After half an hour of effort, Vegapunk finally gave up. He plopped down on the lab floor in defeat.

The Brain-Brain Fruit had indeed been a key factor in making him the supreme scientist he was today—but his relentless passion for science was the true driving force behind his achievements.

And not being able to find Borsalino's Stand had dealt him no small blow.

At another time, he surely would have thrown himself deeper into the research. But now was clearly not the moment.

Without hesitation, Borsalino's double opened the lab's safe, pulled out a direct-line Den Den Mushi, and placed it in front of the dumbfounded Vegapunk.

"You… how did you know my line was in there?!"

Vegapunk's teeth chattered. For a moment he even wondered if his studies into the "Void Century" had been exposed, and that the World Government had finally come to silence him.

But just as Vegapunk thought of secretly calling on one of his clones to save his own skin, Borsalino's double simply dialed the Den Den Mushi himself. He handed the receiver straight to Vegapunk.

"It's me. Ready to run yet, Doctor?"

That familiar voice rang out at the critical moment. Hearing Kizaru's voice at last, Vegapunk finally let out a sigh of relief.

Though Vegapunk himself was by no means a fighter, that didn't mean he didn't know just how terrifyingly strong Kizaru was.

Even the World Government and the Five Elders had to give ground before him. With that kind of power, Kizaru had more than enough strength to guarantee his safety.

"So it was your man, huh? You scared me half to death!"

Vegapunk wiped the sweat from his brow, unable to stop himself from grumbling.

As far back as when Kizaru had still been a vice admiral, thanks to the unique nature of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he had already come into contact with Vegapunk.

Later, after Vegapunk became head of the Marine Special Science Unit, the two grew even closer—thick as thieves, really, always tinkering with things together.

Even Kizaru's subordinates had managed to score some nice toys thanks to their connection with Vegapunk.

"Who else did you think it was?"

On the other end of the line, Kizaru narrowed his eyes. The Five Elders had personally promised him they wouldn't touch Vegapunk.

Sure, he was already planning to double-cross the Five Elders, but that didn't mean he'd tolerate them laying a finger on the man he'd earmarked to lead the Science Division.

"Ahahaha, no need to dwell on that. Quick, have your man tell me how he slipped past my detectors!"

Vegapunk's face twisted a bit awkwardly as he forced out a laugh—he had no intention of letting Kizaru know just how panicked he'd been moments ago.

"That's… a bit complicated to explain. I'll tell you later. What about that robot? How's the research going? Any chance you can replicate it?"

Kizaru scratched his cheek, suddenly remembering he still had the Stand "Arrow" tucked away somewhere. He could always throw that at Vegapunk later—after all, with so many clones, the doctor had no shortage of time and brainpower to devote to research.

But now wasn't the time to discuss Stands. So he smoothly shifted the topic to the mech wreckage he had gifted Vegapunk earlier.

It was a war machine built by Bofoi—Metal Knight of the One Punch World. Unfortunately, Kizaru had casually destroyed most of it himself.

One of the two remaining legs had been taken by Stark. The other, he had handed over to Vegapunk.

"Splendid! I'm talking about this robot's craftsmanship—it's extraordinary! But the creator's thinking was far too conservative. He never drew out its full potential!"

Vegapunk spoke with a mix of excitement and regret. Compared to his former assistants, the designer was clearly exceptional—but to Vegapunk's eyes, the work still fell far short.

Hearing that, Kizaru couldn't help but nod, though he felt an urge to defend Dr. Bofoi. After all, Bofoi's work was still bound to the realm of science—while Vegapunk's was firmly in the territory of science fiction, bordering on outright fantasy.

"So… does this robot have any value for you?"

Kizaru thought it over and decided it would be a waste to leave anything behind—or more accurately, he wasn't about to leave anything for the World Government and the Five Elders.

Not only did he intend to take Vegapunk himself, but also Egghhead and every last bit of Vegapunk's accumulated research.

Not even a single screw would be left for the Five Elders. Everything would be transferred to his base on the moon.

"Of course, this robot's design approach gave me some inspiration. I even managed to reverse-engineer some new technologies from it… If the Pacifistas weren't already in mass production, I could probably improve their performance by fifteen percent with a few adjustments!"

Once Vegapunk began talking science, he became unstoppable, paying no mind to who was in front of him.

