RNP Chapter 243 Masters are attracted to each other.
Chapter 243 Masters are attracted to each other.
Chapter 243 Masters are attracted to each other.
The distortion in the Vegapunk core laboratory space inside Egghead Island had just subsided, and Bucky and his group were still in a daze from the time-space teleportation when Jason was the first to react.
He habitually straightened his collar, which didn't actually exist, and flicked his bangs, which weren't even there, preparing to face the new environment with the most heroic demeanor.
No matter where this is.
Then, his gaze settled on the beautiful woman in the center of the laboratory.
Leonardo da Vinci possessed a unique blend of classical elegance and futuristic technology, along with an exquisitely beautiful face.
And that knowing smile, which seemed to understand everything yet carried a hint of mischief, instantly struck Jason like a ray of light—yes, Jason's heart, which loved beautiful things.
"Oh, Olympian gods above! What a masterpiece this is!"
Jason's eyes lit up instantly. He pushed aside Baki, who was blocking his way, and strode forward, bending one knee slightly with remarkable ease.
He struck what he considered a dashing pose, placed his right hand on his chest, and spoke in an aria-like voice.
"This lady is as beautiful as Aphrodite! I am Jason, captain of the great Argo, the hero in search of the Golden Fleece!"
"In this strange place filled with steel and data, your appearance is simply like—"
His words came to an abrupt end.
A chill emanating from the depths of my soul suddenly shot up my spine to the back of my head!
It was as if a gaze filled with deep resentment was crossing the barriers of time and space, and was firmly fixed on his back.
He could even faintly hear magical threads whispering in the air, and a familiar yet terrifying name almost slipped out.
Jason's bright smile froze instantly, turning somewhat comical.
He subconsciously shrank his neck, straightened up, and took a half-step back imperceptibly, creating a safe distance between himself and Leonardo da Vinci.
He just muttered to himself, "————Haha, the weather is really nice today, the ventilation system in this lab is really good————"
Leonardo da Vinci watched with great interest Jason's series of dramatic changes in expression.
As intelligent as she is, she immediately guessed about 70-80% of the answer by combining her existing knowledge of Greek mythology.
She covered her mouth and chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in her voice: "So this must be Captain Jason, the legendary captain who led the Argo to the Golden Fleece?"
"As expected—it lives up to its reputation."
She deliberately emphasized "well-deserved reputation," causing Jason's face to flush red and then pale.
Then, her gaze passed over Jason.
Finally, the gaze landed on the silent, mountain-like giant behind Bonnie, a genuine look of amazement and curiosity flashing in his emerald eyes.
"And this—a heroic spirit radiating a life force as vast as a mountain—must be Hercules, the greatest hero of Greek mythology, right?"
"And this Captain Jason—you really don't hide your real names at all in this world."
She tilted her head slightly, revealing an expression that was both troubled and amused.
"Have they forgotten all the most basic rules of concealment in the Holy Grail War? How interesting."
"But then again, after observing for so long, can this Holy Grail War in this world really still be considered a war?"
"I heard from my Master that every single one of the summoned beings is an existence that exceeds the norm—it's a research topic that's both a headache and an exciting one."
Leonardo da Vinci's seemingly casual remark instantly jolted Bonnie out of his daze.
She suddenly raised her head, her large eyes fixed on Vegapunk, her anger and anxiety intertwined, her voice trembling.
"Vegapunk! Where's my dad?! The World Government said—that you erased his consciousness! Is that true?! What did you do to him?!"
These words were like cold water being poured into boiling oil!
Bucky and his men then suddenly came to their senses.
Yup!
The giant apple-headed creature in front of you is actually the world government's chief scientist!
They're on the enemy's side! And the Naval Science Department had previously leaked information that Vegapunk had created a weapon to deal with Heroic Spirits!
Could it be this beautiful woman? What was his motive for teleporting us here? A trap?!
Instantly, the atmosphere in the laboratory became extremely tense!
Bucky's men instinctively gripped their weapons, glancing nervously at Vegapunk and Da Vinci.
The Pakistani man was so frightened he almost split apart, hiding behind a burly henchman, peeking out with only half his head sticking out.
The most direct reaction was from Hercules!
"Ughhhhhh!!!"
A roar of suppressed rage erupted from his massive body, and his already oppressive aura suddenly surged, with crimson magic power swirling around him like tangible flames!
His eyes, already filled with wildness, were now locked onto Vegapunk, filled with destructive hostility!
