Chapter 54: The Patron of MADS
Cultivating a new Sunlight Tree Eve meant being able to better develop "branch bases."
Although Fish-men and Merfolk could survive in the dark seabed, the quality of life was vastly different.
It was equivalent to the difference between a sunlit high-rise and a dark slum.
Currently, the Sunlight Tree Eve was unique in the entire world, which was not a good thing for Fish-man Island.
Resin technology, on the other hand, concerned bubbles. While female Merfolk could at least split their tails at age 30, male Merfolk would retain their fish-tail lower bodies for life.
Since bubbles could only be used within the range of Yarukiman Mangroves, transplanting trees and reinforcing bubbles could be considered a project for the people's livelihood.
When the anchor dropped to stop the ship, the hull vibrated to a certain extent. This vibration didn't affect the onboard laboratories much, but the sudden stop still made some people walk out curiously.
The first to appear was a scrawny blond with a gloomy face, followed by a hook-nosed man with slicked-back black hair and two horns on his head.
The first was Vinsmoke Judge, and the latter was Caesar Clown. Although they weren't old, currently only seventeen or eighteen-year-old teenagers, their scientific talent was already miles ahead of most people.
Perhaps they didn't use this talent for the right path, but in terms of technical skill, they indeed left many adults in the dust.
"Why did the ship stop? Isn't the next island still half a month away?"
"Yeah, that island is the legendary Dream Entertainment Island! Why waste time here?"
Judge and Caesar seemed quite dissatisfied with this temporary stop, and their questioning disturbed others in the laboratory.
"Enough, you two! Don't disturb ore-sama (my great self) while I'm conducting experiments!"
"Disturb? How could that thing of yours possibly succeed? Scien (Queen), if you want quiet, go apply for an independent laboratory!"
The last person to come out was larger than both Judge and Caesar. A white lab coat was draped casually over his shoulders. He also had blond hair, but it was much wilder than Judge's.
Rather than a scientific researcher, he looked more like a thug.
Scien was his name (Note: Likely a localized name for young Queen based on context or author's choice, usually Queen's real name is Scien/Science pun in fanfics or implied). Perhaps this name sounded unfamiliar, but in the original timeline, Scien would join Kaido in the future and take the codename Queen.
Facing Judge's questioning, Scien was clearly unconvinced. As they argued, it turned physical, resulting in a brawl that broke quite a few lab instruments.
The noise here attracted Wobbegong's attention. When he arrived, the scene could be described as a complete mess.
"You three bastards... what are you doing now?!"
Caesar initially just wanted to watch the fun, but Scien and Judge dragged him into the fight as they brawled.
"Wobbegong! Stay out of this! This is a personal grudge!"
"I don't care how badly you beat each other up. I'll give you 3 minutes. Before my Big Bro boards the ship, restore this place to its original state!"
"What does your Big Bro have to do with us?"
"He is one of the biggest investors in this research vessel."
Nereus sending Wobbegong here didn't rely on martial intimidation. On one hand, Wobbegong had certain abilities himself; on the other hand, it was a matter of research funding.
This funding was given separately to Wobbegong. He could freely allocate funds to some projects. As long as Vegapunk or others were willing to help him research certain projects, they could obtain some experimental funds.
Wobbegong didn't care how these funds were used; he only wanted results.
Producing sufficient results within a certain timeframe was considered passing.
These people who joined MADS all had their own ideas and wanted to research things they needed. For example, Judge wanted to use the power of the Lineage Factor to realize the revival of the Germa Kingdom.
But investor funds were designated for specific uses. In such times, whether one could gain the patron's favor and obtain more investment became particularly important.
Hearing that the patron had arrived, the few of them clearly gained motivation. However, instead of cleaning up the broken lab equipment, they went to organize their project proposals.
As for the mess here, they all stated they would come back to clean it later.
Wobbegong didn't mind this. After all, once these people's funds ran out, they would learn just how much power the person in charge of fund allocation on the ship actually had.
...
Although Nereus's ship was a hijacked warship, it had undergone some minor modifications. Its speed wasn't slow, and it soon pulled alongside the MADS paddle steamer.
"Big Bro!"
"Haven't seen you for over a year, Wobbegong. How does it feel?"
"Very good. Big Bro, your advice was right. Going out to learn makes progress easier than working behind closed doors. Give me a bit more time, and I can definitely cultivate a second Eve.
Additionally... we've made certain breakthroughs in the Lineage Factor. At the current rate, we should achieve results within two years."
Wobbegong pulled Nereus to a quieter spot on the ship and whispered about the situation over the past year.
"Big Bro, you were right. That Vegapunk is indeed a genius. He successfully replicated part of the things we found in the underwater ruins.
As for the others...
Scien leans toward human modification and viral weapons; he's a bit perverted.
Judge has made significant achievements in cloning technology.
Caesar Clown is a guy who's all talk. Although he has some ability, his words sound much better than his actions. He's a big swindler.
Also... a freeloader snuck onto this ship."
"Freeloader?"
"Wobbegong, we go way back, don't we? Is it really okay to badmouth me behind my back like this?"
On the nearby deck, Miss Bakkin (Buckingham Stussy), dressed as if on vacation, walked over.
"Hmph. Don't you know whether you're a freeloader or not?"
"I contributed quite a lot of data. Providing funds counts as help, so doesn't providing data count too?"
Buckingham Stussy. Back when she was in the Rocks Pirates, her nickname was "Scientific Robber."
Not only did she like treasure, but she also had considerable interest in scientific achievements. However, Bakkin valued the monetization ability of a technology more. Over the years, she had accumulated some stock in hand.
Coming to MADS could be considered a "technology equity investment"; she wanted to gain something from it.
"Speaking of which, Nereus, you really have foresight. Back then, everyone thought Wobbegong was driven back to Fish-man Island by you. Turns out you sent him here long ago."
"I'm surprised to see you here. Shouldn't you be with Newgate?"
Nereus remembered that Bakkin had hitched a ride on the MADS ship, but he didn't expect it to be this early.
"That's not important. Your harvest from God Valley shouldn't be small, right? If you want to liquidate that batch of treasure, how about letting me handle it?"
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