York wrapped his arm intimately around Stussy's slender waist. The two of them walked through the chaotic tavern and sat down directly across from Vegapunk.
Vegapunk's eyes instantly locked onto York's arm. He swallowed hard, nervously licking his lips.
Seeing the young scientist's discomfort, York smiled faintly and extended his free hand.
"Nice to meet you. My name is York, and I am Stussy's husband."
Husband?!
Vegapunk froze. As soon as that word hung in the air, the emotional preparation he thought he had mustered instantly shattered into an indescribable mess.
He stared at York's face.
'Wait... he actually looks a few years younger than me?!' Vegapunk thought, a bitter taste flooding his mouth.
Despite his broken heart, Vegapunk had no choice but to reach out and awkwardly shake the man's hand.
"N-Nice to meet you. I am Vegapunk."
With the introductions out of the way, York got straight to the point.
"I'll skip the pleasantries," York said, his voice cutting through the tavern's background noise. "I want the MADS Institute to work for me from now on."
Vegapunk was stunned again—this time not because of his unrequited crush, but because of York's sheer audacity.
"Uh... this is our first time meeting today, right?" Vegapunk stammered, adjusting his collar. "You can't just walk up and ask us to work for you..."
Isn't that a bit rude? Vegapunk didn't say the last sentence out loud, but his expression made his meaning perfectly clear.
York chuckled. He reached into his coat, pulled out a folded piece of parchment, and slapped it onto the wooden table.
"Your intelligence gathering isn't very good, is it?" York leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "You dare to hold a meeting without even finding out who Stussy is affiliated with now? I have to admire that you scientists still have some blind courage."
Vegapunk silently lowered his gaze to the paper York had produced.
It was a Marine wanted poster.
Vegapunk stared at the bounty amount. He saw the '3', followed by nine zeroes.
Gulp.
"You... you are the Lord of Corruption..."
Cold sweat instantly erupted across Vegapunk's massive forehead. The alcohol clouding his brain vanished, leaving him hyper-lucid and terrified. Only now did he realize that after the Rocks Pirates disbanded, Stussy hadn't gone solo—she had aligned herself with one of the most dangerous men in the world.
"How much research funding did Du Feld promise you?" York asked casually.
Vegapunk quickly shook his head. "I can't say!"
York smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter. No matter how much the Loan Shark King gives you, I can give you more."
"It's not just a matter of money," Vegapunk managed to argue, trying to salvage his professional pride. "We have already signed a cooperation agreement with him. Breaching the contract would destroy our credibility in the Underworld."
"I see!" York feigned sudden understanding. "You mean, as long as Du Feld breaches the contract first, you'd be willing to come work for me, right?"
"No! That's not what I meant!" Vegapunk panicked, quickly denying it.
But facing York's thinly veiled threats, the young genius didn't know how to respond. The terrifying weight of a 3-Billion-Berry bounty was suffocating. Vegapunk knew that while Du Feld was a powerful Underworld Emperor, if York really wanted to, he could force the Loan Shark King to meekly submit.
Sure, Du Feld could try to hide using his vast wealth, but York was standing right in front of them now.
Seeing Vegapunk flustered, York subtly shifted his gaze to the other three scientists in the tavern.
Queen was still holding his guitar on the stage, but his singing and dancing had ground to a halt; his hidden eyes behind his sunglasses were locked entirely on their table.
In the nearby booth, Vinsmoke Judge and Caesar Clown, who had been violently arguing moments ago, sat in dead silence. Cold sweat beaded on their foreheads as well. Though York hadn't spoken loudly, the sheer gravity of his presence had commanded the attention of the entire room.
After a moment of heavy silence, York stood up.
"How about this," York said smoothly. "You've all had a lot to drink today, and your minds might not be clear. Rest up. We'll discuss the important matters tomorrow."
With that, York turned and walked out of the bar, motioning for Dragon and Ivankov to follow him.
Only Stussy remained behind, taking a seat at Vegapunk's table.
Gulp.
Watching the monster leave the tavern, Vegapunk swallowed hard again.
A moment later, his breathing regulated. He politely patted the hip of the local woman sitting beside him, signaling her to leave. The tavern owner, possessing excellent survival instincts, tactfully retreated to the back room and locked the door.
Queen dropped his guitar. Judge and Caesar scrambled out of their booth.
The three scientists rushed over, gathering around Vegapunk's table. Their eyes were glued to the wanted poster.
"It... it really is 3 Billion Berries..." Judge muttered, reading the numbers with difficulty.
Queen, who hadn't heard the initial conversation over his own singing, jumped three feet in the air.
"HOW MUCH?! A THREE BILLION BOUNTY?!" Queen grabbed the poster, jabbing a finger at the paper to count the zeros. "Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands, millions, ten millions, hundreds of millions... IT REALLY IS THREE BILLION!!"
Queen's pupils dilated in absolute shock. "The Lord of Corruption! Atlas D. York!!"
As the name was officially spoken aloud, the atmosphere in the tavern grew suffocatingly heavy.
Quickly, Vegapunk summarized his conversation with the pirate.
Queen's terrified expression suddenly morphed into a massive, arrogant grin. He burst into laughter.
"MUHAHAHAHA! Vegapunk, what the hell are you agonizing over?! This is fantastic news!!"
Queen slapped the table. "Compared to a greedy, stingy coward like Du Feld, having a monster like York as a patron is clearly better! At least with a 3-Billion-Berry pirate backing us, we won't ever have to worry about those annoying Marines interrupting our research!"
"Shurororo! Exactly!" Caesar, the youngest of the group, chimed in immediately, his eyes flashing with greed.
"Didn't he say that no matter how much money Du Feld gives us, he can give more?! With unlimited funding, we can conduct whatever experiments we want! The ethical boundaries won't matter to a pirate!"
"You two are idiots..."
Judge pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning in frustration.
"You're only thinking about the money and ignoring the cost! We are currently cooperating with Du Feld on relatively equal terms. He provides the funding, we do the research, and occasionally we throw him some insignificant weapon blueprints to keep him happy. The rest of the time, we have the freedom to pursue our true goals!"
Judge slammed his hand on the table, glaring at Queen and Caesar.
"If we follow a man like York, do you honestly think we'll keep that freedom?! Even with unlimited funding, if all our research and lineage factor discoveries are forced to serve his agenda, we become nothing more than slaves in lab coats!"
To Judge's utter disbelief, Queen and Caesar merely pouted, completely dismissing his concerns.
"Whatever," Queen scoffed. "As long as I get paid to build my cyborg enhancements, I'm happy."
"Exactly," Caesar waved a hand dismissively. "The pirate is a brute. He can fight, sure, but does he understand science? We can just dazzle him with big words. In the end, it'll be the same as dealing with Du Feld."
"You two are going to get us killed!" Judge yelled, looking at his carefree colleagues as if they were madmen.
Realizing the argument was going nowhere, Judge finally turned his gaze to Stussy, who had remained perfectly silent, sipping a glass of wine.
Vegapunk looked at her as well, his expression turning serious.
"Stussy... why exactly does York want to recruit us?" Vegapunk asked. "You stayed behind instead of leaving with him. You must be willing to tell us the real reason, right?"
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