In an unfamiliar sea area, a navy warship docked, and Nicholas followed the majority of the troops out of the cabin, with a batch of prisoners trailing behind, looking dispirited.
These prisoners had their heads wrapped in sacks, their hands and feet in shackles, and the surrounding navy personnel were all on high alert, indicating their particular attention to this batch of prisoners.
However, unlike typical prisoners captured by the navy, these prisoners were well-dressed, and it seemed they were well-fed. At least, they all appeared to be in good physical condition.
"I am Vice Admiral Comil, dispatched by Headquarters for this escort operation. There are a total of 452 prisoners, including 350 males and 102 females. They were transported without any incidents. Please proceed with the signing."
In the navy camp, the vice admiral in charge of this escort operation exchanged documents with the suited men who came to meet them.
"After confirming everything is in order, the suited man signed the receiving documents."
Soon after, the navy personnel responsible for escorting the prisoners completed the handover with the suited men who came to meet them.
Once the ship bearing the World Government flag separated from the navy warship, a sea island came into view. The island was full of trees, resembling an uninhabited deserted island.
However, through the gaps in the trees, one could vaguely see several watchtowers on the island. There were no less than a dozen watchtowers visible, not to mention the concealed sentries lurking in the shadows.
Moreover, through Observation Haki, one could clearly sense the presence of numerous cannons hidden in the forests along the coastline. While the island appeared ordinary, once any unidentified ship approached, the overwhelming firepower on the island would sink it immediately.
After confirming the information, the ship began to slowly approach the shore, eventually coming to a stop near the beach.
Subsequently, everyone on board, including a group of prisoners, disembarked onto the beach. The surrounding beach seemed deserted, but in fact, there were hundreds of fully armed navy soldiers hiding nearby, ready to soundly defeat or destroy any unauthorized individuals or ships approaching the island.
Upon entering the forest, Nicholas, through Elementalization, easily avoided the surveillance of the Den Den Mushi and entered the laboratory.
Inside the laboratory, several cultivation tanks and a laboratory table several meters long were visible.
A man about six meters tall lay on the laboratory table, his entire body naked, and his head already opened. Another person, wearing a microscope and manipulating precision instruments inside the man's opened skull, was busy with something.
"Vegapunk, long time no see," Nicholas said with a smile, looking at Vegapunk.
Hearing Nicholas' voice, Vegapunk's expression soured slightly.
"Shut up, it's almost done. There are some snacks and hot tea over there. Go sit first."
Nicholas could openly speak to Vegapunk like this because he knew Vegapunk was completely absorbed in his experiments and wouldn't pay him any mind.
"Nicholas, long time no see. How did you find your way here?" Vegapunk asked, walking over to Nicholas after finishing the final step of the experiment and removing his gloves.
Sitting down, Vegapunk glanced at Nicholas up and down, then suddenly asked, "Have you ever entered that state we speculated about?"
"Mm-hmm," Nicholas nodded, a bit surprised how Vegapunk could tell.
"In that case, you're lucky to be alive and able to see me. By the way, there are some things we didn't finish discussing last time. Nuclear-powered engines, antimatter cannons, Galra Field, AT Field, Wormhole Generator, Interstellar Warriors, Human Transmutation, Human Completion Plan... Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't know when you'll end up playing yourself to death."
"I suspect you're cursing me to die," Nicholas said, looking at Vegapunk, before proceeding to tell him about the concept of Alchemy he observed from Fullmetal Alchemist. After all, he was only responsible for explaining; whether it could be achieved was not his concern. And Vegapunk listened with great interest.
"No sacrifice, no gain. To obtain something, something of equal value must be lost. That's the Law of Equivalent Exchange in alchemy. So you could say that alchemy is humanity's exploration of nature through the body. Equivalent exchange, it's indeed straightforward," Vegapunk mused.
And as Nicholas watched Vegapunk, who was earnestly taking notes, a scene suddenly flashed in his mind: Vegapunk piloting an Emperor-class Titan!