Under the cover of deep night, two figures stepped onto the damp wood.
"How should we proceed from here?" Queen asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.
Raleigh didn't answer immediately.
He closed his eyes, extending his senses into the darkness.
'Troublesome,' he thought.
Within the Calm Belt, the lack of natural wind and the strange magnetic fields severely suppressed his Observation Haki.
His perception range, usually vast, was now compressed to a mere two kilometers.
In the open sea, two kilometers is a lot.
But in a dense, unknown jungle? It was nothing. He couldn't detect threats until they were almost on top of him.
Raleigh opened his eyes and gazed at the pitch-black forest ahead.
The trees were ancient and twisted, blocking out the moonlight.
This place felt... wrong.
"Lead the way," Raleigh commanded.
As he watched the forest, he saw something.
Deep in the pitch-black woods, a pair of faint red dots flickered.
"What's that?" Raleigh asked sharply.
He reached for the small telescope he carried, but the moment he raised it, the red dots vanished.
"What?" Queen asked, putting on a puzzled expression.
He looked around innocently. "I don't see anything, Raleigh-sama. Are you seeing things?"
"Never mind," Raleigh said, lowering the telescope. "Just move."
Raleigh didn't dwell on the details aloud, but his mind was racing.
When it came to his personal safety, he never let his guard down. Those red dots were definitely no accident!
'He is acting,' Raleigh realized.
Raleigh's seemingly indifferent demeanor was a mask to deceive Queen.
He knew the fatass was up to no good.
Although Raleigh's perception was limited, he could tell from the terrain that Queen was leading him into a tactical disadvantage.
They were walking into a valley, surrounded by high ground.
A classic ambush spot.
Though Raleigh hadn't sensed any biological signs of life—no birds, no insects—he felt an inexplicable tension.
It was an innate sensitivity to danger.
'This forest is off,' Raleigh thought. 'And Queen is walking too fast for a fat man who claims to be tired.'
Ahead of him, Queen was smirking in the dark.
'Hehehe,' Queen thought, his mind teeming with schemes.
'Enjoy your moment of arrogance, Marine. The Chief already knows you're here. Just wait until we reach the trap zone.'
As the two ventured deeper, the canopy became so thick that the moon was completely obscured.
It was pitch black.
Rustle... Rustle...
A strange sound came from the depths of the forest. It sounded like leaves moving, but there was no wind in the Calm Belt.
"What could be making that sound?" Raleigh wondered.
It sounded mechanical.
Suddenly, Queen stopped. He was panting heavily, his suit drenched in sweat.
"Raleigh-sama, I'm exhausted," Queen wheezed. "Can we rest for a moment? My legs are killing me."
Without waiting for permission, Queen slowly shuffled toward a massive, ancient oak tree a few meters away.
He prepared to sit down at its base.
Raleigh stood with his back turned, looking into the darkness. He didn't see the triumphant, nasty grin on Queen's face.
But Raleigh didn't need eyes to know what was happening.
"Queen," Raleigh said softly.
His voice cut through the silence like a knife, sending a chill down Queen's spine.
"If you happen to see Dr. Vegapunk after you go under that tree... give him my regards. Tell him I'll be finding him soon enough."
Queen froze. His heart skipped a beat.
'He knows!' Queen panicked.
Queen abandoned all pretense of being tired. He bolted toward the thick tree trunk with surprising speed.
Click. Whirrrrr.
A hidden panel in the tree bark slid open, revealing a steel slide leading underground.
Queen threw himself into the hole.
"Secure the entrance!" Queen screamed as he slid down.
The metal door slammed shut instantly, blending perfectly back into the bark.
Raleigh sighed and turned around slowly.
He watched the spot where the "exhausted" lump of fat had disappeared.
"Why run?" Raleigh muttered to the empty forest. "I never planned to stop you."
Raleigh had noticed the fake tree long ago.
While it looked realistic, the leaves didn't move naturally when Raleigh used his subtle wind powers.
Plus, Queen's muscles had twitched with excitement the moment he saw it.
Raleigh had let him go on purpose.
"If I captured him," Raleigh reasoned, "Vegapunk might panic and trigger a self-destruct sequence, or flee via a submarine. I can't swim fast enough to catch a sub."
"Better to let Queen return. It makes them feel safe. It makes them let their guard down."
However, the situation was changing rapidly.
The faint sense of threat Raleigh had felt earlier had solidified into palpable killing intent.
