Chapter 377 Six Months Later
At the end of December 1518 in the Sea Calendar, the fifth Levely of the Pirate Era was officially convened.
The first Levely was in 1502 when the "Pirate King" Gol D. Roger had just died, "Gold Lion" Shiki escaped from prison, and the "Red Count" Patrick Redfield was arrested and imprisoned. At that time, the only remaining pirate in the New World was "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate.
Due to the words spoken before his execution, in the two years that followed, Roger's Pirate Era became increasingly intense.
To curb the escalating pirate activities, the government gathered the Allied Kingdom Members, passing a series of measures in an attempt to suppress the waves.
Hmm, and then the Pirate Era entered its peak.
The second Levely was in 1506, the third in 1510, the fourth in 1514, and now the fifth in 1518.
Over 16 years, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Shanks gradually established their own forces, defeating one challenger after another. In the New World, they stood shoulder to shoulder with Whitebeard, becoming known as the Yonko, rulers of the sea.
The perennial issue of pirates is something this era can never escape.
The Allied Kingdom Members, each with their own thoughts and hidden agendas, gathered under the banner of the World Government. They discussed, with no achievements, how to govern the chaos caused by pirates and create a better world.
Many Allied Kingdom Members had their roots in the pirate business, and some of the Nation Lords themselves were of pirate origin. It was quite ironic for this group of people to discuss how to deal with pirates. However, it was also an undeniable reality.
Until the fifth meeting unfolded, a small matter that had previously been overlooked by the Allied Kingdom Members finally broke the usual routine.
Dragon, who is considered by Allied Kingdom Members to be an internal conflict within the Marines, finally brought the flames of war to them.
The Revolutionary Army, led by Monkey D. Dragon, aimed to overthrow the World Government, which meant stripping the Allied Kingdom Members of their privileges!
As the saying goes, cut off a man's source of income, and you might as well kill his parents. How could they, accustomed to relying on the government's banner for their prosperity, tolerate the actions of the Revolutionary Army?
They immediately began clamoring to formulate plans against the Revolutionary Army, just as they had done in the past against pirates.
The effects...
Even without looking at the "future" from the original work, just examining the existing "past" was enough to understand.
Rowen learned about these events through news reports and internal Marine channels during his six-month confinement. The prohibition would last until February 1519!
Even though Rowen was eager to see the excitement in Mary Geoise, and even Orrick himself thought so, under the decree of the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars), Rowen couldn't go anywhere before completing the full six months.
So, the year 1518 in the Sea Calendar passed in the uproar of the Levely, uneventful and calm.
...
Several months later, the G-10 Branch, in front of the fortress's main square.
A slender figure in a white coat leaned over a streamlined, silver-white device. Caesar Clown held a wrench and a screwdriver, circled around once, and finally nodded decisively, shouting to Rowen.
"Vice Admiral Soryu, the inspection is complete. It's your turn!"
"Oh..."
Having spent nearly half a year idling at the base, Rowen waved his hand weakly at the news. Several hundred meters away, behind the device, a lightning bolt materialized out of thin air in the Void, striking heavily on the charged spherical container.
Boom!
Thunder rumbled, and the air crackled with electricity.
Caesar was immediately dazed by the shock, but as he looked at the continuously rising values on the instrument panel, his eyes filled with excitement.
Except for Rowen, there was no one else in the world with such a perfect energy source!
When the value rose above the red line, Caesar pressed the liver.
Buzz!!
Ignoring the cannonball disappearing into the sea, Caesar quickly took out a snail with a display screen on its shell, swiped it twice, and then became ecstatic.
"Success!"
"Perfect firing rate, perfect range, perfect accuracy, perfect destructive power!"
"The first version of PX Electromagnetic Cannon is complete!"
Zi Zi!
"So, in the future, will Pacifista PX-5 be equipped with this weapon as the main means of combat?"
Feeling curious, Rowen approached and took a glance at the screen. He was immediately overwhelmed by the data that resembled ancient scriptures, causing him to feel dizzy, and he had to support his forehead with his hand.
"No, it won't work. The power consumption of the Electromagnetic Cannon is too terrifying. Even Pacifista can't sustain multiple uses..."
Caesar was busy with logging data but he still explained to Rowen enthusiastically, "It's not that the Electromagnetic Cannon is not good. It's precisely because it's too good that it can't be used as the main combat method."
The reason Caesar was kicked out of Marineford to Rowen's G-10 for experimentation was not for anything else but because the power consumption of the Electromagnetic Cannon was too terrifying. The generators of the Scientific Force often overheated and were damaged, causing a surge in expenses!
As a Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Thunder Fruit) Ability user, Rowen was forced to take on the honorable "battery" mission.
"With the existing laser beam cannons, we can deal with most pirates. The Electromagnetic Cannon is the ultimate trump card for decisive victory!"
Caesar grinned, and seeing Rowen's expression improve, he quickly brought up his own plan, "With this success, if Vice Admiral Soryu is willing to support me with more funds, we can quickly research electromagnetic pistols that can be used by ordinary soldiers!"
"How soon... is 'soon'?"
"Two years... no, one year will do!"
"One year, huh... Well, take it."
After thinking for a moment, Rowen took out a Gold Emperor's bank gold card from his pocket and threw it to Caesar. "There's a Billion Beli in there. I want to see results after one year, understood?"
"Yes! I guarantee the completion of the mission!"
Excited, Caesar received the gold card, his eyes disappearing behind a smile.
Indeed, Vice Admiral Soryu is the richest man in the Marines, he can casually deal in billions, truly wealthy!
"Well, keep it up! If we can manufacture electromagnetic pistols that can be widely armed by ordinary soldiers, the cost of Vegapunk's Pacifista, which is more expensive than a battleship, will be nothing, right? At that time, even fools will understand who the world's first scientist is!"
Rowen's voice sounded like the whispers of a wicked demon in Caesar's ear. Upon hearing this, Caesar's eyes lit up with fiery enthusiasm.
Yes!
This is the contest of science!
Thinking of the scene where Vegapunk bowed to him, Caesar's blood boiled.
"Understood!"
Technology is the primary productive force!
History has proven this with time.
There are too many aspects in the One Piece World that can be improved, from communication to ships, from management systems to weapon assemblies, and so on.
To change everything, the importance of scientists is unquestionable.
During the six months of confinement, Rowen was not idle. He didn't want to be a firefighter in the future, extinguishing fires everywhere with pure force, feeling exhausted.
Since he wanted to change the world, he wanted to change it thoroughly.
Caesar is a person who loves money and his pride. Rowen is a person with money and pride. The two of them immediately struck a deal, collaborating in a somewhat shady manner.
These weapons that transcend eras will bring great surprises to the world in the future!
Watching the excited Caesar dive back into his research work, Rowen smiled satisfactorily and, in the next moment, teleported to the top floor of the fortress, to his office.
There, a young girl with a head of sky-blue curls was walking in with a stack of documents. She didn't find it strange that a person suddenly appeared in the chair that was previously empty. She picked up the documents and said,
"Your confinement period has ended. Fleet Admiral has a mission for you."
"What? Does he have so much work in a day?" Rowen almost choked on his cigar, and hearing this, he had a constipated expression, with a twitch at the corner of his mouth.
...
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