Time passed quickly after Thor met Vegapunk. The introduction itself had been simple, but the effects of bringing Vegapunk to Hachinosu were far from small.
When Thor introduced the young scientist to Rocks, Rocks was immediately pleased. He did not even try to hide it.
The moment he realized that Thor had managed to bring in someone who clearly possessed a unique mind, Rocks' mood lifted to the point that he almost seemed proud.
A new addition to the crew who was not only competent but also extremely useful was something he rarely received, and Vegapunk proved his value almost instantly.
Vegapunk demonstrated a method to traverse the Calm Belt without being attacked by Sea Kings.
Thor knew that only the Marines possessed this knowledge in the official timeline because they bought the invention directly from Vegapunk.
Seeing Vegapunk teach Rocks and the rest of the Rocks Pirates how to cross the Calm Belt safely made Thor realize just how big of a change his presence caused.
Even the strongest pirates in the world were now casually gaining access to technology that the Marines would one day guard carefully.
Vegapunk did not treat it like a secret at all. He explained the mechanism calmly, as if he were sharing a simple recipe, which impressed even Rocks.
Their personal deal began soon after. Vegapunk started teaching Thor everything he could, and surprisingly, Thor was able to keep up.
Vegapunk had been stunned at first by how quickly Thor adapted to new ideas, until he learned that Thor had already acquired a wide base of foundational knowledge from the books Stussy owned.
Because of that base, Thor now had a surprisingly stable understanding of engineering concepts, biological principles, and numerous theoretical areas that Vegapunk found useful. This allowed Thor to pursue the scientific projects he had planned for the future.
Vegapunk then made another arrangement with both Ganzui and Captain John. He needed specific materials for certain long-term projects, and Ganzui, who once worked as a smuggler, had many contacts in the underworld.
This made him the perfect person to gather rare or restricted items. In exchange for Ganzui's help, Vegapunk built him a ship powered by Ganzui's own Devil Fruit, the Bomu Bomu no Mi.
Vegapunk explained it while pointing at a designated slot in the ship's interior.
"Just put the bombs here. It does not matter what part of your body produces the explosions. As long as it explodes, this mechanism will absorb and redirect the impact. It will spin the internal turbine faster and convert the explosion's force into mechanical energy, which will then be stored in this container and used to power your ship engine," Vegapunk said, sounding completely satisfied with his design.
Ganzui barely listened. He had no intention of using the ship himself. He only wanted to sell it at a high price, especially because people in the underworld loved anything rare or strange. Vegapunk did not mind. The exchange benefited both sides equally.
Vegapunk's deal with Captain John was much simpler. Vegapunk only asked to observe Captain John's Devil Fruit ability for an hour every day. He wanted to see how Captain John manipulated metal and how the properties of the fruit interacted with the world around it.
In return, Vegapunk promised to give Captain John a bottle of wine every time he participated. Captain John's personality, combined with his extreme stinginess, made him incapable of refusing free alcohol. He accepted without hesitation.
Day by day, Vegapunk settled into a routine. He taught Thor from morning until noon, during which Thor absorbed enormous amounts of information.
Afterward, Vegapunk spent an hour observing Captain John's abilities and writing down dozens of notes. Then he met with Ganzui to request new materials or rare components.
Vegapunk's work filled the majority of his day, but he did not mind, since research was the only thing he enjoyed more than talking about his research.
Meanwhile, life in Hachinosu grew even livelier. The longer Shakky operated her Ripoff Bar, the more people visited the island.
Many came solely to catch a glimpse of her, and even more arrived after hearing the exaggerated rumors about her beauty. Shakky understood her own appeal very well and used it to earn a large amount of money.
Her helpers were volunteers who simply wanted to be near her, which meant Shakky kept all the profits.
She even managed to secure most of her supplies for free by flashing a smile. Thor had to admit that the business strategy was incredibly effective.
One day, Thor saw something inside Shakky's Ripoff Bar that he never expected. It was something that had originally been a joke among One Piece fans in his past life, but now he was seeing it with his own eyes.
The man standing behind the counter, helping Shakky by serving drinks, was Zeff, who would one day become the owner of the Baratie. The sight surprised Thor, and he approached Zeff to confirm.
"What's your name? I haven't seen you here before," Thor then said towards Zeff, sa despite knowing his name, he does not know it formally to use it, as Thor just intended to let Zeff mention his name.
