In the Egghead research lab, Midas could be seen working alone in a secluded corner. He had already finished the Egg Dragoon, yet something even more ambitious now occupied his full attention.
He was crafting a prototype armor made of pure light and chaotic energy, using the incomplete data he had salvaged from the Flame Mother — or rather, his personal "Chaos Mother." It was a raw, unstable version of the original, designed solely for combat and to generate massive amounts of energy for his machines.
"Well… time to get started," Midas muttered, "but first, a little leisure wouldn't hurt. I still need to steal the Seraphim blueprints, grab some strong DNA, and track down Brook so I can transfer my soul into the new body…"
He finished tweaking a small, sleek disc engraved with the Eggman Empire logo and pressed it firmly against his chest. The device locked onto him with a soft mechanical click, integrating seamlessly into his frame.
---
Later, in the public cafeteria area of Egghead, Midas sat casually at a table, enjoying a generous plate of crispy bacon, fluffy pancakes, and scrambled eggs.
"I really should create something like the Anti-Freedom Fighters… a group strong enough to fight or even kill Luffy's crew," he mused aloud between bites. "Maybe even get one or two girlfriends along the way. Who knows? Forgiveness is on the cross, not me…"
He shoveled another forkful into his mouth and washed it down with cold juice. In his previous life he had been a teenager, and he still disliked alcohol — especially with the faint autistic traits that remained in his new mind.
While Midas ate, he didn't notice the tall figure who quietly sat down across from him.
"Midas… I need to talk to you."
The voice made him pause. He slowly lifted his gaze and saw Vegapunk staring back at him. Midas calmly set his fork down, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and gave a small, indifferent nod.
"Old man," he greeted flatly.
"I want to know what you're planning," Vegapunk said, his tone serious and direct.
Midas rested his cheek on his hand, elbow propped on the table, and stared back with lazy indifference.
"The real question is… what are *you* planning for *me*, Doctor?" he replied, glancing sideways at the scientist.
"I simply want to know about all those heavy materials you've been gathering lately…"
Midas let out a long sigh and went back to eating, as if the conversation barely interested him.
"Why are you suddenly playing the 'present father' role?" he asked between bites. "As far as I know, Lilith, Shaka, and the others are far more important than my limited, disposable existence…"
He stabbed a piece of bacon with his fork and continued without looking up.
"But I've accepted that I'll never step out of their shadow. You, though… you're nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing. Why do I say that? Let's see… MADS. You people were probably worse than the Celestial Dragons. I can easily imagine that whenever you captured a pirate, you turned them into lab rats…"
Midas twirled the fork lazily in the air while speaking.
"And then there's poor Bertram — a child forced to live on the run. What did you do? Test after test, harvesting organic tissue for your projects. And Kuma? You could have made a damn clone. You knew about the Vinsmoke technology, yet instead of doing the right thing, you erased his memories and immediately asked to study him like a specimen. You played God, creating beings, weapons, monsters… everything. Unlike the other ex-MADS members, you were smart enough to carefully manage your public image. But here's the sweet truth that your other 'children' either ignore or pretend never happened…"
Midas wiped his mouth once more and stood up, flashing a sly, fox-like smile.
"I see it all. Because I *am* you~"
With that, he gave a casual wave over his shoulder and walked away, leaving Vegapunk sitting alone at the table.
---
Back in his private quarters, Midas worked calmly on a new project. He already understood the process of creating artificial Devil Fruits, but right now he was aiming for something on the level of the Metal Virus. There was only one fan-made Devil Fruit capable of reaching that apocalyptic scale.
"First page of the work journal; Project No. 3 — Artificial Devil Fruit… Chuma Chuma no Mi: Apocalypse Model."
He spoke softly as he wrote, his voice steady and focused.
"This special Devil Fruit will not grant any personal powers. Instead, it will create an endless, limitless plague. I'm still unsure whether I should actually make something of this caliber… but if I can obtain the Bear King's Devil Fruit, I could fuse both and create what I'm calling the very first 'Egg no Mi.'"
Midas continued writing, unaware that his own shadow on the wall had twisted into a wide, familiar grin — cruel, greedy, and utterly malevolent.
"Today I made a small discovery. According to the files York provided, one of Imu's Holy Knights possesses a Devil Fruit that turns nightmares into reality. If I conduct an experiment where a subject fully believes in the power of the Chuma Chuma no Mi… even Imu might tremble."
He sketched the imagined design of the Chuma Chuma no Mi beside the text, his lines precise and dark.
"Of course, I can also create a truly powerful body for myself — something based on Metal Sonic or the classic Eggman robots from the comics. The Egg Dragoon is still in testing, but once it's ready, things will really blow up. Honestly, I won't leave this island until after that scandal breaks. Creating an Angel Island is delicate work; without Shiki's Fuwa Fuwa no Mi it'll be difficult, but a sky island is still a solid backup plan…"
He paused for a moment, then kept writing without any hint of moral hesitation.
"The real goal is to strike a deal with Big Mom. Telling her that Alabasta holds a Poneglyph could be the key piece. Zou is my best shot at making that happen. I might also create an adult clone of Sugar — her Devil Fruit is far too dangerous and useful to leave in the hands of the Newspaper King…"
Midas closed the sentence with no emotion at all.
"I'm no saint. I'm just an android made of pure greed…"
He shut the journal, placed it inside a small secure compartment on his desk, and activated a mechanism inspired by Light Yagami's Death Note system. Midas had no intention of letting anyone else learn about the Chuma Chuma no Mi. He refused to live in a world where the virus ruled everything.
In the end, *he* must have everything.