One Piece: A Guide for Ordinary Players

Robert's ideal territory has never been in any particular sea area, but has been eyeing the Sky Island from the very beginning!

However, there is actually more than one Sky Island. The Kingdom of God that Enel occupied is just one of the larger ones. According to the Sky Islanders, if you take the normal route to ascend from the top of the Western Sky, you will pass through many Sky Island countries along the way.

They have their own culture, their own economic system, and their own lifestyle. Robert doesn't want to be like a normal pirate, relying solely on force to slowly conquer the land, only to face endless underground resistance organizations in the future.

The Sky Island has a huge hidden danger: apart from eating fish, they cannot produce food crops because nothing can grow on the island clouds. That's why Apayado, which was originally washed up to the clouds by the ocean current, was quickly occupied by the Sky Islanders and cherished as a sacred place.

When Robert assigned the task to Ah San, he provided him with two ideas.

The first is the food war.

Sky Island does not produce its own food. Apart from fish, a specialty of the White Sea, and a small amount of Sky Island fruit, almost all of its crops are supplied by trade with Qinghai.

A country that relies entirely on imports for its food is something no normal country can even imagine. Food is a strategic resource, and if it falls into the hands of others, the entire supply chain will be as fragile as paper.

Robert instructed the Indians to focus Dressrosa's industrial development on food production. Besides the fact that the Tontatta tribe was indeed unparalleled in agriculture, the most important purpose was to use food to boost the sky island's economy.

The second path is a currency war.

Robert had heard too many stories of how shorting a currency could lead to the collapse of a nation's regime. He briefly explained these stories to the Indian man, which caught his eye.

Indians actually have a very sharp business mind; they just lack experience and knowledge.

Regarding Robert's concept of currency wars, let alone India, no one in the entire One Piece world could possibly have conceived of such a vile idea.

Because there is a world government in this world, which has long since unified the currencies of all countries in the world into the Berries.

Since everyone uses the same currency, there is naturally no possibility of any attack targeting a particular country's financial system.

However, Sky Island has its own currency system, and it can be exchanged with Berries.

Therefore, Robert and the Indians' plan was to take the opportunity of rebuilding Dressrosa to find a way to borrow a large number of sky islands called Ik, and then use food as leverage to drastically lower the exchange rate of Ik to Berries, ultimately creating a short-selling arbitrage opportunity.

The 20 trillion Sky Island currency loan is only the first batch. In the plan that Robert arranged for the Indians, the borrowed Sky Island currency will be paid directly in the form of Sky Island-specific materials. In the future, Tokushima will be filled with a large number of Island Clouds and Sky Island Shells, becoming a true dreamland.

After that, India will quickly begin to expand its trade around Tokushima, and then it will be able to take out subsequent loans in a logical manner until the amount reaches a level that can trigger an avalanche.

It wasn't that Robert was heartless; all he wanted was ownership of the Sky Island. Once he truly became the master of the Sky Island, he would naturally make up for all the losses caused by short selling.

The inhabitants of the Sky Island will only be better off after they change their own regime, so Robert feels no remorse whatsoever for waging a currency war.

The reason he was in such a hurry to attack Sky Island was to use it as leverage to persuade Vegapunk!

When Lian Long invited Vegapunk to join the Revolutionary Army, he refused, saying that the Revolutionary Army was too poor to support his research.

If Robert wants to poach this most brilliant scientist in the world, he must offer something that will allow Robert to conduct his research with peace of mind. A safe territory where he can temporarily escape the World Government is the most persuasive thing Robert can offer.

The scientific corps' ships sailed at sea for many days and arrived at Warhead Island without any waves.

As the final leg of the voyage approached, Robert was ordered by Sentomaru to be forbidden from going up on the deck and could only move around in his cabin, in order to prevent him from secretly recording nautical charts.

Robert wasn't surprised at all; the confidential manual also mentioned that before one's authority reached the level to freely enter and leave Warhead Island, one had to go there under these conditions of blind navigation.

Señor had long lost his initial arrogance and was even quite cooperative when he was brought ashore, fearing that he would be controlled by that terrible power again.

Robert leaped lightly and followed Sentomaru into the island. Along the way, Robert didn't ask any questions in accordance with the confidentiality agreement, and Sentomaru was also unusually silent.

Before even reaching the core testing area, Robert had already felt at least seven or eight scans pass over his body.

