June 30, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
Inside the noisy tavern, Orion sat quietly, enjoying a mug of beer. Two days had already passed since he had arrived on this island known as Jewel Island, and during that time he had managed to understand the local situation fairly well.
According to what he had learned over the past few days, it had only been a few months since the inhabitants of this island had discovered a large deposit of a strange mineral called Dyna Stones. They had begun to exploit this deposit under the direction of the island's leader, a renowned scientist who had settled here to work with other minerals found in the area.
Apparently, this island was somewhat special, and aside from the recently discovered Dyna Stone deposit, there were also two other large mines from which they extracted minerals that, while not as rare, were still very useful.
The island had originally been founded by a group of scientists who settled here specifically to conduct research on these minerals, and the place itself was not particularly developed, having only several mining towns and two medium-sized cities located on opposite ends of the island.
Since the minerals they had previously been extracting were not especially valuable to pirates or nobles—and beyond their scientific applications for technological development they held little practical use—this island had remained safe from pirate attacks for a long time, despite being located in the middle of the New World.
Even so, it was inevitable that pirates would occasionally reach this place during their voyages across the Grand Line, and although most of the time they did not cause significant trouble, there were always exceptions.
For that reason, the island maintained a small army that had been training for a couple of decades, and it even had some defensive fortifications in the northern city, one of the two largest urban centers on the island.
At the moment, Orion was in the city located in the south, where most of the island's commercial activity took place and where a larger number of non-native people could be found. This was also the city where pirates generally arrived, and Orion had taken advantage of the heavy flow of people to remain unnoticed while investigating the situation.
Interestingly, during his stay here, Orion had noticed the presence of several undercover Cipher Pol agents who were clearly monitoring the area as part of an important mission, most likely related to the new Dyna Stone deposit—the same reason he himself was here.
Orion had decided not to interrogate these agents, as he did not want to alert his enemies to his presence in this place. Even so, thanks to his experience in espionage and his special abilities, he had managed to uncover a bit of information about these agents.
Apparently, they were on standby, waiting for reinforcements from the World Government or the Marines. Orion did not know the size of the force that was about to arrive, nor the degree of importance his enemies were assigning to the matter of this new deposit, but the fact that they had already mobilized to reach Jewel Island was undoubtedly bad news for him.
This time, his mission was to prevent the World Government from taking control of this deposit, as it was a mineral capable of empowering his enemies far too much. Orion had infiltrated the house of one of the mine's supervisors the previous day in search of more detailed information, but he had not managed to obtain much.
All he knew was that Dyna Stones were classified as a powerful energy source and a potential weapon of mass destruction. However, he did not know their specific functioning, nor their extraction or handling methods.
For that reason, Orion had decided to leave this southern city and head north, where the de facto capital of this scientist-led island was located. His plan was to try to establish contact with the leader of the island and gain access to more specific information about Dyna Stones before deciding how to act.
Orion had not yet settled on a plan, but considering that the World Government was already on its way, it was pointless to attempt hiding the existence of this mineral now. Moreover, if he wanted to avoid a direct conflict with the World Government—something he absolutely could not afford at this stage—his only option was to find a way to prevent them from physically accessing the deposit.
Although Orion had not made a final decision yet, he was prepared to take drastic measures, such as attempting to destroy the mineral if necessary, although depending on the information he could obtain in the coming days, he might be able to find a more moderate solution.
Orion finished the beer he had been drinking in a single gulp and stood up, tossing some Berries onto the table to pay the bill. Then he walked toward the entrance of the bar and, after giving Kiko a nod, left without looking back.
Since his Space Gate was still out of commission, Orion could not send the mercenaries away from this place that might soon become a battlefield. However, it was also unwise for them to follow him openly, as they would undoubtedly draw far too much attention.
