One Piece: New Order-Chapter 71: Vegapunk

Located in the first half of the Grand Line, within the Seadya Sea Zone, stood Karakuri Island, home to the renowned Baldimore Country.

It was known as the "Land Where Geniuses Are Born" and often called the "Country of the Future."

The island was covered in dark clouds and snow all year round. Its frigid climate formed a thick layer of ice around its coasts, acting as a natural barrier.

To reach this place, one could only rely on a monthly supply ship, the occasional military vessel, or a specially designed icebreaker.

This harsh and isolated environment made it the perfect haven for a certain kind of people: a group made up of geniuses and madmen.

...

On the outer edge of Baldimore sat the Forest of Mechanical Beasts, long since sealed off.

Locals called it a forbidden zone.

The entire forest was filled with animals modified by the genius scientist Vegapunk—turned into machines with steel limbs and wired instincts. These creatures were highly hostile to outsiders.

Deep in the forest, hidden by trees and snow, stood a massive cluster of metal buildings. That was where the genius Vegapunk lived and carried out his research.

What no one knew was, the man seen by the public as the country's beacon of hope, was also the leader of a group that studied forbidden science.

A group known as MADS.

Its name reflected its essence: madness in the pursuit of knowledge. It was founded by Vegapunk. He discreetly recruited the world's top scientific minds, gathering them to study projects that had been banned by the World Government.

Among its members were Vinsmoke Judge, future monarch of the Germa Kingdom; Scien, who would go on to become Queen the Plague, one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars; and the unstable, ruthless biochemist known as Caesar Clown.

This team of geniuses and madmen studied everything—weaponry, biology, bloodlines, Devil Fruits. Nothing was off-limits.

Their ambition was clear: to use science to reach the domain of the gods. And they had already taken the first step.

They had discovered the blueprint of life itself: the Lineage Factor.

If not for an unexpected incident...

...

Thirteen kilometers from the edge of the sealed-off forest.

It was deep into the night. Two figures appeared, one tall, one small. They looked down at the silent, pitch-black village below, twisted smiles stretching across their faces.

It was a young Queen and Caesar Clown.

Both were obsessed with researching bacteria and microorganisms. But after Vegapunk and Vinsmoke Judge's team made groundbreaking progress, the two began to spiral into madness.

They had both been called geniuses. And yet their own research showed no signs of progress. Their egos couldn't take it. Especially since both Queen and Caesar already had violent and warped personalities.

No longer satisfied with animal experiments, they had begun sneaking out to hunt residents from nearby towns and villages.

With the island buried under snow year-round, people going missing wasn't unusual. No one looked too deeply into it. Everyone simply assumed the missing were unlucky, probably fallen somewhere in the snow.

But once the two of them learned about it from Vegapunk, the so-called blueprint of life, the Lineage Factor, they could no longer suppress the madness inside them.

Test subjects weren't enough. They needed people. More people.

That led to the scene from before. In just one night, two-thirds of the village population vanished.

No one knew where they had gone. But that didn't stop the remaining villagers from reporting the incident to the kingdom and the Marines.

Completely consumed by their obsession, the pair never once considered the consequences. What they were doing was no different from Orochimaru's crazed human experiments in the Hidden Leaf Village...

Baldimore was already highly advanced in science and technology. With so many people disappearing, it was hard not to suspect human experimentation. The country was the first to send people to investigate, but they found nothing.

Meanwhile, the Marine branch stationed on the island also reported the case to Marineford.

Headquarters, aware of the taboo surrounding human experimentation, immediately escalated the matter to the World Government.

After days of investigation, the Government's CP organization finally uncovered the truth: the existence of an illegal research team called MADS, dedicated to forbidden science.

And the paper written by Vegapunk on the Lineage Factor.

...

Holy Land, Mariejois.

Inside a towering castle of pale stone, a pristine hall stretched wide and empty, save for a sofa set and a single table at its center.

There, one of the Five Elders placed Vegapunk's paper on the table and spoke in a low voice.

"Unbelievable. Someone actually managed to touch that domain."

Warcury glanced toward him. "Shall we eliminate him?"

Nusjuro, resting a cursed blade across his lap, answered flatly, "Eliminating him would be a waste. Someone like that... is better off serving us."

The remaining two Elders remained silent, nodding in quiet agreement.

Just like that, the fate of a scientist five hundred years ahead of the world was decided in a few casual sentences.

...

Beyond the sealed Forest of Mechanical Beasts.

A snow-covered mound shifted. freewebnσvel.cøm

A square slab of white lifted slightly as a CP agent dressed in black emerged from a hidden pit. He raised a telescope and scanned the distant forest.

Inside the woods, countless red dots moved around, packed densely together, a sight that sent chills down the spine.

Suddenly, one of the red dots seemed to turn and look straight in his direction. Startled, the agent quickly lowered the cover and dropped back into the pit.

He looked at the only two companions left with him.

"What do we do? The captain went in over an hour ago. No word since."

One of the CP agents, his body wrapped in bandages, thought of the terrifying mechanical beasts and took a deep breath.

"We wait. Wait for orders. Those creatures are monsters."

The agent who had just scouted nervously said, "If we just sit here doing nothing, what if we get punished from above?"

The bandaged agent snapped back, "Then you go take a look."

The scout recalled those modified creatures that could launch missiles and lasers from all parts of their bodies. He shivered, gave a sheepish smile, and said nothing more.

The bandaged man shot him a scornful look.

Pururu~ Pururu~

Just then, the Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.

All three froze, hearts tightening, afraid it was a new mission. The bandaged agent steadied his trembling hands and picked up the receiver.

At first, his voice was tense. Then he kept repeating "Yes, understood," again and again.

Excitement slowly began to show on his face. After hanging up, he let out a long sigh of relief.

He then turned to the agent who had just scouted earlier.

"You head back to the town behind us and meet up with the Marines there. We're surrounding this cursed forest. No one gets out. We wait for backup."

...

Deep within the Forest of Mechanical Beasts, inside Vegapunk's laboratory.

In the massive steel complex, researchers rushed through the corridors in a frenzy. They moved quickly, packing up equipment and backing up data at full speed.

Vegapunk directed a team as they secured the most important research. From afar, he spotted Queen and Caesar also barking orders at their own groups. Unable to hold back his rage, he roared.

"You idiots! Did bacteria eat your brains or what?! Are those microbes hanging from your necks now?! Human experiments were bad enough, but you went and snatched that many people in one place?!"

He didn't stop.

"Not only did you abduct them, you didn't even finish the job! Sloppy! Reckless! Are you pigs?!"

"I swear to—"

"*&%$#@!"

As Vegapunk furiously berated them in front of everyone, both Queen and Caesar looked embarrassed.

They couldn't argue back. This time, it was their fault. All they could do was grit their teeth and endure it.

Queen took it better, but the younger Caesar, despite being a genius, had always been cruel, arrogant, deceitful, and spiteful. He'd long envied Vegapunk, and now, hearing him lash out like this only fueled his hatred.

That moment planted the seed for the conflict that would later erupt between them, even while working together under the government.

After ranting for a while, Vegapunk finally calmed down a little. He forced himself to suppress the fury in his chest, deciding not to waste another second.

He turned and joined the others in packing up the research data.

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