Robert was highly focused. He first used his Observation Haki to investigate the various detection facilities on the island, and then precisely used electronic control to cause them to malfunction or delay when scanning him.

As they continued forward, they were surrounded by artificial human figures created using projections, with very few real researchers in sight.

Upon entering the core research area in the center of the island, Sentomaru led Robert into a small meeting room, then left and disappeared without a trace.

Not long after, the door was pushed open, and a tall man dressed in high-tech clothing walked in.

Robert stared directly at the man without any hesitation. The man was tall and slender, wearing a high-tech, fully enclosed mask, and had the words "PUNK01" printed on his body.

"Hello, I am Vegapunk, welcome to my laboratory."

Robert narrowed his eyes. He could fool others, but he couldn't fool Robert. This man with the cold and stiff tone was clearly the leader of Vegapunk's six clones, representing the righteous Shakyamuni.

"I've heard so much about you, Dr. Vegapunk, but sending a clone to deal with me is a bit petty."

Shakyamuni was not angry at all:

"And what about you? What was your purpose in infiltrating Warhead Island under the false identity of Robert De Niro?"

"Robert D. Neru!"

Chapter 10 The Last Piece of the Puzzle

Robert didn't panic at all; instead, he laughed even harder.

"I clearly interfered with the detectors all the way, yet you still managed to discover my true identity. You truly deserve to be called the world's greatest scientist."

Shakya remained calm: "Although the island's main energy source is thermal energy, all scientific research equipment is powered by electricity. Your abilities do indeed have an overwhelming advantage over the scanning equipment."

Robert looked around curiously: "I didn't find any image transmission equipment in this room. Can I ask to speak with Dr. Vegapunk's main body?"

Shakyamuni pointed to his mask: "You can talk to me. The Doctor can see everything. If he has anything he wants to say to you, I will convey it to him."

Robert frowned: "Have you already shared your thoughts? Are you still in a real-time sharing state at this stage?"

Shakyamuni's voice trembled slightly: "You seem to know us very well. Who exactly are you?"

Robert smiled and said, "Don't you all know who I am?"

He stretched out his right hand, bright arcs of electricity dancing between his fingers: "Appearances can be faked, but Devil Fruit abilities can't be faked, right?"

Shakya prepared to use some threats against Robert: "You are now the Navy's number one wanted criminal. You dare to openly spy on the World Government's top secrets. You must be tired of living."

Robert confirmed again: "Our conversation isn't being monitored by some high-tech system I haven't noticed, right?"

Shakyamuni was taken aback by his irrelevant answer, but still replied seriously, "Currently, only the Master and I can hear it."

Robert nodded: "I'm like saying, 'If you have too many lice, they won't bite; if you have too many debts, you won't worry.' One more crime won't make my death any worse. If I hadn't come to Egherd, I wouldn't have survived if I had fallen into the hands of the Navy, right?"

"But you are different, Dr. Vegapunk. You are secretly colluding with the Revolutionary Army and researching forbidden knowledge behind the back of the World Government. You are really tired of living."

Shakyamuni suddenly raised his hand, and the roof and walls abruptly flipped over, with countless guns and cannons extending out and aimed at Robert.

Robert remained unfazed, casually finding a comfortable position to sit down. The weapon that had just appeared suddenly began to turn its muzzle, spinning around as if it couldn't find a target.

A somewhat tired and slightly confused voice came: "Alright, Shakya, let's go back to the testing room. Remember to delete this memory."

Vegapunk, with half an apple-shaped antenna on his head, slowly emerged from underground in an elevator. Robert politely stood up and bowed; this most intelligent scientist in the world truly deserved respect.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Vegapunk, forcing you to show yourself in this way, but I do have some unavoidable difficulties."

Vegapunk, who was somewhat dull-witted, didn't seem angry about Robert's earlier threat: "I've actually wanted to see you for a long time. I was sad for a long time when they said you were killed in Marineford."

Robert was somewhat surprised: "Really? That would be my honor."

Vegapunk said sincerely, "Of course, electricity is the most efficient energy source. I have been looking for this fruit for a long time. You yourself are a perpetual energy source. Please allow me to study your lineage factor."

Robert was a little taken aback. He had already laid out his research on the 100-year gap in history, yet Robert was most concerned about the lineage factor of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

"Let's put this matter aside for now, Doctor. Your situation is very dangerous right now."

