"Alright, Navy Admiral."
Vegapunk folded his hands on the table.
His white lab coat was still stained with seafood noodle soup, looking somewhat comical, but the aura of the world's foremost genius had already returned.
"Since you went to such great lengths, even risking a complete break with the World Government to bring me here." His gaze firmly locked onto Kane. "Then, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Looking at Vegapunk, who had regained his composure, Kane not only didn't find it troublesome, but the smile at the corner of his mouth grew even wider.
"Talking with a smart person is so much easier." Kane flicked the ash off his cigar. "However, Dr. Vegapunk, before answering your question, I'd like to correct a misconception you have."
Kane stood up, his military boots making steady sounds on the alloy floor. He walked over to Vegapunk, looking down at him from above.
"It's not 'you all,' it's 'me.'"
"This kidnapping was planned by me alone from start to finish. At this very moment, Fleet Admiral Kong is commanding half the forces of Marine Headquarters, searching for you all over the world like headless flies."
Vegapunk's pupils contracted slightly. This level of audacity was simply outrageous.
"As for what to do?" Kane exhaled a thick cloud of blue smoke. Through the haze, his deep eyes looked at Vegapunk with a hint of amusement. "Of course, I want to get you a new boss, Doctor."
"A new boss?" Vegapunk scoffed outright, not bothering to hide the mockery in his eyes. "You? You're also a Navy Admiral of the World Government. In the end, you're still working for the Five Elders. Moving me from my lab in the Bank Restricted Zone to your basement here—aside from changing cages, what's the fundamental difference?"
"A huge difference."
Kane leaned forward slightly, his imposing gaze fixed on Vegapunk. "The Five Elders only want weapons that can kill, only want to maintain the rule of their Celestial Dragons. But the things you truly want to create, in their eyes, are nothing but worthless garbage."
Vegapunk's expression changed drastically, his fingers unconsciously tightening on the hem of his coat.
The fact that his proposals had been rejected was top secret even within the World Government. No one besides the Five Elders and their direct subordinates in Cipher Pol Aigis Zero could possibly know!
"Don't look at me with that horrified expression."
"On these seas, if I want to know something, no one can hide it from me." Kane leaned back in his chair, his tone drawn out. "The winters in Balticmore are quite cold, aren't they, Doctor?"
"Year after year, countless people freeze to death in the snowstorms. That proposal of yours that was rejected—it was meant to save them, wasn't it?"
Vegapunk fell silent.
He pressed his lips tightly together, the pain and humiliation in his eyes impossible to conceal.
"This world is sick, Doctor." Kane sighed, putting on a sorrowful, compassionate expression. "Pirates are burning, killing, and plundering everywhere, while the World Government is busy using all its resources to consolidate their privileges."
"Your intellect, if it remains in the hands of those five old fossils, will only produce more efficient killing machines. It will never change this damned world."
"You are a true genius, and a pure soul."
Kane's voice suddenly grew low, filled with a bewitching allure.
"I know what your ultimate dream is. You believe that over ninety percent of the world's conflicts stem from the struggle for survival resources. So, you want to create an 'Infinite Energy' that can be used freely by everyone across the globe."
"As long as energy is limitless and accessible to all, poverty and war will vanish. That is the dream in your heart."
Vegapunk's eyes widened instantly, his pupils trembling violently.
He shot to his feet, the chair behind him screeching sharply: "You... how could you know?!"
This mad yet magnificent vision—he had never revealed it to anyone!
Ignoring his outburst, Kane gently tapped the table: "Sit down. You should understand now that the ones who understand you best are not those five lofty old men in Mary Geoise, but me."
Vegapunk breathed heavily, glaring at Kane, before finally slumping back into his seat.
His voice was hoarse: "So what if you understand me? It's nothing more than a fantasy, impossible even in theory. Existing materials simply can't achieve that level of energy output..."
"If existing materials can't, what about the Ancient Technology from eight hundred years ago?"
Kane interrupted him, a confident smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
Vegapunk's mind instantly flashed to that note—[Pluton's Power Core]!
"Pluton, the Ultimate Battleship capable of erasing an entire island from the sea with a single blast." Kane's eyes gleamed with fervor. "Doctor, with that brilliant mind of yours, think: what kind of energy source drives a battleship to unleash such terrifying power?"
Vegapunk's breath caught completely, his brain shifting into overdrive.
"Unless... unless it's something that can break the Principle of Mass-Energy Conservation..." He clutched his messy hair, muttering almost deliriously.
"Exactly."
Kane exhaled his last puff of smoke, snuffed out the cigar in the ashtray, and dropped the bombshell that would shatter Vegapunk completely, word by word.
