While the whole world was discussing Link becoming Pirate World No. 1 and perhaps the strongest man of the new era
the man at the center of attention headed with Pudding into Egghead's separate space.
Along with them were Nami, Nojiko, and Yafelandora.
"Captain, what is this island?"
It was Pudding's first time on Egghead, and the technologized island stunned her.
"This is Vegapunk's turf. His research institute is up there." Link pointed to the island cloud in the sky.
"So this is the domain of the world's foremost scientist."
Pudding understood at once.
Vegapunk, said to be five hundred years ahead of humanity, might not be known in detail by many, but his name was known to nobles and commoners alike.
He had invented far too much. The Marines' technology for crossing the Calm Belt, and the Pacifista exposed by the World Government and Marines not long ago, were all Vegapunk's handiwork.
If this was the strongest scientist's territory, then such a futuristic island was easy to understand.
Then Pudding seemed to realize something and suddenly asked, "Captain, can I use my fruit ability to read Vegapunk's brain and obtain some technical memories?"
Link looked approving. "Good. Even smarter than I imagined."
"Hee-hee Don't worry and leave it to me. I won't disappoint you."
Knowing it was time to prove herself, Pudding played the cute girl, patting her ample chest with a smile.
"Mm. Sorry for what comes next." Link smiled as well.
Soon, Link brought Pudding into the lab where Vegapunk's brain was stored.
Just as Pudding was rolling up her sleeves to perform well, she heard Link say, "Pudding, lend me your body."
"Eh?"
Pudding blinked, not yet reacting, as Link formed a hand seal. A blue spirit, like the Paramecia Soul-Soul Fruit, flew from the top of Link's head and seeped into her body.
A few seconds later, Pudding's eyes and expression changed. Link had seized control of her body.
"A Devil Fruit ability. As wondrous as chakra."
Sensing the special power within, Link sighed softly.
Then he nodded to the three women. "Begin."
"Right."
The three nodded obediently.
Nojiko opened a small air door. Nami released an electromagnetic field and waves, jamming the surveillance transponder-snail signals in the lab.
Yafelandora unfolded a surgical domain, drew the dagger at her waist, and, across the little air door, traced several light cuts.
The lab holding Vegapunk's brain was instantly stripped from the institute by an invisible rule-like power.
Nami tossed a coin. Yafelandora whispered, "Transfer."
In the next second, the coin vanished, and the scene before Link's group changed in a blink.
When Nojiko closed the air door, the outside lab was gone. In the pocket space, the lab's green hue turned into the full colors of reality.
Yafelandora had used her space ability to swap the lab's position with the coin.
The lab's disappearance caused an uproar at the institute above Egghead.
Vegapunk and several satellites rushed over at once.
They discussed the lab's vanishing. The traces of stripping and transfer were obvious signs of a space ability.
There were not a few Devil Fruit users with space abilities in the world.
Perhaps because the theft of Hancock's vial had not been discovered, Vegapunk and the satellites did not guess Link for the moment.
They did not know that, in the pocket dimension behind reality, Link stood beside the brain and was using the Paramecia Memory-Memory Fruit to extract Vegapunk's memories, searching for the method to create a perfect clone.
Vegapunk's brain was especially large, several times taller than the one-meter-ninety Link.
As the world's greatest brain, it also stored the world's greatest library, with every kind of knowledge within.
To find the perfect-clone data in that ocean of knowledge would take quite some time.
That was why Link had Yafelandora transfer the lab into the separate space.
Otherwise, with signals merely jammed, Vegapunk and the satellites would have discovered it quickly.
Then they would certainly have stopped Link.
Time ticked by. Link pulled strip after strip of film from the world's greatest brain, like spooling tape.
On those reels were Vegapunk's experiences, knowledge drawn from books, and scenes of experiments.
No one knew how long it took before Link finally found memories of MADS successfully cloning Stussy.
He centered on that part of the memory and began searching. Soon he found Vegapunk's summarized notes.
Link pulled all of those memories out from the brain, then used the Memory-Memory Fruit to edit them and stuffed the compiled memories into the brain now housed within Pudding's body.
After securing one part of the memories, Link did not stop. He continued to sift.
Before long, Link found the memories on how to build the cloning machine and transferred those into the brain once more.
When this was done, Link nodded to the three women. "That will do. Put the lab back."
"Right."
They nodded again.
Yafelandora used spatial transfer to change position.
Nojiko opened a small air door again. Nami released the field and waves to jam signals.
At last, Yafelandora sent the lab back out.
When Nami lifted the jamming, the lab reappeared out of thin air on Egghead and was soon discovered by Vegapunk and the satellites.
They hurried to relocate the brain, afraid the fluid soaking it might have issues that would lead to necrosis.
As for who had stolen the lab and what had been done to the brain, Vegapunk had no time to care.
But this matter would surely reach the Five Elders soon.
After all, one of Vegapunk's satellites was a traitor to the Celestial Dragons.
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