After joining the Navy's Science Division, just like Vegapunk, Hughes also received a summons from the Five Elders.
If Vegapunk earned the Ibel Peace Prize for inventing the "flowers blooming in gunpowder," the GPFlower—
Then Hughes, who invented the E.S. pills and made wars bloodier, became the least welcome recipient in the history of the Ibel Peace Prize.
Even so, the Five Elders gave him high marks.
In their words, "The World Government needs talent like you!"
The meeting was short, but both sides got along pleasantly.
The Five Elders hoped he would continue developing the E.S. pills—
Striving to make the effect more controllable and to reduce side effects as much as possible.
The results would become a secret weapon for suppressing upheaval across the seas.
Hughes also got what he wanted: a massive research budget he could allocate at will.
For Hughes, who had already developed a gene serum, improving a body-enhancement drug was practically child's play.
But he couldn't just slap the final product straight onto their faces.
That would certainly highlight his value—yet it would also push those insatiable powers-that-be to squeeze even more of his time and energy.
He had thrown in with the World Government, but that didn't mean he would fawn over them with all his might.
At the end of the day, the two sides were in a "partnership."
A project he could keep on a leash? Perfect.
Once the time was ripe, he would toss out a fresh result to show his sincerity—
So they wouldn't think he was just milking the grant.
There's a phrase for it: "hoarding rare goods for the right buyer."
He had to act like a patient fisherman, dropping hooks bit by bit, scattering bait by the handful.
To that end, the E.S. pills saw a 1.0 and then a 2.0 release.
Version 1.0 reduced the drug's potency; it didn't multiply one's strength.
Instead, it offered small, graded boosts—ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent—kept within what the human body could withstand.
If the two sides in a fight were close in strength, you could take the 1.0.
Version 2.0 kept the original power but advanced the onset of side effects,
Avoiding the massive lifespan loss caused by overuse.
When the effect wore off, the user would collapse with total muscle failure accompanied by searing pain.
The more pills swallowed, the shorter the burst window, and the harsher the crash afterward.
You had to dose according to your own condition.
Otherwise, downing a whole handful could make your body blow apart on the spot.
Show your value, and naturally the World Government will invest more in you.
With heaps of gold from the Government in hand, he bought a trove of curious gadgets from the system.
It was just that, living under the Government's nose, many things weren't suitable to pull out and study for now—
They were simply too shocking.
Add to that the fact that the people around him were some of the smartest in this world; you couldn't fool them easily.
So, ideally, he needed fools at his side.
He needed new partners.
Aside from the Navy, that only left pirates.
The Revolutionary Army had just risen and was dirt poor—strike them out.
And some of his research needed human testing;
Who knew what kind of mess that would stir up when the time came.
Among pirates, at the very top—those with the bearing of future emperors—
Whitebeard only cared about adopting sons, had zero interest; not worth considering.
That left only the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.
Ever since MADS disbanded, Queen had cozied up to Kaido.
And two tigers can't share one mountain; he had no wish to approach the Beasts just to be mocked by Queen.
The Big Mom Pirates then?
Honestly, he didn't want to deal with that madwoman.
But he had to admit, among all pirate crews, the Big Mom Pirates had the deepest resources.
And they lacked a top-tier scientist.
Her dream was to make everyone's body as big as hers, to dine as equals around the table.
"Jintai Kyodaihka no Gijutsu (Human Gigantification Technology)"—that was what she wanted.
Within the bounds of this seafaring world alone, cracking that tech was indeed difficult.
But his confidence came from the myriad worlds behind his system!
The simplest route was a bloodline-modification serum.
Its essence was gene grafting: by using a giant's bloodline to craft a gene-fusion serum, a human would, at the root, become a giant.
After that, they'd only need massive caloric intake for natural growth.
In addition, from the One Punch world—"Nitouki no Ou (King of Biceps)," an ultimate anabolic compound:
An ordinary person who took it would balloon rapidly, turning into a giant hundreds of meters tall in a short time.
At that point, the law of conservation of energy lost all color.
A single punch from such a giant could level half a city with ease—on the seas, it would rival the three Ancient Weapons.
Oars, the colossal "Nation-Puller," wouldn't even reach its knee, like a child.
Even Tiga showing up might end in a single slap.
You could call it the most perfect giant-form serum.
There was also the " Titan serum" from the Attack on Titan world,
Whose main component was a titan's spinal fluid.
This special drug turned people into mindless titans—
Driven by a primal urge to devour humans, born from an instinct to become human again.
These giants, who retained only the most basic feeding instinct, were well-suited as bioweapons.
If he really partnered with Big Mom, what he intended to offer was this last one.
Anything else would feed them too well.
He had no intention of playing the great philanthropist.
There was, in fact, another man who was desperate for top scientists.
Shiki of the Flying Pirates.
But ever since he escaped the great underwater prison, he had vanished without a trace.
Even the World Government didn't know his movements, let alone Reinhardt, who didn't even have a proper crew yet.
Finding him was a fool's dream.
First-tier prospects gone. Second-tier?
The Golden Emperor hadn't risen yet; if the man were already the future king of the underworld who ruled with money,
He'd be the best collaborator—provided he had the vision.
Given the current climate, only that "Flamingo" barely caught the eye.
What a headache. If not for the hassle, he'd just go solo.
(End of Chapter)
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