"A transcendent, inexhaustible energy source beyond this era."
"I call it—[Mother Flame]."
"Mother Flame..."
Vegapunk repeated the term obsessively, like a devotee hearing the arrival of a deity.
"You could sit for a century in the Bank Restricted Zone and never conjure such a thing from thin air. But now, a complete Ancient Weapon lies in my secret sea!"
Kane spread his arms wide, like a cult leader unveiling a vision of paradise to his followers.
"As long as you analyze Pluton's Power Core and master that Ancient Technology, you can truly create the [Mother Flame]!"
"When that time comes, forget the blizzards of Balticmore—you could bathe the entire world in warm sunlight with just a snap of your fingers!"
"And if this technology remains in the hands of the Five Elders, they will only turn it into a butcher's blade hanging over the heads of civilians worldwide!"
Kane's final words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely shattering Vegapunk's last lingering illusions about the World Government.
"So—"
Kane leaned forward, the smoke from his breath almost blowing into Vegapunk's face.
"As long as you agree to work at G-5, that warship will be completely open to you."
"I have only one demand."
"For my fleet, create the ultimate firepower that surpasses this era by two hundred years."
"Then, with our own hands, we will overthrow that hypocritical Justice! Let those lofty, utterly corrupt Celestial Dragons feel pain!"
Madman.
As Vegapunk looked at this Navy Admiral draped in a Justice Coat standing before him, only this single thought crossed his mind.
This was an absolute, complete madman! As the Navy's highest combatant, funded by the World Government, he was actually plotting to overthrow the World Government in secret?
But damn it all...
Vegapunk found his own heart uncontrollably racing.
"Funding... unlimited?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"My crew of pirates is mining day and night. Money is no issue."
"I decide the research direction?"
"As long as you don't sink Punk Hazard, do as you please." Kane shrugged. "By the way, the heating costs at G-5 Base are too high. If you could handle the geothermal heating here while you're at it, I'd be very grateful."
"Deal!"
Vegapunk slammed his hand hard on the table, without a shred of hesitation left.
To hell with the World Government! To hell with the Five Elders!
In the face of genuine Ancient Technology, absolute research freedom, and the dawn of achieving his ultimate dream, those foolish, short-sighted politicians in Mary Geoise weren't worth a damn!
"A wise choice, Doctor."
Kane smiled and extended his right hand.
Vegapunk gave it a perfunctory shake before eagerly turning around to begin modifying this top-tier laboratory.
"The Culture Tanks here aren't powerful enough! Have them replaced with larger ones immediately! And this Mass Spectrometer, the model is too old. Go to the black market and procure the latest models according to my list!"
The previously disheveled Vegapunk instantly transformed into a maniacal workaholic, grabbing a pen and swiftly writing out a long, staggering list of top-tier equipment on paper.
Kane took the list, glanced at it, and the smile on his face froze.
Even someone with no scientific knowledge could see how astronomically expensive these materials and equipment would be on the black market.
This old man really didn't treat his money as money!
"Gion!" Kane turned and called out.
"Yes, Brother Kane!" Gion immediately stood at attention.
"Send this list to Xitus. Have her mobilize all underground networks and spare no expense to get these items delivered to G-5 within a week!"
After giving the order, Kane rubbed his temples and walked out of the underground laboratory.
"It seems funding is tight again..."
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his pocket and skillfully dialed a number far away in Wano Country.
Buru buru buru...
"Hello?"
From the other end of the line came a weary, rough, and distinctly breathless, booming voice.
"Kaido," Kane's voice instantly turned as warm as spring breeze. "How's the quarry work going lately? Are those freeloaders King and Queen slacking off?"
"You bastard, Kane!!"
Kaido on the other end of the line exploded instantly. In the background, even the sound of pickaxes striking rock ceased.
"I... I've already been turned into a construction crew by you! What more do you want?!"
"Don't get so worked up, Employee of the Month." Kane grinned. "Starting today, double the output of Sea Stone and weapons from Wano Country."
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I'm already fucking swinging pickaxes down the mines myself—productivity has hit its limit!" Kaido roared.
"If you can't do it, then I'll just have to send Yamato back to Wano Country personally to watch her father dance the hula in the mines."
"..."
Dead silence fell on the other end of the line.
After a long while, only a roar of utter humiliation could be heard from Kaido: "King! Queen! Get the hell up! Starting today, no breaks! Twenty hours of digging a day!!"
Listening to the passionate slogans coming through the phone, Kane hung up with satisfaction.
The cause of Justice always requires someone to carry the weight silently in the background.