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When Rowen arrived in the Holy Land, he was greeted by Vic, Imu's loyal servant, whose face was set in a stern expression. Without wasting time, Vic said,
"Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), please follow me this way."
"I'm not an Admiral yet... never mind."
Rowen started to correct him, but stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that now wasn't the time to argue about titles. He nodded and followed quickly.
"Vic San, what's going on?"
Walking through the underground passage of the Holy Land, Rowen feigned ignorance and asked, "Has the Holy Land been attacked?"
"No, but something worse than an attack! Compared to this, the commotion caused by Fisher Tiger breaking into the Holy Land over twenty years ago is insignificant!"
Vic, who had received instructions from Imu, did not hold back and began to explain.
"This all started with the execution of Jason a few months ago... Do you remember the chaos at the Ark Restaurant?"
"Yes, I remember. But the former CP0 Chief Zero didn't say much about it at the time. Is this related to that incident?"
"Exactly!"
The two stopped in front of a massive metal door. Vic took out a key he had carefully kept near his chest, inserted it into the lock, and gave Rowen a grim smile.
"The Celestial Dragons have been poisoned, and it's been confirmed... there's no cure for them!"
*Ka-cha...!*
With a rumble, the metal door slowly lifted, revealing a vast room beyond.
The familiar sight of silver-white corridors and glass partitions gave Rowen a strong sense of déjà vu, reminding him of the underground facilities of the Scientific Force at Marine Headquarters. However, this room was clearly more than twice as large.
From the doorway, the end of the area was almost invisible to the naked eye.
"Unbelievable?!!" Rowen feigned shock, his pupils constricting. Then, coming to his senses, he asked, "So the reason the Gorōsei summoned me to the Holy Land is..."
"Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
The commotion from the opening door quickly drew the attention of the white-robed scientists working inside. Caesar Clown turned from the crowd and floated over with a delighted expression.
"You're finally here!"
"Hurry, let me draw some blood. We're running out of experimental materials."
(￣ω￣)!
Caesar's eyes gleamed as he pulled a syringe from the smoky sleeve of his lab coat and tried to stick Rowen in the arm.
The next moment...
*BANG!!!*
(￣ε(#￣)...
Caesar was sent flying by a punch to the face, smashing through three glass partitions before embedding himself headfirst into the concrete wall, his right leg twitching.
Rowen calmly retracted his Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki)-imbued fist and adjusted the cuffs of his suit.
Vic's eyelid twitched rapidly as he covered his face in annoyance.
Charging up to someone and demanding their blood without explanation?
Forget Rowen - even Vic had almost felt compelled to intervene.
"So what exactly is going on?"
Rowen calmly scanned the massive lab under the frightened gazes of the white-coated scientists before asking his question.
"Cough, cough, let me explain," Came a familiar voice. Emerging from the crowd was Vegapunk, his signature wild explosion of hair unmistakable.
When Vegapunk removed the auxiliary monocle from his left eye, Rowen realized he wasn't a one-eyed dragon after all.
"It's like this, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)," Vegapunk began. "The Celestial Dragons have been infected with a very unique virus. These viruses are a form of parasitic life that gradually assimilates into the bodily fluids of the host, forming a symbiotic relationship..."
"...Eventually, they take control of the host's brain, transforming them into bloodthirsty monsters. These monsters reproduce by biting or clawing others, injecting fully developed young parasites into new hosts."
"I see..."
After listening to the explanation, Rowen nodded thoughtfully and stroked his chin.
"But I guess none of the existing methods have been able to eliminate this parasitic virus, right?"
Vegapunk's explanation contained details that even Rowen hadn't known before. For example, he learned that the virus' attacks on humans were driven purely by its biological instinct to reproduce. It was obvious that extensive research had been done on the Nether River virus.
"Correct."
Vegapunk nodded with a bitter smile. "We have tried every method at our disposal. Neither drugs nor mechanical extractions have worked. Even the powers of the Devil Fruits have been used, but the results remain discouraging."
"So you think you can find a cure from me?"
"Cough, cough... Not a cure - more like a replacement!"
Caesar's voice echoed from nearby. He stood up with an angry expression, his swollen head making the chaotic, paint-like makeup on his face even more sinister.
Rowen instinctively took a step back, unable to bear to look at him.
As Caesar rubbed his throbbing head and staggered forward, he explained,
"The nature of this virus makes it impossible to remove. The longer it remains in the host, the more it replaces the host's bodily fluids, forming a symbiotic relationship."
"Removing it would mean destroying the host's bodily fluids - essentially killing them!"
"Do you remember what I said when we faced the Beast Pirates at the old G-5 base, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)?"
After a moment of silence, Vegapunk continued,
"Your body is unique. Specifically, your blood has the ability to replicate itself endlessly as long as it has enough energy. It also has an extraordinary assimilation ability."
"Therefore, we've decided to replicate samples of your tissue and implant your cells into the infected hosts. In this way, your tissues can replace the virus-infected fluids in their bodies."
Scientists always manage to think outside the box...
If the Nether River Virus couldn't be eradicated because of its replacement mechanism, they would use harmless materials with the same properties to replace it.
Fighting poison with poison!
"So you're saying... you want to clone me?"
Rowen blinked, remembering the secret lab set up on the central island of the new G-5 base - a facility even he didn't have clearance to enter.
Maybe... it wasn't just a "plan." They might have "done" it already.
It had been years since his discussion with Vegapunk aboard the 'Ark Maxim'. With Vegapunk's unparalleled scientific abilities, it was hard to imagine how far research had progressed.
Not everyone could accept being cloned, especially a human - a species with a strong sense of individuality.
Sensing the faint killing intent emanating from Rowen, Caesar's face lit up with anticipation.
'Yes! '
'Do it, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)! Kill him!'
Cloning wasn't uncommon in this world of advanced technology—hadn't they seen cyborgs powered by cola?
But the context mattered.
Cloning ordinary specimens was one thing; cloning "Rowen", the famous Marine Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), was quite another.
The Marines had strict rules regarding such actions. Unauthorized creation of a person's Vivre Card was already considered a serious crime, tantamount to treason.
Punishment for such offenses? Execution, without exception.
If even a Vivre Card was so strictly regulated, cloning someone outright was an even greater transgression...
"But this is the only solution I can think of!"
In the face of Rowen's growing murderous intent, Vegapunk remained unperturbed.
As a scientist who feared nothing, he had long become accustomed to the hatred of his "experimental subjects".
The fact that Rowen hadn't acted yet meant that there was still room for negotiation.
"I will destroy all the cloned bodies immediately, Vice Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon). But I beg you— please allow me to complete this experiment for the sake of the Celestial Dragons' lives!"
Vic nervously observed the tense exchange, swallowing hard. If Rowen decided to attack, Vic wasn't sure he could stop him.
Inwardly, Vic was bitter.
"Couldn't they have sent more backup?!"
Relying on just him to defuse this situation? The pressure was unbearable.
(End of Chapter)