One Piece Thundergod Marine

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''G-10 Fortress, Base Head's Office''

Rowen pushed the button, allowing Tiger Tally to pass the signal through. He spoke, "Hello, this is Rowen."

"Rowen, come to the Holy Land immediately!" 

On the other end was the wheezing voice of the long-moustached Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars). At the same time, an inhuman, bone-chilling screech echoed through the Den Mushi. 

"Have you been attacked? Where's CP0?!" 

Rowen frowned in silence.

The "Holy Land" of Mary Geoise, where the Gorōsei resided, was heavily fortified by "Steel Bone" Kong, the supreme commander of all military forces, and patrolled by CP0 and countless agents to maintain law and order. It was unusual to see them so panicked.

"They can't handle this! You must go to the Holy Land immediately. Both Vegapunk and Caesar have insisted on your presence - move quickly!"

"Remember, this must remain confidential!"

"Click...

Before Rowen could respond, the long mustached Gorōsei ended the call, leaving only a busy tone. 

Holding the Den Mushi in his hand, Rowen stood bewildered, frowning in confusion.

'The Gorōsei wants me to go to the Holy Land? 

'And it involves Vegapunk and Caesar?'

After thinking for a moment, a possibility suddenly occurred to him.

"Oh? Looks like their plan failed!" 

A hard smile spread across Rowen's face as he looked out the window, his lips curling upward. "Well, what a shame..."

---

"Meanwhile, in the 'Holy Land,' Mary Geoise."

"Pull yourself together, Garmuud!" 

The long-moustached Gorōsei pushed hard with a chair against a creature - or rather an 'oil monster' - that was screaming loudly.

But to expect the creature to understand was pure fantasy. The oil monster thrashed around violently. When it realized that it couldn't escape, the black oily substance forming its arms suddenly turned into sharp blades, ready to strike.

"Watch out!" 

Bang! 

With a grave expression on his face, Bald Zero sprang into action and kicked the chair away. In a split second, he stomped the blade into the ground and pulled the long-moustached Gorōsei behind him to safety.

"So vicious... Seal them up— use an airtight container!" 

The long-moustached Gorōsei touched his chin with lingering fear. Without Zero's decisive move, he would have been disfigured, if not killed.

"We have no choice. Go help." 

Vegapunk, rubbing his wild afro, nodded reluctantly to a towering figure behind him. 

At his command, Bartholomew Kuma, the prototype of the Pacifista, stepped forward with a blank expression.

Hiss...!! 

The oil monster, driven by instinct, sensed the threat Kuma posed. His tar-like mouth widened and he let out a sharp, ear-piercing growl.

But the thoroughly modified Kuma, devoid of personal will, considered even the most grotesque monsters as harmless as kittens. 

'Whoosh...'

'Crash! 

Kuma pressed down with a broad, fan-like palm. As the oil monster prepared to pounce, an unimaginable pressure suddenly rose in the air, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The hard steel floor cracked under the force, the oil monster screeching in agony as it struggled wildly.

Soon, CP0 agents who had been standing by swarmed forward with a transparent container, allowing Kuma to shove the creature inside.

'Bang! 

'Bang! 

Even after being trapped, the oil monster didn't give up, hammering relentlessly at the walls in an attempt to break free.

The specially reinforced glass, as hard as steel, quickly began to show visible cracks. Vegapunk frowned and gave an order.

"Release the stun gas at maximum dosage!" 

"On it!" 

Caesar ran over with a hose, connected it to a designated port, and flipped the switch.

"Hiss... Hiss...' 

Although the shape of the monster was unclear, its biological characteristics were still within reasonable parameters. As the anesthetic gas was heavily injected, its struggles visibly slowed. Finally, it slid weakly against the wall and let out a low growl.

Sigh...

Seeing the raging monster completely subdued, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) collectively exhaled in relief.

After a long silence, Ferrick spoke gravely, "Do not let the other infected nobles know about this."

"Indeed." 

The long-moustached Gorōsei and the others nodded in agreement. Just telling the Celestial Dragons that they could turn into such monsters would be enough to shatter their mental strength - not to mention that the treatment experiments seemed to have accelerated the mutation.

"My apologies, everyone. I didn't expect the blood transfusion to cause such a violent reaction." 

Vegapunk said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead as he stepped forward to take responsibility.

"We'll deal with your oversight later! For now, begin preparations for the second protocol immediately. Make sure nothing like this happens again!" 

Gorōsei snapped. Each Celestial Dragon was considered a valuable asset to the government. Witnessing Garmuud's transformation into a monster chilled their hearts, but they understood that the entire project depended on Vegapunk's leadership. This was no time to play the blame game.

Hearing this, Vegapunk smiled faintly. 

"Rest assured, my lords. If my calculations are correct, there won't be any unexpected incidents this time."

"I hope so!" 

The long-moustached Gorōsei warned coldly. Then his gaze shifted to the immobile Kuma standing nearby. 

"Send this traitor to the slave camp! Let everyone witness the consequences of betraying us!" 

Previously, they had tolerated Kuma's presence for the sake of the experiment. Now that it was clear that the Paw-Paw Fruit's ability was ineffective against the "Nether River Virus," the Gorōsei's pent-up anger surfaced. They were eager to take their revenge.

To the Celestial Dragons, the slaves in the camps were less than human - below the level of even ordinary citizens of the Holy Land. For the once mighty Sea Warlord, the "Tyrant" Kuma, to fall to such a fate would serve as a grim warning to anyone with rebellious thoughts.

"..."

After a short hesitation, Vegapunk nodded reluctantly. "Understood." 

As the prototype of the Pacifista, Kuma was still of great research value to Vegapunk. Even at this late stage of the experiments, there were aspects of Kuma's modifications that remained to be explored. 

But with the Gorōsei determined to make an example of him, Vegapunk knew there was little he could do.

As soon as the Gorōsei left, Caesar Clown strolled over with a mischievous grin on his makeup-covered face. 

"Shurururururu! Your plan failed, Vegapunk!" Caesar sneered. 

"Now it's my time to shine!" 

"Be careful, Caesar..." 

For once, Vegapunk didn't retort. Instead, he turned to Caesar with a rare tone of seriousness. 

"These substances are still poorly understood. Their instability is extremely high. Do not get too smart for your own good." 

"You don't get to lecture me, Vegapunk!" 

Caesar's grin faded as he replied with a pointed remark, "I never thought you'd be so bold!" 

"Without the Gorōsei's backing, what do you think Vice Admiral Rowen would do if he found out what you've been up to? Would he kill you?"

Vegapunk paused briefly, then shrugged. 

"I don't care! Sacrificing yourself for science, for the pursuit of truth - isn't that what we live for?" 

Without giving Caesar a chance to answer, Vegapunk turned and left.

"..."

Caesar stood silently, his face twitching with frustration. 

"Damn it! Outsmarted by him again!" 

Compared to his own cowardly tendencies, Vegapunk's fearless commitment to his work was undeniably more admirable.

With a dark expression, Caesar watched Vegapunk's retreating figure. After a moment, he turned to gaze at the special containment unit holding the unconscious oil monster. Slowly, his lips curved into a sinister smile. 

"Just wait, Vegapunk!" 

"I'll complete the experiment and prove to the world who the true genius is!" 

---

'(End of chapter)'