It was as if, at Bonnie's command, he would immediately tear this threat to shreds!
The entire laboratory's sophisticated instruments began to buzz with alarms due to the terrifying killing intent!
"Everyone! Calm down! Please calm down!"
Vegapunk was forced to take a step back by Heracles's imposing presence, and hurriedly waved his hands, causing his giant apple head to shake.
"A misunderstanding! This is a huge misunderstanding! This Mr. Leonardo da Vinci is a Heroic Spirit I secretly summoned behind the backs of the World Government!"
"The World Government has no idea she exists! My true purpose is not aligned with theirs!"
He looked at Bonnie eagerly, his tone sincere.
"Bonnie! Your father, Bartholomew the Bear, is fully conscious and has all his memories intact!"
"What the World Government received was merely an empty shell, devoid of a soul, created by Leonardo da Vinci and myself!"
"I've secretly hidden the real him! His condition has stabilized, but he's still unconscious!"
'
Bonnie froze, the anger in her eyes replaced by disbelief and a glimmer of hope: "--Really? Dad... he's alright?"
"Absolutely true! I'll take you to see him!" Vegapunk nodded vigorously.
Led by Vegapunk and Da Vinci, the group, with mixed feelings, traversed the lab's complex passageways and arrived at a more secluded secret room.
Inside the sealed chamber, the real Bartholomew Bear lay quietly in a life support pod filled with soft green light.
His wounds had clearly been carefully treated. Although he was still unconscious, his face was peaceful and his breathing was steady, as if he had simply fallen into a deep sleep.
"Daddy!" Bonnie's tears instantly burst forth. She rushed to the life support pod, her little hands stroking the bear's face through the glass, sobbing uncontrollably.
The long-standing worries and fears transformed into immense joy at being regained.
Hercules sensed the drastic change in his Master's emotions.
The violent aura slowly subsided, but he still stood silently behind Bonney like the most loyal guardian, his wary gaze not completely leaving Vegapunk.
Bucky and the others breathed a sigh of relief, and the atmosphere eased considerably.
Jason patted his chest, resuming his confident and self-assured demeanor.
"Well, it seems it was a false alarm! As expected of the scientist I've chosen—he certainly has principles!"
""
However, Jason's mind raced. He stroked his chin, a shrewd glint in his eyes, and looked at Vegapunk.
"However, Dr. Vegapunk, you went to great lengths, even going so far as to summon Servants behind the World Government's back, to teleport us uninvited guests directly to your core laboratory—"
"It can't be just about letting little Bonnie see her father, can it? Let me guess, you want to escape the World Government's surveillance?"
Vegapunk and Da Vinci exchanged a glance, nodded, and readily admitted it.
"Yes. The World Government is no longer a suitable place for pure scientific research."
"They are short-sighted and despicable, willing to stifle any possibility in the name of stability."
"If I stay here, not only will my personal freedom be restricted, but my research results will only be used by them to maintain that corrupt order, and may even cause a greater disaster."
He paused, looked at Bonnie, Bucky, and Jason, and spoke solemnly.
"So, I want you to take me away from Egghead Island. Let me escape the control of the World Government."
"What?!" Bucky jumped up in fright, his voice shrill.
"Take you away?! What kind of interstellar joke is this?! Are we going to become a crazy pirate crew that kidnaps the world's greatest scientist?!"
"Wouldn't they be hunted down to the ends of the earth by the Navy Admirals and CPO, dying without a burial place?!"
He pointed at Vegapunk, then at the surrounding area.
"You...don't you have that spatial teleportation ability? Couldn't you just teleport yourself to safety in a flash? Why did you have to drag us along?!"
Da Vinci shrugged helplessly and explained, "I'm sorry, Mr. Bucky."
"Current physical space teleportation technology is still very unstable, requiring extremely precise coordinate positioning and massive energy support."
"You were teleported in thanks to the hidden beacons that Master had placed outside the island and the stable energy source inside the laboratory."
"The risk of teleporting over extremely long distances is extremely high, with a success rate that is almost zero."
"A tiny coordinate deviation could result in the teleportation target being permanently banished to a spatial rift, or—worse still."
Upon hearing this, Bucky's face turned deathly pale, and he was utterly desperate.
Bonnie wiped away her tears and, with her simple mind, immediately agreed: "I see! No problem then!"
"Vegapunk, you saved my father, you're our savior! Let's go together!"
"With Berserker here, we'll definitely be able to protect everyone and get us out of here safely!" She waved her little fist, full of confidence in Hercules.
