Chapter 807: Peace Agreement
The CP intelligence agents didn't think much about it; they simply followed Vegapunk's instructions and dismantled some usable instruments from the research institute to take away.
There were still many scientists in this research institute, all scholars from the Marine Science Unit. Watching the CP agents dismantle the equipment, they felt quite frustrated but dared not ask questions.
There was no helping it. These directly subordinate World Government intelligence agency personnel were seen as extremely mysterious in the eyes of many. Even these Marine scientists were afraid of them.
The scientists couldn't understand why Vegapunk was suddenly being transferred away, but they were full of complaints. Many research projects in the institute were led by Vegapunk, and with his departure, numerous projects would have to be halted.
Most importantly, this time only Vegapunk himself was being transferred. None of his assistants were allowed to follow!
So, they could only watch helplessly as the intelligence agents dismantled the instruments and roughly tossed those precious devices onto the transport ship...
Just then, the CP intelligence agents carried out a black cylindrical object. It looked like a giant nail. The scientists in the institute were stunned when they saw it.
Strange! What was this thing? Why had they never seen it before?
Someone couldn't help but step forward and quietly ask Vegapunk, "Doctor, what is this? A new invention of yours?"
Vegapunk didn't answer. He only mumbled vaguely, "Oh, yes..."
Seeing that Vegapunk didn't want to respond, the scientists stopped asking. They knew that Vegapunk sometimes worked alone in his lab, tinkering with things. This might be some new device he had developed himself.
Not long after, the CP agents had loaded all the instruments listed on Vegapunk's inventory onto the ship. Under their watchful eyes, Vegapunk boarded the vessel. Behind him followed the Pacifista PX0, Bartholomew Kuma, holding a book. He silently followed Vegapunk onto the ship, which then set sail under the escort of several Marine warships.
No one knew where Vegapunk would be transferred this time. The escort warships were all staffed with CP intelligence agents, but even they didn't know the destination...
Sentomaru, Kizaru's nephew, only learned about Vegapunk's transfer after returning. He immediately contacted Kizaru, who was far away at Marine Headquarters, to ask about it. However, after listening, Kizaru was silent for a long moment before finally saying, "I understand!" Then he hung up the phone.
After putting down the phone, Kizaru said to the Marine messenger in front of him, "Go back. Tell the Five Elders that I have no interest in the position of Fleet Admiral. I just need to do my job well!"
"But..." The Marine messenger looked at the appointment document signed by the Five Elders in his hand, his face full of hesitation.
"No buts!" Kizaru propped his legs up on the desk and said, "Isn't there Kong, the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Forces? Let him directly command the Marines. Or let Fleet Admiral Sengoku come out of retirement..."
With that, Kizaru closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, unwilling to speak further. Seeing this, the messenger knew the conversation couldn't continue. Sweating profusely, he withdrew from Kizaru's office to report back to the Five Elders.
After the messenger left, Kizaru opened his eyes and muttered quietly, "The Celestial Dragons have already deployed Uranus. A new war is about to begin. Only a fool would wade into this muddy water at a time like this!"
He sighed gloomily and added, "Akainu, why couldn't you see it back then... That seat isn't so easy to sit on!"
…………………………
Leaving aside the reactions of the Marines and the World Government, as Vegapunk's ship set sail, on the white earth island of Baltigo in the Grand Line, at the Revolutionary Army headquarters, a red dot suddenly began flashing on a screen.
Seeing the dot appear, the Revolutionary Army members in the hall, who had been answering phones and handling affairs, were stunned for a moment before quickly standing up. One member, wearing headphones, dashed from his seat and ran to knock on the meeting room door.
Inside the meeting room, besides Revolutionary Dragon, there were many others. They were all distinctive in appearance, representing various races. Ivankov the Okama King was also there, sitting not far from Dragon's left hand.
These were, without a doubt, the Revolutionary Army's important cadres from around the world! They had already gathered!
In fact, when he saw the news that Ian had killed Marine Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, Dragon realized something big was about to happen. So, ahead of schedule, he summoned these scattered Revolutionary Army cadres!
It must be said that Dragon was indeed prescient. Just as these cadres arrived at Baltigo one after another, the Celestial Dragons deployed Uranus!
Now, three days had passed since the Beast Pirates' battle with Uranus. The Revolutionary Army had already obtained the relevant information, leading to this meeting. Under Dragon's leadership, the cadres were discussing how to handle the upcoming Reverie...
When the Revolutionary Army member with headphones knocked on the meeting room door, the room fell silent for a moment.
Dragon nodded, signaling for the door to be opened. As soon as it opened, the member gasped and shouted, "Mr. Dragon, everyone, the signal has appeared! The distress signal has appeared!"
Hearing this, Dragon stood up abruptly, his face dark, and walked out of the meeting room without a word. Ivankov and the other cadres exchanged glances and quickly followed.
When the group arrived at the hall, the Revolutionary Army members were already gathered around the screen, staring at the flashing red dot.
"Indeed, it's the distress signal we agreed upon with Dr. Vegapunk!" Dragon confirmed as soon as he saw the red dot.