For that reason, Orion simply ordered Kiko and the other mercenaries to remain in this southern city, alert and ready for a possible call from him. The plan was that once he finished investigating the capital, he would return to pick them up, but if the forces sent by the World Government arrived earlier, he would contact them to instruct them to withdraw from the island.
While walking toward the outskirts of the city, Orion thought about all kinds of possible future events, hoping that no major accident would occur.
…
July 1, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
The following day, Orion arrived at the capital city of Jewel Island, and after altering his appearance with his "Distorted Future" ability, he headed directly to the house of the island's leader, intending to investigate the situation.
As for the reason he had modified his appearance, it was simply because high-ranking Cipher Pol agents would soon be arriving here, and Orion did not want to be recognized by accident by one of them, since that would completely change the nature of the situation.
For now, he could keep a low profile while attempting to solve the issue of the Dyna Stones, but if his identity was discovered, he would surely be mercilessly hunted down by the World Government's soldiers. After all, he had committed all kinds of offenses against them in the past.
Orion entered the home of the island's leader without any trouble, since security was practically nonexistent. He then searched through the files she had stored there, finally managing to find the information he needed.
The Dyna Stones were definitely a resource he could not allow to fall into the hands of the World Government, as even a small fragment had the capacity to cause a massive explosion. A Dyna Stone the size of his palm could likely be strong enough to wipe a small city off the map, which was truly terrifying.
Although Orion had greatly increased his power after so many years of training, he could not survive a sudden attack with that kind of strength, and even if he did survive, these stones were an imminent danger to Pacific Kingdom.
He simply could not allow the World Government to obtain this mineral, as it would endanger his loved ones in the future. On the other hand, after seeing the information the island's leader had regarding these stones, Orion felt that destroying the deposits here would be a terrible waste.
The best scenario would be to acquire the Dyna Stones for his own use, although he would have to think carefully about how to go about it. To begin with, the mission did not have a time limit, so he did not necessarily need to find an immediate solution, although it was true that the more time passed, the harder it would become to get rid of the World Government's presence in this place.
For a moment, Orion considered using the special abilities of his companion beast Nibble, who could dig better than anyone else in this world thanks to his spatial properties. However, taking into account the dangerous nature of the Dyna Stones, he immediately discarded that idea.
According to the information he had just reviewed, these stones were extremely volatile, exploding upon contact with the oxygen in the air. For that reason, if he sent Nibble to dig carelessly in the deposit and triggered a chain explosion, his companion beast would suffer a horrible death.
The people of this island had a special process for excavating the Dyna Stones, but it was quite cumbersome and ineffective. Using that method, there was absolutely no chance that Orion could secure the deposit before the World Government seized it.
Frowning, Orion put all the files back in their place without leaving a trace of his presence, and vanished without a trace. Now that he had the necessary information, it was time to think about his strategy.
…
July 15, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
The large fleet of ships approached the harbor of the capital city of Jewel Island. From the shores of the capital, the sight of this massive fleet of Marine vessels was truly an impressive spectacle for the ordinary people who lived there.
Since the northern city of the island did not have many pirates, the people's reaction was more one of surprise and admiration than fear at the sudden appearance of so many Marines.
Aboard the largest Marine vessel, Vegapunk was doing mathematical calculations in a notebook, paying little attention to his surroundings. He had come here this time only because the World Government had explicitly ordered him to, and he did not want to lose part of his research budget by disobeying orders.
Even so, he had little interest in the new mineral that had been discovered, nor in the possibility of creating weapons from it.
At the moment, Vegapunk was carrying out a large number of simultaneous investigations, to the point that he barely had time to sleep at all. He really could not afford to take on a new line of research just because the World Government demanded it, so he planned to simply do the bare minimum on this occasion, and then entrust the rest of the process to one of his subordinates.
For example, Caesar Clown was usually obsessed with creating new weapons, so perhaps he could trick him into accepting the investigation of this new mineral willingly.
Suddenly, a small girl dressed in a Marine uniform that was clearly too big for her approached Vegapunk and began tapping insistently on his shoulder with her index finger.
