CHAPTER 79: CHAPTER 79

The plan went surprisingly smoothly. Dante had expected it would be a struggle to persuade Vegapunk to go along with such a crazy idea, but the world’s greatest scientist seemed to understand his own predicament all too well.

Perhaps a man like Vegapunk, who loved peace and dedicated himself to human progress, was naturally averse to weapons of terrible destruction. But as Dante laid out the alternative, being erased from existence before his dreams could be realized, he came around. In fact, he became even more radical than Dante, his mind overflowing with designs for one terrifying weapon after another.

’He really is the world’s greatest scientist,’ Dante thought. Of course, they were only ideas for now. Bringing them to life would take time.

And ten thousand units... Setting aside the sheer difficulty of the task, the cost of creating ten thousand of these weapons would be astronomical. The gold from Skypiea was just a drop in the bucket, a temporary measure that could never sustain the long-term growth of the 16th Branch.

Besides, Dante’s visit was about more than just weapons.

In terms of technology, the Marine 16th Branch was starting from scratch. Even their brewery equipment had been imported from the North Blue. The East Blue was just hopelessly behind the other three seas. This world’s technology wasn’t weak, yet on the other side of this very ocean, the Tequila Wolf bridge was still being built with the most inefficient method imaginable: manual slave labor.

Of course, maybe that was the point. In this sea, human life was the cheapest resource of all. The World Government certainly treated it that way, they could simply crush a non-compliant nation and have all the free labor they needed.

The 16th Branch had been desperate for scientific minds for a long time. Now that they had the world’s greatest, even if it was just one man, Dante intended to make full use of him. They needed better communication equipment, too. The current standard was the Den Den Mushi, some found in the wild, others raised. Dante recalled that Vegapunk would eventually develop a special broadcast model capable of forcing its signal onto every other snail in the world. But that was a long way off.

Den Den Mushi were expensive, required careful breeding, and had limited functions. More importantly, the World Government already had every type imaginable, along with methods for jamming and eavesdropping. The 16th Branch, with only a few years of development under its belt, could never hope to compete on that front.

When you can’t win on one path, you find another and overtake them on the curve.

’It’s better to develop our own unique communication system,’ Dante decided. ’Information and public opinion... we need to control the narrative.’

From the moment he arrived in this world, he knew he had only two choices: become a dog for the World Government or fight them. He had no intention of being anyone’s dog. Conflict was inevitable, and Mock couldn’t carry that burden alone. The more they grew, the sooner the Government would take notice. They had to be ready.

Instead of pouring money into raising snails, he would invest it into research. Developing new technology was a hungry beast, but so were shipbuilding, transportation, and physical enhancement drugs and more...

Vegapunk, true to his reputation, was a master of all disciplines. Whether Dante brought up biology, weaponry, mechanics, or medicine, the scientist not only understood immediately but expanded on the concepts with startling clarity. It made Dante wish he could split the man into seven different people.

’An all-around genius who could do the work of seven people for the salary of one,’ Dante mused. ’What a model employee.’

He briefly outlined his plans for the 16th Branch, including the creation of an academy with a proper science curriculum. This captured Vegapunk’s interest at once. The scientist had always been fascinated by the lost history of the Great Kingdom and its advanced technology. He believed that a new renaissance of science might allow them to reclaim that ancient glory.

Growing more animated with every word, Vegapunk enthusiastically accepted Dante’s offer to become the dean of the new science academy, even volunteering to write the textbooks himself. Dante didn’t have the heart to mention that textbooks written by a mind like Vegapunk’s would probably be incomprehensible to the average student. If it came to that, they could always hire other scientists to revise them later.

Of course, even as dean, Vegapunk would have to remain hidden from the public and use an alias. But the grand vision Dante painted was enough to fill him with excitement. He kept exclaiming that joining them was the best decision he’d ever made and that Dante was destined to become the greatest man on the seas.

Finally, Dante left the scientist to his work. Vegapunk’s head already seemed to have grown a size larger, buzzing with ideas as he hurried back to his lab. Led by Bonney, Dante took a quick tour of the research institute.

