Standing on the ship developed by Vegapunk, both Garp and Kuzan were somewhat astonished.
They had ships that didn't require wind power before, but the main reason they still didn't dare enter the Calm Belt was because of the Sea Kings.
But now, the seastone steamship designed by Vegapunk could freely navigate within the Calm Belt.
"The seastone embedded in its bottom can block the perception of Sea Kings, thus achieving the purpose of passing through the Calm Belt. Vice Admiral Garp, with this technology, the Marines will be able to freely connect the Grand Line with the four seas through the Calm Belt."
The young Kuzan said excitedly.
Garp glanced at Vegapunk, who was deep in thought at the rear of the ship, and was also deeply moved in his heart.
As a veteran of the Marines, he deeply understood how terrifying it would be if the Navy could freely deploy troops through the Calm Belt.
Just as Kuzan had said, if the Navy in the Grand Line could closely integrate with the forces across the Four Seas, the Navy would grow into a true behemoth.
It could concentrate superior forces in any sea to eliminate opposing factions, unlike the current situation where the Four Seas and the Grand Line are disconnected, unable to support each other in times of trouble.
"Alright, headquarters understands Dr. Vegapunk's value better than the two of us, and I also believe Dr. Vegapunk can bring more technologies that will give the Navy an advantage."
Garp patted Kuzan on the shoulder, and the two fell into silence.
...
In the unnamed waters of the North Blue, a massive warship was sailing toward the Grand Line.
On the deck, a tall figure lay lazily on a sun lounger, right hand pillowing the back of his head, left hand holding a Den Den Mushi to his ear.
"Hmm, so you're saying the personnel dispatched by headquarters this time are Garp and Kuzan?"
"They've already taken Vegapunk's data and people with them, right? Good, good."
"Repair the base, then seal it up and wait for us to move the equipment."
Brrr Brrr.
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Raleigh patted his forehead with a faint smile playing on his lips.
The World Government never stopped to think why Vegapunk, who had remained undiscovered for so long, was suddenly exposed only after completing his research.
Without Vegapunk's tacit approval, even that CP0 organization with fish-man lineage would have been torn to shreds the moment they set foot on land.
For now, Vegapunk being taken by the Navy wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Raleigh knew perfectly well that while Vegapunk was a top-tier scientist, scientific research also required massive investments of manpower, resources, and funding.
At present, Raleigh lacked the means to provide Vegapunk with the conditions he needed.
Even if he did, Raleigh's movements would be detected by the World Government.
But with Vegapunk entering the Navy headquarters research institute, it was different - in the eyes of the World Government's, the Five Elders, and the Navy headquarters officers, Vegapunk became "one of their own."
Without their permission, Vegapunk could only live within the research institute, unable to venture outside.
In this state, those self-important rulers would view Vegapunk as non-threatening and would strive to fulfill his various requests.
This was precisely the "Bait and Switch" plan Raleigh and Vegapunk had devised - or one could call it "borrowing a chicken to lay eggs."
They would use the World Government as the old hen to lay golden eggs belonging to Raleigh and Vegapunk.
All they needed to do was hand over some not particularly advanced weapon technologies to the World Government.
After all, what the World Government wanted wasn't advancement, but stability.
In their view, a scientist left unchecked outside, capable of developing technology centuries ahead of what the World Government possessed, was far more threatening than any pirate lord.
Even if a pirate lord controlled the New World and commanded countless powerful followers, in the eyes of the World Government, they still didn't pose enough of a threat
.Just like the Rocks Pirates that unified the New World, the World Government didn't even need to deploy its hidden reserves. Relying solely on Marines admirals and the assistance of a group of pirates, they defeated the arrogant Rocks.
Although this included betrayal from captains under Rocks' command, it's undeniable that every era has dominant forces like Rocks.
However, once they're dealt with by the World Government or meet their end, they're quickly erased from people's memories.
"Go ahead, Dr. Vegapunk. I hope you can soon develop the Pacifistas in your laboratory at Navy Headquarters."
Vegapunk's technical skills were unquestionable, and what Raleigh valued most were the Pacifistas.
These were mechanical beings created by Vegapunk based on Kuma's abilities.
While they had disadvantages like slow speed and predictable moves against strong opponent, such robots were perfect weapons against pirates with bounties of tens of millions.
It's worth noting that even Luffy and his crew before their power-up didn't gain any advantage against the Pacifistas.
Although the Pacifistas were extremely effective to use, they had one major drawback: money!
The development of these things was incredibly expensive!
Even though Raleigh provided Vegapunk with the operating principles and general blueprints for the Pacifistas, this only saved Vegapunk about a month's work.
However, Vegapunk assured Raleigh that he would request to manufacture Pacifistas immediately after joining the World Government, though finding Kuma now was quite difficult.
It might take some time before they could get access to Kuma.
For this, Vegapunk had alternative candidates, including the Navy hero Garp.
Vegapunk believed that Garp might possess exceptional genetic talent, particularly in enhancing Armament Haki power.
If they could create a Garp-model Pacifista, while it might not have Kuma's abilities, it would have stronger tendencies in physical combat and Haki.
With the current headache of dealing with logia-type Devil Fruit Ability Users across the four seas, creating a Pacifista with top-tier Armament Haki would be an excellent choice.