Return to the Cave

Three weeks have gone by in a whiff, as Inside the underwater pirate cave, Shen is exchanging words with a group of people standing before him.

The group is none other than his three disciples and one employee.

"Bora, as you are the oldest disciple, you will be responsible for looking after the other two. The three of you will help clean this place along with me and Dr. Flappe. You may see this as your first assignment."

Hearing this, a certain dragon-boy doesn't seem very keen on it. "Then Master, when are we gonna do real training?... i wanna quickly get stronger!!" Giran's unwillingness is clear to see as doing work and putting on effort, is not the story that his fat-belly conveys.

"We were supposed to start training after first sorting things out, but since you're in such a hurry, you'll do some extra work so that we can finish this quickly." Shen announces to the dismay of the dragon-boy.

"NOOO! THAT'S NOT FAIR!!" The boy cries out, but it's already too late.

Suddenly, Shen turns to Dr. Flappe. "I have something to show you. Maybe this will be of interest to you."

He takes Dr. Flappe to the place where he had submerged the guardian robot left behind by the pirates. The robot was damaged, chained, and thrown into the underground lake by Shen.

He retrieves the robot from the lake as he hadn't truly discarded it. He had securely connected the extra length of chain from the robot to the surface.

Dr. Flappe directly goes to work. After Shen helps him turn off the robot, he immediately starts examining it.

"Let's first make your research lab; then you can study it all you want," Shen further adds.

"It just so happens that I have found the perfect place for you. One of the abandoned buildings of the pirates seems to have been some sort of scientific facility."

The doctor agrees with him. "Truly great. Maybe it's also the place where this robot was made."

"Hope it is. I'm counting on you."

In a month, the hideout starts taking shape. During this time, Shen has traveled in and out of the cave multiple times. He has also brought in additional, temporary helpers after paying them a hefty sum and ensuring their discretion on the way here.

He doesn't want the general public to know about this place.

Another five months go by in the cave, and before long, the hideout becomes fully functional. All of the old equipment and tech have been upgraded, and the entire structure, including the building and the ceiling, has been further reinforced.

Even under a massively powerful earthquake, the cave will not collapse on itself. For additional safety, there are also bunkers with sufficient food and a submarine in each, in case of some otherworldly disaster...

Shen plans to sell all the other antique objects that have been kept unharmed in this place, like the centuries-old battleship... it's just idly occupying valuable space and has become a real eyesore to him.

However, there are no plans to discard any of the old tech equipment and research, especially the things from the scientific facility, as they could prove useful in understanding the pirate robot.

At first glance, the robot may not seem impressive, but actually, it is far from unimpressive.

Not only has the robot been functioning since long ago, but it is also fairly powerful. Being able to contend with Shen on Earth is rather impressive.

If upgraded with the latest technology, the robot could prove to be very useful.

.....

Regarding his disciples: it has been six months since they came here. During this time, they have improved by leaps and bounds.

Now, Nam is not the skinny boy he was in the past, Bora has become even stronger, and Giran is not as fat as before.

Their discipline has also improved—not that it was very bad in the past. Even Giran, a moody kid, has become decently respectful.

Everyone has adjusted well to the new environment.

Shen has already promised to let them return home from time to time, so there is no issue of homesickness for the time being.

The renovation work has ended, so the workers have already been sent away.

The number of people currently living in the hideout is only five...

Today, Shen is in the research facility where Dr. Flappe, as always, is working on the pirate robot.

Having found an earlier decommissioned version of the robot in the old lab, Dr. Flappe's research has been going more smoothly. This other robot had the letter "1" painted on it...

Implying that it came out before the version 2 that Shen had fought with.

Recently, the scientist has been working on remodeling and improving upon the design of the earlier pirate robot... A totally new model is in development, which he has aptly named "Skull Robot Type 1."

"So, how is it going? How long do you think the first batch of these will take to make?" Shen nonchalantly asks.

"I can't say for certain, as complications may occur along the way. However, with the current pace of development, the first batch should be ready in about a year," Dr. Flappe simply answers while screwing a nut on a prototype robot. [A/N-SuS!!]

"A year, huh! I was planning to use them as manual labor and guards for this place as soon as possible, but it seems those plans will have to wait a little..."

"I am sorry. If only I were a little more competent..." Guilt suddenly takes root in Flappe's mind. His hidden anxiety always seems to resurface when he isn't able to live up to people's expectations.

"No, no, you don't have to cast yourself down. You are doing all that is possible... without any helpers. There's no way I can blame you."

Shen frantically calms down the depressed man. He believes an employee should always have a healthy mind to work efficiently.

"Ooh! I nearly forgot why I am here. I want you to make something called a Dragon Ball radar." He directly moves on to the next agenda that was on his mind.

"Dragon Ball radar?... What is that? Is it something related to the legendary Dragon Balls?" Flappe stops adjusting the bolt and curiously turns back, intrigued by this new order. The earlier person disappointed in himself is nowhere to be seen.

Shen explains everything he knows about the Dragon Balls and the radar to the scientist.

"So you need such a device... Is it necessary right away?"

"Well..., it's not urgent, but it is something very important"