Thatch and the others descended from the sky and began their work. Atmos had encountered them on the way and now placed the Mother Flame on the ship.
After dealing with Kizaru and the others, Roy returned to Punk Records and saw the fused forms of Shaka, Pythagoras, Edison, and Atlas.
"I'm really not used to seeing you all like this," Roy chuckled.
"We don't like it either, but the Five Elders are just too despicable. However, you killed York, and now our senses have returned.'m so hungry… I feel like I need to take a dump!" the four Vegapunk satellites spoke in overlapping voices.
"Lilith has severed her connection to Punk Records now, right?" Roy asked.
"Yes, she's cut off. From now on, she'll be an independent entity," Shaka replied.
"And what about you all? What do you plan to do?" Roy asked.
"We'll guard Punk Records first. After that, we plan to head to Weatheria," said Pythagoras.
"Without tools at hand, we can't continue our research or develop products. It's torture," Edison complained.
"Enough already! I want to know, has the original body truly died?" Atlas snapped.
"He should still be alive. He has other backup measures he never told you about. Before you even existed, he had already created another copy of himself," Roy explained.
"I see… that makes sense. Then we understand. What about you? How's your body holding up? Can that fruit be suppressed?" Shaka asked.
The four had watched Roy's battle through Punk Records. Shaka had already recovered some of his erased memories, and since he knew, the other three were also aware of Roy's situation.
"I'm not sure if I can suppress it yet. Can you run some tests for me?" Roy asked.
"Of course. The labs on Egghead are still operational for your examination. We'll leave before the World Government arrives," Pythagoras said.
"Alright, go ahead and run the tests," Roy nodded.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates had captured all the Marines, including Kizaru himself.
Seeing Kizaru willingly surrender, the other vice admirals were furious.
"Do you think the World Government is just or.... evil?" Kizaru suddenly asked them.
Led by Doberman, the Marine vice admirals fell silent.
Doberman was not blindly loyal. On the contrary, he was a Marine with a strong sense of justice, at least capable of thinking for himself.
Originally, he should have been half-beaten to death by Elder Saturn for questioning their decission . The fact that he dared to question them showed he had the ability to think independently.
Faced with Kizaru's question, none of them answered.
If what Vegapunk had said was true, then the war that began 900 years ago had never ended. The World Government had even used an Ancient Weapon to obliterate the entire Lulusia Kingdom.
Then what were they, as Marines, supposed to do? Continue upholding the Celestial Dragons' reign of terror over the world?
Were the actions of the Marines truly just?
They had joined the Marines to uphold justice, to strive for world peace, to protect the seas, to shelter the weak, and to safeguard the kind of people they once were.
But after joining the Marines, what did they encounter?
Corruption in the middle ranks, decay in Marine bases and fortresses across the world.
Ever since Luffy's journey began in the East Blue, the Marines' image had been one of cruelty, Axe-Hand Morgan, Captain Nezumi… not a single good example.
When civilians began cheering for pirates instead of the Marines, something was deeply wrong.
Why was it that when the Marines, supposed champions of justice and protectors of peace, fought, the world booed, yet when pirates triumphed, the people rejoiced?
When Vice Admiral T-Bone, who truly embodied justice and compassion, was murdered by common folk, the answer was clear:
The Marines were no longer the symbol of justice.
Kizaru's simple question struck like a blade, forcing them into painful reflection.
Were the Marines still the Marines they had once envisioned? Especially after seeing the Five Elders and the way they had killed Vegapunk.
Meanwhile, in the laboratory, Roy was prepared. He stripped completely and lay inside a glass tank, covered with countless wires and a breathing tube in his mouth. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought he was a specimen.
The four Vegapunks busied themselves. They had separated again, Pythagoras and Edison focused on scanning Roy's body, while Shaka and Atlas began preparing equipment for evacuation. They planned to take Punk Records and whatever they could carry.
"I'll take the Mother Flame first. Your island cloud generator probably isn't as powerful as Pluton's, right?" Roy said from inside the experimental tank.
"We've never seen Pluton, so we can't say how powerful its capability really is," Pythagoras admitted.
"I'll test it myself," Roy said with a grin.
"Send us the experimental data," Pythagoras requested.
"Sure."
"By the way, the fruit you've named 'Black Sun', if you keep experimenting, you might actually erase its malevolence entirely," Edison noted.
"There's no time. If I completely purge its evil will, the fruit itself may lose its power altogether," Roy replied.
"Is that your experimental conclusion?" Edison asked.
"No. Just instinct," Roy said firmly.
"From our analysis, the black flames you wield aren't really fire at all, they're dark matter," Edison explained.
"I suspected as much. You're certain?" Roy asked calmly.
"Yes, it's the devouring nature of dark matter, but stronger than the Dark-Dark Fruit. These flames are more like a corrosion that can erode everything. If targeted at Devil Fruits, they can even completely corrode the fruit's abilities, erasing the existence of a fruit," Pythagoras explained.
"Erase a Devil Fruit? So, if a Devil Fruit user is killed by it, their fruit ability won't regenerate?" Roy asked, surprised.
"Exactly. We looked into the two deceased Elders. The reason their fruits didn't transfer might be because their abilities didn't belong to them, or it's possible that their fruits were erased by you. We need to conduct an experiment," Edison said.
"What kind of experiment?"
"Kill a Devil Fruit user."
Soon, Atlas brought in a monkey. This monkey was a boxer who had eaten the Monkey-Monkey Fruit, Model: Macaque.
Roy engulfed it in his black flames. The fruit should have respawned into a nearby apple, but nothing happened.
"Did it vanish completely?" Roy gasped.
"It's gone. Not reborn in this dimension. Likely returned to another realm. Your ability might make it so that Devil Fruits no longer exist in this world!" Edison theorized.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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