One Piece: Fist of the World

"Ahem, yes, I am the genius scientist, Thomas Gray!" A thought suddenly sparked in Gray's mind. He coughed twice in a pretentious manner, then rudely shook off the Marine's hand. "Don't get so close to me, asshole!"

"I'm so sorry!" The Marine captain, named Gilbert Garland, released Gray's shoulders. He wasn't angered by Gray's attitude; instead, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes.

Sloppily dressed, messy hair, dark circles under the eyes, and an unkind way of speaking... This is very scientific!

"Dr. Thomas, excuse me, but why did you come to this lawless Tiger Shark Island?"

Although I don't know why, these Marines seem to respect scientists very much. But just knowing this is enough.

"Hmph!" Gray snorted. "It's all because of my research. Some special materials can only be bought here. It's all your fault, the Navy. You knew this place was lawless, so why didn't you clean it up quickly? If the flow of those special materials wasn't controlled here, we wouldn't be able to buy them anywhere else."

"Ahahahaha, this kind of thing is beyond the influence of a soldier like me." Gilbert Garland scratched his head, looking simple. "However, this time, Vice Admiral Onigumo led us to Tiger Shark Island to sweep away the darkness hidden here. From now on, Tiger Shark Island will be a place protected by justice."

Vice Admiral Onigumo! Gray had heard of his name—an absolutely hawkish general who pursued absolute justice. He had been a Vice Admiral at Headquarters twenty years ago.

I don't know if Rhodes can handle him. A trace of worry flashed through his mind, but Gray didn't show it. He just nodded calmly.

"Vice Admiral Onigumo, I've heard of his name. I hope it's as you said."

"So, what do you want by stopping me? Even the Navy can't arrest people at will."

"You misunderstood. We are not trying to arrest you." Gilbert Garland waved his hands hurriedly, then hesitated, as if he didn't know how to explain.

This type of scientist is generally difficult to communicate with.

Although they came to Tiger Shark Island with Vice Admiral Onigumo this time, they weren't his direct subordinates. They were a special team under Vice Admiral Strawberry. They had previously followed Vice Admiral Strawberry to the North Blue to carry out a mission. Because some follow-up matters needed to be dealt with, they had temporarily stayed in the North Blue. It just so happened that Vice Admiral Onigumo was returning to Marine Headquarters this time, so they returned together on his warship.

Vice Admiral Strawberry, whom they followed, had always been a direct subordinate of Admiral Kizaru. As subordinates of Vice Admiral Strawberry, they naturally also belonged to Admiral Kizaru.

Several months ago, they received a task from their superiors: to pay more attention to civilian scientists, treat them with courtesy if they met them during missions, and preferably invite them to join the Navy. According to gossip, this was a request made by Dr. Vegapunk, a genius scientist who claimed to be 500 years ahead of human technology. After all, the Navy Science Force, led by Admiral Kizaru, was the special force directly responsible to him.

Although I don't know how good this scientist is, it's worth a try! You know, the last guy who successfully recruited a scientist was directly promoted and transferred to the Science Corps. Everyone knows that the Naval Science Corps is the best job, with light tasks, plenty of holidays, and good pay.

"We just want to invite you to join the Navy!" After a moment of hesitation, Gilbert Garland spoke directly.

"Join the Navy!?" Gray shrieked, his voice cracking.

"I know you may feel that joining the Navy would be restrictive. However, there are actually many benefits to joining the Navy!" Unexpectedly, Gray's reaction was so intense that Gilbert Garland immediately spoke up to salvage the situation and tried to persuade Gray.

"The Navy is backed by the World Government and has the most complete research facilities to support your various research projects. It also has sufficient research funds, so you don't have to worry about scientific research funding. And no matter what kind of special materials, the Navy can find them for you to facilitate your scientific research."

With every word Gilbert Garland spoke, Gray's eyes brightened, as if he had seen the bright future the other party described.

"Not only that, we also have the world's greatest scientist, Vegapunk! You can join Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory and study the most cutting-edge technology with him!" Seeing that Gray seemed interested, Gilbert Garland struck while the iron was hot and continued to entice him.

All scientists admire Dr. Vegapunk, who represents the world's most advanced technology, and look forward to conducting research with him.

"Vegapunk..." When Gray heard the name, Gilbert Garland spoke, he was suddenly stunned. The excitement in his eyes quickly faded, and he snapped back to reality from the dream-like scene described by the other party. "I'll think about it."

What's going on? Suddenly calmed down?

Looking at Gray, who had returned to his normal state, Gilbert Garland was full of doubts. It seemed the other party was completely captivated by the scene he described, so why did he calm down after mentioning Dr. Vegapunk?

Glancing at Gray again, a flash of lightning struck Gilbert Garland's mind. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Understood! This is a very conceited scientist! He was unwilling to join Dr. Vegapunk's team, but wanted to enjoy the same status as them!

Gilbert Garland was filled with excitement, convinced he had guessed Gray's thoughts. Although this scientist named Thomas Gray could never reach the level of Dr. Vegapunk, since he has such self-confidence, he should at least have a considerable level of scientific research ability! I'm going to get a promotion too! This was the only thought left in Gilbert Garland's mind.

Bowing slightly to show respect, Gilbert Garland then raised his head and looked at Gray with sincerity. "Dr. Thomas, please give us a chance no matter what! At least visit our warship. Our warship is equipped with the latest technology."

"Since you are a scientist, you should have heard of this. It is a new-age Navy warship that can cross the Calm Belt, the nest of Sea Kings!"

Um?

Gray's head spun rapidly. There were two major challenges to overcome if one wanted to sail in the Calm Belt. The first was how to avoid attacks from giant Sea Kings. The second was how to sail when there was no wind.

As for how to sail in a windless environment, it's not so difficult. I can do it with my skills, although I can't do it for a long time. However, there is absolutely no idea how to avoid the attacks of Sea Kings.

If I learn their technology, can I upgrade the Polaris so that we can freely cross the Calm Belt?