Vegapunk finished speaking and walked quickly toward the elevator. The giant bear who had eaten the Munch-Munch Fruit followed behind him.
Carlo caught up with the scientist, who was in a hurry. They entered the elevator, went up two floors, then stopped. After verification, they stepped into the lab.
Rows of tanks filled with nutrient fluid stood inside. Many pieces of flesh were stored within them, along with many bodies.
The flesh came from rare races, either cells or extracted material. As for the bodies… there were many familiar faces.
Weevil, Mihawk, Boa Hancock, and others.
All of them had already been fully modified into cyborgs.
Even though Hancock's transformation was complete and she could undo the petrification of the soldiers at G-8, it still wasn't time.
There was no way to explain it.
As for Weevil, known as Whitebeard's "son", he had already been dead when they sent him over, so none of his abilities remained. But once his powerful body was reforged, he became incredibly tough, a strong weapon on its own.
On the other side, Vegapunk led Carlo to the body of "Marine Hunter" Dracule Mihawk.
After his battle with Bullet, Mihawk had lost his left arm and shattered all his ribs. At least his head was intact.
Through Vegapunk's reconstruction, he reforged the skeleton with memory metal synthesized through the Munch-Munch Fruit's ability and implanted it into the body.
Half of his frame was now metal. Combined with the memories in his original head, he had become a high-intelligence swordsman-type cyborg.
He possessed eighty percent of Mihawk's original combat strength, and that power could still grow.
In the future, with ongoing analysis and learning, his strength would continue to rise, perhaps even surpass his former peak.
Vegapunk stood at the console and entered a series of commands.
The nutrient pod opened. Mihawk's eyes snapped to life. He stepped out without any expression, moving like an ordinary person.
The mechanical giant bear that was standing nearby opened its massive jaws like a door.
Mihawk walked in without a word. Vegapunk then told Carlo to throw the Clear-Clear Fruit inside.
His mouth twitched. He already understood what the scientist was planning.
He tossed the fruit in.
At once, the bear's body filled with mechanical noise, steam spraying from its ears.
A crisp chime rang out and the sounds stopped.
Its jaws opened again like a door, but nothing was inside.
Snap!
A hand suddenly slapped Carlo on the shoulder.
His hair stood on end as Mihawk appeared in front of him, expressionless.
The cyborg's hand rested on his shoulder.
Carlo let out a long breath. "That was terrifying, Doctor."
Vegapunk smiled. "How is it? The body of a top swordsman, turned into a Pacifista. With the help of the Clear-Clear Fruit, he can assassinate ninety percent of the strong ones on this sea. Of course, he isn't perfect. The cyborg body still has a stiff edge. The Clear-Clear Fruit can't hide footprints, and people with sharp instincts can sense the danger when a blade is near. So against true top fighters, he won't be a major threat."
He wasn't exaggerating. While Mihawk had died before reaching his peak, he was still someone most people on the sea couldn't stop. Even many officers under the Four Emperors wouldn't stand a chance.
Carlo praised. "He's already incredibly strong. True top fighters aren't something cyborgs can handle. Someone on that level will have their own opponent. But these cyborgs can be mass-produced. They can greatly reduce casualties among the mid and lower ranks."
Vegapunk smiled once more, though a trace of worry appeared in his eyes. "I think so too. As long as we mass-produce clones, the pressure will ease. The problem is time. The growth period is too long."
The technology taken from Judge required five years to mass-produce elite soldiers. After his own improvements, it could be shortened to about three or four years.
But those were soldiers. These powerful units were completely different. They consumed huge resources, and their growth period increased several times.
One of his main projects now was to break through this time barrier.
According to Sakazuki's plan, only a few years remained before the final battle. They had to create a type of Seraphim that could reach maturity within two or three years.
Even with his six clones working at the same time, it still felt insufficient.
Carlo sighed. "It's already more than enough."
He and Admiral Sakazuki had run many simulations. When that day arrived, unless they produced thousands upon thousands of these, they wouldn't make a major difference. True warfare would still rely on large-scale armies.
On men trading their lives.
* * *
In the New World, inside the Steam Pirates' base.
On the throne, Knox frowned as he read the report in his hand. "The whole fleet wiped out?"
Beside him, the Steam Pirates' vice captain, Bin Black, said, "That's right. It's confirmed. Not a single survivor. From the moment the fleet lost contact to the time our people arrived, only half a day passed. There were no traces left behind. On the sea, only the Marines have that kind of power. Not only that, almost all weapons factories in the first half of the Grand Line have been cleared out. All of it..."
Knox narrowed his eyes. "Sakazuki."
Black nodded. "Yes. Our line with the Revolutionary Army is cut for now."
Knox picked up a newspaper. The headlines were about the Marines' split a few days earlier.
"Then so be it. Tell everyone to prepare for war. I already understand part of the conflict inside the Marines. Sakazuki is about to become fleet admiral. With his personality, he won't be as soft as Sengoku. This is a signal. The war between the Marines and the pirates is about to begin."
Black froze for a moment, then nodded and went out to give orders.
He knew his boss had dealings with some high-ranking officials in the government, so the truth behind the Marines' split was probably already clear to him.
In a way, it all lined up by chance.
Because the target of Sakazuki's cooperation with Kaido… was Knox.
* * *
Headquarters of the World Economy News.
One of the kings of the underground world, the ruler of global news and the master of information, "Big News" Morgans, sat inside.
A news bird carrying a hidden surveillance device returned to collect more papers.
Morgans, who controlled the birds, sensed something but kept a calm expression…
**
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