"CP0?"
Caesar froze for a moment, carefully sizing up the young man in front of him.
He looked young—but if he was CP0, that actually made sense.
The CP agencies never publicly acknowledged CP0, but well-informed people knew the organization existed.
At its core, it was an intelligence agency that served only the very highest figures. Anyone able to join it was an exceptional talent among their peers.
The appearance of CP0 all but confirmed that there truly was a major figure backing Kuma's actions.
Which meant—
He was finally about to escape the rat-in-a-gutter life he'd been living, and receive treatment on par with Vegapunk?
That was wonderful.
Sure, Punk Hazard hadn't been bad either—its facilities were fully equipped.
But the island had been shrouded in poisonous gas, not even News Coo dared approach, and with him still being wanted—
He hadn't even dared to risk picking up newspapers.
He was terrified that a News Coo might include a photo-reporting bird, snap a picture, and publish something like "Mysterious Figure Spotted on a Poisonous Uninhabited Island."
If that happened, there would be no escaping a second time.
During that period, he'd relied entirely on verbal reports from subordinates he'd rescued to learn anything about the outside world.
Immediately,
Caesar was overjoyed. "I knew it! Go on—who's the big shot that wants to see me?"
"Lord Saturn, known as the Warrior God of Science and Defense."
"Fantastic! I've always said it was wrong of you people to only focus on Vegapunk."
Caesar sprang up excitedly, subconsciously tidying his appearance.
But the next second, his face fell.
"No. You haven't passed the test yet."
Ron's voice was cold.
"A test?"
Caesar was first confused, then furious, his fingers trembling. "What do you mean? Did Vegapunk need to pass some kind of test just to meet him?!"
"Vegapunk at least has the Pacifista Project—and he's basically on the verge of completing it. As for you—"
Ron's eyes were cold, with a trace of disdain. "Do you really think achievements like that are enough to meet Lord Saturn?Caesar, you do have the potential to stand shoulder to shoulder with Vegapunk.
Both the artificial Devil Fruits and the Land of Death demonstrate astonishing scientific talent.
But you've yet to produce results that can truly be used."
"That's right! I can stand shoulder to shoulder with Vegapunk—no, I'm a genius scientist who's even better than him!"
Unexpectedly, Caesar didn't explode. Instead, his ears selectively ignored certain words and latched onto what he wanted to hear.
He immediately became smug. "At the end of the day, Vegapunk is always clinging to those anti-war ideals.
Weapons are weapons. They're created to kill. Blood is their meaning."
"And that's exactly why you're here."
Maintaining Passive · Premonition Perception, Ron's eyes gleamed with cunning. "But you need to understand something.
Projects that only exist on paper can't be presented as results.
Even if your Land of Death does exist physically, Lord Saturn is more interested in artificial Devil Fruits.
If our intelligence network isn't mistaken, you've already researched and mass-produced SAD, correct?
A substance capable of cultivating artificial Devil Fruits—one we believe shouldn't be controlled by a Warlord of the Sea.
Someone like Doflamingo, once given power, only brings greater trouble."
"!"
Caesar jolted, his gaze toward Ron turning wary.
"Don't be surprised. Even though your dealings with Doflamingo were well hidden, you know what kind of organization we are."
"…Alright. That's not my fault—I needed a source of funding."
Caesar chuckled awkwardly, looking rather aggrieved.
"We also know that you've conducted transactions with the Emperor Big Mom.
The gigantification experiments, right? The World Government doesn't need that—or rather, we don't expect you to divert your attention there right now.
What we need is the large-scale production and technological upgrading of artificial Devil Fruits."
Ron smiled faintly, completely in control, just like a real CP0 operative.
With Passive · Premonition Perception continuously active, countless thoughts surfaced every second.
He filtered through good and bad, selecting the most appropriate choice.
If this were a slaughter, then every sentence would be a fast, precise, lethal blade.
Cold sweat broke out on Caesar's forehead. Truly worthy of CP0.
Finding out about Doflamingo could be explained—perhaps the Heavenly Yaksha had leaked something while dealing with the World Government.
But uncovering his dealings with Big Mom?
That was terrifying.
That Emperor's crew was built on family ties; the chance of betrayal was minuscule.
And yet—even that had been mentioned so casually.
Casual?
No.
It was a warning. A threat.
Ron said nothing, but the look in his eyes carried deep meaning.
"H-ha-ha-ha, so you knew about that too."
Caesar hurriedly laughed, immediately changing the subject. "Since you want me to research this, then the funding—"
"You won't be shortchanged. Initial funding of one billion. Funds will be released gradually, but managed by our people.
