The New Year had dawned on the Grand Line.

The chaos, however, had not subsided. News of the disappearance of the world's greatest scientist, Vegapunk, still echoed across the seas, keeping the world on edge.

After the New Year's festivities, life in the Conomi Archipelago began to return to its usual rhythm, and the Marine 16th Branch resumed its duties. The following day, a refreshed Dante made his way to Vegapunk's laboratory.

He was surprised to see how much the place had been transformed. It was no longer the empty, cavernous space it once was. The lab was now filled with all manner of rare and precise instruments, organized into meticulously subdivided areas. There was even a dedicated medical wing, though it currently housed only a single patient.

But that wasn't what truly caught his attention.

Dante looked around, taking in the sheer scale of the room. "So," he said, "when did this place get so big?"

He'd noticed it during the banquet yesterday but had been too caught up in the celebration to ask.

"I had it expanded not long ago." Vegapunk appeared at his side, hands clasped behind his back. He stuck his tongue out, a familiar tic. "How is it? Looks more like a proper lab now, doesn't it? The original space was nowhere near large enough to contain all the ideas in my head." He glanced around, a hint of regret in his voice. "Of course, even this is far from enough. But if I have to build everything myself, I can't even bring a single day's worth of ideas to life."

He rubbed his head, his eyes lighting up as a new thought struck him. He began to mumble to himself.

"Perhaps I should just create a few people to help me."

Dante watched him quietly, letting the scientist's mind race. He knew Vegapunk wasn't wrong. The 16th Branch was stretched thin, and the only person who could even begin to assist him was the Munch-Munch Fruit user.

'Creating clones... it's one way to do it,' Dante thought. 'It would give us a world-class research team overnight.' He considered the risks, particularly the manifestation of Vegapunk's greed, York. 'That wouldn't be a problem, though. I could just cut the power before she's fully formed, nipping that betrayal in the bud. In fact, we wouldn't need any of the negative aspects... just the virtues. We could even have seven of them.'

"Dante-nii~"

A small voice pulled him from his thoughts. He turned to see a little girl running toward him while giggling, with a wide grin on her face.

"Bonney," he said, smiling warmly. "How are you feeling today?"

"Fantastic!" Bonney puffed out her small chest with confidence. "I'm full of energy! I feel like I'm all better already!"

"Hmph. Don't get ahead of yourself, you little brat. You're not well yet," a gruff voice interjected.

"I know, Lightbulb Old Man!"

"Rude kid," Vegapunk grumbled, though without any real heat. "And I told you to stop picking up names from those troublemakers." He turned his attention back to Dante. "So, what brings you here? If it isn't important, please don't disturb my research."

"Actually, I do need your help with something," Dante said, his expression turning serious. "I need you to build something for me."

"What is it?"

"A weapon of mass destruction," Dante stated plainly. "Something incredibly powerful, with astonishing destructive force. A weapon that, with the press of a button, will fly to a designated target and obliterate everything."

Vegapunk's face hardened. "What are you planning?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion. "What could you possibly need something so dangerous for? You promised me you wouldn't be like the World Government, threatening me with budget cuts to get me to build weapons."

"I'm not threatening you," Dante sighed, seeing the wariness in the old man's eyes. "I'm trying to take precautions. You know what the World Government thinks of us, we're a criminal organization in their eyes. If they find us, we're all finished. I could probably get away, leave this place behind and become a pirate, but you... if they got their hands on you, you wouldn't survive."

He met Vegapunk's gaze, his own expression grim. "Honestly, I don't want to see this place destroyed, either. So many ordinary people live here. They trust us. They admire the peace-loving Dr. Vegapunk. You wouldn't want to see the World Government burn all of this to the ground, would you?"

Vegapunk fell silent. He understood what Dante was saying. After a long moment, he asked, "So, what's your plan?"

"I'm going to aim it at the Holy Land, Mary Geoise."

"...I can build such a device," Vegapunk said slowly, "but I doubt one of them would be enough to threaten the World Government."

"What if there were ten thousand of them?"

Vegapunk gasped.

"I plan to deploy ten thousand of these weapons all over the East Blue," Dante continued, his eyes narrowing as he laid out his insane proposal. "If anyone attacks us, we launch them all. Every single one, aimed directly at Mary Geoise. I don't believe they could stop them all. Even if they did, the resulting explosions would likely wipe out every last Celestial Dragon living there."

Vegapunk drew in a sharp breath, staring at Dante with wide eyes, completely stunned. 'What grudge or enmity did the World Government have with him?! Is it really necessary to be this crazy?'

"You're not... you're not actually planning to destroy Mary Geoise, are you?" he asked, his voice wavering.

"Of course not," Dante replied, shaking his head. "A weapon is only a threat as long as it's held in reserve. The moment it's fired, it's just a fight to the death. I wouldn't do something so reckless without a guarantee of victory."

"You mean... but the World Government isn't as simple as it looks on the surface."

"I know. But I'm betting those self-proclaimed gods won't risk their own homes to fight a madman, especially one who might not have long to live anyway." He paused, his gaze grew distant. 'Everything is destined to eventually sink to the seabed. As long as the threat is big enough, if they don't have absolute certainty, the World Government wouldn't fight to the death with a bunch of insects. Rather than fight to the death, those so-called gods would surely prefer to remain on their high thrones, looking down on the helpless struggles of insects!'

As Dante finished, Vegapunk looked at him with a new sense of shock, as if realizing the younger man knew far more than he let on. But having already decided to focus solely on his research, he didn't press for details.

He understood the plan now.

It was utterly insane. But, he had to admit... it just might work.

"So," Dante asked, seeing the gears turning in the scientist's head. "Can you make them?"

"No," Vegapunk said, shaking his head.

Dante's brow furrowed.

"But," Vegapunk continued, a confident, cunning glint in his eye, "I can make something even more powerful than what you described."

"You mean..."

"Exactly," the scientist confirmed. "After all, I'm also quite worried about the World Government catching me before I can bring all the ideas in my head to life."

"So..."

A slow, devious smile spread across both of their faces. At that moment, they had reached an understanding.

===============

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