CHAPTER 339: CHAPTER 40: BIG SHOT

The warship slowly approached the shore, Su Xiao walked out of the cabin, and behind him was the listless Bubute Ni.

An island came into view, full of trees and looked like a deserted island.

However, amidst the trees, glimpses of watchtowers could be seen; there were at least ten of them that Su Xiao could see, and such watchtowers might be all around the island.

Some cannons were hidden among the trees, and although the island seemed ordinary, once enemies approached, it would unleash a staggering barrage of firepower.

Jumping onto a small boat, Vice Admiral Crane and Tina were on board; to reach the island, one must take a small boat as the island had no docks.

The small boat reached the shore, Su Xiao stepped onto the soft beach, seemingly deserted but with possibly hundreds of navies lying in ambush in the forest ahead; this island might not be simple.

"Bai Ye, I can only escort you this far; someone will meet you next. Tina is responsible for your safety, and you can ask Tina if you have any requirements."

Vice Admiral Crane only escorted Su Xiao to this island to prevent him from being taken by other forces on the way.

As Vice Admiral Crane boarded the small boat, Su Xiao breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he wouldn’t have to compete in wits with Vice Admiral Crane, although he wasn’t afraid, it was a headache.

"Let’s go."

Tina walked toward the island, and Su Xiao looked around; the navies ambushed nearby showed no hostility.

Entering the forest, the air became fresher, and words like birdsong and fragrant flowers described this place.

There were no large animals in the forest; the navy had cleaned it out.

Su Xiao sensed at least a hundred guns aimed near him but not directly at him, all aimed nearby.

Led by Tina, they passed through the forest, and a cluster of steel buildings came into view; this should be a large experimental facility.

Two people were waiting at the entrance of the facility; one was tall, wearing a yellowish suit and yellow sunglasses, with a white coat emblazoned with the word "Justice" draped over his back.

His face full of wrinkles, his languid demeanor subtly exuded a shady aura.

The aura of a sleazy uncle hit him head-on, but upon seeing the man, Su Xiao felt a jolt in his heart.

This was Kizaru, Borsalino, one of the three Admirals of the Navy, a Natural Devil Fruit User, proficient in Haki, body techniques, and not weak in swordsmanship.

"Yo~, finally here."

Kizaru spoke slowly, as if never in a hurry, yet his speed was despairingly close to the speed of light.

"Old man, this guy’s aura seems off, not quite like a researcher."

A white plump boy named War Momotsuki stood beside Kizaru, the leader of the Navy Headquarters Science Unit.

War Momotsuki, proficient in Observation Haki, immediately sensed that Su Xiao’s aura was off.

Kizaru took out a photo, compared it, and then shook his head.

"No, this is exactly the ’researcher’ we’re supposed to meet."

Kizaru squinted his eyes slightly; he could sense Su Xiao’s aura was off, or he wouldn’t have come in person.

"Admiral Borsalino, the target has been escorted."

Tina saluted Kizaru.

"Mm, Sengoku had already told me, this one’s called Bai Ye, right? Before entering the research facility, there’s one thing I need to verify."

Kizaru glanced at War Momotsuki, who took out a recording Telephone Worm.

"Mister Bai Ye, could you show that bomb of yours?"

War Momotsuki pointed the recording Telephone Worm at Su Xiao; Su Xiao had anticipated such a situation.

He took out a Chain Bomb, and under his control, the Alchemy Bomb started changing shapes in his hand, swelling, and threatening to explode.

Kizaru looked at the Alchemy Bomb with bright eyes.

"Can anyone else control this thing?"

"They can control it to some extent, but not as flexibly as I can."

Su Xiao tossed the Alchemy Bomb to Kizaru and explained the control method.

Kizaru attempted to control the Alchemy Bomb, which only slightly responded, but even this pleased Kizaru greatly.

Kizaru directly detonated the Alchemy Bomb in his hand; with a boom, the flames spread around.

As the flames receded, Kizaru stood unscathed.

"The power is also satisfactory."

