Super Card System

It was Ian’s speculation that Caesar might know Vegapunk’s whereabouts.

Based on Ian’s reasoning, after the explosion and disaster at Punk Hazard due to Caesar’s actions, the Navy and the World Government would have undoubtedly launched a rescue operation. Since the island had become uninhabitable, all the scientists in the research facility would need to be relocated. Caesar, after the incident, probably didn’t escape immediately—otherwise, he wouldn’t have been captured and imprisoned, only to escape later and become a wanted man.

Thus, during the Navy’s rescue operation, Caesar must have been present.

At that time, Punk Hazard was filled with toxic gas. The Navy scientists, including Vegapunk, couldn’t have survived in such conditions, so the Navy would have had to evacuate them immediately. This kind of relocation wouldn’t have involved bringing them back to Navy Headquarters but rather transferring them to another research facility within the Navy’s science division.

Given Vegapunk’s importance, the Navy and World Government wouldn’t want to keep moving him from place to place. So, it’s likely that the relocation was permanent. And with all the chaos after the accident, some scientists would have certainly asked where they were being moved to. Since Caesar was there, he would have heard information about the new location.

Ian had speculated this all along, which is why he tried to coax the information out of Caesar. And sure enough, in his panic, Caesar blurted it out.

Malakoff—this should be the name of the island where the research facility is located. However, Ian guessed it was likely a place similar to Punk Hazard, an island that couldn’t be reached or tracked by a Log Pose. The Revolutionary Army, needing to rescue Vegapunk once his research was completed, would have to know his location first.

If Ian shared this information with Uncle Dragon, he’d likely be quite pleased…

Of course, Ian thought the Revolutionary Army might already have the means to locate Vegapunk. After all, when Vegapunk was transferred to the new research facility, Kuma hadn’t yet completed his transformation and hadn’t completely lost his consciousness. It’s possible information had been passed to the Revolutionary Army.

Now, Ian’s goal wasn’t just to extract Vegapunk’s location from Caesar but also to gather details about the research base itself.

The only worry was whether Caesar had ever been to the research facility on Malakoff and if he knew anything about it.

Fortunately, from Caesar’s tone, Ian could tell that he had some knowledge of the research facility. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have mentioned “heavily guarded.” So Ian pretended to frown and asked in confusion, “Heavily guarded? I understand the Navy would protect the research facility, but do you really think, with my strength, I couldn’t get in?”

“Shurorororo!” Caesar laughed loudly. “Sir, you may not know this, but Malakoff is the Navy and World Government’s top research facility. I haven’t been there myself, but I’ve heard things. The entrance to the research facility is an underwater tunnel. You have to go through the seabed to reach it. If any enemies try to break in, the Navy’s science division has an emergency measure where they’ll blow up the entire tunnel. Anyone trying to invade would be buried at the bottom of the sea!”

Ian’s heart skipped a beat as he listened. He hadn’t expected that!

However, he then asked with a puzzled expression, “But what about the exit? If they blow up the entrance, the researchers inside wouldn’t want to go down with it, would they? They must have a way out.”

“That, I don’t know!” Caesar replied, sounding a bit frustrated. “I applied to be transferred to the Malakoff research facility once, but it didn’t work out. So I only know the basics about it—anything beyond that, I’m in the dark.”

“I see…” Ian frowned, deep in thought.

If the entrance was that heavily defended, the exit would undoubtedly be guarded just as closely, likely with a heavy Navy presence.

If Kuma was at this research facility, participating in Vegapunk’s human modification experiments, he would likely know something about the facility. However, Ian guessed that Kuma might not know much about the exit either. Even though he seemed loyal to the World Government during his time as a Warlord, they probably didn’t trust him enough to reveal everything. If the facility normally only used the entrance tunnel, then Kuma would only be aware of that part. As for the exit, they likely kept him in the dark… ṞÄℕο₿ÈS̩

This really is a headache…

Seeing Ian frowning, Caesar took the opportunity to press his point. “What do you think, Lord Ian? Like I said, kidnapping Vegapunk isn’t as simple as you think… Though, I wouldn’t mind seeing someone kidnap that idiot, hehe. So, why not consider working with me instead? Just like the Big Mom Pirates, as long as you fund my research, I can tailor it exactly to your needs!”