It was massive, hollowing out nearly the entire underside of the island. Dante made a mental note to ask what kind of tools Vegapunk had used to excavate such a large space with only a handful of people. If they could be mass-produced, it would be a construction miracle. He had no patience for the manual elevators of Mariejois or the slave labor of Tequila Wolf, they were a waste of time and life.

After the tour, he checked on their other long-term guests, Wapol and Enel.

Wapol was doing fine, living like a fattened pig. When he wasn’t eating or sleeping, he was busy producing various unique alloys at Vegapunk’s request.

Enel, on the other hand, was as defiant as ever. Even confined to a specially designed room that siphoned his energy, his arrogance hadn’t faded. The moment he saw Dante, he began shouting about the blasphemy of defying a god. Then he started roaring about settling the score with that "scoundrel Mock," vowing to kill him with a hatred that seemed deeply personal.

Dante was confused. ’Mock just brought him here. What’s there to be so angry about?’

Bonney explained. When Mock wasn’t on missions, he apparently enjoyed visiting the institute to taunt the "Electric Man." He found the guy hilarious, saying he was just like the "electric mouse" the boss sometimes mentioned. Enel, furious but unable to fight back, would just tremble and unleash massive amounts of electricity, providing a significant power boost for the entire facility.

Dante spent a little more time with Bonney, promising she could attend school once she was fully recovered, and then he departed.

There was still so much to do. The 16th Branch’s goals were clear: make money, develop technology, and expand their territory. He had already dispatched Kuma and Mock. Kuma would use his Shichibukai status to steadily claim new islands, while Mock...

Stepping out of the research institute, Dante stretched comfortably in the fresh air. He saw Robin waiting to meet him and asked, "How’s Mock doing?"

Robin looked at him with a smirk. "Quite well," she said. "Don’t you worry. He’s being very obedient, following your instructions to the letter."

--**--**

Meanwhile, on an island somewhere in the East Blue, the docks were packed with ships, and the streets swarmed with pirates of every description. They all stared curiously at the strange banners hanging overhead.

[BOUNTY: 80 MILLION BERRIES! PERSONAL TUTELAGE FROM THE EAST BLUE OVERLORD ON HOW TO BE A PIRATE!]

[WANT TO RAISE YOUR BOUNTY FAST? A SPECIAL LECTURE FROM EAST BLUE LEGEND, CAPTAIN MOCK!]

[CAPTAIN MOCK THE BANE OF SHICHIBUKAI!]

Banners were everywhere. In the center of it all was a massive poster of Captain Mock himself, wearing a golden lion-skin cape that showed off his robust physique. His arms were crossed, his eyes held the domineering look of a king, and a single line of text ran beneath him:

[COME! LET US RESTORE THE GLORY OF THE EAST BLUE PIRATES TOGETHER!]

The pirates, most of whom had never seen such a spectacle, were stunned.

"That’s the East Blue Overlord for you! That look in his eyes... no ordinary man has an aura like that!"

"He’s just a coward who ran back from the Grand Line with his tail between his legs!"

"Hey! You can’t talk about Captain Mock like that! The moment he hit the Grand Line, he took down a Shichibukai! I heard he even robbed some king. He didn’t run. He must have a reason for coming back to East Blue."

As the pirates began to argue, a shout cut through the crowd.

"Captain Mock is here! He’s here!"

Everyone fell silent, their heads turning as one to watch the formidable figure appear before them. It was him: Mock, the Legend of the East Blue. He stood between two large, vertical scrolls bearing obnoxious, custom-painted couplets.

Left: [Master of My Own Tides.]

Right: [Challenge Me And Drown.]

Above: [Overlord of the East Blue.]

The crowd erupted in cheers, excitedly shouting his title.

With the arrogant, domineering air of a true showman, Mock raised a hand. The pirates quieted down, all eyes fixed on him.

"Welcome, everyone!" Mock’s voice was cold and commanding as he surveyed the silent masses. He swept his arm out in a grand gesture. "Now... class begins!"

*cheers*

A thunderous wave of applause and shouting broke out. Every pirate looked up in awe, ready to receive wisdom from the senior who was about to teach them the true way of the pirate.

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