourself, kid."
"You don't understand-" Dante began to explain.
But before he could finish-
*Purupururu, purupururu~*
The Den Den Mushi rang. Dante answered quickly, but before he could speak, a panicked voice blared from the snail.
"Boss, boss! That old man Whitebeard wants to adopt me as his son!"
===============
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