Vegapunk's sharp ears twitched as he overheard Sentomaru's words about Luffy leaving. His head snapped toward the door, his wide eyes betraying disbelief.
"What?! He's gone?!" Vegapunk exclaimed, his voice rising. "How could he leave?! I just made my decision!"
Sentomaru, still standing at the doorway, replied calmly, "Yes, he left with all the things he collected. Said he had urgent matters to handle back in Wano Country."
"Ahhh!!! Damn it!" Vegapunk groaned, throwing his arms up in exasperation. "What's the point of me wasting so much time if he just leaves like that?! Sentomaru, this machine is useless now—throw it into the warehouse!"
Though confused by Vegapunk's sudden temper tantrum, Sentomaru nodded obediently. He picked up the small machine, no larger than half a palm, and walked toward the exit. Before leaving, he muttered under his breath:
"What a weird invention. If I'd taken it out earlier, maybe Luffy would've appreciated it."
Once outside, Vegapunk stopped by a terminal and tapped away at the keyboard, bringing up surveillance footage of the now-empty warehouse. The screen flickered to life, showing row after row of cleared-out shelves. As Vegapunk took in the sight, his initial surprise turned into amusement.
"Hehehe, that boy has good taste," he muttered. "Some of these inventions might have their quirks, but they're far from useless."
His eyes lingered on the footage of the octopus sonar being packed up. "That sonar, for instance. It's a genius invention for attracting marine life. Monitoring ships is just a secondary feature. Why can't those idiots in the Five Elders see its true potential?"
Vegapunk shook his head, a small smile on his face. "Dragon's son sure has an eye for treasures."
Meanwhile, aboard The Stormbreaker, Luffy wasted no time. The moment he stepped onto the ship, he used his magnetic powers to move all the collected items to the fourth floor. Among the scattered gadgets and peculiar tools, one stood out above all—the Gundam model.
"Time to bring you to life," Luffy muttered, his eyes gleaming with excitement. With meticulous care, he began assembling the massive figure piece by piece.
The clanking and hammering soon drew the attention of the women onboard. One by one, they emerged from their rooms, curiosity piqued by the commotion.
"What's all this racket?" Nami asked, yawning as she approached. Her eyes widened at the sight of the strange collection of items.
"This is what he brought back?" Nami murmured, her tone a mix of intrigue and skepticism.
Nami picked up a random object from the pile, revealing what appeared to be a simple sword. "What's so special about this? Vegapunk's supposed to be a genius, but this looks like any ordinary blade," she muttered.
With a skeptical huff, she grasped the hilt and drew the blade from its sheath.
The next moment, a blinding white light burst forth from the sword, flooding the room.
"Ahhh!!! My eyes!" Nami screamed, dropping the sword and covering her face.
The sudden flash caught everyone off guard. The women stumbled backward, rubbing their eyes in pain. Only Hina, wearing her signature sunglasses, managed to react quickly. She grabbed the sword and returned it to its sheath, muting the light.
"Are you all okay?" Hina asked, her voice calm despite the chaos.
After what felt like an eternity, the others slowly opened their eyes, though tears streamed down their cheeks, and their vision remained blurry.
Nami's eyes were bloodshot as she glared at the innocuous-looking weapon. "What the hell was that?! Is Vegapunk trying to blind people?!"
Nami, still recovering, walked over to the pile and picked up the list Luffy had provided. She flipped through the pages until she found the entry for the flashing sword.
"The Radiant Blade," she read aloud. "A weapon designed to emit a powerful flash when drawn, catching enemies off guard and temporarily blinding them. Its ordinary appearance is meant to deceive, making it ideal for surprise attacks."
Nami closed the list with a sigh. "I suppose it's functional… in a very specific way," she admitted, though her respect for Vegapunk seemed slightly diminished.
Hina, unimpressed, tossed the sword back into the pile. "Great, so it's a flashy piece of junk. What else did you bring back, Luffy? More blinding toys?"
Luffy, oblivious to the commotion, was busy affixing the headpiece to the Gundam. Using magnetic force to align the pieces perfectly, he stepped back to admire his handiwork.
"It's perfect," he whispered, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.
"Oi! Hina's talking to you!" Hina's voice snapped Luffy out of his trance.
"Coming, coming!" Luffy said, floating down to where the women were gathered.
He landed gracefully and beamed at them. "So, what do you think? Aren't these toys amazing?"
The women exchanged incredulous glances. "Amazing?!" Nami snapped, pointing at the sword. "That thing nearly blinded me!"
Robin chuckled softly. "Let's just say your definition of 'amazing' might be a bit different from ours."
Luffy scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Okay, maybe the Radiant Blade is a bit much. But come on, isn't this stuff cool?"
The women rolled their eyes in unison, their collective expression clearly saying, Men and their toys...
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