"My name if Zeff, and I'm Chef," Zeff then answered, but even without introducing the position, Zeff's attire already gave up his would be position.
"So, what brought you here, Zeff?" Thor asked as he struck up a conversation.
Zeff looked genuinely happy as he answered.
"Oh, I read somewhere that the most beautiful woman on the sea is staying here in Hachinosu. I just had to see it for myself. And because of the events that followed, I ended up becoming the personal chef of that same woman," Zeff replied. Thor could hear the gratitude in Zeff's voice. Zeff sounded like someone who believed fate had placed him in the best possible situation.
Thor could only think to himself while looking at Zeff. "You too, Zeff? Really? No wonder Sanji is like that." He kept this thought private since the event had not happened yet, and saying it out loud would make no sense to anyone but himself.
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One day, Rocks returned from one of his solo trips across the sea. It was a quiet afternoon, and Thor happened to notice immediately that something was off with him. Rocks carried a different atmosphere than usual.
There was a subtle shift in the way he walked, a lighter step, as if his thoughts were somewhere else entirely.
Thor had known Rocks long enough to distinguish between his usual moods, and what he saw now did not match any of the familiar ones. Rocks looked happy, genuinely happy, and that alone made Thor pay attention.
Normally, Rocks only wore that kind of smile when Shakky appeared in front of him, or when he was about to do something reckless while believing it was clever.
This time, however, the smile seemed fixed on his face for no particular reason, almost like he was trying to suppress it but failed. Thor instantly recognized the expression, which only confirmed his suspicion.
Thor waited until the entire skull-shaped building was empty, choosing a moment when everyone else had gone off to their own business. Only then did he approach Rocks, since he knew the man would not appreciate having this conversation anywhere public.
"Have you met a woman? You seem so happy," Thor said casually.
Rocks immediately reacted by activating his observation haki. He swept the entire room, checking corners, walls, and even the ceiling, looking for any sign of someone eavesdropping. He extended his haki farther to see if anyone was within range, but the only person nearby was Thor.
"They are all at Shakky's bar, so should I take your reaction as a yes?" Thor asked, clarifying why the building was empty.
Rocks let out a quiet breath and finally answered.
"Yes, but this cannot be known by anyone. Alright?"
Thor frowned at once. He understood exactly what this meant, and it caused a heavy feeling in his stomach. The God Valley incident was not far off in the timeline. Anything that tied Rocks to a new and innocent person increased the danger significantly.
"Have you lost your mind? You know how persecuted you are by the World Government, and now you would put a completely innocent woman in danger?" Thor whispered. He kept his tone low, but despite that, Rocks still looked offended, as if Thor had accused him of something unreasonable.
"You do not have to worry. I already have the perfect plan. I will put them in my hometown, and even you do not know where my hometown is. This way, she will be out of harm's way and surrounded by my own family," Rocks replied in a firm tone, as if he had already resolved everything on his own.
Thor did not share the same confidence. The idea felt unstable at best, but he still tried to offer a safer option.
"Why do you not bring them to Elbaph? They would be much safer there than anywhere else. I doubt there is anyone stupid enough to invade the country of giants without permission," Thor said, trying to redirect Rocks toward a solution that might actually change the events of God Valley.
Rocks shook his head. "No. They are much safer in my hometown. It would be suspicious if a human lived among the giants, would it not? And there is still a lot of civil conflict happening in your country," Rocks answered without hesitation.
Thor held back the urge to sigh. He understood Rocks' reasoning, but it only made him more aware of how close the coming tragedy was. In his mind, he already knew that fate had set many events in motion, and Rocks was unknowingly walking straight toward them.
"Oh, you have no idea what fate plans for you," Thor thought silently. In that moment, he made a personal vow.
When the God Valley incident finally happened, he would ensure that Eris and Teach escaped the island safely.
If there was even the smallest chance that Rocks could be saved, Thor would do everything in his power to make it happen.
Their conversation continued for a while longer. Eventually, they reached a point where there was nothing more to say, and both men understood each other's positions clearly.
When the discussion came to an end, the two of them walked out of the skull building together and made their way toward Shakky's bar.
Thor steadied himself mentally, preparing for whatever came next, because he knew the future was slowly beginning to tighten around them.