Vegapunk looked puzzled: "Am I dangerous?"

Robert nodded and said, "The World Government has always suspected you. CP agents may already be infiltrating Egerhard. If you continue to study forbidden knowledge, you will be discovered and killed sooner or later."

Vegapunk was unconcerned: "I know, don't worry, they're a bunch of illiterate people. Even if I studied it in front of them, they wouldn't understand it."

Robert was momentarily speechless. Strictly speaking, everyone in the world was illiterate in the face of Vegapunk.

It's like having the historical text right in front of you, but not being able to understand a single word. For those CP agents who only know how to kill and frame others, it's not that difficult for Vegapunk to fool them with scientific research.

"If there's nothing else, let's start the blood draw. Don't worry, I'll only study your bloodline factor and won't tell anyone your identity. In the report, I'll write your Devil Fruit ability as Paramecia-type Control-Control Fruit."

Robert quickly interrupted this madman whose mind was filled with scientific research, and said seriously:

"Doctor, the reason I went to great lengths to come to Egerhead is actually to invite you to cooperate with me."

Vegapunk nodded: "Sure, what kind of collaboration do you want to do?"

Robert dared not think of him as someone who only knew scientific research and was slow in other areas. With the title of the smartest man in the world, he could not possibly be a stupid guy.

"To break away from the World Government and do research that can truly change the world and help everyone."

A hint of disappointment appeared on Vegapunk's face: "You're not the first person to invite me, but I've refused them all. What's wrong with conducting research funded by the World Government? I have inexhaustible research funds; can you give me some?"

Robert replied seriously, "I am very confident in our financial resources. Although we cannot compare with the World Government, our organization's financial strength is somewhat guaranteed on a personal level. It just needs some time."

Vegapunk shook his head: "That's not enough. Why should I go with you if it's not as much as the World Government offers?"

Robert stood his ground: "Because the research you are doing now has long deviated from its original purpose. Look at Eghard's research results, which one of them can be used for people's livelihood? Your research is nothing more than helping the world government oppress the people."

Vegapunk wasn't angry: "It's just that you don't understand. We've made great achievements in many areas, such as energy, climate, and materials. We're making the world a better place."

Robert burst into laughter: "Doctor, how long has it been since you left Eghead? Open your eyes and look at the world! All that high-tech energy—which ordinary person can use it? Everyone's still chopping wood and burning firewood, aren't they? Who cares about climate change? Everyone's more concerned about whether they can eat. Materials..."

Robert pulled a piece of metal from his spatial storage: "When it comes to materials, your research may not be as far-reaching as ours."

Vegapunk curiously took the metal from Robert's hand, and various instruments extended from the room's walls to scan it.

"Its hardness is not outstanding, its ductility is decent, and its thermal conductivity is excellent, but frankly, it is not a very useful alloy."

Robert sneered: "All you see right now is war and weapons, of course it's useless."

"But what if I said that my initial motivation for researching it was simply to make a good pot available to ordinary people?"

Chapter 11 I'm coming clean: I'm here for York!

Vegapunk was taken aback by Robert's words. When he got his hands on the unremarkable piece of alloy, he immediately thought of many uses for it, but he just didn't think of making a pot.

Robert scoffed, "I remember your previous work that won the Ibel Peace Prize was about a flower blooming in gunpowder, wasn't it? Now look at what you're researching: war machines, steel battleships, superhuman genes..."

Robert's voice was low: "And there's a super flame powerful enough to destroy an island!"

Vegapunk instinctively retorted, "No, the Mother Spark is a form of energy!"

Robert shrugged: "Of course, the war machine can be called a pacifist, but in reality, after it was handed over to the world government, they didn't use it to do anything to protect peace."

Vegapunk looked somewhat bewildered: "This is all so that the World Government will support my research..."

Robert counted on his fingers and said, "If you want to research something that can help civilians, you have to help the World Government make ten world-destroying inventions. So, in the end, isn't the funding from the World Government still going towards inventing weapons?"

"Dr. Vegapunk, could this all be just an excuse? Could it be that you've changed long ago and now genuinely want to be a lackey of the World Government?"

Even Vegapunk, with his usually good temper, was getting a little angry: "You're talking nonsense, you're twisting the facts. The World Government doesn't use all its research for war!"