Inside the house, after making sure no one was around, Tom pulled a stack of blueprints from behind an old iron cabinet.
He handed them to Iceburg and Franky, and the three of them sat around the table.
As the two looked over the designs and parameters, shock spread across their faces. Their hands trembled as they held the sheets.
"This... this is impossible!"
"Humans can build something like this?!"
Tom's tone turned grim. "This is the most fearsome monster in shipbuilding history. The government has already learned of its existence. Keeping it with me is too dangerous. If they ever get their hands on it..."
Iceburg finally snapped out of his daze. "I see. I understand now. I'll keep it safe."
Franky, unable to contain himself, exclaimed, "Iceburg! Let's build it!"
Smack!
Iceburg slapped him on the head. "Do you even think before you speak? Fool. I'll guard it. This must never see the light of day. If it leaks out—"
Tom cut in, his tone even heavier. "The world would be destroyed."
But then, his serious face suddenly broke into laughter. "Tahahaha, but it's no longer my concern. How you handle it is up to you. If it becomes dangerous, just throw it away."
The two froze. Such an important thing.
"Tom-san..."
The fish-man took a deep breath. "There's something else that troubles me."
He placed a wanted poster of Robin on the table, warning them sternly.
* * *
High on a tower, Enel sat up. "Poneglyphs, huh..."
* * *
Late at night.
On Scrap Island, Tom and his group were fast asleep. At some point, a thin mist filled the entire house, knocking everyone unconscious.
Moments later, the iron doorknob twisted on its own.
Enel, who had taken an antidote beforehand, strolled in casually. He walked straight to the spot where Iceburg had hidden the blueprints.
With his powerful Observation Haki, their every move and word replayed in his mind as if he had been there.
Snap.
He flicked his fingers, and a glowing ball of lightning floated before him, lighting the room.
Pulling out the hidden papers, he gave them a quick look and nearly lost himself in them.
"Hss... this technology..."
The shock on his face mirrored the others' earlier reaction. Only after seeing the detailed plans did he realize their awe wasn't exaggerated.
It was outrageous.
But he didn't let it distract him. He took out a special Den Den Mushi and made a call.
Vegapunk answered instantly, "How is it, Enel?"
He set the Den Den Mushi down, holding it toward the blueprints.
"They're in my hands."
Page by page, he let the snail scan them.
In Vegapunk's underground base, the massive screen filled with the designs in order. Within seconds, it was covered entirely, and more kept appearing.
Vegapunk skimmed each page, sparks of inspiration flashing in his mind.
Sakazuki joined the line, watching silently, not interrupting.
* * *
Half an hour later…
After finishing the scan of every blueprint, Enel stretched his shoulders, muttering, "All scanned."
Vegapunk closed his eyes. The diagrams he'd just seen pieced themselves together in his mind as real components, locking into place.
When he opened them again, he shook his head. "A near-perfect design. But... what a pity."
Sakazuki questioned, "What pity? The blueprints aren't real?"
"They're real," Vegapunk replied, staring at the screen. "The pity is that many of the materials no longer exist. And whether or not they did, constructing it would be nearly impossible. The cost alone is terrifying. Even if we poured in all the Heavenly Tribute collected across the world each year, it would take years to finish. Too difficult."
Sakazuki nodded, unsurprised.
Enel waved the papers in his hand. "So what about these? And those people?"
"Put the blueprints back," the admiral said. "Forget about the others. Knowing the contents is enough. No one out there could ever build it. Even the World Government wouldn't dare. If they redirected the Heavenly Tribute to shipbuilding, the Celestial Dragons would be the first to revolt."
"Got it," Enel responded.
He hung up, returned the papers, and at the door, pulled out a small black mechanical sphere. With a click, it released a faint purple smoke, dispelling the anesthetic.
He stepped outside.
Click, click.
The iron doorknob locked itself.
* * *
On the Den Den Mushi's video call, only Sakazuki and Vegapunk remained.
Sakazuki asked, "Can the missing materials be replaced?"
Vegapunk frowned, thought for a moment, then nodded. "Of course. That's not the issue. With enough time, substitutes can be found. But... you don't mean to actually build one, do you? That's impossible."
It wasn't paranoia. No force in the world could handle such construction. The cost was beyond reason.
Sakazuki narrowed his eyes. "I have an idea. If it were reduced to one-hundredth scale, how likely could it be built?"
"Scaled down, consumption would be much lower," Vegapunk admitted. "Especially in key areas. The smaller, the less cost. But shrinking it that much... you lose too much power. A full-scale version could wipe out an island. At one-hundredth the size, it would just be a super warship."
A strange smile crossed Sakazuki's face. "The most unreasonable thing in this world is Devil Fruits, Doctor."
He held one up to the camera, a fruit he had kept for years. "A Paramecia. More-More Fruit. One of its powers is to enlarge anything the user touches. Up to... one hundred times."
Vegapunk clicked his tongue on the other end of the video call. "I missed that… there really is such a thing. Truly absurd. A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit."
Sakazuki continued, "And the materials won't be a huge problem. If we match a few substitutes based on the special properties, we can synthesize them. Even memory metal wouldn't be impossible."
Vegapunk sighed. "It's not that simple. If it were easy to synthesize—"
He paused, then spoke with growing shock. "Wait. Synthesize… you don't mean—"
He pointed at the Devil Fruit Sakazuki had put in front of the camera. Eyes wide, he asked, "There really is a Devil Fruit that can synthesize memory metal?"
Sakazuki gave a short laugh. "Exactly."
Vegapunk grew excited. "Where is it? Where is it?"
Memory metal had obsessed him for years in his research. He never expected to hear news like this now. And that a single Devil Fruit could do it… after all these years of dead ends. He nearly lost it. Tonight he'd pore over the Devil Fruit encyclopedia. No, ten times over.
Sakazuki calmed him. "Don't rush. It's not time to act yet. The owner is a king and the Reverie just ended. Moving now would be unwise."
Vegapunk sobered and agreed. "A king, huh… that makes things complicated."
There are countless strong men in this world. Yet few would dare kill a king. Pirates brave enough to attack a kingdom and seize a throne are rare. Doflamingo, who conspired to seize power in Dressrosa, wouldn't have openly slain a sovereign. Even Kaido, who dominates Wano, didn't take a general's seat by murder. These rules are etched into people's minds after centuries.
If a king dies in suspicious circumstances, the investigation follows. People will ask how he died and whose hand ended his life. That's the kind of scrutiny one must consider.
Sakazuki's voice was calm. "Relax. It won't take long. Sudden deaths at sea happen often."
Vegapunk brightened. "True enough. I'll prepare something. Make sure no one can trace it back."
**
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