One Piece: King of the World Chapter 431: His Body

At the scientific research base of the new Marine Headquarters, Claudius was following a group of high-ranking Marine officials on a tour.

To be honest, the technology here was impressive.

Claudius had never visited Punk Hazard, but he imagined it had a similar technological feel—just far less advanced compared to this place.

Large panels of high-strength, bulletproof glass lined the facility, revealing rooms filled with high-end equipnt that Claudius didn't understand. Scientists in white lab coats bustled about, working on various experints.

Much of the facility had been automated, with security asures like keycard access controlling entry.

Claudius took it all in and couldn't help but comnt, "As expected of the place where Dr. Vegapunk—who is said to be five hundred years ahead of humanity operates. Can this kind of technology be mass-produced?"

Sengoku, who was present, chuckled at the question and replied, "That would be quite difficult."

"For one, the outside world isn't ready to accept such advancents.

On top of that, even sothing as small as this combination lock might seem simple, but supporting it requires an entire system of infrastructure. The costs are imnse.

Most importantly, there's no real necessity for it."

Claudius laughed, nodding in agreent. That reasoning made perfect sense—after all, in a world full of strange abilities, even the most advanced security systems wouldn't be foolproof.

There were Devil Fruit users like Trafalgar Law, who could slice through space itself, or Blueno from CP9, who could create dinsional doors. Against such individuals, even the most high-tech locks were useless.

As they talked, Claudius and the group of Marine officers arrived at an underground testing facility.

The space was massive—like an entire football stadium had been excavated beneath the ground.

And it was there that Claudius laid eyes on the main focus of his visit—the PX-Pacifistas.

They looked just as he had imagined. Lined up neatly in formation, each one bore the likeness of Bartholow Kuma, their cold, tallic aura making them seem inhuman.

Among them, one unit stood slightly apart.

That must be the prototype—Unit Zero? Claudius speculated.

Near the Pacifistas, a few scientists were engaged in discussion. Among them, one man stood out—a scientist with wild, curly hair, thick-rimd glasses, and a pair of small mustaches. Dressed in a white lab coat, he seed deep in conversation with his colleagues.

Claudius had seen pictures of Dr. Vegapunk before, so he recognized the man instantly.

That was him—the world's greatest scientist.

Since Vegapunk seed busy, Claudius didn't interrupt.

Geniuses, no matter how brilliant, relied on inspiration. If Vegapunk was in the middle of a breakthrough, disturbing him would be a major loss.

So, Claudius decided to inspect the Pacifistas first and talk to him later.

He approached the solitary Unit Zero, a massive war machine modeled after Bartholow Kuma.

Standing next to it, Claudius barely reached its waist.

Even without understanding the engineering behind it, Claudius couldn't help but act like he did. He reached out and patted the unit's belly—sure enough, beneath the clothes, it was solid tal.

He had heard that this material was incredibly durable. Supposedly, even powerful pirates couldn't destroy it.

Running his hand over the unit, he mused, "The texture of the tal and the fabric, so much attention to detail. I never thought you'd even dress the robot properly."

Sengoku opened his mouth as if to say sothing. Even Sakazuki, always serious, had a strange look in his eyes. Gion, on the other hand, outright smiled.

But Claudius, too focused on observing Unit Zero, didn't notice the reactions of the Marine officers behind him.

He continued inspecting the unit and muttered, "This build is incredible. Just by appearance alone, it exudes strength.

A war machine modeled after Bartholow Kuma…

Once these are deployed, I bet people who don't know about them will mistake them for the real thing.

Imagine more than a hundred 'Seven Warlords of the Sea' charging out at once.

That would terrify anyone."

Muttering to himself, Claudius casually removed one of Unit Zero's gloves.

He opened its palm and examined it.

"Wow, look at this bear paw. It even has the sa details as Kuma's. This level of craftsmanship is insane."

He poked the bear paw pad.

Huh?

The texture was surprisingly soft—elastic, even. It felt warm to the touch.

"This is impressive. What material did you use to make this?" he asked aloud.

Turning to the Marine officers, he grinned and added, "If there's enough of this stuff, how about making a couple of sofas? Maybe even a seat cushion for my office chair?

Seriously, sitting for too long really wears out."

However, the mont he turned around, he noticed sothing strange.

Sengoku had an odd expression, his mouth slightly open as if unsure whether to speak.

Sakazuki's face was stiff, but the corners of his lips twitched as if he was holding back laughter.

And Gion? She was straight-up looking at him like he was an idiot.

Before Claudius could ask what was going on, the Unit Zero beside him suddenly spoke.

"It's a pity, Your Highness… but that 'paw' exists because of my ability."

Claudius froze.

Then he took a step back, startled.

Slowly, he lifted his gaze to look up at the unit's face.

Sure enough, Unit Zero was looking right back at him.

"…The hell? You're this advanced? Facial recognition? Artificial intelligence?" Claudius exclaid in shock.

But the so-called Unit Zero sighed and corrected him,

"This isn't high technology.

I am Bartholow Kuma."

Claudius stiffened.

Motherfu—

What the hell are you doing here?!

You didn't even greet when I arrived, just stood there like an emotionless machine!

Now I look like an idiot!

Kuma then spoke again, his tone as calm as ever.

"If possible, Your Highness… could you return my glove?"

Claudius looked at the glove in his hand, the corners of his mouth twitching.

Trying to act natural, he casually slipped the glove back onto Kuma's hand.

"You know, you should really carry your Bible with you," Claudius said, as if nothing had happened.

"That's usually how I tell you apart."

The others didn't comnt.

After all, Claudius had clearly never seen a Pacifista before—so what exactly was he 'identifying' Kuma with?

Only he knew that he was trying to cover for himself.

Kuma, still calm, responded in his deep, slightly magnetic voice, "I ca here to give Your Highness a tour today. Carrying the Bible would be inconvenient."

"Well, be more careful next ti," Claudius said quickly. "That book is important, you know? Hold onto it properly."

Then, changing the subject, he reached out and knocked on Kuma's belly.

A tallic clang echoed in response.

Claudius sighed.

"So you really have been modified?"

"Yes," Kuma confird.

"How does it feel? Any regrets?" Claudius asked, his gaze subtly shifting downward.

Kuma, unaware of Claudius' thoughts, answered naturally, "There's nothing to regret. I chose this path willingly.

My physical capabilities have been greatly enhanced, and my strength has increased significantly."

"It doesn't interfere with your Haki?" Claudius asked, tapping Kuma's waist, again confirming it was all tal.

tal waist… tal limbs… huh. Wonder how that works?

Kuma suddenly clenched his fist.

A second later, his entire arm was coated in a dense layer of Armant Haki.

"Despite my modifications, thanks to Dr. Vegapunk's work, my Haki remains unaffected," Kuma stated.

Claudius stared at him, then nodded in genuine admiration.

"That's… incredible."

(To be continued.)

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