One Piece: A Warlord's Path-Chapter 664: A Superweapon?

Faced with the Gorosei’s exorbitant demands and their mocking tone, Aeridar didn’t get angry. Instead, he tilted his head, a smirk playing on his lips as he stroked his chin. "Honestly," he said in a drawn-out voice, "if I could meet Dr. Vegapunk in person, I might consider it. I might even whip one up for you lot as well."

The Gorosei’s expressions twitched simultaneously, and they immediately fell silent.

Damn it. If we let you get anywhere near Dr. Vegapunk, not even Borsalino could stop you at that range.

A scientist with wisdom 500 years ahead of humanity was far too great a temptation. Countless ambitious figures across the globe hungered to possess Vegapunk, and the Gorosei were certain that the man standing before them was no exception.

"How about this? To each his own specialty," Aeridar said, turning serious. "The Pacifistas are equipped with Kizaru’s lasers. I’ll give you the technology for Plasma Cannons instead. This will significantly bolster the strength of Cipher Pol and the Navy."

"Plasma Cannon technology..."

The Gorosei frowned slightly. Then, the Elder with the handlebar mustache asked, "Like the kind Germa uses?"

"Similar, but these are large-scale Plasma Cannons. They can be mounted on warships or installed in power towers," Aeridar explained with brimming confidence and a hint of excitement. "With a muzzle velocity of 2,203 meters per second, they can strike any point within a fifty-kilometer radius! Even your Pacifistas could be taken out in a single shot. Aside from structures made of Seastone or diamond, it’s safe to say no ship or fortress in this world can withstand its assault!"

"Hiss!"

The Gorosei sucked in a breath of cold air, exchanging startled glances. If the weapon was truly as powerful as he described, they would be getting the better end of the deal by far.

Especially that terrifying velocity of 2,203 m/s—at close range, aside from the absolute top-tier powerhouses and monsters of the sea, not even a Vice Admiral would necessarily be able to react in time.

"To offer such a weapon in exchange... how can we trust you?" the curly-haired Elder asked, his voice low.

A superweapon of this caliber was a strategic asset comparable to the Pacifistas. Would this man really trade such a thing for the core data of the Brain Domain Experiments?

Was he insane?

Furthermore, even if he did hand it over, who could guarantee the technology wasn’t compromised?

"I’ve brought the blueprints with me. You can examine a portion of them to verify!" Aeridar said with a smile.

Without further concealment, Aeridar reached into his storage pocket right in front of the Gorosei and pulled out a thick stack of design blueprints. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"That’s..."

The Gorosei’s eyes jumped at the sight of his storage method. What kind of ability is this now?

"You can have someone authenticate them. Vegapunk, for instance." Aeridar walked over and placed the heavy stack of blueprints on the coffee table.

The Elders looked back and forth between the blueprints and Aeridar. After a long moment, they finally made a move.

"Guards! Summon Dr. Vegapunk at once!"

...

Half a day later, high above the Holy Land Mariejois.

Aeridar shot into the sky, piercing the clouds with a thunderous sonic boom.

Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...

The sound of a Den Den Mushi rang from his coat. Flying through the high altitude, Aeridar reached in and pulled out a small, blue-haired Den Den Mushi. "Arlan, what is it?"

"Captain, was the trade a success?" Gilbert Arlan’s voice drifted from the snail’s mouth.

Aeridar glanced at the pocket tied to his waist and laughed. "Mission accomplished!"

"Hahaha! I really want to see the looks on their faces once they actually build those things! Hahaha!" Arlan roared with laughter.

Recalling the details, Aeridar couldn’t help but grin. "Haha, well, I didn’t lie to them, but their expressions will certainly be a sight to behold!"

Massive in size, massive in power, massive in energy consumption, and massive in price. That was the evaluation Dalt and Vade had given the Plasma Cannons.

You needed an area of over a hundred square meters just to mount one. The power was indeed immense, but the energy drain was even worse; a single shot consumed as much energy as five Pacifistas combined.

Moreover, the cost to manufacture just one was a staggering 5 billion Berries, and maintenance was a nightmare. Even with barrels made of the specialized alloy steel used for Dragonian skeletons, the barrel would be rendered scrap after just one firing.

If you built one or two as a deterrent or a trump card, it was manageable. But if the World Government wanted to use these to create a defensive fire-grid for Mariejois and Marine Headquarters, or mount them on standard warships? They could keep dreaming.

Unless they built a ship on the scale of Moria’s Thriller Bark or World’s Groseade, it was out of the question. Providing power to a Plasma Cannon on a ship was an absolute logistical nightmare.

Vegapunk was brilliant, that was obvious from the Pacifistas. By utilizing Kizaru’s ability, he had integrated powerful lasers, an energy system capable of prolonged combat, an IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) chip, and high-strength alloy materials. All of this spoke to his genius.

However, even Vegapunk couldn’t spot the numerous practical flaws of the Plasma Cannon just by looking at the blueprints, especially since the blueprints themselves were technically genuine.

The Plasma Cannon Aeridar handed to the Gorosei was developed by Dalt and Vade based on Enel’s abilities. It used highly compressed lightning to form plasma, resulting in extreme lethality. At the time, they had envisioned using this plasma to decimate enemies and successfully created the cannon by containing the scattered plasma.

But the various drawbacks made it a "chicken rib"—something with too little meat to eat but too much flavor to throw away. Since Dalt and Vade couldn’t find a solution, Aeridar decided to copy the blueprints and use them for this deal with the Gorosei.

After they finished laughing, Arlan’s tone turned serious. "Oh, by the way, Captain, there’s something you need to know."

"What is it? Did you find Jack?" Aeridar’s eyebrows shot up.

"Er... not exactly," Arlan paused. "But we’re close. Word is the Mammoth was spotted lingering in the waters near Wano Country."

"Then what else is there?" Hearing it wasn’t news of Jack, Aeridar’s interest waned.

"We just got word that the vacant seat among the Seven Warlords is about to be filled," Arlan said gravely.

"Nani! Who is it?"

Aeridar, previously indifferent, snapped to attention.

A moment later, a name that was both strange and familiar came out of Arlan’s mouth.

"Whitebeard Jr., Edward Weevil!"