Starting as a Roger Pirates Apprentice

Chapter 551: 【Seraphim Shichibukai】

"Orin-kun, you..."

Seeing Orin like this, Vegapunk actually felt a chill run down his spine, a helpless expression appearing on his face.

"It really is impossible for the world to remain peaceful."

"These are just the growing pains of the era~"

Orin took it quite calmly. After all, long division leads to unity, and long unity leads to division — this saying applied equally well to the pirate world.

As long as human desire never disappeared, this sea would never truly become calm.

"Speaking of which, those things should be almost finished by now, right?"

Orin didn’t forget the main reason he had come to see Vegapunk and immediately asked with a smile.

Vegapunk nodded helplessly, clasping his hands behind his back as he led Orin toward a laboratory.

"They’re already completed. The Marines have been watching very closely. If not for that burst of Conqueror’s Haki at Mary Geoise recently throwing them into chaos for quite a while, [they] would have already taken them away."

Orin thought that worked out perfectly.

"That’s great. Then let me take a look first~"

Orin followed Vegapunk deeper into the laboratory. Numerous cultivation devices filled the area — some funded by Orin, others by the World Government.

Every single one of them could be called priceless.

"There they are — [Seraphim Shichibukai]!!!"

"Humanoid weapons capable of almost completely replacing the Shichibukai."

As Vegapunk walked forward, he activated them one by one while continuing his explanation.

"Although their combat power isn’t as extreme as Sadgeo’s, as a new product they achieve nearly perfect integration with Lunarian bloodline factors. From a purely physical foundation standpoint, the Lunarian lineage is hardly inferior to Ancient Giants."

Orin stroked his chin, observing the childlike figures whose faces strongly resembled the [former Shichibukai], curiosity rising within him.

"If we’re being strict, the Lunarian bloodline is still slightly inferior to Ancient Giants~"

After all, among the Ancient Giants that still existed today, very few were weak. Harald was even capable of exchanging blows with Rocks — not to mention Joy Boy of the past...

The Lunarian race, on the other hand, possessed an extremely high baseline. Even without much training, they had bodies nearly impossible to damage and the ability to control flames.

"So? Want to test their combat ability?"

Vegapunk clearly had great confidence in his creations and understood Orin’s strength, so he boldly made the suggestion.

"Sure~"

Naturally, Orin had no objections. Seeing these child versions of the Shichibukai made his hands itch for a fight.

Each one looked like his own big nephew — especially the child version of Crocodile. Even as a kid, he already had that arrogant, untouchable attitude.

"Then... let’s begin with [S-Hawk]."

The little Hawk Eyes stepped out of the cultivation chamber carrying a cross-shaped long blade, giving off a sharp aura.

"He really does look just like Hawk Eyes as a child..."

Orin had seen childhood photos of the Shichibukai before, so the resemblance was obvious.

Facing the sharp swordsmanship unleashed by S-Hawk, Orin casually drew a small portion of Ace’s blade and effortlessly blocked the attack.

"Hmm... quite a lot of strength."

When confronted with the ability of the Chop-Chop Fruit — allowing the entire body to transform into blades — Orin easily dodged every strike.

The same went for the other [Seraphim Shichibukai]. He quickly tested their abilities without difficulty.

At full power, they were probably at the upper tier of Yonko Commander-level strength.

Honestly—

If they really exchanged a few moves with their originals,

Aside from Mihawk, whom Orin felt could be defeated steadily, the others would all be question marks.

"Being able to create something like this... no wonder the World Government can’t bear to kill you, Dr. Vegapunk~"

Even Orin found it incredible. How exactly had Vegapunk managed to recreate miniature versions so similar to the Shichibukai under his command?

Vegapunk was sweating nervously, embarrassment mixed into his expression.

Indeed, after Sadgeo appeared and even gained fame, Vegapunk had received the fury of the Five Elders more than once.

But in the end, Saint Saturn, together with Orin’s reputation, suppressed the matter.

After all, what was done was done. Creations like the Mother Flame were highly favored by Imu-sama, so Vegapunk’s life was temporarily spared so he could continue inventing.

He cast a somewhat resentful glance at Orin.

"Creating something as powerful as Sadgeo exhausted the wisdom of my entire life. The risks nearly cost me my life..."

But Orin merely laughed.

"This is only the beginning. Right now Sadgeo is still just a half-finished product. Even fighting an Admiral would be difficult for him."

"After some time, I’ll need to trouble you again~"

Vegapunk’s eyes widened instantly.

"There’s more later?"

"Yeah. Just wait a few more days — until news arrives from Wano Country~"

"Before that, add an ability to my gun first. Turn this tube of blood into green blood and inject it into my weapon."

"Eh?!"

Vegapunk hurriedly caught the tube of blood Orin tossed to him, his face showing restrained frustration.

"I’m already extremely busy! The Marines—"

"One hundred billion Belly in research funding, plus I’ll personally save your life once."

"I understand. Leave it to me."

Vegapunk immediately changed his tone and agreed.

Who would ever refuse more research funding? And since the experiment involved the Nika Fruit — symbolizing justice and freedom — why not proceed?

Having studied Ohara’s records, Vegapunk already knew the current World Government was far from righteous. If Sadgeo could resist them, that was a good thing.

He had no desire to participate in the world’s conflicts; he only wished to use science to bring happiness.

But Mary Geoise’s use of the Mother Flame weapon to completely annihilate the Kingdom of Lulusia filled him with fury.

So agreeing to Orin wasn’t purely about money. He also wanted to rebalance the world’s power.

The World Government had gone too far...

Orin handed the black gun to Vegapunk. The latter estimated the modification would take some time, meaning Orin would have to rely on blades and fists for now.

"Speaking of which..."

Even while busy, Vegapunk’s brilliant mind noticed something unusual.

"That strange seagull that’s always on your shoulder didn’t come with you this time~"

"The Seagull King?"

Orin gently rubbed S-Snake’s head, causing her to tremble with affection, her face flushing red as if steam might rise from it. He smiled.

"He went ahead to scout the route. After all, the true Nika material is about to be born."

...

High in the sky—

A gigantic bird bathed in storm winds was flying toward an island surrounded by waterfalls.

Another black bird was already there, confronting a talking cake ship.

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