The Telephone Worm on Kizaru rang; it took him a while to find it.

"Moses, Moses."

"This is Sengoku."

Kizaru walked away with the Telephone Worm, returned shortly after, and put it away.

"Bai Ye, get yourself acclimated today; I’ll take you to meet someone tomorrow."

Su Xiao shook his head.

"No need to rest."

Kizaru raised his brow at Su Xiao.

"So diligent, alright, let’s meet that person now."

The group walked into the experimental facility; its layout was intricate, almost a maze.

After a few minutes of twists and turns, Kizaru led them to a laboratory.

From inside came the sound of welding steel, and upon entering, a long experiment table came into view.

A roughly seven-meter-tall man lay on the table, bare-chested, no longer of flesh and blood, but a cyborg.

Seeing the man on the table, Su Xiao’s eyes sparkled; this was Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords of the Underworld.

A lanky man standing at about 1.78 meters busied himself there, with curly hair, small round glasses, stubble on his chin, and a weary look on his face.

"Doctor Vega Punk, still modifying Tyrant·Kuma?"

At Kizaru’s loud inquiry, Vega Punk looked somewhat displeased.

"Don’t disturb me, almost done."

Daring to speak to a Naval Admiral this way showed Vega Punk’s confidence; he held the same attitude even with a Navy Fleet Admiral interrupting his work.

Kizaru’s expression remained unchanged, seemingly used to it, as Vega Punk’s technological prowess led the world by five hundred years, making him indispensable to the World Government.

"Doctor, the person’s been brought."

Pausing his work on the arms of Tyrant Kuma, Vega Punk looked up.

"The person who makes those bombs is here? Where?"

Vega Punk appeared excited.

"This gentleman here."

Kizaru pointed at Su Xiao.

"Hello, I am Vega Punk." Vega Punk walked quickly to Su Xiao, examining him: "What technology is that bomb? It’s beyond the realm of science, right? Is it like the Devil Fruit, some form of genetic mysticism?"

Su Xiao was stunned; it seemed that Vega Punk was extraordinary.

"No, it’s Alchemy; Alchemy is..."

Su Xiao briefly explained Alchemy to Vega Punk, who was thoroughly engrossed, while others found it esoteric like a Heavenly Book.

"So, you’re saying Alchemy isn’t entirely mysticism; that’s a misunderstanding. Alchemy is the human quest to explore nature itself."

Vega Punk nodded thoughtfully.

"Those materials you need shouldn’t be a problem; we have perfect substitutes. But, can those really make bombs?"

"Of course, there’s no issue."

With Vega Punk’s help, the materials were no longer a concern, but mana value remained a challenge; Su Xiao needed something to replenish his mana value.

"There’s one more problem: crafting these bombs requires significant energy."

"Don’t worry about that; I’ve faced similar issues of insufficient energy during research before, so I invented something for it."

Vega Punk handed Su Xiao a test tube.

[T3 Potion]

Quality: Purple

Type: Healing items

Effect: Restores 100% mana value upon consumption.

Rating: 150

Description: This potion can be consumed continuously without side effects (this potion cannot be taken away from this Derivative World).

...

Su Xiao was slightly stunned; high-level martial forces in Derivative Worlds were indeed different.

"Then there’s no problem; I can mass-produce Alchemy Bombs right away."

Helping the World Government to make Alchemy Bombs also benefited Su Xiao by rapidly improving the skill level of [Alchemy Bomb Production].

The current issue was no longer how many levels he could upgrade his [Alchemy Bomb Production] to, but the maximum level the ability could reach.

Su Xiao had specifically inquired of Reincarnation Paradise beforehand; because [Alchemy Bomb Production] was a knowledge-based ability, he could upgrade it with paradise coins, even outside Reincarnation Paradise. Last time, Su Xiao upgraded his [Alchemy Bomb Production] in the trading market, not in the Skill Upgrade Hall.

Moreover, once Alchemy Bomb Production reached Level 10, Su Xiao would unlock Alchemical Potion Study, which he was most eager for.