"An Op-Op Fruit user? Where in the world did you find him?"
"So, is he useful?" Dante asked.
"Of course he's useful! Incredibly so." Vegapunk shot him a sidelong glance, his enormous tongue lolling out as he spoke. "Do you have any idea what the Op-Op Fruit represents? If he'd been here sooner, I would have cured that rude little girl ages ago. Not to mention the possibilities for my medical and biological research..."
Once on the subject of his work, Vegapunk launched into an excited monologue, rattling off his ideas in a stream of technical jargon that made Dante's head ache.
"He could accelerate my research exponentially. Even that Aqua Ursa you wanted to study wouldn't have been such a headache with his help." As he spoke, he gave Dante a puzzled look. "But the World Government itself can't find the Op-Op user. How did you manage it? Then again, you always seem to find people with the strangest abilities. What's your secret?"
His question hung in the air, but before Dante could come up with an answer, another voice cut in.
"I'd like to know that myself."
Law emerged, having finished cleaning up. He stood with his arms crossed over his longsword, his expression unreadable as he stared at Dante. "Marine 16th Branch. The Disgraced Marine Captain, rumored to enjoy the company of female pirates..."
"Get to the point," Dante cut in, his face suddenly hardening.
"..." Law frowned. He thought that was the point. It was, after all, the intelligence he had gathered specifically to deal with the so-called East Blue Overlord. His backup plan had been to drag this supposedly Corrupt Marine Captain into the mess if the Heart Pirates couldn't handle things on their own.
He never expected the two of them were actually working together.
'Are the Marines higher-ups completely blind?' Law wondered.
There were rumors that the Hero of the Marines himself returned to the East Blue for vacations, and that he'd even come close to capturing the Overlord. Had he really not noticed a conspiracy of this scale? And with Tyrant Kuma of the South Blue involved as well... how could the great Marine Hero have missed all of this?
"To think the missing Vegapunk is in your hands," Law said, his gaze shifting from the scientist back to Dante. He let out a dry, humorless chuckle. "You certainly live up to your reputation as a Disgraced Marine."
If he weren't so far gone from the straight and narrow, he'd never have the nerve for stunts like this.
"I've done what you asked. I want no part in whatever you're running here. As for Dr. Wolf, I'll talk to him myself about what he wants. If he decides to stick around, that's his call, and I'll honor it."
"What about your payment?" Dante asked.
"I don't want it. Consider it a thank-you for the treatment back at Romance Dawn." Law waved a dismissive hand. He'd had a payment in mind, but after seeing the full picture, he wanted no part of this corrupt base. It was too dangerous. These people had snatched a man straight from under the World Government's nose, there was no telling what other insanity they were capable of. He had to get his crew away from here, and fast.
"Don't worry," Law added, his tone flat. "As far as I'm concerned, I was never here."
"Really? That would be great." Dante nodded with a relaxed smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Thanks so much."
Truth was, prying this guy into action had taken some doing. A payout was only fair.
He had to admit, getting Law to cooperate hadn't been easy. When he first arrived, he had been calm, arrogant, and completely unmoved by any offer. Even when Kuma promised a handsome reward, the man wouldn't budge. It was only when he learned the patient was a little girl with a peculiar disease that he paused. After a moment of silence, he had proposed his own condition: they would owe him one favor, to be named at a later date.
Then he had gone straight to work, treating Bonney alongside Vegapunk. And now, after seeing everything, he was refusing payment and trying to walk away.
"Hey, Dante..." Vegapunk sidled closer, rubbing his tiny hands against Dante's side and dropping his voice. "You're really just gonna let him walk?"
Wasn't this the guy who always preached "make the most of it while they're here"? And now he was cutting one loose?
He gestured vaguely in Law's direction. "I still have so many ideas I want to test. I can do it myself, of course, but his help would make things so much more convenient. Do you have any idea how much trouble it is to bring my theories to life on my own?"
He knew better than anyone how much of a grind it was chasing his brainstorms without backup.
A few days ago, Wolf's arrival had eased his workload in certain areas. If he could add this one to the team, he might even free up enough time each day to brew an extra cup of coffee. More importantly, with the Op-Op Fruit, his plan for dealing with his own oversized head would become much simpler.
At the thought, Vegapunk raised his voice and called out to Law, who was already walking toward the exit. "Hey, kid! Want to come work with me? I can teach you everything I know about medicine!"
"Not interested," Law called back without turning.
"What about biology? With my experience, you could use your abilities with far greater skill."
This time, Law did pause for a moment. But before Vegapunk could get his hopes up, the thought of this dangerous place spurred him onward. The knowledge of the world's greatest scientist was tempting, but the risk was too great. He still had a promise to Corazon to fulfill, and he had no intention of dying as part of some reckless pirate crew.
'What a joke,' he thought. 'Even if the Hero of the Marines is blind, Headquarters will discover a force this large sooner or later.'
Better to vanish fast.
He'd only come for Wolf anyway. If the guy wanted to stay, that was that.
Watching Law start walking again, Vegapunk sighed in frustration. Why was this kid so stubborn? He had managed to keep Wolf here with the allure of knowledge, but this one was simply ignoring the man with the world's greatest mind. Did he have no desire to improve?
"Forget it," Vegapunk said with a pout, his tongue hanging out. "If he doesn't want to, I'll just have to do things the hard way myself."
Just as he finished speaking, a sound echoed through the room.
*Purupurupuru...*
A Den Den Mushi was ringing. Dante picked it up, recognizing the Den Den Mushi's altered appearance immediately.
"Daz Bonez, what is it?"
Law heard him answer but paid it no mind, continuing toward the doorway. He was just about to step through when the captain's voice came from behind him again.
"Is the investigation complete? The Donquixote Family is targeting our businesses? Okay, I got it."
The moment those words were spoken, Law stopped dead in his tracks.
Under Vegapunk's puzzled gaze, he turned and walked back. Before the delighted scientist could ask if he was staying, Trafalgar Law looked directly at Dante, his lazy expression gone, replaced by a cold seriousness. "I've thought of the payment I want, "
"No," Dante, already off the line, met his gaze with a grin. "You don't."
At that, Vegapunk's eyes lit up with understanding. He quickly schooled his expression back into one of indifference and nodded at Law. "That's right, young man. Didn't you just say you didn't want any payment?"
A shadow fell over Law's face.
'Are these two really trying to go back on their word?'
===============
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