"There's too much poison gas..."
Wright expanded his Observation Haki to its maximum range, rapidly scanning the island for prisoners and other personnel.
"Mark!"
"Aura of Mercy!"
Purification Crystals were incredibly cheap and highly effective. Their role was invaluable.
After using Lightforged Sigil to equip Magellan and the Wano Resistance with permanent Purification Crystals, Wright handed over the original ones to Vegapunk, who strategically placed them in heavily populated areas on Punk Hazard.
Publicly, these crystals were said to prevent large-scale infectious diseases, safeguarding researchers and prisoners from sudden outbreaks. Their detoxifying properties, however, were deliberately left unmentioned.
Since the Purification Crystals consumed almost no energy when inactive, they successfully shielded several densely populated areas when Caesar's poison gas was released.
To avoid exposing the existence of the Lightforged Beacon, Wright first activated a wide-range aura to heal survivors. At each gathering point, he would then extract the people to safety.
"Admiral Wright! Admiral Wright himself came to rescue us!"
"This crystal that neutralized the poison gas—Admiral Wright made it!"
"Boohoo! I thought I was done for!"
"The Marines actually sent an admiral to save a death row inmate like me?! Hahaha! The Fleet Admiral must've lost his mind!"
Bang!
The person making discordant remarks was quickly knocked unconscious and stomped on multiple times—was staying alive not good enough?
Once those protected by the Purification Crystals were relocated beyond the gas's reach, Wright began treating those poisoned outside the crystals' range, along with those injured by the explosions.
"If you're poisoned or wounded, don't panic. A full recovery is possible."
"But if you've lost a limb, you need the original limb to restore it! Stop trying to amputate for survival—gather all the severed limbs!"
Golden light cascaded down. The unconscious poisoned victims and the wailing injured were miraculously healed under Wright's immense restorative power. To them, he was practically divine!
"Admiral Wright! Please let us follow you!"
"You are a god! From now on, you are my faith!"
"Wright-sama! Only after experiencing this firsthand do I realize how incredible your abilities are!"
"You were willing to save prisoners like us… You are a true Marine of justice!"
Regardless of whether they were prisoners, researchers, or scientists, under the threat of disaster and poison gas, they all became the same—ordinary people struggling to survive.
Wright's presence, his overwhelming healing abilities, and his indiscriminate rescue efforts showed them what it meant to be Admiral Orange Gallant—
The Marine Admiral who represented hope!
"Enough!"
Wright's voice rang out:
"God? You people are still praying for something so meaningless?"
"This world doesn't need gods, and I am no god—just a powerful human!"
"Whether you are prisoners, staff, or even scientists, in the face of this sinful explosion, you are all equal."
"Stay here and wait for the Marine rescue ships. Prisoners, don't bother trying to escape. You won't get far."
Wright took out a Den Den Mushi and contacted Smoker:
"Smoker, where are you?"
"Estimated arrival in about ten minutes. What's your location?"
"South coast of Research Facility No. 2, mostly prisoners and staff."
"Got it."
While Wright was carrying out the rescue operation on Punk Hazard, Vegapunk and his colleagues arrived at their destination—the secret headquarters of the Marine Science Division!
"Oh! Admiral Borsalino! Long time no see! I've missed you!"
Upon seeing Admiral Kizaru, who had come to receive them, Vegapunk's eyes lit up with joy.
"..."
Borsalino's face twitched awkwardly. He adjusted his sunglasses to mask his discomfort—there was no escaping this time. Wright had gone for the rescue mission, leaving him no choice but to handle Vegapunk.
"Ah~ Dr. Vegapunk, and everyone~ such a tiring journey~ take a rest first~"
Desperate to deflect attention, Borsalino quickly shifted the topic:
"I have Fleet Admiral Sengoku's classified orders here~"
"Dr. Vegapunk~ please receive them~ my reliable subordinates will handle the rest~"
"I'll be going now~"
Flash—
Under the dumbfounded gazes of the scientists, Borsalino transformed into a beam of light and vanished through the Lightforged Beacon, making his escape...
"Doctor… what did you do to Admiral Kizaru? He couldn't even stand being here for a second?"
The scientists couldn't help but poke fun at the situation.
"Heh! Punk bast— ahem Doctor! We meet again!"
Hearing the voice, Vegapunk turned around, his mouth twitching slightly:
"Ah, Sentomaru… long time no see."
"Don't call me Sentomaru! Damn you, Punk bastard! It took the old man's strict training for me to get back in shape and return as your bodyguard!"
The burly Sentomaru strode forward with his massive battle axe, crossing his arms with a smug look:
"Without me by your side, you've been looking pretty pathetic!"
"…Fine, so, Sentomaru, where exactly are we?"
Vegapunk cast a helpless glance at his bewildered colleagues and then walked toward Sentomaru.
"This is my former… well, 'bodyguard,' I suppose…"
"'Suppose'?! I'm the tightest-lipped man in the world! I won't tell you this is 2,000 meters beneath Marineford!"
"…But you just did, Sentomaru."
"…That's because I chose to tell you! If I didn't want to, no one could make me talk!"
"That's how it is!"
The scientists exchanged puzzled glances before looking at Vegapunk in awe—
As expected of the world's greatest scientist, even his bodyguard was this eccentric!
Meanwhile, in Marineford, inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku was on a call.
"Yes, Wright was deployed immediately to handle the situation."
"Indeed, Brother Kong… The Human Giantification experiment has been ongoing for centuries without a single success. This time is no different."
"It's time to shift perspectives. No matter how cautious the Doctor is, this kind of experiment inevitably leads to massive casualties."
"But the other project doesn't have such risks… The Doctor has already made preliminary progress. For that reason—"
Sengoku's expression grew odd.
"You know Borsalino's mental state. Mm. We've acquired the key parameters; there won't be any more setbacks."
"The most critical matter now… that person. He's actually willing to cooperate?"
"Using him as a template for gradual modification, leading to mass production—this will make rapid deployment possible."
"However, the runaway child is troublesome… I initially thought the matter would escalate quickly and had even informed Sakazuki to be prepared."
"Mm, that would be best. I await your good news…"
Click.
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