Chapter 78 : Pacifist Plan?

The First Half of the Grand Line

Future Kingdom of Baldimore

Baldimore was a winter island, blanketed in endless white. Snow and ice covered everything, and the cold was bone-chilling.

Inside an unknown laboratory:

"Ka-ka-!"

A massive mouth devoured everything in sight. Like a bottomless pit, it swallowed experimental equipment, research materials, and anything else in the lab.

The scene was almost surreal.

"Heh, that Vegapunk guy... he nearly outsmarted me," Dr. Hawkins chuckled, patting his stomach as he let out a loud hiccup. "Hi~, aside from the lab outside that's rigged with a self-destruct mechanism to keep intruders out, turns out there's another hidden lab. And it's in much better condition! The technology here is exactly what we've been missing!"

With the power of the Munch-Munch Fruit, Hawkins had devoured the entire lab. If he wished, he could easily recreate everything he consumed or even build something far superior.

Wilhelm, sitting lazily on his snow mastiff, Finger, addressed Hawkins. "What I want to know is—can you use Byrnndi World's powerful body as a model? Combine it with that incredibly durable shape-memory alloy and create mass-producible cyborgs? Ones that completely follow orders, have significant combat power, and can crush any pirates they encounter? Also, make sure they're equipped with a laser system."

Wilhelm's vision was clear: he wanted something akin to the Pacifistas created by the Marine Science Unit under Vegapunk's leadership. However, he aimed to build them first, beating the World Government at their own game.

Hawkins' eyes gleamed with excitement as he responded confidently. "Yahaha~! Using the Munch-Munch Fruit's powers, that's absolutely doable!"

He elaborated, "Before I was captured by the World Government, I was already researching lineage factors, including human cloning.

I even made some early breakthroughs. The problem back then was the time it took to grow and develop clones because of physical and cultural limitations. Look at Judge from Germa 66—his clones are... mediocre at best."

Hawkins adjusted his glasses and continued, "But if you, Mr. Wilhelm, can provide me with a stable research facility, I can use the Munch-Munch Fruit to manipulate and refine materials I consume.

Combined with the lineage factor research, I can perfect cloning technology in just three months. I promise it'll be leagues better than Germa 66's disposable soldiers. Production time will also be significantly reduced."

Wilhelm nodded, clearly satisfied.

Hawkins continued, "As for laser technology, Hawkins alloy is the ideal material for building laser cannons. Give me three to five days to study these materials, and I can construct functional laser systems. But..."

Pausing thoughtfully, Hawkins added, "The technology Vegapunk left behind isn't flawless. The lasers require a cooldown period between shots, so they can't fire continuously. There's still room for improvement. I estimate it'll take one to two years to fully upgrade the tech."

Although combining cloning and laser technologies posed significant challenges, Hawkins' Munch-Munch Fruit ability made the process far easier. The power to fuse, transform, and manipulate consumed materials gave him a unique advantage.

Wilhelm smirked at Hawkins' confidence. "Then there's no problem..."

Wilhelm shrugged and patted the Snow Mastiff, Finley. "Our goal is accomplished. There's no need to stay here. We need to head to the Devil's Triangle Sea Area to meet up with Smoothie and the others."

The reason Smoothie, Shiryu of the Rain, and the others were waiting in the Devil's Triangle was simple: Sabaody Archipelago, the starting point of the Grand Line, was too close to Marine Headquarters. If Smoothie and the others were spotted, the Marines would surely take action.

Especially Shiryu of the Rain, the former chief warden of Impel Down, who had just committed a brutal and bloody crime there. The Marines had issued a 500 million Berries bounty for him and were actively searching for him.

Without him around, it was clearly too dangerous to stay near Sabaody.

Five Days Later

Devil's Triangle Sea Area

A massive flying Ark soared through the sky, cutting through the strong winds. It was slowly moving away from this eerie sea, where the sun never reached and the atmosphere was permanently gloomy.

Suddenly, a brilliant golden light flooded the Ark, so intense it was almost blinding. In the next instant, a powerful laser shot out.

"Whoooosh!"

"Momo Quintuple Cannon!"

A loud roar echoed through the air. The dazzling laser beam rapidly expanded, its diameter increasing five times in the blink of an eye. In an instant, it shot toward a long-abandoned ghost ship floating a thousand meters away.

"Boom!"

A deafening explosion followed, and the sea around the impact zone erupted, sending massive waves soaring into the sky. A blazing fireball, too bright to look at, shot upward like a miniature sun, its blinding light illuminating the dark sea.

In an instant, the ghost ship was reduced to nothing but ash, completely disintegrating. A huge section of the sea evaporated due to the extreme heat, leaving only steam rising from the water.

The sea continued to churn, boiling with intense heat, and the fierce winds refused to calm.

On the Ark Proverbs, Shiryu of the Rain stood holding a laser cannon, nearly the size of a rocket launcher. The dark muzzle was still glowing with heat.

"Is this the laser cannon?"

"It's unbelievable that a weapon like this actually exists!"

"Yehahaha! With just a 30 times boost, I bet this could destroy even the strongest fortress!"

The Smoothie sisters, Feathered Serpent Kuer, and the rest were all in awe of the powerful display.

Shiryu of the Rain had used his Momo Fruit ability to increase the laser cannon's power five times, and the results were already astounding. Just imagining thirty or fifty times the power was enough to send chills down their spines.

On the return trip with Wilhelm, Dr. Hawkins, eager as ever, had already dived into studying the massive amounts of technical materials salvaged from the Future Kingdom. Using his Munch-Munch Fruit abilities, he'd already started building the laser cannon.

Shiryu had also tested the cannon with his Momo Fruit to boost its power, and the results were clear—it worked brilliantly.

"Hey, when combined with the Momo Fruit, the power is incredible…" Shiryu of the Rain said, setting the heavy cannon on his shoulder. "It's just so bulky, though. It's really inconvenient to carry."

Dr. Hawkins chuckled, "Heh, heh, heh… time's been short. This is the best I could do for now. But if you want me to shrink it down and improve it, we'll need more time for research!"

---------------

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04