Caesar enthusiastically pitched himself, still dazzled by the thought of Ian’s massive 10 billion Berries investment. He had no idea what Ian’s true intentions were and actually believed Ian was interested in cracking the Pacifista technology for mass production.

He didn’t suspect much, as the Pacifistas had shown great power during the Battle of New Edd War. Deployed in large numbers, they could easily overwhelm a large force, similar to Kaido’s ambition of building a Zoan Devil Fruit user army. Ambitious and capable people would naturally covet such weapons.

Ian thought for a moment and then smiled. “Alright, I’ll consider it! Maybe, as you said, we could try working together and see how it goes.”

Caesar was overjoyed, rubbing his hands together as he laughed, “You have a good eye! So, how much are you thinking of investing first?”

Ian glanced at him, picked up a wine glass, poured two glasses of wine—one for Reiju and one for himself—and then casually waved his hand, saying, “Well, to start, it would have to be at least 1 billion Berries. After all, I’m not short on money right now! But of course, we’ll talk more about it after this tea party.”

Since Caesar had once been a colleague of Vegapunk, Ian figured he might still have some valuable information regarding the scientist. He decided to keep Caesar hooked for now, stringing him along with promises to keep him interested, knowing Caesar wouldn’t be able to resist biting the bait later on.

Hearing Ian’s words, Caesar was over the moon, secretly thrilled. He thought he had struck gold!

He had merely wanted to attend the tea party, and now he had stumbled upon such a wealthy patron—this must be fate smiling on Caesar! That’s what he thought…

If he could also secure some funding from Big Mom during the tea party, combined with Ian’s backing, he’d have more money than he could ever spend. Whether he invested it in developing his poisonous weapons or indulging in a life of luxury, he’d never have to worry about expenses again!

As for the research project Ian was supposedly going to commission him for, Caesar wasn’t concerned in the slightest. This was the same guy who dared to swindle Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, so why would he care about fooling Ian too?

With that thought, Caesar stopped worrying about getting off the carriage. Instead, he busied himself serving Ian and Reiju drinks and making small talk, trying to engage them in topics they’d find interesting.

Ian couldn’t help but feel like Caesar was no different from the salesmen he’d encountered in his previous life—always flattering and trying to build rapport. There wasn’t even a trace of the scientific genius he claimed to be.

Just then, the lively sound of welcoming music drifted in from outside. The three of them looked out the window and saw that their pig carriage had entered the castle’s streets. Along the sides of the road, toy soldiers were playing trumpets, while animated flowers swayed and sang, all welcoming Ian and the other guests.

At the castle’s grand entrance, Ian spotted Katakuri and Perospero standing there, waiting for their arrival.

Perospero was Big Mom’s eldest son, while Katakuri was the second. Both were key figures within the Big Mom Pirates. Their joint presence to welcome Ian could be considered the highest form of reception. After all, it wasn’t as if Big Mom would personally greet her guests.

This showed how important Ian’s arrival was to the Big Mom Pirates.

The pig carriage came to a screeching halt at the entrance. Ian stepped out with Reiju, and Katakuri approached, extending his hand in greeting, “We meet again, Ian.”

“Quite a grand reception!” Ian smiled in response.

“Of course!” Perospero replied with a mischievous grin, licking his candy cane. “Mama was thrilled when we returned with such a large sum of money after delivering the invitation to you. She instructed us to make sure you were well taken care of. Mama really likes you!”

For some reason, even though Ian knew Perospero’s “likes you” was meant in a normal, positive sense, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. There was a strange, unsettling feeling in the air, as if something was off…

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