The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"Heh." Thinking of this, a soft, ambiguous laugh escaped from Gern's throat.

With that laugh, the ear-piercing buzzing in the air abruptly stopped, and everything returned to normal.

But what Gern said next chilled Vegapunk even more than his previous murderous intent.

"Since that's the case, I can't leave empty-handed." Gern asked casually, his tone indifferent, "The Mother Flame, did it succeed?"

"Mother Spark?!" Vegapunk's body jolted violently, causing the specially designed chair beneath him to creak under the weight.

Apple's head began to pound rapidly, its voice rising in alarm: "How did you know that codename?! It's top secret!"

“You just need to tell me, did it work?” Gern repeated, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Vegapunk took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. The throbbing of the apple head slowed slightly, but his voice remained grave.

"The Mother Flame... is the ultimate energy source for the 'artificial sun' that I am trying to create based on energy technology and experimental data."

It is far from reaching the theoretically perfect stable state, but…” He paused, seemingly weighing his words.

"Once it is released, the level of energy it contains has indeed reached...an unprecedented level."

"Enough in an instant..."

"This power... could it be used to activate ancient weapons?" Gern interrupted him, his eyes blazing.

Vegapunk fell silent, staring intently at Gern.

He realized that the man in front of him knew far more and more deeply than he had imagined.

“Theoretically feasible.” Vegapunk nodded in acknowledgment, his voice low. “Based on the constant relationship model between energy conversion and output, the energy scale and mass of the Mother Spark…”

It does indeed meet the threshold required to drive known theoretical models of ancient weaponry.

"However!" he emphasized, "this is just a theoretical deduction, without any practical data to support it, and the risks are incalculable."

(Incidentally, the destruction of the Kingdom of Lulucia by Im using an unknown weapon occurred after the World Government Summit.)

Gern neither confirmed nor denied the word "risk," and directly issued the order, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable will.

"The mother spark is to be given to the navy."

Upon hearing this, Vegapunk seemed to have his sore spot touched, and he suddenly jumped up.

"Impossible!" he refused decisively. "The research on the Mother Fire is to promote the evolution of all mankind and is the cornerstone for creating the future world!"

"Heh, hand it over to the navy?" Apple's head swayed slightly, its eyes gleaming with sarcasm. "To put it bluntly, it's just handing it over to you alone!"

This goes against my original intention! Endless energy is for the benefit of the world!!

"Hey, Vegapunk," Gern's voice remained calm, "Are you planning to hand it over to the World Government instead of me?"

Although the Kingdom of Lulusia is still standing there, even a fool could tell.

The core data of the Mother Flame, this hot potato, has probably already been secretly copied by some traitorous clone and sent to Mary Geoise's VIP mailbox to be exchanged for money.

"Of course not!" Vegapunk immediately denied, his voice urgent.

But Guern had no intention of engaging in any more pointless tug-of-war with him.

“I’m not discussing this with you,” Gern said, the air around him beginning to distort slightly again. “I’m giving you an order.”

The last trace of warmth in his voice vanished, leaving only naked tyranny.

"If you don't give it to me, I'll just take it."

“You…” Vegapunk was so angry at his blatant robber logic that he almost trembled, his apple-shaped head flap bobbing wildly.

He dedicated his life to planning the future with knowledge and reason, and he had never encountered such an arrogant guy who did not follow the rules at all!

The Gren before him didn't care about ideals or righteousness at all; he only cared about results and the most direct path to achieve them.

Chapter 536 Friction on Egghead Island

Clearly, Guern's repeated and undisguised demands, which were essentially acts of robbery, had completely ignited the genius scientist's anger.

“What…what else do you want?!” Vegapunk’s chest heaved violently. “Should I just take the entire core database of Egg Ward?”

"All my life's research, I'm giving it all to you?! Grand Marshal Tianzhen!"

Vegapunk was so angry that he even shouted "Grand Admiral of the Skyquake," but Gern didn't care at all.

Instead, he considered it seriously for a moment, then nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, his tone flat.

"You won't need the entire core database of Egg Ward and all your life's work."

Just give me the highest-level Seraph's Authority Chip; I'm pretty easy to talk to.

The air froze instantly.

The authoritarian chip is a control chip placed inside all Seraphim, and the holder of the authoritarian chip can issue commands to the Seraphim.

The "authoritarian chip" determines the "authoritarian order" of control, from highest to lowest: the Five Elders, Vegapunk (the real person + clones), Sentomaru, and other holders of the authoritarian chip.

However, Vegapunk certainly possesses an authoritarian chip with even greater power than the Five Elders.

After all, this guy dared to do world broadcasting; he couldn't possibly be without a backup plan.

"Robbers!!" As expected, Vegapunk refused outright: "The authoritarian chip is the key to maintaining balance, and it will never be handed over to an individual!"

As for you? Ha, don't even think about it!

"Oh?" Gern raised an eyebrow, the playful smile on his face finally disappearing completely. "It seems the meeting has fallen through."

"In that case, I'll just take it!"

"Whoosh!" Without any warning, Gern exerted force with his feet, and his figure instantly blurred!

Although Vegapunk is not a combatant, the immense computing power he gains after connecting with the giant brain...

It gave him a near-predictive ability, especially since this was his territory!

So, in the same microsecond that Gern set off, dozens of strangely shaped guns instantly emerged from the laboratory ceiling and surrounding walls!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

High-energy laser particle beams emitting a yellow glow intertwined to form a deadly web, precisely covering all of Gern's possible paths of attack.

But Gern's Observation Haki had already predicted all the attack trajectories, and his peak physical skills allowed him to turn this prediction into reality!

"It's useless, Vegapunk," Gern's voice rang in Vegapunk's ear. "Your calculations can't keep up with my speed!"

