One Piece: Marine Luffy, Garp regrets it

The only lingering uncertainty in Luffy's mind was whether the artificial Azure Dragon Fruit could achieve awakening. It was a question that even Vegapunk, the genius scientist himself, couldn't answer definitively.

Still, Luffy felt optimistic. If Momonosuke, the young hero in the original timeline, could consume this fruit and harness its power effectively, then its potential must be extraordinary. Awakening seemed like a high probability outcome. Even if it didn't awaken, the fruit's inherent abilities were already enough to defy the heavens.

With mounting excitement, Luffy approached the fruit. He circled the glass enclosure that housed it, admiring the bluish-purple skin with its intricate yellow circular patterns. Its appearance alone exuded an air of mystique and power.

Without hesitation, Luffy opened the glass cover and carefully took out the fruit, holding it in his hands as though it were the rarest treasure.

"It's a shame Yamato already has a Devil Fruit," Luffy mused aloud, a wistful smile on his face. "If she could eat this one, it'd be incredible to see her and Kaido transforming into dragons and battling it out in the sky."

He let out a soft chuckle at the thought, then carefully stored the fruit in a secure pouch. With his primary objective achieved, Luffy resumed his exploration of the warehouse, scanning the shelves and compartments for other intriguing items.

Although many of the inventions seemed frivolous or impractical at first glance, Luffy couldn't help but view them through a different lens. What the World Government deemed useless garbage often had the potential to become invaluable treasures in the right hands.

For example, Luffy picked up a thumb-sized, octopus-shaped device that caught his eye. According to the description on the list, it was an underwater sonar designed to monitor passing ships and provide early warnings. However, there was a peculiar downside—the device emitted a frequency that was irresistibly attractive to marine fish and even Sea Kings.

Every time the device was deployed, it ended up being swallowed by fish, rendering it impractical for its intended purpose. Thus, it was discarded by the World Government as a failure.

But to Luffy, this "failure" was pure gold. "This thing's amazing!" he exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face. "If I tie it to a fishing line, it'll be like a magic fishing lure. I'll never go hungry again!"

As Luffy continued scavenging through the warehouse, Vegapunk was back in his laboratory, completely engrossed in his own thoughts. Suddenly, an alert popped up, notifying him that the failed Azure Dragon Fruit had been removed from the warehouse.

"Hmm? The failed fruit was taken by the Dragon's son?" Vegapunk muttered to himself, his expression tightening. "This… isn't good."

The brilliant scientist wasn't particularly concerned about the fruit's potential being unleashed. He knew its power, and he doubted it would create another Blue Dragon on par with Kaido. Nor was he afraid of the Five Elders suspecting him of withholding secrets. What truly troubled Vegapunk was the blemish on his reputation.

If others discovered that such a flawed product had come from his hands, it would be an embarrassment of the highest order. Vegapunk prided himself on being the world's foremost scientist—everything he created was supposed to be perfect.

"A defect like this shouldn't exist. What a disgrace to my legacy!" he lamented, pacing around his lab.

He rubbed his temples, torn between his conflicting feelings. "Should I retrieve the fruit and save face? But no, I already promised that boy Luffy he could take whatever he wanted. Going back on my word isn't the behavior of a genius like me…"

Unable to resolve the matter, Vegapunk decided to leave it up to chance. He tore two pieces of paper from a notepad and scrawled "take it back" on one and "leave it" on the other. After shuffling the papers, he closed his eyes and prepared to pick one at random.

But as he reached out, his extraordinary brain had already analyzed the minute details of the papers' positioning, effectively ruining the randomness.

"Argh! This won't work at all!" Vegapunk groaned, frustrated. "I need a completely unbiased method."

He sighed, then nodded to himself as an idea struck. "I'll build an automatic lottery machine! Yes, that'll do it. I'll also create an eye mask and headphones to block out all external senses while drawing!"

Without wasting another second, Vegapunk began assembling the necessary tools, making adjustments and modifications to ensure absolute fairness.

Meanwhile, Luffy had nearly completed his tour of the warehouse. He had gathered dozens of fascinating props and gadgets, each one sparking new ideas for potential use. When he was satisfied, he stepped outside and called out to Sentomaru.

"I've made up my mind," Luffy announced confidently. "I want everything in the warehouse. Please have someone deliver it to my ship."

Sentomaru turned to look at the warehouse behind him, his jaw dropping at the sheer volume of items Luffy wanted to take.

"Are you serious?" he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief. "What are you planning to do with all this stuff?"

Luffy simply grinned. "Don't worry about it. Just help me load it onto my ship!"

Shaking his head, Sentomaru sighed but ultimately complied. He pulled out his Den Den Mushi and began making calls to gather manpower.

As the Marines worked to pack up the items, Sentomaru pulled Luffy aside, curious about his encounter with Kaido.

"So, what was it like fighting Kaido? What did you learn from the experience?"

In high spirits, Luffy recounted the battle in vivid detail, holding nothing back.

"The battle with Kaido taught me a lot," Luffy admitted. "His fruit abilities were incredible, but what impressed me the most was his mastery of Haki. His Conqueror's Haki, in particular, was on another level.

"Those times he hit me with his kanabo… they weren't just blows. They were lessons. I feel like I'm on the verge of breaking through to a higher level of Armament Haki. It's only a matter of time before I reach it."

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