Vegapunk paid her no attention, remaining focused on his difficult mathematical calculations, but the girl did not stop, continuing persistently with a deadpan expression on her face.
Finally, after a few moments, Vegapunk could no longer endure the girl's harassment, and pulling his gaze away from his notebook, he turned his gigantic head to focus his attention on the little girl.
"Gamma, what do you want? Can't you see I'm busy?" Vegapunk said, with a hint of irritation in his voice.
Everyone knew they should never interrupt him while he was absorbed in thought, because doing so could mean preventing the creation of some wonderful piece of technology.
None of his subordinates would dare interrupt him in such a manner unless it was a life-or-death situation, and even in circumstances that dire, they would do everything in their power to solve the problem themselves before attempting to disturb the world's greatest genius.
However, there were exceptions to everything in this world, and this small, adorable girl who tried so hard to seem more mature and serious than she actually was, was undoubtedly one of the few people who could afford to intrude on Vegapunk's musings.
After all, she was the first successful clone he had created after being recruited by the World Government, and one of his greatest creations so far. Unlike his earlier clones, which were simply exact copies of their originals, he had been able to physically modify Gamma, making her far more powerful than her original self.
Even so, it had been somewhat disappointing not to have been able to give her the racial traits of the Lunarians, but there was nothing Vegapunk could do about that, as he still had not fully mastered the process of genetic enhancement.
Perhaps if he had had the help of his former colleague Vinsmoke Judge, he might have progressed at a faster pace, but there were limits to what he could accomplish on his own. After all, he was only human, and he could not stretch his time infinitely. He had far too many projects on his hands and so little time, so he would probably need to find a way to solve that inconvenient issue soon.
In any case, little Gamma was one of his greatest works so far, because in addition to her natural potential—which was already quite impressive—she had been physically enhanced to take her to the next level.
If she were given enough time to grow and gain experience, this young girl could definitely reach the level of an admiral in the future, or perhaps even go a step beyond.
"Dr. Vegapunk, I already told you not to call me that. My name is Mitsu," Gamma said, her brow slightly furrowed.
She hated the technical name the scientists had used to designate her, because it made her feel more like an object than a person. For that reason, she had chosen a name she liked, and now demanded that everyone call her that, although Vegapunk and the scientists still called her Gamma most of the time, simply because they were used to it.
"All right, all right, Mitsu, what is it? Why have you come to interrupt my concentration?!" said Vegapunk, who after going two days without sleep was even more irritable than usual.
Mitsu ignored the scientist's foul mood and simply delivered the message she had come to convey, maintaining a perfectly straight posture worthy of an elite soldier.
"Vice Admiral Prodi says we will be arriving at the island shortly. You must prepare to disembark according to protocol."
Vegapunk listened to the girl's words, and lifting his head, saw for the first time the island so close that it was possible to clearly distinguish the people at the harbor. He had been so absorbed in his calculations that he had not realized at all that they had already reached their destination, so Prodi had had no choice but to send Mitsu to summon him.
To the Marines, Vegapunk was practically a diva they had to handle with extreme caution. It was well known that he was one of the World Government's most precious assets, and for that reason no vice admiral or any other Marine present would dare to contradict him or make him angry.
Only two people in this entire great fleet could interact with him without concern: Borsalino and Mitsu.
Obviously, Kizaru would not listen to the request of a colleague of equal rank asking him to go call Vegapunk for disembarkation, since he always tried to perform the minimum amount of work possible. For that reason, Prodi—who had named himself leader of the mission—had no other choice but to ask Mitsu to go speak to Vegapunk.
Annoyed that he had to interrupt his work, Vegapunk abruptly closed his notebook and stood up from the comfortable lounge chair he had been resting on, having to make a real effort to move his gigantic head, which extended several meters above his eyes.