Vegapunk gave Bonney a grateful look, then his expression turned serious, and some complex data streams appeared on the giant apple head.
"Actually, there's an even more important reason why I decided to leave. With the help of Leonardo da Vinci's understanding of magic and my monitoring of the energy of this world, we discovered an extremely unusual phenomenon."
He brought up a virtual screen displaying a world map with three clear points of light scattered in different corners of the world.
"Look, this is a very strange thing. I'm quite certain that such a thing absolutely did not exist in the original world."
Leonardo da Vinci picked up the conversation: "Yes, this thing is a spiritual vein, a product unique to our world."
"But now, they are evenly distributed throughout the world! It is this abnormal diffusion of magic and the loosening of the world's rules that allows me to create magically powered devices like the Divine Remains."
Da Vinci chimed in, his tone inquisitive: "The fundamental rules of this world are undergoing some kind of shift or permeation."
"Magic is no longer a privilege limited to the Holy Grail War system, but has an impact on a broader level."
"This is very unusual; there seems to be some kind of will driving it from behind? We are very puzzled; what exactly is going on?"
Vegapunk turned his gaze to Bonney.
"You are the Master of the Red Team, you experienced the Alabasta incident, and you have only recently separated from Straw Hat Luffy and his crew."
"I'd like to ask, did Luffy's Heroic Spirit, Gol D. Roger, say anything special in Alabasta, or afterward?"
"Especially about this world itself, about the final island of Laugh Tale, or—about some kind of change?"
Bonnie and Bucky both shook their heads blankly.
Bonney said, "Mr. Roger? He didn't say anything special, he just helped us fight, and then sparred with Mr. Karna—why are you asking about that?"
Bucky scratched his head: "The captain is exactly the same as he was back then, so he shouldn't be hiding anything from us."
Vegapunk sighed, somewhat disappointed.
"There are some questions about the nature of this world that I want to ask the Pirate King, the only one who has ever been to Laugh Tale and knows the truth of the Void Century."
"His perspective might explain the anomalies we are currently observing."
Just then, the communication lights in the laboratory began to flash rapidly, and the image of Vegapunk's clone, Shakyamuni, appeared anxiously on the main screen.
"Immediate alert! All naval fleets in the waters surrounding Egghead Island are on high alert!"
"All defense systems activated! A truly extraordinary individual is ignoring all warnings, forcibly breaking through the outer defenses, and heading towards the main laboratory!"
The main screen immediately switched to a surveillance view of the island's perimeter.
On the azure sea, the Red Falcon was cutting through the waves with unstoppable force, heading straight for us!
Standing at the bow of the ship was a red-haired man with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
"Y-it's Shanks!!" Buggy immediately burst out, his voice trembling.
"Why is this guy here too?! That bastard! He follows me everywhere I go. It seems like all my luck has been sucked away by him!"
However, unlike Bucky's reaction, Vegapunk watched the approaching red figure on the screen.
Instead, he gave a smile that held a hint of anticipation.
"Red-Haired Shanks, huh? I see—he had a sea emperor kidnap the World Government's chief scientist—"
"That sounds like a good option."
The atmosphere in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise was as heavy as if frozen.
Five figures sat stiffly in the shadows, emanating a thick aura of death and resentment. They were the Five Elders, who had been reawakened by some kind of power.
They had just received an urgent report from the naval vice admiral on the front lines at Egghead Island.
"The scientific defense god, Satan, spoke in his inhuman voice."
"Abnormal spatial fluctuations on Egghead Island—signals from the Buggy Pirates have appeared, followed by—Red-Haired Shanks' fleet."
The interface of the environmental martial god Maz Saint, his tone chilling.
"Vegapunk—his value, especially given the current backdrop of rampant otherworldly Servants, is immeasurable."
"His ability to analyze Heroic Spirits and potentially create weapons that can be used against them must not fall into the hands of others, especially not—pirates."
Financial God of War Nassjurou Sei made a resolute decision.
"We must act immediately! Authorize all CPO members, and—we—to proceed to Egghead Island immediately!"
The God of Law and War, Vochuli, pondered, "The objective is—to ensure that Vegapunk remains absolutely under the control of the World Government!"
"If necessary, purification measures can be taken to ensure that the technology is not leaked!"
Peter, the God of Agriculture, concluded with an undeniable air of authority: "Execute it. This is—"
The will of that great one.
The shadows writhed, and a chilling, inhuman killing intent spread out.