This was exactly why, among the Marine top brass, only Kizaru could really get along with him—because Kizaru understood better than anyone just how powerful science could be.

If it were Sakazuki standing here, he'd have turned his back already, refusing to listen to even a single word of what he'd call "nonsense."

"Speaking of Pacifistas… don't you think it's about time you explained to me what happened with Kuma?"

Kizaru's voice suddenly turned dark and heavy. He had even felt down for a while over the "death" of Bartholomew Kuma.

And yet it turned out the man had been tampered with in collusion with the Revolutionary Army—Kizaru's feelings wasted for nothing.

"Ah, well… ahem. If I said I was innocent, would you believe me?"

Vegapunk instinctively took a step back—but then remembered Kizaru wasn't physically here. His courage instantly grew.

What he couldn't see, however, was Kizaru's Stand grinding its teeth as it glared at him, already plotting how best to deal with this scheming scientist.

And while Kizaru was preparing to move Vegapunk and his work, the Dark Matter Pirates gathered in Totto Land were already beginning their own action.

"Prepare for war. Our target is… Mariejois!"

From atop the throne, Boros opened his enormous eye and coldly declared.

The Dark Matter Pirates still had room to grow stronger—every day, more and more pirates from across the New World were arriving to join them. But Boros's mission wasn't about gathering soldiers.

If not for Kizaru's instructions, Boros's own nature would have driven him to march on Mariejois directly, conquering that so-called Holy Land with his own hands.

Now that he had received Kizaru's order to begin, there was no reason to delay any longer.

"Yes, Boss Boros!"

The high-ranking fighters hesitated somewhat, but none dared question Boros's resolve.

Kaido and Charlotte Linlin exchanged a glance, and in both their eyes flickered the light of ambition.

Once the war between the Dark Matter Pirates and the World Government and Navy erupted, it would undoubtedly be their best chance to break free of Boros's control.

If Boros won, then naturally there was nothing to complain about—remaining as top-ranked combatants, second only to him and above countless others, wasn't a treatment worse than when they were once Emperors of the Sea.

And if Boros lost, they could still use the name and authority of the Yonko to seize the opportunity, gather up pirates, and carve out territories of their own again.

Even the proud Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had to admit—Boros was the strongest man they had ever seen in their lives.

Even if the World Government and Navy managed to defeat Boros, it was unlikely they'd still have the strength left to deal with them afterward.

With the two Emperors cooperating of their own will, the Dark Matter Pirates—whose forces had already swelled far beyond the former Rocks Pirates—moved into action with ease.

Thousands of pirate ships formed an immense fleet, surging toward Mary Geoise. Any Navy branches or World Government–allied nations that dared to stand in their way were reduced to ashes by the countless pirates.

Such a grand movement could not possibly escape the World Government's notice, nor the eyes of Mary Geoise.

In fact, if not for Borsalino and Stussy working together to suppress the Navy and CP's intelligence networks, the Dark Matter Pirates' every move would have long been exposed.

By the time their massive super-fleet set sail, everyone immediately realized the severity of the situation.

Bang!

An antique vase, crafted by a master, was smashed to pieces without mercy.

The first of the Five Elders to receive CP intelligence, was so enraged and alarmed that he destroyed the entire room of his treasures.

Just yesterday, a CP agent planted in Totto Land had reported back that everything was normal. Yet within a single day, Mary Geoise received more than thirty urgent alerts from different places and operatives.

The pirate overlord Boros—rumored to be both of the D lineage and a son of Rocks—had seen his crew swell from only Kaido's Beast Pirates and Big Mom's pirates into a super-armada with over 200,000 members!

Conservative estimates counted more than 3,000 mid-to-large warships, all packed with those two hundred thousand pirates, now advancing menacingly toward Mary Geoise.

The Dark Matter Pirates—or rather Boros himself—made no effort to hide their true objective. This damned pirate was even more brazen than Rocks once was, openly seeking to wrestle the World Government head-on.

Yet what infuriated the elder the most was not Boros's arrogance, but the fact that Mary Geoise only received warning after Boros had already set his plan in motion.

If no one had been secretly interfering, The Elders swore he'd shave off his most treasured beard!

"Get me Marineford on the line! I want to settle this with that bastard Borsalino!"

Raging, The elder smashed another roomful of treasures, not even bothering to consult the other Elders before demanding answers from Borsalino.

°°°

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