Punk Hazard.
"Sharingan... truly a marvelous power! Its connection to emotional tissue is so profound that it's impossible to analyze this ability in a short time!"
Vegapunk's hands swept across the control panel as incomprehensible geometric matrices rapidly intertwined, light and shadows shifting.
He turned to look at Griffin on the experimental table, his large tongue wagging excitedly: "However, since this power can be inherited through bloodlines, replicating it shouldn't be too difficult."
"Related research has already yielded results, and now I want to ask you..."
"Griffin, would you mind if this power was applied to Marine weapons?"
...
Hearing Vegapunk's words, Griffin envisioned a group of Pacifistas modeled after Kuma, each with a pair of Sharingan in their eye sockets.
He remembered Kizaru had also participated in the experiments - those Pacifistas could even shoot lasers.
Tsk tsk, they were already highly powerful to begin with, and now with the Sharingan added...
Griffin narrowed his eyes with a faint smile: "Of course I don't mind. If my power can be used to suppress Pirates, I'd be very happy."
...
Replicas always carry risks. Even with Vegapunk's technology, it's impossible to eliminate these risks while maintaining the replica's strength.
That risk is emotion.
Or what could be called the original body's underlying logic, the highest authority engraved in DNA.
Just like how Bonney could command the Pacifistas that were replicas of Kuma in the original timeline, and Hancock's replicas wouldn't attack Luffy.
This shows that Shaped Magic Puppets are indeed higher-level creations. Unless deliberately programmed, they can maintain growth potential without developing self-awareness.
This avoids both ethical issues and rebellion risks.
...
Pausing for a moment, Vegapunk suddenly grinned: "This might sound somewhat rude, and I hope you won't mind, Griffin."
"According to my observations, your eyes possess extremely high growth potential, but..."
"There's some kind of defect - the gene chain isn't complete, almost like..." Vegapunk tilted his head:
"They're the product of a mutation that occurred during some period!"
"When this happens to organisms in nature, there are only two possibilities."
"One is individual mutation, possessing stronger functionality while losing heredity."
"The other is group mutation, evolving to adapt to nature, possessing heredity, and eventually becoming one of the organism's instincts after multiple generations."
"In the second case, it's also possible that when survival no longer depends on this function, it gradually degenerates to conserve bodily functions."
...
"Truly remarkable..."
Vegapunk's sudden comment brought the frowning, thoughtful Griffin back to reality.
Meeting Vegapunk's half-smiling expression, Griffin smiled faintly: "Are you referring to the Sharingan?"
"No, I'm referring to you, Griffin."
His gaze grew increasingly profound: "You actually understood everything I said. You should know that even some researchers who've worked with me for a long time sometimes don't comprehend what I'm saying."
"Don't rush to refute, this old man still has some observational skills."
"Griffin, you actually understand your own eyes quite well, don't you?"
...
Though phrased as a question, Vegapunk's words carried little interrogative tone.
Leaning casually against the laboratory table, Griffin spoke lightly: "Everyone has their own secrets they don't want others to know."
"Dr. Vegapunk, I understand that seeking truth is like instinct for scientists like you. Before coming here, I was prepared for you to notice something unusual."
Resting his chin on his hand, he smiled faintly: "I could tell you my secret, but are you truly ready to hear it?"
...
...
Vegapunk had a strong premonition.
If he nodded, he would undoubtedly hear a secret shocking enough to shake the heavens and earth, and then...
Whether his consciousness would still exist afterward was uncertain.
Turning around, Vegapunk pretended to be busy tinkering with machines: "Haha, I'm not that unethical of a scientist! Other people's privacy... I'm not curious at all! Haha... haha..."
"This examination is complete. Griffin, you may return to headquarters first. I'll have Admiral Kizaru bring you here next time when needed!"
...
Is that so...
Griffin knew very well that Vegapunk had programmed his system to automatically initiate a worldwide broadcast upon his physical death, revealing partial truths about the Void Century that the World Government desperately tried to conceal.
