Borsalino was indeed easy to get along with. He was laid-back, free of political scheming or backroom deals, the kind of person well-suited to be a friend.
But it was precisely because of his ambiguous sense of justice that he could move between sides so easily.
When Mary Geoise needed him, he didn't refuse. When people like Ortoren came with less-than-upright requests, he didn't refuse them either. By offending no one, he managed to coast along like a salted fish.
Since Borsalino had already confirmed things with Admiral Sengoku, Ortoren stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "Get me a copy of the technical data on combining Seastone with warships. I'll pack it up when I leave. How about it?"
Sitting at his desk, Borsalino picked up a blank sheet of paper. Nodding, he replied, "No problem. But we need to outline the proper procedures first. That way, if something goes wrong later, it won't come back to me..."
"You really hate getting into trouble, don't you?" Ortoren chuckled.
"You're far too reckless. I'm honestly afraid that if I get tangled up in your mess, it'll blow up into some massive disaster. Spare me, Ortoren. I just want to live like a salted fish—what's so wrong with that?" Borsalino grumbled while scribbling across the page.
Before long, he finished the draft and handed it to Ortoren. "Here. This should work, right?"
Ortoren took the paper and read it over. Hmm... The Science Division, upon request from Headquarters, would collaborate with the G-5 Marines to test Seastone warship technology in the New World, verifying whether it truly met standards and could improve safety at sea.
In other words, Borsalino had supposedly communicated with Headquarters and, at their request, authorized G-5 to use the technology. G-5 wouldn't be doing this for Ortoren's personal plans, like developing routes through the Calm Belt, but for the good of the entire Navy—taking on the risks of untested technology in the name of experimentation.
This—this was the pioneering spirit of scientific exploration!
"Good, good. Let's do it this way. No problem," Ortoren said with a satisfied nod.
He didn't care about the formalities anyway. As long as the results matched what he wanted, that was enough.
Seeing that Ortoren had no objections, Borsalino took the draft back, walked to the door, and called out. Moments later, a Marine Captain entered. Borsalino handed him the document. "Make arrangements. Compile all related technical data and deliver the full set to Vice Admiral Benn's warship."
The Captain accepted without hesitation, gave a crisp reply, and left to carry out the order.
With the matter handled, Borsalino and Ortoren went back to chatting in the office. Ortoren was genuinely curious about the technologies of the Science Division, often probing to see if there was anything he could put to use.
Borsalino was candid. Anything that wasn't top-secret or restricted for outside disclosure, he explained.
After listening for a while, Ortoren asked, "Just talking about it doesn't help me much. I'm not like you—I don't have a doctorate. If it's convenient, why not take me to see the actual products instead?"
Borsalino shot him a glare. "If you want, I can arrange for you to get a PhD right here. Dr. Vegapunk would probably be thrilled to use you as a test subject."
"Hahaha, no need! I'm just a simple man," Ortoren laughed heartily, waving the idea off.
After teasing him, Borsalino didn't refuse the request. He led Ortoren out of the office toward the research labs.
The two first passed through a long, narrow corridor before officially leaving the administrative zone and entering the research sector.
The moment they stepped inside, all sorts of high-tech equipment came into view. Ortoren also saw countless scientists in white coats, busily working and moving about.
Naturally, Punk Hazard wasn't only home to Dr. Vegapunk. It housed many scientists who had long served under the World Government. Vegapunk was simply the most brilliant among them.
Before a display case, Borsalino stopped and pointed inside. "Take a look. What do you think that is?"
Ortoren studied it for a moment. "A dagger?"
Exactly. Inside the case sat a dagger, nothing more at first glance.
"On the surface, it's a dagger," Borsalino said as he keyed in a mechanical code to unlock the case. He lifted the weapon and added, "But in truth, it's a Devil Fruit user..."
As he spoke, Borsalino pressed something on the hilt. With a sharp click, the dagger shifted shape, transforming into a chameleon-like lizard. Its scales shifted rapidly, blending perfectly with the surroundings until it seemed to vanish altogether.
"How about that? Pretty impressive, huh? An invisible chameleon dagger..." Borsalino said with a grin.
"This the Devil Fruit Materialization Transmission Technology you mentioned earlier?" Ortoren asked curiously.
"Exactly." Borsalino nodded. "The technology came from Devil Fruit research, built on some of the theories behind the Life Blueprint. But the cost-effectiveness is terrible. Aside from a handful of prototypes, the project's been shelved."
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Since the technical barrier is fairly low, Dr. Vegapunk suspects that others from the old MADS research team might have managed to replicate it as well..."
Ortoren nodded slightly. Indeed, in terms of cost-effectiveness, this was a waste. Using a Devil Fruit just to forge a Devil Fruit-based object... Take this chameleon as an example. Wouldn't it be more worthwhile to let someone eat the fruit and train them into an elite assassin, instead of producing a dagger that turns invisible?
It was only useful to the wealthy with eccentric tastes, or those with status and authority but lacking personal strength, who needed such external tools to make up for it.
Having satisfied his curiosity, Ortoren quickly lost interest. The two moved on to another display case, where Ortoren's gaze fell on a strange-looking Devil Fruit.
Normally, Devil Fruits looked somewhat grotesque in form. This one had the usual odd patterns, yet it lacked that menacing quality—instead giving off a smooth, almost elegant appearance.
"An artificial Devil Fruit," Borsalino said, eyes on the case. "But according to Dr. Vegapunk, it's a failure. You might not believe it, but guess what ability it holds?"
A thought flickered through Ortoren's mind—he had a guess. But keeping a calm expression, he asked, "Whose?"
"Uo Uo no Mi, Mythical Zoan: Model: Seiryu..." Borsalino sighed. "Back in the day, after the Rocks Pirates disbanded, Kaidou repeatedly provoked the World Government and the Marines. We captured him several times, and during those arrests we obtained small samples of his blood for research. When Dr. Vegapunk joined us, he used Lineage Factor technology on the last traces of Kaidou's blood to create this artificial Devil Fruit."
"Kaidou's ability? Now that's impressive... a Mythical Zoan," Ortoren said, visibly intrigued.
"Mary Geoise was very interested in it. I remember at least five formal requests demanding Dr. Vegapunk hand it over. He rejected them all," Borsalino said with a laugh.
"You're the real head of the Science Division. Why not just give you the order directly?" Ortoren teased.
"Even though we did drag Dr. Vegapunk here by force back then, Mary Geoise still respects his will. They're not willing to risk souring relations over one Devil Fruit. After weighing his stance, they gave up on seizing it," Borsalino explained.
"So what makes it a failure? Is it that far off from Kaidou's real ability?" Ortoren asked again.
"No one knows for sure—we never tested it. But according to the Doctor, the flaw is... the Azure Dragon turns pink instead of blue. The color's off. And for a scientist, precision is everything. So... calling it a failure isn't wrong." Borsalino couldn't help but joke.
Ortoren could only give a silent thumbs up in his head.
He honestly didn't know how to even begin mocking Dr. Vegapunk's level of "scientific rigor."
...
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