[Egghead]
Located Southeast of Wano and southwest of Elbaph, Egghead is a futuristic island, formerly owned by the World Government but now serving as Vegapunk's main home for scientific development.
The Island has two parts, the mainland, which is decorated by tall trees, living in harmony with modern buildings, and the sea that surrounds it, which is suited for colder climates as the island's main temperatures reach the negatives but thanks to Vegapunk's technology, the former winter island is a tropical paradise. Above its atmosphere is a giant cracked egg, a structure resting on the clouds, this is where Vegapunk's laboratory is.
Even with all his genius, the scientist is closely monitored by the World Government, whether it's the regular visits by one of the 5 elders, Admirals, and the occasional Cipher Paul agents snooping by the coastline.
–Laboratory –
In his main lab, a tall, elderly man wearing tailored black pants, a pink collared shirt with red polka dots, a short lab coat, and the most bizarre part of his appearance is his abnormally long tongue, reaching the bottom of his shirt, hourglass shaped head, and a half-eaten apple connected to a stick where his cranium should be. Dr. Vegapunk, the smartest person in the world and a man the world government considers both an asset and a liability.
"You're a hard man to find Ramos." Vegapunk chuckles, smoothing a wrinkle on his shirt.
Ramos looks up at the man towering over him, 'Darn my height. ' He grumbles to himself, shaking the thoughts away he answers. "Forgive me, I had a busy 2 months. "
"Oh–I'm quite aware of your resume young man. A prodigy of Marine hero Garp, the youngest ever Vice-Admiral in history, somehow escaped the clutches of Charlotte Linlin and defeated Kaido, the strongest creature. " Vegapunk read his file on Ramos, the way he casually exposed Ramos' profile left the newly promoted Admiral tense.
"H-how do you know about my recent activities? Sengoku only got my report 2 days ago!" He presses the scientist.
Vegapunk giggles, "I am the most knowledgeable man alive Ramos~"
Ramos clicks his tongue, "Yeah, right."
"Now then!" The older man claps his hands, moving over to his computer, "The real reason I brought you here is to discuss an important matter now that you're an Admiral." Turning to his guest, "Do you want to take a guess on what the matter is?"
Ramos lets out a sigh, not fond of the suspense, "This is about me getting a devil fruit?"
Vegapunk gasps, tongue pointing horizontally, "How did you know!?" The genius inventor demands.
Ramos's jaw drops to the ground in a cartoon-ish manner. "The invitation literally said it's about you gifting me a devil fruit. " He face planted, questioning the man's supposed intelligence.
"Oh right..." He rubs his chin, "Must have slipped out of my mind–hehe "
Ramos's eye twitches, holding in his anger as hurting Vegapunk would be a bigger problem than fighting a Yonko, I mean he already faced 1 and a half of the 4.
"Right, let's move on to the presentation." He clears his throat, moving over to a metal door,that opens automatically, Vegapunk gestures for Ramos to follow him.
Entering the new room, Ramos looks in awe at the spacious room with empty chambers holding different devil fruits, each fruit has a unique pattern and holographic labels over it.
"Welcome to my room of the devil fruits, decades of exploration have rewarded me with a respectful collection.
"Respectful? There are over 20 fruits in here." Ramos blurts out, moving across the room examining the fruits, even with glass separating him from the mythical food, he can feel the energy radiating from them, ranging from elements, faint animal sounds, and various textures.
Ramos takes a step back, lowering his observation habits range,he focuses his advanced senses on Vegapunk to prevent himself from being overwhelmed by the temptation of the fruits.
"So which fruit are you gifting me?" Ramos asks.
Vegapunk lets out a sigh, his upbeat personality reduced to a mellow vibe.
"Before I give you the fruit, we need to discuss your health. "
Ramos presses his lips together, jaw flexing at the sudden confrontation. "I don't know what you're talking about. "
"I think you know exactly what we're talking about Ramos-kun ~" A teasing feminine voice purrs.
Ramos turns his head to look at Stussy, the woman who runs the sex trafficking ring in the Underworld, and the very person responsible for his capture by Big Mom.
"You." He speaks coldly, the atmosphere in the lab becomes chilly, the floorboards trembling as Ramos leaks a bit of his conqueror's haki.
"Ouu~this is both frightening and a bit arousing. " Stussy shamelessly confessed, her body freezes like prey facing a predator.
