Chapter 41: Chapter 41: Shark the Robot?
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Just as Shark was about to explain to Hiro, a group of men dressed in black suits walked onto the ship. They stared coldly at Shark and Hiro. The leader, a man in sunglasses, glanced at Hiro but quickly disregarded him. He turned to Shark and said politely, "Shark, you've been on the run for a while. It's time to return to our lab. Dr. Vegapunk needs your assistance."
Shark gave them a dismissive look and responded with a hint of sarcasm, "The super-genius Vegapunk needs my help? Ha, he learned all about my robotics expertise within a month!"
"Dr. Vegapunk has already learned everything? So, you're of no value then?"
At this point, the eyes of the World Government officials hardened with lethal intent as they stared at Shark. They didn't understand robotics, so their orders were straightforward: if Shark had value, bring him back. If not, kill him to keep the World Government's robotics research project a secret.
Since Shark had just admitted that everything he knew had been learned by Vegapunk, his worth had effectively evaporated. At this point, one of the men turned his gaze to Hiro and asked their leader, "Boss, what should we do with that civilian? Kill him?"
The leader nodded and coldly said, "He heard things he shouldn't have. Kill them both!"
Shark hadn't expected the World Government officials to turn on a dime. They had been polite just moments before, but as soon as they learned he was no longer useful, they immediately planned to kill him. What infuriated him even more was that his customer Hiro was going to be killed just for hearing things he shouldn't have. This sent him into a rage.
"Hiro, I'm sorry to have dragged you into this," Shark said. "But don't worry, I will hold them off. I won't let any harm come to my customers!"
With that, Shark charged at the World Government officials without waiting for Hiro to respond.
Upon seeing Shark charging forward, the World Government agents showed a trace of contempt and collectively launched an attack.
"Razor Leg!"
"Finger Gun!"
...
Against the onslaught of several people, Shark didn't dodge nor flinch, and rushed straight towards them. The air slashes from the Razor Legs struck Shark, tearing apart his clothes. The resulting openings revealed a metallic sheen, sparking Hiro' curiosity.
"A robot? Not likely, this era shouldn't have such human-like artificial intelligence. Could it be a cyborg, part human part machine?"
The world of One Piece is an interesting one. Each island experiences different levels of technological advancement: some are mired in the distant past, while others are far in the future, as if people from different eras were trapped in the same space and time. Some ships are old-fashioned wooden vessels, others are advanced metallic warships. Weapons range from primitive firearms to high-tech laser weapons, like those of the Pacifistas. This stark contrast cultivates the world's unique charm.
As Hiro was lost in thought, an intense battle had already erupted. Shark rushed towards the World Government agents, lifting his palm. His hand then split open inch by inch, revealing an intricate metal structure inside. Multiple small gun barrels emerged from his palm and fired a barrage of bullets like a machine gun.
"Palm Gatling!"
Due to the close range, the agents could do nothing but brace themselves.
"Iron Body!"
Bullets kept hitting them, but they failed to penetrate. Instead, they ricocheted off as if hitting an iron slab. However, the onslaught wasn't without damage. Like bullets hitting real iron, dents and divots were left behind - even more so on human flesh. After Shark's attack, each agent had blood trickling from their mouths as they charged back towards him.
However, whenever they got close, Shark would extend his index finger, firing a bullet and repelling the attacker. Despite their familiarity with the Rokushiki techniques, the damage Shark dealt was not insignificant, and they began to gradually close the distance. The encircled Shark appeared to be in a precarious situation, likely to be subdued by the World Government agents soon.
Despite this, Hiro, who was watching from the sidelines, had no intention of stepping in to help. His reluctance to assist stemmed from his curiosity about what other tricks Shark had up his sleeve. Earlier, Hiro had felt a threat to his life from Shark, someone capable of instilling such a sense of danger should have no issue dealing with these relatively ordinary World Government agents.
At that moment, the leader of the group noticed that Shark had left himself open in order to fend off members from both sides. He immediately rushed up and thrust a Finger Gun at Shark. However, when he arrived in front of Shark, he saw a smirk of satisfaction on Shark's face.
"Laser Beam!"
Hot white light emanated from both sides of Shark's chest, firing at the leader. The speed of the laser was so fast that the leader had no time to dodge and could only brace himself with Iron Body. However, the Iron Body technique, which had previously managed to block Shark's bullets, was entirely ineffective against the laser. Two large holes were punctured in his chest, killing him instantly!
Hiro' eyes widened at the sight of the two openings in Shark's chest. "Shark is ruthless," he thought. "He even converted those two points into laser emitters!" Then, after a moment, he pondered that it wasn't much of a big deal for a man to make such a modification, unlike women who could use them to nourish the next generation. Hiro, however, couldn't help but wonder whether Shark had made any alterations below as well. He gave a shiver after a quick glance at Shark's lower half.
Seeing the laser beams from Shark, Hiro finally understood why he felt threatened by him. His Rubber Fruit had an absorption limit, and Shark's laser exceeded that limit. Even though the laser was a physical attack, he still felt threatened. The death of their leader not only failed to make the group retreat but incited grief and anger, causing them to attack Shark more fiercely.
However, they were helpless against Shark's steel body. Their attacks had no effect on him, while Shark's laser beam could take a life with a single shot. When only the last member of the World Government was left, he looked at the fallen World Government agents with grief in his eyes. "Shark, I didn't expect you to be so strong. But the World Government isn't just us. Someone will avenge us!" He then took out his Den Den Mushi and pressed the dial button.
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