His Observation Haki, which had been empty a moment ago, was suddenly filled with signals. But they weren't heartbeats.
They were cold, electric pulses.
Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
The sound of metal stepping on stone echoed from every direction.
The red dots Raleigh had seen earlier reappeared.
First two. Then ten. Then hundreds.
The forest was alive with glowing crimson eyes.
'You really think highly of me, Dr. Vegapunk,' Raleigh thought, scanning the perimeter.
Less than two minutes after Queen had escaped, the defense force had arrived.
Stepping out of the shadows were wolves. But they were not creatures of flesh and blood.
They were mechanical nightmares made of polished steel.
Their bodies were sleek and armored. Their paws were heavy metal claws that dug into the earth.
Their jaws were hydraulic presses, lined with rows of razor-sharp titanium teeth.
Their tails were not fur, but segmented, whip-like blades that gleamed in the dim light.
A single swipe from those tails would strip the flesh from a man's bones.
They surrounded Raleigh in a perfect circle, growling with the sound of grinding gears.
Raleigh didn't draw a weapon.
He didn't panic. Instead, he smiled and bowed politely to the air.
"Hello, Dr. Vegapunk," Raleigh said, his voice calm and projecting clearly. "I am Vice Admiral Christian Raleigh of the Marines. It is an honor to meet the world's greatest mind."
The mechanical creatures froze.
They seemed confused by his politeness.
After a moment of processing, the circle parted.
A massive Wolf, twice the size of the others, stepped forward. Heavy pistons hissed as it moved.
The Wolf's eyes flickered, the lens focusing on Raleigh's face. Its steel jaw opened, but instead of a roar, a stiff, distorted mechanical voice came out.
"Hello, Vice Admiral Raleigh."
It was Vegapunk speaking remotely.
"You should not have come here. This is a restricted zone."
...
Deep beneath the earth, Dr. Vegapunk stared at the screens. Beside him, Queen was panting, chugging water.
"He's just standing there," Judge noted, looking at Raleigh's calm face on the monitor. "He isn't afraid."
Vegapunk leaned into the microphone.
"Regarding the unauthorized actions of Queen and Caesa... we admit fault. We are willing to offer financial compensation if you leave this island immediately! We will also provide advanced weapons for the Marines."
Vegapunk wanted to de-escalate.
He believed Raleigh was here to arrest criminals or rescue civilians.
"If you are here for the civilians," the mechanical wolf continued, "our MADS organization is willing to return all the test subjects unharmed. We do not wish for conflict with the Marines."
Vegapunk was being sincere.
He actually disliked using civilians.
But he had been so busy with his breakthrough that he let Queen run wild. He was willing to give them back to make Raleigh go away.
Raleigh listened to the offer. He smiled, shaking his head gently.
"You misunderstand, Doctor. I am not here for the civilians. Or the money."
Raleigh took a step toward the Wolf King.
"Dr. Vegapunk... how is your research on the Lineage Factor going? Have you cracked the code yet?"
The silence in the forest was deafening.
Vegapunk's eyes widened behind his glasses.
He froze.
Beside him, Judge gasped.
"Who told him?!" Judge shouted. "That is top secret! Only we know that name!"
Vegapunk's hands trembled.
"Lineage Factor" was not just a science project.
It was the discovery that would change the world
. It was the "Blueprint of Life."
It meant that humanity could edit DNA, create clones, and grant superpowers.
If the World Government knew he had discovered this... they wouldn't just arrest him.
They would bury him!
Or worse, force him to make monsters forever.
Vegapunk had come to the Calm Belt specifically to hide this truth. And now, a Marine Vice Admiral was standing there, saying the name casually.
"He knows," Vegapunk whispered. "He knows everything."
The look in Vegapunk's eyes changed from curiosity to cold, desperate resolve.
"I'm sorry, Marine," Vegapunk muttered to the screen.
"But for the sake of the future... you cannot leave this island alive."
...
The red light in the eyes of the Mechanical Wolf suddenly intensified.
It turned from a dull crimson to a blinding, angry scarlet. The cooling fans inside the wolf whirred to maximum speed, sounding like a jet engine.
The mechanical mouth opened, and Vegapunk's voice returned. It was no longer polite.
"Who told you about that?"
The voice was cold.
"I am sorry, Vice Admiral. But that secret is too dangerous. You must die today."
CLANK!
On command, hundreds of steel wolves crouched low, their hydraulic legs charging up for the kill.
Raleigh sighed, cracking his knuckles.
"I figured you might say that."
---------
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