Ivankov hadn't understood yet. Dragon had only discussed this with Ian before, and most of the cadres didn't know about it. So, he couldn't help but ask, "Dragon, what's going on!?"
"That's a signal transmitter installed on Kuma!" Dragon said. "You probably wondered back then why Kuma, an important cadre of our Revolutionary Army, would join the World Government, become a Warlord, and willingly undergo the Pacifista modification, right?"
Ivankov and the others nodded. That had been their biggest confusion.
"In fact, at first, Kuma planned to assassinate Vegapunk!" Dragon's words were shocking. "He joined the Warlords to find an opportunity to get close to Vegapunk, the most important figure to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. But after contacting Vegapunk, he changed his mind and contacted me, saying that Vegapunk was someone worth winning over. This most brilliant scientist in history was actually being coerced!"
"So later, Kuma found a chance to reveal his identity to Vegapunk, offering to rescue him with the Revolutionary Army. But Vegapunk refused at the time."
Hearing this, Ivankov asked in confusion, "He refused? Why?"
"Because at that time, Vegapunk had already uncovered some of the Celestial Dragons' secrets!" Dragon said with a grim expression. "He told Kuma that he needed to stay under the World Government's command for a while longer. He had to figure out what the Celestial Dragons' national treasure really was..."
"And later, as time passed, based on the messages Vegapunk sent me through Kuma..." Dragon sighed. "It seemed he had discovered a very terrifying fact!"
Everyone present was captivated by Dragon's words, holding their breath as they listened.
"For eight hundred years, because the World Government's rule was relatively stable, Uranus remained dormant in the hands of the Celestial Dragons and was never activated!" Dragon said. "So there's a big problem: for a long-lived creature like Uranus, it has no sense of time. In fact, in its memory, the great war of the Void Century happened not long ago!"
"What... what does that mean?" Ivankov and the others were stunned.
"That means, if it remains under the Celestial Dragons' control, it might be fine. The Celestial Dragons order it to attack whoever they want, and it does so!" Dragon said. "But if any accident occurs, causing Uranus to break free from the Celestial Dragons' control, things could get troublesome. Uranus's memories are still stuck eight hundred years ago. It might still believe that the enemies who attacked it back then still exist!"
"Damn it!" Ivankov immediately understood and slammed the table. "So you're saying that if it discovers those who fought it back then, it will attack without hesitation!?"
"Yes!" Dragon nodded solemnly. "Eight hundred years ago, those who fought it have only descendants left. They no longer remember that history. But Uranus is different. It will see these people as enemies and launch indiscriminate attacks!"
Ivankov and the other cadres were now completely stunned. They couldn't imagine the immense damage an out-of-control Ancient Weapon could inflict on the current world.
"According to the information we've received, Ian and Ace fought a great battle with Uranus on Amazon Lily. Uranus then flew away on its own. We don't know if it returned to the Celestial Dragons at Mary Geoise. If not, it means they might have made things worse!" Dragon said. "Although there's no news about Uranus yet, we have to consider this possibility."
"What about Vegapunk?" Ivankov asked.
"Fortunately, Dr. Vegapunk also considered this possibility of losing control!" Dragon said. "He didn't foresee someone like Ian daring to fight Uranus head-on, but he did think about the scenario where Uranus might break free from the Celestial Dragons' control. So, he created a very special device to deal with Uranus at a critical moment."
"What device?"
"I don't know!" Dragon shook his head. "But Vegapunk once told Kuma that Uranus losing control isn't the scariest thing. The truly terrifying thing is if someone actually manages to kill it!"
"Why!?"
"He said that Uranus's Devil Fruit ability is the most dangerous and powerful in this world!" Dragon said seriously. "Unlike other Devil Fruits, if Uranus is killed, its Devil Fruit will also reincarnate. But at the moment of the host's death, all the energy of that Devil Fruit will burst out! At that point, the entire world would be destroyed by Uranus!"
"I think the special device Vegapunk created is meant to prevent this from happening!" Dragon said. "So, as soon as I learned that Uranus had been deployed, I had Sabo go notify Ian, fearing he might accidentally kill Uranus... That young man has immense potential, so no one can say for sure."
Ivankov and the others looked up at the flashing red dot on the screen and asked, "So, our Revolutionary Army's next step is to rescue Vegapunk?"
"Yes!" Dragon nodded. "Not only must we rescue Dr. Vegapunk, but we also need to bring back the device he created intact! This device is the most crucial item for whether our Revolutionary Army can overthrow the Celestial Dragons' rule!!"
"Why not have Kuma send Vegapunk out?" Ivankov asked. "Since Kuma and Vegapunk have an agreement and he's still by his side, he could use his ability to send Vegapunk out!"
"That won't work!" Dragon shook his head. "Although Vegapunk is also a Devil Fruit user, he has no combat ability. Not only him, but the device he created is also very precise. No one can guarantee that Kuma's ability won't cause any accidents to Vegapunk or the device. So, we have to rescue him ourselves..."
"Understood!" Ivankov and the other Revolutionary Army cadres cracked their knuckles eagerly. "Dragon, give the order!"