Walking alongside little Mitsu, Vegapunk reached the place where the Marines were gathered on the deck of the large vessel, and he greeted Borsalino, who was standing there with his hands in his pockets and a tired expression on his face.
Then he swept his gaze over the rest of the picturesque group that had been sent this time to carry out the reconnaissance mission on Jewel Island, while his mind worked at full speed, gathering small details that might prove useful about these individuals and extrapolating logical conclusions from them.
In this manner, he could tell that one of the high-ranking soldiers had a severe case of crabs and was probably sleeping with his secretary, he could also determine that one of the Cipher Pol agents was a traitor likely working for forces within the Underworld, and he could even deduce what the Marines had eaten that morning.
He did not do this voluntarily, but rather his mind was always working at full speed, collecting information and forming conclusions of this kind without rest. Most of the time he ended up discarding these data, although it was true that they remained in his mind, ready to be used at any moment.
The mind of the smartest man in the world functioned in quite a particular way, and it could often prove overwhelming for the famous scientist, who despite everything made the most of his Devil Fruit.
On this occasion, besides Vegapunk and his small companion Mitsu, his old acquaintance Borsalino, Vice Admiral Prodi, and Zephyr had come as well, all of them with their respective subordinates.
Borsalino and Prodi had been sent directly to escort Vegapunk and ensure his safety during the journey, whereas Zephyr had come only to accompany his apprentices.
This stern man was a former admiral of the Marines, although after some tragic events many years ago in which he had lost his family at the hands of pirates, he had retired from his position to become an elite instructor.
Even so, his power had not diminished, so his presence during this mission meant they had someone of admiral level among them. Moreover, although nothing had yet been officially announced, there were rumors that Borsalino would soon be promoted to admiral to fill one of the vacant positions that would be left by a current admiral who was about to retire due to advanced age.
It could be said, then, that for this mission, in addition to a large number of Marines and Cipher Pol agents, there were two individuals with admiral-level strength, although neither of them officially held that title. This alone demonstrated the importance the World Government had assigned to this newly discovered Dyna Stone deposit.
Finally, Cipher Pol had dispatched three large groups of agents, belonging to different divisions. The leader in charge of the spies' forces was none other than Spandine, the current head of CP9, who had brought along his useless son Spandam, whom he was training to inherit his position in the future.
In addition, there were other elite agents from CP9 present, among whom Laskey and Kamaya stood out — the two most "loyal" subordinates of Spandine — as well as several new rookies who had begun to make waves within the ranks of the massive organization, the most prominent among them being Yabra and Rob Lucci.
The latter had only recently begun taking on high-profile missions, but he was already known for his cruelty, strength, and effectiveness, so his presence on this mission was not overshadowed in the least by the more veteran elite agents.
After docking at the harbor of Jewel Island's capital city, the Marines began disembarking in an orderly fashion from the numerous ships they had brought on this occasion, and Vegapunk walked along somewhat reluctantly, accompanied by his many bodyguards.
Upon descending onto the pier, they encountered a small group of individuals who had come to receive them: the scientists in charge of this research island.
At the head of the group stood a beautiful woman with green hair and a curvaceous figure, who was precisely the leader of this island: Suzanne. She was welcoming the forces sent by the World Government with a cautious and reserved smile, displaying perfect diplomatic skill.
Vegapunk focused his gaze on her, and immediately recalled the data he had on this woman. Being a well-known scientist with several achievements throughout her academic career, it was obvious that he had an impression of her and her work, and for a moment Vegapunk thought that at least during this mission imposed by the World Government, he might have scientific colleagues with whom to exchange data.
However, the gaze of the world's smartest man did not remain on Suzanne for long, for immediately all his attention shifted to a young man with glasses and short hair who was standing at the back of the group, smiling servilely at the distinguished guests they were receiving.
The scientist's eyes lit up briefly, although he quickly restrained his expression so as not to alert those around him. Then he murmured softly:
"Interesting."