As the man who successfully unraveled the secrets of the Lineage Factor, Vegapunk was undoubtedly the foremost authority on Devil Fruits in the entire sea.
And Borsalino, as the head of the Marine Science and Technology Division, was the person closest to Vegapunk. From what Daren had seen during their brief interaction, it was clear the two shared a fairly good relationship.
That made Borsalino the one with the most insight into Vegapunk's research—someone with direct, first-hand access to the data.
Coupled with his own monstrous talent, Daren had no doubt that this guy's understanding of Devil Fruits was at least on par with his own, if not greater.
If that assumption held true, then just how powerful had Borsalino become?
To this day, Daren had never seen him go all out.
Thanks to the Pika Pika no Mi's exceptional speed and mobility, this bastard always handled every opponent with effortless ease, making it impossible to gauge where his true limits lay.
Honestly, setting aside everything else, Daren's curiosity alone made him itch to challenge him.
But knowing Borsalino, Daren figured the man would never go all-in. He'd probably just rely on his fruit's mobility to play hide-and-seek—or worse, not even bother running and just surrender on the spot.
And that would be no fun at all.
It would completely kill the thrill of the fight.
"Is that so? Personally, I think you're still holding back plenty, Borsalino."
Daren replied casually.
Borsalino simply shrugged, his eyes flickering slightly, but said nothing.
Seeing this, Daren didn't push the matter further. He turned to Vegapunk and said in a low voice,
"Dr. Vegapunk, the truth is... I came here with another goal."
Vegapunk took a few sips of his coffee, using the brief pause to recover slightly from the effects of the Haki shock. After catching his breath, he gave a faint smile.
"Daren-san, you're here to take me with you, aren't you?"
Daren blinked, then narrowed his eyes.
"That's right, Dr. Vegapunk."
"A genius like you shouldn't be shackled by the World Government, let alone have your life constantly in danger."
As he spoke, he instinctively glanced at Borsalino.
"I'm confident I can get you out of Egghead safely."
Seeing the eager look in Daren's eyes, Borsalino immediately raised his hands in mock surrender and took a step back, pulling a comical face.
"You're kinda scary right now, Daren."
"If you're planning to take Dr. Vegapunk by force, I've got no intention of stopping you."
Come on, seriously? You're not even gonna try to stop me?
Daren's mouth twitched slightly at that.
Still, on second thought... maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.
"Daren-san, I think you may have misunderstood something..."
At that moment, Vegapunk gave an awkward chuckle, glanced at Daren, then seemed to realize something as his gaze shifted to Stussy.
She met his eyes with a look of both concern and quiet anticipation.
Vegapunk shook his head with a gentle smile and said softly,
"Stussy-chan, it's all right. You don't have to worry about my safety... I can take care of myself."
He turned to Daren with a calm expression.
"Daren-san, I truly appreciate your concern. Thank you for coming all this way just for me."
"Although I'm currently under tight surveillance by the government, to me... this is the most 'free' I've ever felt in my life."
"Back when I was with MADS, our research constantly ran into funding problems. So many ideas, inventions, theories, and creations failed—not because they were flawed, but because of the harsh and all-too-familiar obstacle of money."
Vegapunk let out a long sigh.
"To be honest, I've had enough of that life."
"Joining the World Government... it may not be the ideal choice, but at least here I've gained access to unprecedented funding and resources. I can pursue any concept I want—even if some of them are outrageously expensive and serve no real practical use."
Daren frowned, but inwardly, he wasn't all that surprised.
With Vegapunk's brilliance and resolve, if he truly didn't want to work for the World Government, he would've found countless ways out.
But from the moment Daren stepped into Egghead and saw the countless revolutionary inventions, he'd had a growing suspicion...
—Vegapunk probably had no intention of leaving.
"But Dr. Vegapunk..."
Stussy bit her lower lip, her voice filled with urgency.
Vegapunk raised a hand to stop her.
"Stussy, I don't know if you can understand how I feel... but this is my choice."
He smiled lightly.
"As Daren-san just said—what's the point of a long life, if you can't live it to the fullest?"
"For me, even though I'm restricted in some ways, I'm steadily turning my life's dreams into reality. And for me, that's enough."
Stussy stared at the light in Vegapunk's eyes and found herself unable to argue.
Here on Egghead, Vegapunk had indeed lost a certain degree of "personal freedom."
But at the same time, he'd gained the freedom to create, to explore, to invent.
And to someone like Vegapunk, science and research mattered far more than freedom—maybe even more than life itself.
"What if I gave you enough funding?"
Daren suddenly asked.
Vegapunk shook his head.
"Daren-san, I know you control considerable wealth."
"But the funding my research demands far exceeds your imagination. Even if you drained the entire North Blue's tax revenue, it'd barely make a dent."
"Only the World Government, with its grip on the global economy, can provide the kind of support I need."
"Besides, research isn't just about money. Equipment, knowledge, personnel, facilities, environment—every piece matters."
He looked at Daren, his expression calm and resolute.
"This is my path."
...
Daren and Stussy left.
Vegapunk had made his decision, and Daren had no real way to change it.
After all, it wasn't like he could just force him.
The upside, at least, was that as long as Vegapunk didn't cross any lines, the World Government was more anxious about keeping him alive than anyone else.
"Got military duties, so I'll leave you here."
Near the entrance of Egghead.
Borsalino gave Daren a bright, easy smile.
Daren stopped in his tracks, a Den Den Mushi suddenly appearing in his hand.
Stussy's pupils instantly shrank to pinpoints.
"A surveillance Den Den Mushi... for the Five Elders!?"
She cried out in shock, her face pale.
But what shocked her even more was how unsurprised both Daren and Borsalino seemed.
"I found it in Vegapunk's lab."
Daren casually tossed the Den Den Mushi to Borsalino with a faint smile.
"Borsalino, aren't you worried the Five Elders might find out?"
Borsalino weighed the Den Den Mushi in his hand, gave a shrug, and turned to walk away.
Waving lazily, he called back with a grin in his voice,
"Can't you tell?"
Daren froze.
As Borsalino walked off, the word "Justice" fluttered faintly on the back of his flowing cape, like something elusive dancing in the wind.