"Is Dr. Vegapunk here?" Magellan clutched his stomach, having just come from the restroom. He looked like a demon—black bat-like wings on his back, horns on his head. He stared at the real Bartholomew Kuma standing before him.
It was said the Pacifistas had been perfected. Now, an emotionless Bartholomew Kuma was hardly different from an ordinary Pacifista.
The only difference was that he was slightly stronger. After all, he could no longer use Haki. All he had left was his modified body and his Devil Fruit ability.
Magellan had come this time to bring Kuma back to Marine Headquarters. He heard the World Government had taken an interest in him. Magellan had no objections; he was merely carrying out orders.
"The doctor is conducting experiments. No one is allowed to disturb him," Kuma replied, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Because his genetic composition had an extremely high compatibility with the lineage factor technology of human modification, and after fusion became perfectly powerful, he was turned into this? What a pitiful Shichibukai..." Magellan looked at Bartholomew Kuma with some regret.
Even a Shichibukai, once needed by those above, could only obediently become a test subject. Though it was said he had volunteered to some extent, what difference would it make even if he hadn't?
Thinking of the Shichibukai reminded Magellan of Blackbeard and Shiryu, and shame overwhelmed him to the point he wished to take his own life in atonement.
Although he had ultimately been defeated by a siege, defeat was defeat. It was precisely because of his failure that many pirates had escaped.
"I hope the Warden doesn't do anything rash again." Several jailers accompanying Magellan, responsible for escorting prisoners, looked at his listless state with concern.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had assigned Magellan to oversee the safety of the scientific department's base precisely to keep him occupied and dispel thoughts of doing something foolish.
Though Magellan had failed in his duty, his combat power was tremendous, and he had already done everything he could. If he were to commit suicide out of guilt, such strength would be wasted.
"Sigh…" Thinking of what had happened not long ago, Magellan's mindset had improved since the beginning, yet whenever he recalled it, he could not help but sigh.
With that sigh, poisonous gas spilled from his mouth and spread into the surroundings.
"Quick, put on gas masks!" The prison guards swiftly took out their masks and put them on with practiced ease.
The Marines responsible for reception nearby froze for a moment. As the poison mist spread, their eyes rolled back and they all collapsed.
…
"This island is too strange. Look—that's a dragon, right?" Hathaway pointed at a lake on the island. A massive, muscular dragon with wings roared fiercely, spewing flames over the lake. The fire covered the entire surface, and soon many scalded fish floated up.
Around the fire dragon stood numerous guards in metallic protective suits, watching it vigilantly, holding devices capable of unleashing powerful electric shocks at any moment.
"Don't be impulsive." Rosen pressed down on the eager Hathaway. Every swordsman harbored a dream of slaying a dragon. The creature looked arrogant and domineering; Hathaway wanted to draw her blade and cut it down, but Rosen stopped her.
"The deeper we go, the tighter the patrols become. Further in, there probably won't be any blind spots between buildings. Even with Observation Haki, we won't be able to avoid detection. We need a plan first…" As Rosen spoke, he noticed a building with many uniforms inside and personnel responsible for washing them.
"Disguising ourselves as Marines isn't a bad idea, but it's easy to be exposed," Hathaway said at a glance, already understanding Rosen's thoughts.
"That doesn't matter. As long as it works for a while, that's enough."
"True. If it doesn't work, we'll just take them by force… By the way, have you noticed? The closer to the center of the island, the warmer it gets. It's like the temperature is being maintained at a specific level. It's completely different from the area we just passed," Hathaway observed after walking a short distance.
"You're right. From the looks of it, this should be some kind of experimental base. But is there really technology that can alter the environment?" Rosen wasn't certain. Vegapunk's hometown had only built large heating furnaces and the like—not true environmental transformation.
"I don't know. Let's take a look. This place gives me a very uncomfortable feeling." Hathaway looked at the architectural style and everything she had seen so far—semi-mechanized patrol dogs and the like. The entire island felt like one giant experiment.
And experiments were among the things Hathaway hated most.
While talking, the two slipped into the uniform room. Shortly after, they chose slightly loose uniforms and put them on over their own clothes.
"You're too conspicuous like this." Rosen looked at Hathaway in the blue-and-white Marine uniform. With her graceful figure and delicate features, her allure only intensified. Whether Marine or guard, anyone who saw her would likely be unable to move.
In that case, let alone infiltrating and gathering information—she would become the center of attention the moment she appeared.
"I know." As she spoke, Hathaway raised her blade and was about to slash her flawless face. Rosen was stunned. To infiltrate, she intended to disfigure herself?
"There's no need for that. Just wear a hat, follow behind me, keep your head lowered, and try not to draw attention. If someone does notice, take them down as quickly as possible." Rosen quickly stopped her. This infiltration wasn't that important—was she really going to disfigure herself? Even if her regenerative ability was strong, Rosen would not allow it.
"Alright." Hathaway looked at Rosen holding down her blade and calmly accepted.
Since he didn't mind the risk of exposure, there was no need. She had simply thought it the fastest and most effective method.
"Where do we go now?"
"We can't move around freely yet. It's almost mealtime. They'll definitely rotate shifts then, and people will head to eat. We'll follow the crowd—less suspicious and more natural," Rosen said calmly.
On this island, he didn't dare use Haki recklessly. The defenses were too tight—so many warships, Pacifistas, modified creatures, dragons and semi-mechanical dogs, and unknown things besides. For now, caution was to their advantage.
Faintly, Rosen could sense several powerful presences on the island. Though he hadn't probed carefully, wary of drawing attention, he knew they were strong.
Soon enough, as Rosen expected, mealtime arrived. Many guards gathered and headed toward one location. Rosen and Hathaway casually joined a group and followed behind without arousing suspicion.
If it weren't for the meal hour, they didn't understand the internal shift patterns or personnel numbers. Walking alone, even in uniform, they would have quickly been exposed.
But now, no one paid them any attention.
Gradually, Rosen overheard some conversations among the Marine guards. The base was nearly closed off; the guards were carefully selected and rarely left the island. Many matters weren't concealed from them—and basic information couldn't be hidden anyway.
After all, they were responsible for security and knew at least something.
"I heard the one who came from Impel Down this time is the former warden, Magellan," one Marine said to his companion.
"You mean the man known as the strongest in the prison? Wasn't it usually the vice warden escorting ability-user prisoners before? Why did he come personally this time?"
"No idea. But I heard there was a major prison break at Impel Down. He's apparently no longer the warden. When I received them at the port earlier, he poisoned my entire squad. No idea what kind of ability user he is."
"This time Marine Headquarters defeated Whitebeard, but it was a costly victory. Admiral Akainu died in battle—it's all Crocodile's fault."
"Yeah, I heard that too. But I don't understand—why didn't they deploy the doctor's biological lineage army to fight? If they had, casualties would've been greatly reduced. And even if they were lost, it wouldn't matter—they're just animals. You can catch more anywhere."
"No idea. Maybe they're not mature yet. The higher-ups probably have their own considerations. Still, it's good we won. If we'd lost, who knows what would've happened…"
(End of Chapter)