You've had multiple incidents of misappropriating funds in the past—no need for me to elaborate, right?
In short, whatever materials you need, just submit a request. We'll transport them for you.
We can also provide mechanical labor and security, but unreasonable demands won't be accepted.
For example, supplying human materials. We know artificial Devil Fruits don't require that—and then—"
Ron began painting a grand picture.
With Passive · Premonition Perception enhancing him, he crushed Caesar using rhetoric and information asymmetry.
Caesar wasn't stupid.
A fool couldn't become a top-tier scientist.
But intelligence wasn't the same as wisdom—and it certainly didn't grant omniscience.
Expecting a scientist to judge everything like an all-knowing strategist was unreasonable.
Every piece of information Ron revealed was something Caesar believed he had hidden perfectly.
Having it suddenly exposed naturally bred fear.
And once it was all wrapped in the banner of the World Government and CP agencies, everything felt reasonable.
Of course CP0 could uncover this kind of thing!
Moreover,
During the negotiation, Ron used the excuse of inspection and evaluation to temporarily cut Caesar off from the outside world.
As for whether Caesar's arrival was expected—
Of course it was. In the earlier exchange, Ron had explicitly requested that Caesar himself be sent over.
What hadn't been anticipated was the manner in which he arrived.
Fortunately, with Premonition Perception, Ron seized the opportunity without hesitation.
Caesar was an evil man—but his value was immense.
After all, he was one of the world's top scientists.
Of course,
He couldn't be compared to Vegapunk.
Vegapunk was also a top scientist—but that was because the "top scientist" exam only had a maximum score of 100.
Caesar had scored 100. So had Judge of Germa 66.
In the original timeline,
Caesar had even helped Chopper improve the Rumble Ball. Later-stage Monster Point Chopper was capable of trading blows with Big Mom.
The raw materials for artificial Devil Fruits were also his work.
*If I can keep him under control—whether it's improving the side effects of artificial Devil Fruits,
or increasing production scale, or enhancing their strength—all are viable options.
The labor for cultivation can be handled by the Iron Knights.
Mechanical soldiers don't care about 9-9-6 schedules—forget that, even 24/7 is fine. They're more "Pal" than any Pal.
The artificial Devil Fruits produced won't be of much use to the core team.
But after subduing the Golden Emperor, they can be used as trade goods—to exchange for massive amounts of Beli and resources.
At the same time, this cuts off the trade line between Doflamingo and Kaido, weakening two future enemies.
At this point in time, Doflamingo should have only just linked up with Kaido.
Abruptly severing both materials and technology will definitely enrage Kaido once he's tasted the benefits.
That'll keep Joker very busy.*
One stone, three birds—that was Ron's current plan.
Even though he knew full well Caesar was trash and, strictly speaking, should be put down immediately—
After the Kuma incident, his mindset had shifted somewhat.
Compared to killing on sight, using someone first and discarding them later was within an acceptable range for him.
To stabilize the increasingly uneasy Caesar, Ron even began flattering him after laying out the bait.
"Honestly, I've looked into your past achievements and research history.
Compared to Vegapunk, that rigid old fool, someone with your talent is exactly what the World Government needs."
Ron spoke sincerely, patting Caesar's gaseous shoulder.
"Y-you really think so too?"
Caesar was deeply moved. He was exactly the type who crumbled under praise.
He immediately became fired up, grabbing Ron's hand.
"Don't worry! I won't let Lord Saturn down! But—"
"But what?"
"But after completing this project, can you allocate some funds for me to continue researching the Land of Death?
Seriously, it won't disappoint you. And didn't you say this island already belongs to me?
That means I'm already the chief scientist, right? After completing targets, researching what I want should be allowed, shouldn't it?"
Caesar calculated eagerly.
Ron pondered for a moment, then said with difficulty, "I can only report this upward.
If you can produce some tangible results first, it might be more persuasive."
"Alright."
Caesar looked disappointed, but it was still far better than his previous situation.
As long as there were people and money, he could bury himself in research again.
Even if it wasn't his beloved poison gas, artificial Devil Fruits were still his life's work.
"Then we'll part here. Guards will arrive later to handle security.
And I hope you won't wander around. As I said, this is a cloud island ten thousand meters above sea level.
It's one of the World Government's secret bases. If something goes wrong—
Your current treatment will change."
"Of course! I'll follow leadership's instructions!"
"Then goodbye."
After Ron left,
Caesar clenched his fist, his expression resolute.
"Just wait, Vegapunk… I'll prove to them that I am the greatest scientist alive!"
(End of Chapter)