One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Ah… it feels like it's been ages…"

After a grueling ten-day period of intense testing with Vegapunk, the doctor had finally and begrudgingly allowed Vice Admiral Wright to "temporarily" leave the research facility.

Leaving behind thousands of Lightforged Crystals for Vegapunk to test, Wright wasted no time activating the Lightforged Beacon Crystal, instantly teleporting back to his office at headquarters. He didn't want to stay a second longer.

"Oh my, leaving in such a rush? Not even staying for a cup of tea?"

Just as Vegapunk heard Wright's farewell, the latter vanished in a flash of golden light. Shaking his head, the scientist returned to his work.

Wright couldn't help but suspect that Vegapunk had modified himself somehow—the man's stamina was simply inhuman! Imagine a scientist, seemingly frail and lacking physical prowess, managing to drag a Vice Admiral of the Navy into ten sleepless days of work. And somehow, it was the Vice Admiral, imbued with Holy Light, who gave out first!

"Vice Admiral Wright, you're back!"

Ain, who was tidying up documents, noticed a flash of golden light, and Wright appeared beside the peculiar device in his office.

This Lightforged Beacon Crystal had become widely known among the upper echelons of Marine HQ, thanks to Z. Many officers had attempted to request installations for their own use, but Fleet Admiral Sengoku had rejected these requests, citing the need for further testing. Currently, only a select few Marine ships were equipped with prototype units for experimental purposes.

"Ah… so tired…"

Wright yawned, collapsing into his chair. "Ain, how are you settling in here?"

"Very well. Senior Drake has already taught me the basics of daily operations, and I'm quite comfortable now," Ain replied confidently.

As a former assistant to Z, Ain had no trouble handling the daily affairs of a newly promoted Vice Admiral. Drake, on the other hand…

"Did Drake just dump everything on you? Where is he, anyway?"

"Senior Drake said he's been training hard to awaken Armament Haki!" Ain said with admiration. "A few days ago, Vice Admiral Garp called, saying that Smoker's mastery of Armament Haki has stabilized. He encouraged Senior Drake to make his breakthrough soon."

"'Encouraged'?" Wright raised an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like Garp. That old man's probably run out of excuses to pummel Smoker and is looking for a new punching bag."

"Uh…" Ain looked awkward. "Vice Admiral Garp did mention that Senior Drake's Zoan abilities make him exceptionally durable…"

"Ha, called it." Wright closed his eyes and massaged his temples. "I'll leave things here to you, Ain. Sengoku should be around, right?"

"Yes, I saw him this morning. He didn't seem in the best of moods, though," Ain replied.

"Oh?" Wright's eyes opened. "Perfect timing. I have something to report anyway. I'll go see him."

...

"Yo! Sengoku… old man!"

Wright yawned as he pushed open the door to Sengoku's office, the fatigue evident on his face.

"…" Sengoku looked at Wright, his pale complexion confirming his suspicions. The Fleet Admiral's eye twitched as he remembered where Wright had been.

"Ahem… Wright, you're back? How was it?"

"No one warned me how 'enthusiastic' Dr. Vegapunk was…" Wright slumped onto the couch. "Ten days of non-stop experiments. Honestly, I'd rather spar with Garp for ten days!"

"Haha… top-tier scientists do tend to be… unique, wouldn't you agree?" Sengoku sipped his tea before asking, "What's the status on the Lightforged Beacon Crystal?"

"Ten out of ten," Wright replied lazily. "Theoretically, it's flawless. But since it involves spatial manipulation—a mysterious field—Vegapunk needs extensive test data and fine-tuning."

"He estimated that, without disrupting his other projects, he could achieve initial results in about six months. The first phase will likely focus on small-scale item transport."

"Oh! As expected of Vegapunk!" Sengoku nodded repeatedly. "Even small-item teleportation could revolutionize the transmission of classified documents and strategic supplies. The implications for intelligence and logistics are immense."

"Speaking of intelligence, Ain mentioned you're troubled by something. What's going on?" Wright asked, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Ain… that girl's sharp," Sengoku murmured before his expression darkened. "This morning, our Navy spy in Dressrosa sent an encrypted message."

Sengoku's face grew somber as he put down his tea. "The Kingdom of Dressrosa in the New World is in turmoil—and Donquixote Doflamingo has been spotted!"

"What?!" Wright immediately perked up. "So he's made his move on Dressrosa?"

"Yes. A month ago, we received reports of Donquixote Pirates entering the New World. We thought they were simply expanding their influence, but instead…"

Sengoku clenched his right fist. "They went straight to Dressrosa! Even knowing their movements had been exposed, they acted brazenly—completely disregarding the Navy!"

"And the Navy doesn't have significant forces stationed in Dressrosa…" Wright pondered. "Did they infiltrate secretly? Perhaps the spies only realized after their objective was achieved?"

"Exactly!" Sengoku lamented the gap between Marine spies and the Cipher Pol. "They took the royal palace, but no one knows what happened that night."

"The next day, King Riku Doldo III publicly announced it was all a misunderstanding… and the Donquixote Pirates have since vanished without a trace!"

"Which means the Navy can't take any overt action in Dressrosa!"

"…"

Wright was floored by Doflamingo's audacity. "Unbelievable. Has King Riku lost his mind?"

"No… wait!"

Wright's eyes narrowed. "Has King Riku made any direct contact with the people? Was his announcement delivered in person?"

"Hmm? Now that you mention it, he hasn't. What are you thinking?" Sengoku asked, intrigued. Wright's deductions about Doflamingo were rarely wrong.

"That bastard…" Wright gritted his teeth. "Doflamingo has an ability he rarely uses—Parasite String!"

"With it, he can create a string-based puppet identical to himself, capable of remote control—even speech!"

"What?!" Sengoku immediately grasped the implications. "You mean… the King Riku who made the announcement is a puppet controlled by Doflamingo?"

"Exactly!" Wright sighed. "It all makes sense now. No wonder Doflamingo was confident he could seize Dressrosa."

"If his plan had gone smoothly and he'd already secured his position as a Warlord of the Sea, he wouldn't have stopped at a puppet…"

Sengoku clasped his hands together. "He'd have everything needed to seize the throne… to truly become the legitimate king of Dressrosa!"

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