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Vegapunk bore a striking resemblance to a great scientist from Kojin's previous life: Einstein.
Now in his middle years, he had an enormous head that almost touched the ceiling.
Kojin followed quietly behind him until the two entered a laboratory filled with scattered papers and various devices.
"It's stuffy in here!"
Vegapunk walked over to a cluster of test tubes and began tinkering with them.
"I was brought here against my will."
"At the time, I was researching the 'Lineage Factor' together with Vinsmoke Judge."
"The World Government thought what I was doing was too dangerous, so they brought me here and bought off my research team."
"But later, I felt this arrangement wasn't so bad. At least I no longer have to worry about the massive resources and funding my experiments require."
At this point, Vegapunk let out a self-mocking chuckle.
Kojin listened quietly, feeling a bit surprised.
Truthfully, he wasn't very familiar with Vegapunk; most of what he knew came from his previous world.
"If it were possible, I wouldn't want to cooperate with the World Government at all. Everything I do here can be said to be under duress." Vegapunk continued to speak.
"Can you really say somethings like tha?" Kojin asked curiously.
"The room is well soundproofed, and they don't really care what I say. The World Government is far more interested in my research results. They only want the outcome." Vegapunk said with a smile.
"If you ever get the chance and can afford the funding my experiments require, you could try kidnapping me and taking me away. I'd be willing to work for you."
As he spoke, he turned around and smiled at Kojin.
Kojin froze for a moment, then smiled and nodded.
"If I get the chance, I'll definitely do that."
Vegapunk poured the liquid from one test tube into another. Instantly, pī li pā lā sounds crackled through the air as if sparks were flashing.
This made Kojin worried that Vegapunk's experiment might suddenly explode.
"I actually know you quite well, Rear Admiral Kojin." Vegapunk said again.
"The gloves you're wearing were made by me."
"How are they? Useful, right?"
He smiled at Kojin as he spoke.
Kojin raised his hand and nodded with a smile. "They're very good."
"Seastone is an extremely hard material. Making it flexible is no easy task, that pair is the world's first, and perhaps the last." Vegapunk said.
"I'll treasure them." Kojin repled with a serious look on his face.
Vegapunk nodded, then turned back to him and stared straight into his eyes.
"So...we're friends now, right?"
Kojin was taken aback, unable to follow the scientist's abrupt shift in logic.
Still, he didn't hesitate and nodded again.
"Yes, we're friends now."
Hearing this, Vegapunk let out a sigh of relief and laughed.
"That's good! Actually, I've looked into everything about you!" Your hometown is in West Blue, Ohara, the famous holy land of archaeology! I'm interested in some of the ancient knowledge recorded there. If I ever get the chance, I'd definitely like to go take a look. The wisdom of the ancients is truly astonishing."
But these words made Kojin freeze.
His hometown was in the West Blue... Ohara?
That was something even he himself didn't know.
"And two years ago, at the Sabaody Archipelago, you killed a Celestial Dragon, didn't you?" Vegapunk continued.
This sent an even greater shock through Kojin. He looked at Vegapunk, disbelief plain in his eyes.
'How did he know about that?'
In just a few days, his perfectly concealed act had been exposed to people who knew the truth, one after another.
"There are very few people in this world who would dare to do something like that. Being able to do it and daring to do it are two completely different things. You are very unique and are different from the vast majority of people in this world. And that is precisely why I was willing to help you make those gloves."
Vegapunk spoke rapidly, one sentence following another.
"If there's anything I can help you with, feel free to ask. I like doing things for my friends."
Kojin paused for a moment. He couldn't fully understand Vegapunk's generosity, but he accepted it gladly.
Because almost immediately, something came to mind.
"You've been researching Devil Fruits lately?" He set the wooden box he was carrying down on the table as he spoke.
"Correct. I'm researching how to allow objects to also possess Devil Fruit abilities. The Elephant-Elephant Fruit you brought is one of my experimental samples." Vegapunk nodded.
"Then is there any device, or method, that can locate nearby Devil Fruits?" Kojin asked with interest.
He was thinking of the Logia-type Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) on Skypiea, which at this time had not yet been eaten by Enel.
"Locating Devil Fruits?" Vegapunk froze for a moment, then spoke rapidly.
"Of course there is! It's just that I shelved that project very quickly. The early research results were rather useless."
"The maximum range at which it can determine a location is only two to three kilometers. Compared to the whole world, even compared to a single island, that's far too limited!"
"Compared to searching for them, I much prefer creating!"
Kojin's eyes lit up slightly as he asked. "Could you tell me the method or give me the device?"
Vegapunk smiled and nodded.
"Although I don't know what you intend to do, that's naturally no problem. But I must warn you: the probability of this device finding a Devil Fruit is still very low. It's best not to hold out too much hope."
Kojin nodded.
Afterward, Vegapunk rummaged through the laboratory for quite some time. In the end, he found an object about the size of a palm, flickering with light, carved with strange patterns, and shaped somewhat like an orange.
"When it glows green, then that means that no Devil fruit has been detected."
"When it glows red, it means there's one nearby."
Vegapunk explained.
Kojin took the device and smiled.
"Many thanks."
"And if you'd allow me to study your body, I'd be even happier! I've heard you have an undying body? I've never seen such a lineage before!"
As he spoke, Vegapunk licked his lips, a gleam shining in his eyes as he looked at Kojin.
That gleam made Kojin's heart skip a beat.
He was absolutely certain that if this man ever got the chance, he would not hesitate to slice him up for research.
"It seems you're very resistant to being studied. What a pity." Vegapunk said regretfully.
Only then did Kojin let out a breath, forcing a strained smile.
"Time really flies. You should be going now, but I'm very happy to have made a friend. To be honest, you're the first friend I've had in all these years."
Vegapunk turned around and handed him several sheets of paper from the table, each densely covered with drawings.
"If you ever get the chance, be sure to kidnap me. I know this is something you'd dare to do, perhaps only you would be able to do so. As for the Celestial Dragon incident, you can rest easy. There shouldn't be many people in this world who know about it. I merely used my own brain to make a few deductions, and then confirmed it based on your expression just now."
Kojin blinked, then smiled and nodded.
"Alright. I also like helping friends."
Their gazes met, and both of them smiled.
"I'll be waiting." Vegapunk said.
Kojin turned and left, as the guards at the door were already urging him on.
Without a doubt, this meeting with Vegapunk had brought him a tremendous surprise.
(End of Chapter)