"Alright, be careful." After discussing for a while, they formulated a plan. Hathaway would create a diversion, drawing away as much of Vegapunk's guard force as possible, while also securing a small warship and capturing a guide bird on the island.
This would allow them to leave at any moment.
Given Hathaway's strength, carrying this out was no problem at all. To facilitate communication, Rosen even snuck into a monitoring room and grabbed two slightly bluish Den Den Mushi.
He tested them; the connection worked fine.
Then Rosen, carrying his tray, hurried upstairs. No one stopped him; apparently, the rule here was implicit, not explicitly stated.
However, several formidable Marines stood guard outside the room. Rosen didn't know what they were discussing inside, but soon, Magellan emerged first and walked off in a certain direction, not paying any attention to the ordinary-looking Marine. Rosen was pretending to look for someone in the second-floor hall.
Now, only Vegapunk and Sentomaru remained in the room.
"Are you looking for someone?" Suddenly, a Marine Captain walked up to Rosen and asked.
Rosen's body stiffened slightly. This was awkward. He quickly added a few more sand-textured lines to his face, making it appear covered in old scars, almost as if he were completely disfigured.
Officers likely had keener observation, judgment, and attention to detail than ordinary soldiers.
Then Rosen slowly looked up, a bit puzzled. Why was this Captain so interested in a common seaman? Or had he been exposed?
"Yes, Captain. I'm looking for my superior, but he doesn't seem to be here." Rosen glanced at the rank on the Marine's shoulder, then saluted crisply.
"Which unit are you from? With a face like that, if I'd seen you before, I should remember." The Captain looked at Rosen's scarred face with slight suspicion.
"Captain, this isn't the time for that. I just heard that a powerful pirate has broken through the island's perimeter. I came to report immediately, but couldn't find my superior. I'm reporting to you now; please issue orders." Rosen quickly changed the subject, his expression slightly agitated.
Which unit was he from? Rosen certainly couldn't answer that, so he had to divert the Captain's attention with a sufficiently gripping topic.
"What?! Peak Island is under invasion? Did another large-scale lost pirate crew somehow stumble upon us again?" The Captain was startled. This was serious. Small pirate crews would be blown to bits before even getting close. Only a sizable force could potentially land and invade.
Such incidents happened occasionally, but actual landings were rare. The island's defenses and firepower were no joke. This must be one that slipped through.
He didn't suspect Rosen. The ingrained assumption was too strong; it never occurred to him that Rosen was an infiltrating enemy.
Boom! Just then, a deafening explosion rang out. All the Marines in the cafeteria froze, then someone rushed in, reporting breathlessly, "The coast! A powerful invader at the coast! They've already taken down five hundred of our guards, and even cut down a Flame Dragon!"
What?! Everyone was stunned. The next moment, a short, sharp alarm blared across the entire island. Countless troops immediately mobilized towards the site of the attack.
The cafeteria emptied in a rush...
Sentomaru threw open the door, demanding, "What's happening?!"
"Report, an invader, very powerful! A Rear Admiral has been defeated!" Rosen hurried over to report. The bit about the Rear Admiral being defeated was Rosen's fabrication, but surely an island this size had at least one Rear Admiral stationed there!
"That strong? I'll have to go see for myself. Wonder which unlucky soul got lost and ended up here. You all protect the Doctor. I'll be back." Sentomaru hefted his large axe, preparing to activate the Pacifistas.
The intruder seemed formidable, even defeating Rear Admiral Billy. This was serious. Normally, Sentomaru wouldn't intervene.
The enemy seemed capable, and Sentomaru instinctively assumed they were just lost pirates, unlikely to be specifically targeting Vegapunk. Historically, that was almost always the case.
"Yes sir!" Rosen responded promptly, then stood at attention like a proper guard.
When the alarm sounded, everyone else had already grabbed their weapons and rushed to the battlefield. Most were gone, their response very quick.
Only a small contingent of guards remained to protect the cafeteria's perimeter. Standing guard with Rosen were several capable Marines left by Sentomaru.
After Sentomaru left, one of the guards felt something was off. He looked at Rosen: "What are you doing here? Protecting the Doctor is our duty. You should return to your post."
Rosen was silent. They were all Marines, but this one was being awfully strict. "I greatly admire the Doctor."
The guards blinked in surprise. Then a fist connected with each of their heads, one after another. Caught off guard, the overwhelming force knocked them out instantly.
Rosen quickly pushed open the door, dragged the guards inside, and closed it.
Vegapunk was stunned. What was happening? Was this an assassination? If so, he was in trouble.
He himself wasn't modified; he was just a scientist. The World Government kept him under surveillance, and he couldn't control the powerful things he produced, precisely to prevent his escape.
His personal strength was negligible.
"I'm not here to kill you. I hope you won't cause me trouble either. I just want to ask you something." Rosen looked at the Doctor. Based on scattered information, he judged that this Doctor wasn't a mad scientist.
A man who, back home, constantly considered everyone's survival. A scientist who, upon discovering artificial Devil Fruits, stopped and reprimanded Caesar. He wasn't malicious.
Even working for the World Government was likely out of necessity.
"Please ask." The Doctor paused for a moment, quickly grasped the situation, and didn't panic.
"Truly a smart man. Have you heard about the Lantis Celestial Dragon's experimental subjects? It involves Devil Fruits and your Lineage Factor technology. If there were survivors from those experiments, would they suffer any side effects later on?" This was what Rosen wanted to know. He was worried about Hathaway. Though everything seemed fine now.
But Hathaway's bloodsucking ability—might it mutate or cause harm later? If there was a risk, and he happened to meet the Doctor now, maybe there was a solution.
If necessary, he'd kidnap the Doctor, even if it meant facing a desperate manhunt by the entire World Government.
Fruits, Lineage Factor, experimental subjects... "How dare they?! Those bastards! I told them long ago that was an abandoned experiment with incomplete theory! How dare they proceed!" The Doctor's expression changed instantly, then erupted in fury.
With just a few keywords, Vegapunk immediately connected them to a terrifying possibility.
Seeing the Doctor's grim face, Rosen's heart sank. Were there really severe side effects?
"Doctor, please answer my question." Rosen's gaze turned serious and intense.
The Doctor sighed, looking at Rosen with a hint of regret. "Are you a survivor of those experiments? I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If I hadn't discovered the Blueprint of Life and tried to alter the natural progression of life, perhaps such experiments would never have been conceived. I still underestimated the allure of immortality for the World Nobles."
"Immortality?!" Rosen was stunned. Many in this world sought immortality or eternal life, but none seemed to have succeeded.
The millennium dragon bone from the East Sea was rumored to have longevity effects, and the Ope Ope no Mi could achieve it, but at the cost of the user's life.
"That's right. Long ago, I discovered that the essence of a Devil Fruit never truly vanishes. Even if the user dies, the fruit regenerates elsewhere. I wondered then: if we could imbue powerful genetic lineages with this trait of Devil Fruits, could humanity break free from the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death? But after just one experiment, I abandoned it completely." The Doctor's face was filled with fear, remorse, and even pain.
(End of Chapter)