Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
This was the office of the Head of the Science Unit, also Dr. Vegapunk’s private office.
In less than five years of joining Marine Headquarters, he had risen from a newcor to the head of the departnt. It was no wonder Bartholow Kuma would later praise Vegapunk as "a man whose intellect is 500 years ahead of the rest of the world."
A few ters away, two scientists in white lab coats delivered a briefcase to Vegapunk. Inside were volcanic rock samples and experint reports brought back from Secon Island.
Vegapunk, also wearing a white lab coat and white gloves, disdained the research reports from his subordinate scientists. He directly took out the collected volcanic rock samples and examined them repeatedly. After a long while, he finally said, "I see. It seems there’s sothing very interesting buried beneath that volcano, but to fully understand it, I’ll need further research."
Vegapunk put down the volcanic rock and told the two scientists who had returned from Secon Island, "I will conduct my research here at Headquarters. Once I thoroughly understand the value of this material, I’ll decide whether to personally visit the site. You two return to Secon Island for now and continue your research and investigation there."
"Alright, you may leave."
With Vegapunk’s dismissal, one of the bespectacled scientists imdiately turned to leave, but the other remained rooted to the spot. The departing scientist cast a curious glance at his colleague but quickly opened the door and left. He had no desire to defy the new departnt head’s orders, and as for what the other person intended to do, he didn’t care.
Vegapunk looked at the scientist who remained in his office with a hint of confusion. "What is it? I said you could leave, didn’t I?"
"Researching volcanic rock so leisurely, what progress have you made on the matter I entrusted to you, Vegapunk?" The remaining scientist slowly spoke, his voice distinctly different from the one that had just given the report.
Vegapunk’s eyes narrowed, but he showed no sign of alarm. He simply said in a deep voice, "Who are you?"
Irregularly shaped blood plasma surged from the scientist’s body, enveloping him within three seconds, then rapidly receding, finally revealing a smiling Alucard.
"Does this face perhaps jog your mory?"
The original scientist had already been consud by Alucard. To gain an unimpeded audience with Vegapunk, a re Master Chief Petty Officer could do nothing. Devouring the scientist who was about to report to Vegapunk was the most efficient thod.
"Alucard the Immortal... Even though I am in this impregnable Marine Headquarters Science Unit, your exploits across the seas over the past few years have only recently reached my ears..." Vegapunk’s fleeting expression of fear, upon seeing Alucard’s true form, was just that—fleeting.
"Oh~ You don’t seem very surprised," Alucard said, drawing out his words as he tilted his head.
"I still haven’t fully analyzed your abilities. I initially thought you were a modified human who ate a Devil Fruit, but after receiving nurous reports from Marine encounters with you, I no longer think that’s the case," Vegapunk said, narrowing his eyes.
"Aren’t you afraid of ? Or do you think your intellect can save your life?" Alucard was quite curious about Vegapunk’s audacious deanor.
There were no surveillance Den Den Mushi here, and the guards were outside the door. Alucard could easily eliminate the frail Vegapunk within two seconds before the guards could rush in.
"If you wanted to kill , you could have done so already. You haven’t killed because you need to achieve a certain objective for you." Vegapunk first raised his index finger, then his middle finger. "Second, don’t forget, this is my office. Regarding my personal safety, you’re definitely on my ho turf. Do you think I, a forr criminal, wouldn’t take any precautions?"
"You an you’re confident your technology can surpass my power?" Alucard’s expression remained impassive, but a hint of a smile played on his lips.
"That question isn’t even worth discussing." Vegapunk had his hands in the pockets of his white lab coat. "You ca to find , ultimately, for what we discussed three years ago, about the Seastone bullets, right?"
"You know well."
"Recently, processing Seastone into handcuffs has already been a massive engineering feat. To process it into bullets is an even greater project; the ti required is unimaginable. You’re in a hurry, and so am I. Don’t forget, I’m very interested in studying your Lineage Factor. Do you think I don’t want to finish this quickly?" Vegapunk said with an expression that conveyed, "You don’t understand my difficulties."
"Don’t you scientists love to say, ’There’s no motivation without pressure’?" Alucard bared his fangs like a beast. "Give a concrete tifra. My patience is also very limited."
"Tch, what an impatient fellow..." Vegapunk gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and pondered for a mont. He then slowly began to count on his fingers. "Three years... four years... No, it will take at least five years."
After saying this, Vegapunk added, "Don’t misunderstand, this is already the absolute fastest tifra. You should know that developing just one Seastone handcuff took nearly three years. The bullet you proposed is a double-explosive type, even more difficult to develop than ordinary bullets."
Alucard considered this. Even Zephyr, the only known user of Seastone bullets, only started using them twenty years later. Five years wasn’t long at all, especially considering his own infinite lifespan.
"Alright, then, five years," Alucard said. He then smiled again. "If you don’t deliver on your promise within five years, you know what the consequences will be, don’t you?"
"Don’t threaten . Bullets can’t be recycled. You need to provide you with an unlimited supply of bullets, so you need to keep alive, don’t you?" Vegapunk stated calmly and pointedly.
Alucard reverted to the scientist’s appearance. He chuckled, "Talking to smart people, while smooth, can sotis be irritating."
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