One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Dr. Vegapunk, this is Vice Admiral Wright from Marine Headquarters. He has brought an official directive authorized by Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

After following Sentomaru through an intricate series of identity verification checkpoints and enduring various inspections, Wright finally stood face-to-face with the man hailed as the greatest scientific genius in human history—Dr. Vegapunk, a mind said to be five centuries ahead of his time.

Vegapunk, clad in a white lab coat, held a steaming cup of tea. Peeking out of the coat's pocket was something that looked suspiciously like a rubber glove.

"…"

Something felt... off. Vegapunk's demeanor wasn't quite as imposing as Wright had imagined.

"Oh! Vice Admiral Wright!" Vegapunk looked up, his face breaking into a broad smile. "I've heard a lot about you! Your Lightforged Crystal is an ingenious invention!"

"Uh... you flatter me, Doctor."

Recalling Sentomaru's assurance that Vegapunk was "easy to get along with," Wright nodded internally. "That invention relies more on the uniqueness of my ability. When it comes to technical challenges, I'll have to trouble you for assistance."

"Exactly why I'm intrigued..." Vegapunk leaned in, his eyes scanning Wright as if he were a specimen under a microscope.

"Such an extraordinary Devil Fruit ability—unlike anything I've seen before. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know!"

Vegapunk caught himself, coughing lightly to hide his overenthusiasm. "Ahem, anyway. What instructions does Fleet Admiral Sengoku have this time?"

The security of Vegapunk's office was far superior to Sengoku's own, with anti-eavesdropping measures so advanced that neither Vegapunk nor Sentomaru showed any concern about speaking freely.

"This concerns an application of my ability." Wright produced meticulously prepared blueprints and notes for the Lightforged Beacon Crystal, handing them to Vegapunk. "Please take a look, Doctor."

Accepting the documents, Vegapunk's eyebrows shot up after a brief glance. "Oh? Quite creative!"

After flipping through the materials rapidly, Vegapunk paused, his expression thoughtful. "This design style... this methodology... it feels oddly familiar."

"Vinsmoke Judge? Was this his work?" Vegapunk blurted out the name, surprising Wright.

"You remember Judge?"

"Of course. He was a former collaborator of mine. Judge wasn't without talent."

Vegapunk tapped his temple with a grin. "My memory is excellent!"

To receive praise from Vegapunk was no small feat—Judge would surely feel validated.

"Yes, through a twist of fate, I came to know Judge... or rather, King Judge."

"King? Ha! So he returned to rule his kingdom, did he? Their family's 'Raid Suit' is quite the novelty."

Vegapunk chuckled. "When we discovered lineage factors back then, Judge considered combining the technology with his shape-memory armor. But it proved exceedingly difficult."

"After all, armor isn't alive. Advancing further purely through lineage factors was too challenging—it required a mediator."

"Which is why he pivoted to human modification," Wright remarked, shaking his head. "Combining the armor with enhanced soldiers is certainly powerful, but it's not the right path. I put a stop to it."

"Well done!" Vegapunk exclaimed. "Your sense of justice, Vice Admiral Wright, precedes you. You've earned your reputation!"

"Human modification carries enormous risks. When the World Government... invited me to lead research, they entertained similar ideas. I rejected them outright."

Vegapunk sighed, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. "But the Government hasn't given up. I've only been able to delay them by prioritizing other projects."

"If those major projects were completed, they'd surely restart human modification. By then, I might be forced to betray my principles."

He shot a glance at Sentomaru's enormous axe and muttered, "Just look at this guy assigned to guard me. Doesn't that make their intentions obvious?"

"Hey, Vegapunk, you ungrateful punk!" Sentomaru retorted. "I call you 'Doctor' out of respect, but I'm your bodyguard! The Government assigned me because of your importance!"

Sentomaru hefted his axe. "Or would you rather have Admiral Kizaru personally protect you?"

"That would be ideal!" Vegapunk dismissed Sentomaru's protests with a wave. Their bickering suggested they were used to such exchanges. "Unlike you, Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi still fascinates me. Light is truly one of nature's most enigmatic elements!"

"Keep dreaming!" Sentomaru scoffed. "Kizaru wouldn't even meet you earlier. He was gone three minutes after coming ashore!"

"..." Vegapunk froze mid-sip of his tea. "Fine, next time I'll be more... approachable."

"…"

Wright massaged his temples. "Doctor, you're quite... unique. Not what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Vegapunk raised an eyebrow. "A grumpy recluse with a bad temper?"

Shaking his head with a chuckle, Vegapunk continued, "People misunderstand scientists. Science is the pursuit of truth, but its purpose is to benefit humanity."

"Civil projects improve quality of life and help the weak thrive. Military research, on the other hand, reduces conflict by maintaining peace—without overwhelming power to deter, balanced wars would destroy the world."

"Of course, some pursue science for selfish reasons... Judge is one of them."

"A true scientist is driven by passion. Without passion, one is merely a research machine, incapable of producing soul-stirring breakthroughs!"

"A passionate person can't be boring! Hahaha…"

Wright found himself genuinely impressed. With such enthusiasm and integrity, it was no wonder Vegapunk stood as the pinnacle of scientific achievement.

He was reminded of Albert Einstein—whose violin skills rivaled those of professional musicians. Einstein, a staunch pacifist who had witnessed two World Wars, had advocated for peace despite the moral burden of advancing nuclear research.

The iconic photograph of Einstein sticking out his tongue? That was taken on his 72nd birthday.

Without such passion and magnanimity, even Einstein might not have achieved so many groundbreaking contributions.

Vegapunk... clearly belonged to the same caliber of greatness.

"Incredible..." Wright began clapping slowly. "It seems we'll have much to discuss!"

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