That history which would shake the World Government's rule.
...
Actually, Griffin didn't dislike the World Government.
Compared to various kingdom rulers and the violent organizations he had briefly stayed with, the World Government was quite a good governing body.
Especially in this world with supernatural abilities, most powerful Marines wouldn't harm civilians and followed protecting the weak as their justice principle.
This was quite remarkable.
If not for the existence of Celestial Dragons, the World Government would almost be the ideal template for a ruling institution in a supernatural world.
But even without Celestial Dragons... there was no guarantee that new people wouldn't seize the highest positions and continue enslaving civilians.
This was an inevitable reality, an inevitability of human nature that wouldn't change regardless of will.
...
Everything could be interpreted from two perspectives, even the controversial Ohara incident...
How many warnings had the World Government given?
Did they launch the Buster Call without any warning?
Didn't they send ships to evacuate civilians?
...
To the World Government, the Void Century history was probably like the color of their underwear - it would damage their image if known, so what's wrong with preventing investigation?
Of course, it was also possible that history involved everyone's safety, and the truth wasn't ready for disclosure. Nobody really knew what actually happened.
This illustrated one point...
This old fellow Vegapunk wasn't someone who could keep secrets well.
What if he decided Griffin posed great danger to the world and revealed everything to the public?
And there was another thing...
Griffin knew that only Vegapunk could treat Bonney's Sapphire Scale Disease, and Kuma would eventually find him.
Then the World Government would use this to threaten Kuma into joining the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, while ordering Vegapunk to erase Kuma's consciousness and use him as the blueprint for Pacifistas.
Once Bonney's illness manifested, this became an unchangeable fact.
Compared to Vegapunk, Kuma knew much more.
...
Unless Griffin could draw an item capable of healing Bonney, or master Uchiha illusions—specifically those that could erase or even alter memories—
Until then, Vegapunk remained the biggest hidden threat to Griffin's exposure.
...
Griffin was never short on ill intentions toward others, but his vigilance against being harmed ran even deeper.
Hidden within the meat he had brought in was a batch of exploding tags he had manufactured.
Exploding tags could be considered a form of Fire Release, which Griffin quickly mastered, along with discovering excellent materials for their production.
Vivre Cards.
This special paper not only possessed waterproof and fire-resistant properties but could also reflect its owner's life status from a distance and provide location tracking.
Griffin had tested it—Vivre Card exploding tags could be detonated from an extreme range and had an exceptionally long shelf life.
...
He had hidden them in a place Vegapunk would never expect. If Vegapunk ever attempted to reveal his secrets, Griffin would not hesitate to blow him up and cut the broadcast.
Ideally, such a situation would never arise, allowing this contingency plan to be reserved for the Five Elders.
He didn't expect it to cause any significant harm to the Five Elders, but sometimes a momentary lapse in attention could create an opportunity for victory or escape.
...
...
Griffin stepped down from the lab bench and slipped on his coat.
"Well then, goodbye, Dr. Vegapunk."
He pulled a compass from his coat pocket; attached to the needle was a small piece of white paper.
It was a tracking compass given to him by Kuzan, containing a fragment of Robin's Vivre Card.
Before returning to headquarters, Griffin planned to take the Kizaru Express to locate Robin and check on her condition.
If Robin were to die unexpectedly while Kuzan was away, he'd feel rather sorry toward Kuzan.
...
Come to think of it, back when he was stationed in the West Blue, he had also heard traces of this so-called "Devil Child"—someone who navigated the underworld of the West Blue, surviving by betraying others.
Judging by the records of the Ohara incident, she seemed to be about the same age as him…
The compass provided precise longitude and latitude coordinates. A positioning needle of this accuracy was quite rare—only Vice Admirals and above at headquarters were issued one.
Griffin first inwardly mocked Kuzan's extreme possessiveness, then frowned slightly.
He knew this location all too well…
Kano Country !!