Chapter 47: Vegapunk's Laboratory (Part 2)
"Wah! How gross~" Porche, the youngest of the group, jumped in fright when she saw the eyeball hanging from a hook—blurting out a line that would become her future catchphrase.
"Careful not to break anything. This place was used by Vegapunk to build mechanical beasts and weaponry."
"…Yes, Captain," she replied softly as she approached. Being just a young girl, she was understandably shaken by the sight of something so creepy.
Da Vinci picked up a schematic from a nearby table. "So these are the weapon designs stored in this lab…" She examined the blueprint carefully, then moved on to another.
"…Truly amazing. From human cells and animal modifications to missile systems and warship construction—he covered countless disciplines. How does one brain manage all this?"
"Well, don't you also have remarkable achievements in painting, music, architecture, mathematics, geometry, anatomy, physiology, zoology, botany, astronomy, meteorology, geology, geography, physics, optics, mechanics, invention, and civil engineering?" Eric played the role of the perfect hype man.
"Of course. I am the perfect genius Da Vinci, after all!"
"Ah, so this is that legendary Versailles-style bragging."
Bonk! Bonk! Bonk!
Though she didn't know Haki, Da Vinci still managed to thump three big lumps on Eric 's head with her fists—each nearly the size of his cheeks.
"Oh my, poor thing." Kurumi grabbed some ice from the lab and gently pressed it against the swelling.
"First, we'll use the lab's equipment to run a full diagnostic on the mechanical beasts we captured. I want to see whether their organic tissue and mechanical components have any synergistic effects—or signs of rejection," Da Vinci said, eager to dissect Vegapunk's creations.
"Hmm? With so many mechanical beasts, it must've taken Vegapunk a long time to make them, right? Surely he compiled a ton of experimental data. Shouldn't we look for that data to improve future designs?" Eric , in a rare moment of brilliance, made a very reasonable suggestion.
"Oh? I thought your brain had turned to marshmallow from all that sweet sweet romance. Guess there's still something usable in there," Da Vinci said with professional seriousness—a stark contrast to her usual teasing big-sister persona.
"W-What sweet romance?! Marshmallow brain?! Are you saying I'm soft and squishy?!" Eric cried, caught red-handed.
"Oh? So you even understood the deeper implication? I'll need to make my jabs more refined next time, more poetic—so you won't even realize you're being roasted."
"The weapons and devices implanted in these animals are integrated so well, it's like they were part of them from the beginning. Judging by the lab's condition, it hasn't been maintained in years. Could it be these mechanical beasts can repair themselves?"
They examined one of each type based on size (large mammoths, mid-sized tigers, smaller wolves) and movement (bipedal gorillas, slow quadrupedal rhinos, fast quadrupedal leopards).
"I'll install trackers in them. Captain, use lightning to destroy one minor internal component. Akame, slash the exterior plating but don't hit anything underneath. Chiron, use arrows to pierce both surface and interior components."
"Got it." The three did their best to control their strength.
"Alright, let's release them. Based on this world's healing speed, we'll need to inspect them daily. Kurumi, I'll leave the recapturing to you."
"Understood. Eric and I will go together, of course—we can spend some quality time." Kurumi never missed a chance to Dragon him along.
"Um… do I have a task too?" Porche, practically invisible, raised her hand halfway and looked timid. Every a smiled at her innocent gesture.
"Hm, come give me a back massage," Da Vinci said, seizing the opportunity to be pampered while also teasing her.
"Hey! Can you take this seriously for once?!" Eric shouted, then turned to Porche, who was preparing to do as she was told. "Don't listen to her. You're not a servant. Here, listen to your big bro—give me a massage instead."
BONK!
Just as the three lumps on Eric 's head had healed, Akame gave him another one. "You're just as unserious."
Akame took Porche's hand. "Come on, let's go cook."
"Okay."
Akame really was a doting big sister. Eric suddenly remembered her younger sister from her original world—Kurome. He made a mental note to summon her someday.
…
During their stay in Future Nation, Chiron resumed his teaching role—this time, instructing the crew on how to use Haki. Since Porche and Mont Blanc Cricket were original One Piece characters, not summoned by Eric , their Haki progress wasn't visible in the system interface. But it looked like they'd just started and could use it, albeit clumsily.
Kurumi, being both talented and intelligent, picked up Haki almost as quickly as Akame had.
[Name: Kurumi Tokisaki]
[Age: 16]
[Physique: 2 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 2 Stars]
[Marksmanship: 5 Stars]
[Armament Haki: 1 Star]
[Observation Haki: 1.5 Stars]
[Devil Fruit: 6 Stars]
Even Da Vinci, who squeezed in lessons between synthesizing new materials with her Swallow-Swallow Fruit and testing them, managed to pick up both Haki types.
[Name: Leonardo da Vinci]
[Physique: 2 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 1 Star]
[Swordsmanship: 1 Star]
[Marksmanship: 1 Star]
[Armament Haki: 1 Star]
[Observation Haki: 1.5 Stars]
[Devil Fruit: 5.5 Stars]
All her usage of powers had even boosted her Devil Fruit rating by half a star.
Akame, whose Observation Haki was already advanced, focused on Armament Haki instead. She'd heard that the world's top blades were dyed black with Haki. Her goal was to elevate her Muramasa to a Great Grade sword—or even Supreme Grade.
[Name: Akame]
[Age: 15]
[Physique: 4.5 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 2 Stars]
[Swordsmanship: 6 Stars]
[Armament Haki: 2.5 Stars]
[Observation Haki: 4 Stars]
Looking at her stats, and then comparing them to his own, Eric couldn't help but feel like a washed-up side character:
[Physique: 4 Stars]
[Martial Arts: 1.5 Stars]
[Swordsmanship: 3.5 Stars]
[Marksmanship: 1.5 Stars]
[Armament Haki: 2 Stars]
[Observation Haki: 1.5 Stars] (Rumble-Rumble Fruit enhances Haki range, but doesn't increase its attribute)
[Devil Fruit: 4 Stars]
His Physique and Armament Haki came from getting pounded by Chiron. Observation Haki was earned by dodging Kurumi's dual pistols. Devil Fruit power rose from assisting Da Vinci's experiments. Pitiful, but also somehow satisfying.
Next up were Da Vinci's various scientific studies and experiments.
(END CHAPTER)
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