Listening to the fanatical voice coming from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Kizaru was completely numb.
Remembered now? Side effects?
"Doctor..."
Kizaru felt his gums itch with irritation.
"This kind of life-threatening intelligence—why didn't you say so earlier?"
If he had known this guy could transform, he would have given him two sedative shots right at the start, or simply knocked him out and stuffed him in a sack. How could there be so much trouble later?!
"Ah? I didn't say?"
Vegapunk's tone sounded somewhat innocent.
"Oh, maybe there have been too many experiments lately and I forgot in the busyness. You know, as one gets old, the memory is always not very good."
"Besides, with your strength, you can definitely handle such a small scene, right? Hahahaha..."
Listening to that insincere laughter, the veins on Kizaru's forehead finally couldn't help but throb.
Forgot because of being busy? This kind of excuse is fine for fooling a three-year-old child!
You clearly wanted to use me as a guinea pig to test the actual combat data of this green monster, right?!
"Vegapunk..."
Kizaru's voice turned completely cold. Even that signature slow-paced tone was gone.
"Don't pull that crap with me. Do you know how dangerous it was just now? That guy almost tore me apart alive!"
"And..."
Kizaru glanced at his scrapped, high-end custom suit.
"This suit of mine is a limited edition. And the demolition fee for this island, the wear and tear of the warship, and my mental damage fee... how do we calculate these?"
Vegapunk, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, seemed to be eating something. He said indistinctly:
"Oh, for administrative matters like this, go talk to Sengoku. I'm only responsible for scientific research. Besides, you are a Marine Admiral; isn't maintaining justice what you should do?"
"Justice?"
Kizaru sneered.
"Justice also has a cost! I don't care. The difficulty level of this mission is seriously over the limit! This is information fraud!"
"If it's calculated based on the previous salary, I can't do this job anymore!"
Kizaru sat on the ground, adopting the rogue posture of 'if you don't give me money, I'll go on strike.'
"You'll have to pay extra! Must pay extra! And it has to be a super double! Otherwise, come pick up this person yourself!"
On the other end of the line, Vegapunk seemed to be choked by Kizaru's sudden tough attitude.
Is this still the slacker Admiral who usually has 'how scary' and 'I don't know' on his lips? It seems he was really pushed to his limit this time.
"Fine, fine, fine..."
Vegapunk sighed helplessly.
"Pay extra, pay extra, okay? I will apply for a special fund from Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Consider it your... um, overtime pay? And work injury compensation?"
Hearing the words 'pay extra,' the cloudy expression on Kizaru's face instantly turned sunny. His sleazy wrinkles bunched up together again.
"Yee~ That's more like it, Doctor. After all, everyone is working for justice. We also need to eat."
Having received a satisfactory answer, Kizaru's mood suddenly became much more pleasant. Although the process was a bit thrilling, as long as the money was in place, those few blows just now were not unacceptable.
"However..."
Vegapunk's tone suddenly shifted, becoming a bit more serious.
"I can give you the money, but you must keep a close eye on the person. The gamma energy inside Dr. Banner is very unstable. If he loses control again... I think even you wouldn't want to fight that green monster again, right?"
Hearing this, Kizaru subconsciously shrank his neck. He glanced at the thin man at his feet, a flash of deep apprehension in his eyes.
Don't want to. Absolutely don't want to.
That kind of barbarian fighting style with only brute force is simply a nightmare for an elegant "light-man"!
"Don't worry, Doctor."
Kizaru pulled out a pair of special Sea Stone handcuffs from his pocket. Although he didn't know if Sea Stone had a suppressing effect on this kind of mutation, it was better than nothing.
"Click!"
The handcuffs firmly locked Banner's thin wrists.
"Before returning to Headquarters, I will watch him every step of the way. Even if he goes to the toilet, I will be next to him handing him paper. I absolutely won't let him have any... chance for his heart rate to accelerate!"
Hanging up the phone, Kizaru looked at the empty sea and suddenly felt a bit of a headache.
The island is gone. The warship doesn't dare to get too close. How to get back? Do I have to carry this guy and fly back?
Just then, on the distant sea, a broken wooden plank was bobbing with the waves. On top of it seemed to be a lump of... charred meatball?
"Hmm?"
Kizaru adjusted his broken sunglasses and looked closely.
Isn't that "Drought" Jack? This guy actually hasn't died yet? Should I say he's worthy of being an Ancient Zoan? This vitality is almost on par with a cockroach.
"Well... since I ran into him, I'll just catch him while I'm at it. Buy one get one free. It's also a good way to claim more travel expenses from Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Kizaru stood up, picked up Banner from the ground, and turned into a golden light, flying towards the timid Marine warship in the distance that was hesitant to approach.
This mission was really a big loss...
New World, Egghead.
This place gathers super-technology that is exactly five hundred years ahead of the current world. Above the clouds, in the massive Labophase laboratory.
"Click."
Vegapunk—or rather, Vegapunk's main body, "Stella"—casually threw the golden Den Den Mushi back onto the table.
On that huge head, his eyes were flashing with an incredibly fanatical light. Even that long tongue couldn't help but stick out, excitedly licking his lips.
"Although that guy Borsalino keeps complaining... But... this experimental data is simply too perfect!"
Vegapunk turned around, his hands moving quickly in the air.
On a huge holographic screen in front of him, dense data streams instantly popped up, as well as video footage that was a bit shaky but possessed high clarity.
That was the real-time combat footage transmitted back by the monitoring equipment Kizaru was carrying.
In the picture, that green hulking man was braving the rain of light bullets, slamming Jack in his mammoth form like a morning star! That kind of pure violent aesthetic, that shocking sensation without any fancy techniques—only extreme power—even through the screen, it could make one feel a sense of suffocation!
"Heart rate... 200 beats per minute... 300 beats... 400 beats?!"
"Incredible! As the heart rate soars, the energy reaction in the body actually increases exponentially?!"
"And there is no wavelength reaction of any Devil Fruit! It completely relies on the mutation of physical cells!"
Vegapunk danced with joy in the laboratory like a child who had just received a new toy.
"Is this the beneficial mutation caused by gamma rays? Is this the power of anger? Bruce Banner... you really are a genius! To be able to turn that lethal radiation into a key for evolution!"
As the man known to possess the world's strongest brain, Vegapunk knew very well what this meant. It meant that human physical evolution had opened a completely new path!
"If the genetic code within can be cracked, I can create true 'Super Soldiers'! Even the current 'Seraphim' project, in front of this green monster, probably seems a bit immature!"