"Ramos, please refrain from attacking Ms. Stussy. " Vegapunk pleads, his right hand sneaking into his lab coat.
"Don't even think about calling a Pacafista or your other selves. " Ramos warns, predicting Vegapunk's mind like an open book.
"Impressive foresight Ramos. " The scientist praises despite the obvious threat.
Ramos ignores him, still exerting his will on Stussy, the blonde felt her legs start to wobble, her shoulders slumping down and sweat coating her skin.
"Is this necessary?" She chuckles lightly.
Ramos looks into her eyes, forcing his empath abilities on her to read her intentions.
He freezes, scowl on his face, "Your soul feels different from ours, it's arti–"
"Artificial. " Vegapunk finishes his sentence.
"You see, Stussy is a clone of Ms. Buckingham Stussy, the former member of the Rocks Pirates.
"I'm more beautiful than the original ~" She winks at him.
"Pfft." Ramos snorts, concealing his will, the atmosphere returns to normal.
Stussy stands on wobbling legs, letting out a loud exhale and wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"You shouldn't be so rough on a lady without getting her approval first. " she pouts, arms under her chest. "Your blood smells bad, it's full of dead cells. " She winces, resisting the urge to gag.
"What are you talking about?" Ramos barks, stepping closer to her, and he suddenly coughs violently.
"Aghh." He spits out blood, not your healthy red blood but dark blood, the type that meant serious issues. "
Vegapunk walks over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, " Ramos, I scanned your body when you entered the Island, my scanners found you have a concerning low rate of red blood cells." Vegapunk reveals.
Ramos stands there, immobile, letting the words sink in. "Am I dying?" He whispers, not wanting the words to become reality.
Vegapunk shakes his head, giving him a moment of relief, "Not quite, your body is still holding strong but my calculations say you have shed a quarter of your life span. "
"A quarter!" Ramos yells, balling his fist into his palm, "That's 25 years of my life gone." He gulps, his mouth completely dry.
"That's why I needed you to know your current situation before you decide to eat the fruit, the benefits of a devil fruit are spectacular but the drawback for mastering them is costly to the users.
Ramos drops his head, grinding his teeth harshly.
"But then again, some fruits are unfairly beneficial–haha." Vegapunk cackles, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Bastard!" Ramos grabs the taller man by his collar, flinging him around. "Don't play like that you're sick f#ck!" Ramos growls, letting Vegapunk go before he makes a grave mistake.
"That was cruel Vega." Stussy giggles behind her hand, her attempts at being respectful during Ramos's crisis, folding like paper she burst out laughing.
"I hate both of you." He groans.
"Sorry about that, I just love a good laugh."
"You're suick old man."
"That's not a nice thing to say Ramos. " Vegapunk whimpers.
"Just give me my fruit already. "
××××
Ding
Cold air escapes from the opened chamber, exposing the fruit inside, a white devil fruit with cloud-like spirals, the stem is puffy.
Ramos stares at the fruit, feeling an impulse to reach for it.
Vegapunk noticed, a smirk forming on his face," I'm glad you feel a connection with the fruit." He picks up the fruit, "This was a difficult fruit to find, I spent a decade scavenging harsh lands just to find this little fellow on top of a mountain covered in fog, the heights barely supported oxygen, it was an exhilarating experience. He confesses.
Ramos hesitantly reaches for the fruit, his body screaming for him to take it, as if it were made for him.
"Take it." The Id personality demands.
"It's all yours honey ~" Stussy teases.
Ramos rolls his eyes, taking the fruit out of Vegapunk's hand to his own grasp, and he brings it to his lips.
Vegapunk was about to warn him of the taste, but Stussy stops him.
"This is a right of passage. " She holds back her laughter.
Crunch
Ramos takes a bite, chewing hesitantly, he doesn't taste anything until he swallows.
"Blurghh!" He nearly pukes, covering his mouth, his taste buds are assaulted by an awful taste that burns his throat and sends his body overtime to remove the disgusting taste. Tears fall freely as he forces himself to finish the bite.
Vegapunk interrupts him, "No need to eat the whole thing, just a bite will do."
Rumble
The ground shakes violently, his lab apparatus trembling, monitors beeping widely as Ramos howls to the sky.
[End of chapter]