After leaving Baltimore Island, Leo set sail, following the clues he had analyzed from Dr. Vegapunk's notes.
His first stop was a small island called Tinal. According to the doctor's records, the island grew a plant-metal, a material essential for his biomechanical modifications. Plant-metal was highly dangerous, with a tough exterior and carnivorous tendencies. Additionally, there were signs of cannibalistic behavior among the plants on Tinal Island.
Closing the notebook, Leo let out a sigh. Even a top-tier scientist would struggle without strong logistical support. This made him reflect on the phrase written on the notebook's title page: "I need inspiration from the secrets of nature."
At first glance, it sounded like the doctor was lamenting the limits of human wisdom. But after analyzing it in context, Leo realized it wasn't truly his intention. Vegapunk was merely being dramatic. If someone could assist him in gathering data, he would undoubtedly become a reclusive genius revered among pirates.
The journey proved arduous. Leo faced storms, whirlpools, updrafts, and other hazards unique to long-distance voyages. Yet, on the fifth morning at sea, he finally spotted Tinal Island.
Aware of the dangers posed by plant-metal and potential cannibalistic creatures, Leo decided to stop the ship two nautical miles from shore. He had no intention of blindly landing on unknown territory, so he put the reconnaissance drone "Telobug," seized from a slave ship, to use.
Using the remaining parts, Leo assembled a drone, attached the somewhat nervous Telobug to it, and added a cute aerial monitor. To help Telobug cope with wind during flight, Leo thoughtfully crafted a pair of windproof goggles.
During its first flight, Telobug was jittery, the camera feed shaking and blurred. When it flew too high, it closed its eyes in fear. Leo then installed a small support on its eyes so it could stay open, and even fixed its neck to prevent excessive movement.
By the time preparations were complete, night had fallen. Having learned from past experiences, Leo no longer underestimated the dangers of the world. First, he focused on sensing any nearby threats. Once confident it was safe, he decided to explore the island at night.
"Yoshi! Everything's ready, little buddy. Tonight, it's your turn. Activate the Telobug flight monitor."
Whirrrrr! All four rotors started, and Telobug hovered in the air. Once stable, Leo turned on the lights and began mapping Tinal Island in an S-shaped flight path.
Night fell over Tinal, and the island lay in an eerie silence. The drone circled for some time, but there was no sign of life. For someone like Leo, who had grown up in forests, this was highly unusual. Nighttime jungles should be vibrant with life, yet here, all was still.
As Telobug ventured deeper, a faint rustling appeared on the screen, as if something dragged across the ground. The drone moved toward the sound, and twenty minutes later, they discovered a lake at the center of the island.
On a small island in the middle of the lake stood a plant, looking nearly withered. Its branches were twisted together in clumps, drooping lifelessly toward the ground. From a distance, it resembled a tangled mess.
But when the monitor's light shone on it, the plant suddenly came alive, twisting its branches to avoid the light. Some branches swung in the air, attempting to strike the drone.
Watching the branches sway, Leo could finally see the island's surface. The soil was littered with animal skeletons, many of which sprouted seedlings.
Leo suspected the plant might indeed be plant-metal, though he could not test its hardness and dared not make assumptions. Suddenly, the plant changed again: all its branches shot skyward, twisted into spirals, then plunged underground, leaving only a black hole in the center. The seedlings retracted their leaves and buried themselves as well, leaving the lake island bare.
"Ah… plant-metal is shy. I didn't expect such a fierce plant to fear light. Looks like if I want to collect samples, it has to be at night."
Leo paused. Wait, I came here to track Vegapunk. Why am I collecting plant-metal? Is Vegapunk poisonous? Or do I have the potential to become a top-tier scientist?
This thought kept him awake that night, leaving him with dark circles for work the next morning.
After a mediocre breakfast, Leo felt embarrassed, comparing himself to the time-traveling chefs of the Great Flower Clan, whose culinary skills were unmatched. He decided he needed a chef companion soon.
He relaunched Telobug along yesterday's path, quickly reaching the lake island. Indeed, the central island had a large hole. The main body of the plant-metal was nowhere in sight. Leo threw a few incendiary devices into the hole, but after waiting, there was no reaction. He had no choice but to return to the jungle to continue searching.
The drone flew aimlessly through the forest. During the day, Tinal Island teemed with life. Leo even spotted a large herbivorous dinosaur and played a silent eye-contact game with it from the drone.
Suddenly, the dinosaur disappeared from the screen. Leo adjusted the drone's angle and saw it being dragged into the jungle, disappearing from view.
Telobug's eyes widened, staring at the direction of the disappearance, creating an awkward moment.
Leo muttered, "Sorry, Dino-bro. Who asked you to play a game without blinking? Maybe you didn't know I propped open Telobug's eyelids… Next life, keep your eyes open, okay?"
As he prepared to leave, the drone was suddenly attacked from the ground. An alarm blared, and one rotor stopped unexpectedly. Panicking, Leo raised the drone above 100 meters before daring to return.
Back aboard the ship, Telobug's eyes were brimming with tears. Scared out of its wits, it hid in its shell. Feeling guilty, Leo placed a fresh vegetable leaf nearby to comfort it. Upon inspecting the damage, he discovered that the attack had been carried out with a 3-cm-long arrow resembling a tooth, likely shot from a blowgun. When he picked it up, the arrow shaft began spinning violently—it was actually made from a piece of plant-metal.
Perfect timing. Just when I was wondering how to collect specimens, the locals sent me one. No doubt, it's the island's cannibals. Unexpectedly hospitable!
After this encounter, Leo was almost certain Vegapunk was no longer on the island. Considering the actions of other mad scientists, if MADS were truly based here, the metal factory would already be in the lab.
It seemed they must proceed to the second island recorded in the notes. The plant-metal sample could only be returned later. Before departing, Leo secured the 3-cm plant-metal in a test tube.
During the voyage to the next island, Leo conducted experiments. Submerging plant-metal in seawater gradually darkened it. This blackened plant-metal was extremely hard. Out of water, it slowly returned to its original state. Placed in fresh water, it sprouted slowly. A few drops of blood accelerated growth. Leo was satisfied with the findings—plant-metal could be ideal for biological weapons. However, it would be safer to store it in seawater until a stable lab environment was available.
After another half-month at sea, the next destination appeared—Réunion Island. The ship slowed before approaching, aware that this sea region was perilous. Vegapunk's notes mentioned numerous large marine creatures nearby. Leo did not want a repeat of past mistakes; he needed to camouflage the ship first.
Activating Shenzhou, Leo enveloped the small ship in a hollow sphere of seawater. This newly discovered function allowed the vessel to appear as just a droplet of water to marine life—a safer disguise in the open ocean.
As he stealthily approached the island, Leo spotted numerous large Sea Kings. He carefully piloted the ship forward, wary of disturbing these massive beasts. A few mechanically modified sharks patrolled the nearshore waters, their electronic eyes emitting a cold, eerie glow along the ocean floor.
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