"I sincerely apologize, Dr. Vegapunk, but you're the only one who can do this—extract a Devil Fruit from a Devil Fruit user's body."
The figure in the top hat spoke respectfully.
It was none other than Sabo, now fully recovered of his memories and serving as the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command.
"You make it sound easy," Vegapunk replied coldly. "I don't believe that just because someone is called unforgivably evil, I should casually kill him and extract his fruit for you."
Only relying on a few words from others to kill a man was not how he did things.
He continued, "Until I've confirmed this person's nature for myself, I will not lightly take his life."
Sabo paused, hesitation flickering across his face.
'So… was that a refusal?'
'But if so, why hadn't Vegapunk stopped what he was doing?'
"If what you want is the fruit ability, then once I extract it, you may take it."
Vegapunk spoke indifferently, completely confident that his method would work.
"As for his life, I'll save him."
"But how is that possible?"
After hearing Vegapunk's answer, Sabo was stunned, his heart full of confusion.
"That goes completely against the basic law of Devil Fruits. Only after the user dies will the corresponding fruit reappear somewhere on the sea."
"That is true," Vegapunk said with a nod.
Then he began explaining, "But even after true death, the human brain remains active for roughly four to six minutes. That span is the ideal window for extracting a fruit ability—it is both the period when the power separates from the body and the golden time for reviving the person."
"So that's how it works… As expected of you. For a moment, I was worried I'd really have to kill this person. It seems I worried for nothing."
Sabo immediately understood.
"Stop standing there like an idiot. All my satellites are busy with their own duties right now. Bring me the equipment over there."
Vegapunk complained under his breath while continuing to work.
"Just assembling the instruments will already take most of half a day. I have to keep this man's vital signs stable, kill him long enough to extract the ability, save him afterward, and make sure none of this is discovered by those World Government bastards. This is hardly light work."
"Oh, right. Understood."
Sabo picked up the nearby equipment and inserted it precisely where Vegapunk indicated.
Then he spoke again.
"In my impression, I always thought you were a very difficult person to deal with. I didn't expect you to be this… tolerant."
Vegapunk kept adjusting the instruments and said evenly, "The truth is, I'm not doing this entirely to help you, nor entirely for the Revolutionary Army. I simply want to see with my own eyes just how far the Will of D can go."
Sabo found that even more baffling.
Ace, Luffy, and Dragon all carried that "D" in their names, yet he still had no idea what it truly meant.
In the end, he shook his head and stopped trying to make sense of it.
…
Time passed quietly.
Only eight days remained until Ace's execution.
Inside the special room for the Seven Warlords' meeting at the Holy Land Mary Geoise, Sengoku angrily scold Bartholomew Kuma.
"WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THAT? WITH YOUR ABILITY, YOU STILL LET THEM ESCAPE?!"
The "them" in question were none other than Luffy and the others.
They had openly declared war on the World Government and even defeated Moria.
The World Government had already issued an extermination order against the entire crew. For them to get away like that was unbelievable to anyone.
Sengoku's face darkened further as he said, "COME UP WITH A PROPER EXCUSE AT THE VERY LEAST! I'M THE ONE WHO HAS TO REPORT THIS TO THE PEOPLE ABOVE!"
"PWAHAHAHA! AS EXPECTED OF MY GRANDSON!" Garp burst out laughing, full of pride.
"SHUT UP, GARP!" Sengoku barked. "THE WORLD GOVERNMENT GAVE A DIRECT ORDER, AND IN THE END NOT A SINGLE HEAD WAS TAKEN. IT'S UTTERLY DISGRACEFUL!"
"Relax, Sengoku. No one was ever going to find out about Moria's defeat anyway. And Luffy isn't the type to go around bragging after a win," Garp said with a wave of his hand and a grin.
Sengoku ignored him completely and turned his stare back to Kuma.
"You must have felt pity for them, seeing how badly injured they were. Even if you let them go, their wanted status won't disappear. Right now they're following their Log Pose straight toward Marine Headquarters. They're basically walking into a trap!"
Everyone knew Marine Headquarters and Sabaody Archipelago were close together.
If pirates wanted to cross the Red Line, they had to pass through there.
It was the perfect place to capture them.
But Garp showed no concern at all and keep laughing.
"Stop overthinking it, Sengoku. Cain is over there, so Luffy and the others will be fine."
"YOU IDIOT! WHEN WAS I EVER WORRIED ABOUT THEM?!" Sengoku roared. "WHY ARE YOU ONLY TELLING ME CAIN'S LOCATION NOW? WHAT I'M MORE AFRAID OF IS THAT BRAT BRINGING THE STRAW HAT CREW—WHO ARE SUPPOSED TO BE EXTERMINATED—INTO THE WAR THAT'S COMING!"
He slapped the table furiously, chest heaving with rage.
Garp casually waved him off again, flashing a toothy grin.
"How could that happen? With Cain's personality, even if he's absolutely determined to join the war and even clash with the Marines himself, there's no way he'd let Luffy get caught up in any of it. You can stop worrying."
"Hmph. It had better be that way! Still, just to block the trouble Cain might bring, I've already recalled Zephyr and his forces from the sea. I can't just let him do whatever he wants!"
Sengoku snorted, his face still ugly with displeasure.
The two of them argued loudly, but not a single real secret slipped out.
However, the moment Kuma heard Cain's name, he visibly paused.
He had heard Dragon mention that name more than once back in the Revolutionary Army, so it had left a deep impression on him.
…
Meanwhile, on Sabaody Archipelago—
Morgans's newspapers were flying everywhere, and the new generation of criminals who had stormed in from the four seas—the pirates known as the Worst Generation—had all gathered on the island.
They were all about to step from here into the second half of the Grand Line: the New World.
Cain was scratching his head, wondering how he was supposed to reunite with Luffy, when Rayleigh suddenly grabbed him by the arm and dragged him to what he claimed was the perfect place for a reunion.
"Hey, hey, are you kidding me? This again?!"
Cain yanked at the chain around his hand and glared at Rayleigh, who was leisurely sipping his drink beside him.
"Do you know how many calls Doflamingo's made to me lately? My ears are practically growing calluses!"
That's right.
Rayleigh had once again gone and sold both himself and Cain.
Rayleigh squinted with a grin, not looking guilty in the slightest.
"This old man's just short on money. Since you've got a connection there, it's so easy to get a huge pile of beli! Makes life convenient."
Cain's face instantly darkened like the bottom of a pot.
"You really think Doflamingo and I are friends? We're on a kill-or-be-killed kind of relationship!"
Rayleigh raised a brow, handed over his flask, and smiled slyly.
"Why bother with the details? As long as he's willing to pay, what does it matter? Besides, that brat Luffy's probably getting close by now. You can't expect this old man to sit around hungry while waiting for him, can you?"
Cain pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, utterly helpless.
"I give up. So not only do I have to deal with Doflamingo, I also have to be your walking wallet?"
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