Before he finished speaking, Gern broke through the last particle barrier, his right fist clenched, and pale vibrating particles coiled around it.

Without the slightest hesitation, he punched all the devices!

“Guardians!!” Vegapunk shouted.

"Thump!!" A huge black shadow instantly blocked Vegapunk's path!

And without a doubt, Gern's fist slammed solidly into a giant shield that gleamed with a dark metallic luster!

"boom!!!"

A visible, pale shockwave instantly exploded on the surface of the shield, then spread rapidly, shattering several experimental tables and instruments that were unable to dodge in time!

The one wielding the giant shield was an exceptionally tall and burly man wearing sunglasses and a prototype robot.

It's likely that Vegapunk originally intended to research pacifists, but later abandoned the idea. However, he then created other versions on his own!

The area on the robot's shield where Gern struck it showed obvious dents and spiderweb-like cracks, and the internal circuitry flickered with chaotic sparks.

“The original model of the pacifists?” Gern’s eyes flickered as he recognized the robot that bore a striking resemblance to a bear.

Taking advantage of this brief opening, Vegapunk leaped backward, creating distance between himself and Gern, his voice still trembling with fear.

"Gern! This is my laboratory! Not a battlefield where you can do whatever you want!"

“Battlefield?” Gern sneered, flicking his wrist. The recoil from that punch was almost negligible to him. “If I say it is, then it is.”

"Clang!" A clear and melodious sound rang out as the Black Blade Eight Desolations was drawn!

The gray-white bandages wrapped around it broke apart inch by inch, and the pale white vibrating particles intertwined, emitting a heart-palpitating "buzzing" sound.

"Your toy can't stop my knife."

With his hands gripping the sword, Gern locked his gaze on the robot and the Vegapunk standing guard behind it, and swung the Eight Directions forward with a fierce horizontal slash!

A pale shockwave, shaped like a crescent moon, shot out from the blade!

The slashing speed wasn't fast, but wherever it passed, the solid space of the laboratory seemed to be pulled and distorted by an invisible force.

With a creaking sound as it was overwhelmed, the air in the path was completely expelled, creating a brief vacuum channel!

The prototype robot immediately raised the giant shield in front of it again, its surface radiating intense energy as it attempted to withstand the attack.

However, the slash struck the shield at the instant...

"Crack... Boom!!!"

The giant shield, capable of withstanding heavy artillery fire, was cleaved in two along with the robot.

Vegapunk's pupils (the sensors under the apple's top cover) constricted sharply, and the computing core frantically alarmed.

He realized that conventional defensive measures were useless against a monster like Gern who possessed top-tier Haki, terrifying physical skills, and awakened Logia-type Devil Fruit abilities!

"Activate the 'Binding Light' protocol! Restrict his movements!" Vegapunk ordered sharply.

Instantly, countless points of light lit up the walls around the laboratory, and dozens of blazing white energy beams, like flexible tentacles, wrapped around Gern.

Gern's eyes sharpened, and he moved again!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

He weaved and maneuvered through the dense beams of energy. With each swing of his sword, Bahuang precisely severed several approaching beams. The severed beams twisted wildly like broken cables, dissipating energy and crackling with each strike.

However, the sheer number of beams and their rapid regeneration gradually compressed his living space.

"Annoying tricks." Gern scoffed inwardly, his tactical intentions instantly changing.

He stopped dodging and instead prepared to plunge the Eight Desolations into the ground in an attempt to shatter the entire laboratory.

Suddenly, a blinding golden light arrived first, stopping precisely in front of Gern's blade!

"clang!!!"

As the light faded, Borsalino appeared between the two, his light-speed kick shattering Bahuang's sword aura.

"Ouch~" Kizaru grinned, his expression as smug as ever, "Gern-kun, Uncle Punk's head is the most precious treasure in the world."

If it gets damaged, the entire budget for the science corps will be wasted, and they'll be starving next year.

"This will really bother me since I can't line my own pockets." Kizaru slowly withdrew his foot, not forgetting to deliver the final blow.

"Besides, wasn't this supposed to be a 'friendly meeting'? I was only halfway through my afternoon tea when I was called in to mediate a fight, and my strawberry cake was getting cold!"

Chapter 537 'Performance'

“Senior Borsalino,” Gern’s voice deepened, “are you trying to stop me?”

Kizaru adjusted his sunglasses, the chaotic light and shadows of the laboratory flashing across the lenses: "How terrifying, you look so menacing~"

"However, in order to protect important assets, we have no choice but to..." Before he could finish speaking, Kizaru's figure suddenly transformed into a golden streak of light.

Appearing to Gern's side with near-instantaneous teleportation speed, he delivered a fierce, light-speed side kick that swept across Gern's waist and abdomen!

"Speed ​​is weight... How long has it been since you were kicked by light?"

Gern reacted incredibly quickly, changing his attack the instant Kizaru moved.

He withdrew the Eight Desolations and pressed down, his left arm bent, and his elbow, covered in Armament Haki, fiercely met the golden kick!

A heavy, muffled thud exploded!

This time it's a pure clash of domineering aura and physical prowess!

The shockwave spread in a ring, causing several nearby suspended holographic projection screens to flicker and their data streams to scroll wildly like garbled text.

Gern's figure swayed slightly, and the ground beneath his feet cracked once more.

Kizaru, using the reaction force, deftly flipped backward, landing gracefully with the tips of his shoes touching the ground with a soft "tap".

"Tsk." Gern shook his slightly numb left arm, his sharp eyes locking onto Kizaru. "Looks like you're determined to get involved."

"There's nothing I can do." Kizaru shrugged, his tone relaxed, but more and more golden photons began to emanate from his body.