So this is Vegapunk? Rosen glanced briefly out of the corner of his eye, not daring to look too long, especially with formidable individuals like Magellan and Sentomaru nearby.
But seeing Vegapunk, he was slightly taken aback. From his appearance and build, the man seemed rather ordinary and unremarkable, looking like just a typical scholar.
If not for the white lab coat giving him an air of academic authority, Rosen might have mistaken him for some inconspicuous passerby.
Sentomaru might not have any outstanding battle achievements to his name, but as Vegapunk's bodyguard and captain of the Science Battalion, that alone proved his strength was considerable.
Furthermore, in the original story, he once repelled the Straw Hat from two years ago with a single palm strike from a distance. While Luffy back then wasn't as strong as he would become two years later, his 300 million berry bounty was no exaggeration—he was at least Shichibukai level, and not among the weakest.
Sentomaru's Haki was exceptionally skilled; using Haki from a distance was clearly the advanced "Ryuo" stage of emission.
And Magellan needed no introduction. His strength was undeniably at Admiral level. He had once annihilated the Blackbeard Pirates before they gained Impel Down allies. His poison was terrifying; his direct combat ability might be merely average Admiral level.
But his Venom-Venom Fruit made him nearly invincible in close combat. Even walls and abilities that naturally counter him couldn't stop his poison from seeping through.
In terms of oppressive power, he might not match Akainu, but he wouldn't be far off. Once poison makes contact, it can cripple a person's combat ability in no time.
In a real fight, constantly avoiding contact with him would be too passive. Even Rosen wasn't confident he could suppress Magellan now.
Because Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit produced viscous poison that heavily countered Rosen's Suna-Suna no Mi (Sand-Sand Fruit) abilities. Even without Haki, purely using his Devil Fruit, Magellan could strike Rosen's physical body.
In a battle, Magellan could conserve Armament Haki stamina and use it to fuel even more ferocious Devil Fruit attacks.
After they entered, they went up to the second-floor cafeteria, not dining in the main hall with everyone else. Clearly, that was the officers' dining area.
Rosen was tempted to listen in on their conversation, but it was too risky. He abandoned the idea, focusing instead on the young Marine before him, responding occasionally.
Though he lacked detailed intelligence, he'd grasped the basic situation. Peak Island was where the World Government conducted research and produced various high-tech products.
The core figure here was Vegapunk. Currently, Rosen knew this was a production site for Pacifistas. Additionally, there were several publicly known experiments on the island. One was the Dragon Knight Project—biological modification technology.
According to the young Marine, this involved creating biological products no less powerful than Pacifistas, perhaps even more flexible and stronger. The cultivated dragons would fight alongside elite Marines.
Guided by Marine commands, they possessed strong aerial combat capabilities and wielded various natural disaster-level elements like fire, lasers, ice, and so on.
Once this biological corps matured and could be deployed, it would be terrifying. Its primary targets were the Emperors' officers in the New World.
Furthermore, there was a new generation of warships—more durable, more powerful, and capable of quickly crossing the Calm Belts. This meant Marine Headquarters could dispatch forces to the Grand Line and the other four seas at any time.
Lastly, there was a cyborg unit, a hybrid of machine and human.
But strangely, there were no rumors whatsoever about Devil Fruits. That was highly unusual.
Cyborgs? They're soldiers wounded in battle who either refused retirement or took high compensation to be among the first to undergo human modification. Though not as powerful as Pacifistas, they retain their original abilities, and many mechanical parts have impressive functions... The Marine spoke enthusiastically, clearly showing off to an outsider like Rosen.
So Rosen didn't hold back praise, "Impressive. You really know a lot, brother. We're far too ignorant. With such extensive knowledge, promotion and a raise must be just around the corner."
"Hehe, you're too kind... The Doctor is my idol, so I pay extra attention. But you've probably been in the service a while too, brother. How come you're still a Seaman First Class like me?"
Thanks to his vitality attribute, Rosen's facial injuries had not only healed completely but made him look much younger. However, he still appeared around thirty. Mainly, he deliberately used sand to distort his facial muscles, creating scar-like textures for a weathered look.
So the Marine was slightly more cautious.
"Ah, working prison guard duty, what chance do we have for promotion? Let's not talk about it, not worth mentioning"... Rosen said regretfully.
True. But we're not much different either. Except for a select few Marines who occasionally go out to test new products, we're often cooped up on the island too. You know, Peak Island is hidden deep within the misty sea. Without our island-specific guide birds, any pirate ship that enters, unless incredibly lucky, will likely get lost in the fog. They'd die off before we even need to intervene. How could such an island ever be invaded? At worst, a few lost pirate ships might occasionally drift close, but they pose no real threat...
"Better to be cautious anyway. Can't hurt to be careful. Look at Impel Down—no one escaped for years, and now look, something went wrong." Rosen reminded him.
"Right, right. My mistake. I have to go now, duty calls..." The Marine stood up to leave.
Hathaway moved to stop him, pinning him there. They still needed information.
This Marine wasn't strong, but he knew a lot. This secluded spot was perfect—they could subdue him silently, knock him out, and quickly drag him away without being discovered.
But just as Hathaway started to rise, Rosen placed a hand on hers. Hathaway looked at him quizzically. Rosen didn't answer immediately. Only after the Marine had left did he speak softly: "Let's avoid exposing ourselves if possible. We've already learned how to leave. Revealing our identities now would do us no good."
Slowly, an idea formed in Rosen's mind. Pacifistas, artificial Devil Fruits, Vegapunk—these related pieces of intelligence, he'd seen some mentions in underground info exchanges at bars. Each was worth a fortune.
If they revealed themselves now and were identified, besides alerting the enemy, it would serve little purpose.
Conversely, if they kept hidden, given Rosen's current reputation, if he casually mentioned this in the surface world, many major pirates would likely believe him. Even if not fully trusting, they'd at least send an investigation team.
At a critical moment, this intelligence might be leverage against Marine Headquarters or the World Government. It was their vulnerability.
But if exposed, it lost that value. Once they knew Rosen had been here, Marine Headquarters would likely immediately begin evacuating the island. That would render it worthless to Rosen.
"What do you plan to do?" Hathaway looked at Rosen with surprise. She hadn't expected him to casually chat up a Marine like that and extract the information he wanted.
What else didn't she know about him?
Later, you'll hide your true identity, pose roughly as a fugitive pirate, and cause some commotion on the coast. Make it as big as possible to draw away the Doctor's bodyguards. There are some things I want to ask the Doctor himself.
Rosen didn't plan to reveal his true identity. But if they simply appeared here as fugitives and escaped, Marine Headquarters likely wouldn't evacuate the entire island over it—the cost was too high.
Two relatively ignorant pirates who stumbled in by chance, maybe dying in the fog after escaping—would they uproot the whole island just to be safe? That wasn't realistic.
Unless they confirmed that the enemy understood the island completely and possessed such fame and power that publicly revealing this information would pose a real threat.
Rosen wasn't uninterested in the so-called experiments, but obviously, he had no chance to research them. Moreover, they'd likely be exposed before long anyway.
This kind of infiltration was inherently casual and superficial. Neither really understood the daily habits and routines of the Marines; it would be easy to slip up.
So Rosen intended to make contact with Vegapunk, then prepare to leave the island. Regardless of whether they could actually capture it—which he doubted—staying hidden now served his purposes better.
Besides, Rosen estimated they probably couldn't capture it. At best, they might destroy some things, but it would likely expose their true identities. That wasn't worth it.
(End of Chapter)