Chapter 296: Weapon, Albatross and Help

Chapter 296: Weapon, Albatross and Help

_________ POV Narration _________

The 'Mother Flame', an invention intended to be an infinite fuel source.

The brilliant mind of Vegapunk had been way too excited when creating it, he thought he would revolutionize the world.

But in his excitement, he and his satellites were unable to predict how the Mother Flame would never benefit anyone but those in power.

It had been turned into a weapon, one capable of infinite destruction.

And IMU had prepared for it to be stored right at the bottom of the sea, in front of the Holy Land. It was a weapon powerful enough to be called on par with Uranus, capable of wiping out kingdoms.

So, when he saw it finally activate, likely done at the hands of any one of the agents that remained alive, he couldn't help but smile, even within Enel's prison.

In an instant, the seas were filled with the roaring sound of a thousand storms as the Mother Flame awoke from its slumber beneath the waves.

The sea, once tranquil and half-frozen, was now set ablaze by countless fire pillars, each reaching hungrily towards the islands and the skies above.

The pillars intertwined, they clawed at the flying islands, with a ferocity that threatened to engulf them in an inferno of pure, unstoppable energy.

On the largest of these floating isles, within a fortress of steel and glass, Vegapunk stood at the helm of one of his inventions.

An enormous, intricate contraption that hummed as its gears moved into action. An impossibly complex construct, the main project he had tackled during his time on Rafterl.

Still, his usually calm eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and determination as he watched the Mother Flame's relentless ascent. The fire pillars were closing in, a swirling mass of destruction that would consume everything in its path if not stopped.

"Coordinates locked, energy levels are soaring." The voice of Edison, the 3rd satellite reported, as he oversaw the situation on a different island.

He wasn't alone, all of Vegpaunk's satellites were working together. Each was on a different island as they operated the gigantic construct.

Stella, Vegapunk's main body looked at the monitor with a complex gaze, his hands a blur of motion as they danced across the controls.

"We can't afford to let that hit us... The forcefields we employed won't hold up for long..."

His voice, though barely audible over the chaos outside, was filled with urgency. Around him, a team of engineers and scientists scrambled to follow his lead, their faces pale as they witnessed the terrifying spectacle.

The Mother Flame had been his creation, an invention of infinite potential. A fuel source that could power the entire world for an eternity, but it was now twisted into a weapon of unimaginable destruction by the World Government.

The Mother Flame had always been contained safely within Egghead, Vegapunk's previous base. But now it seemed that the World Government had completely given up on all of the safety procedures he had written down.

An infinite power source, an inextinguishable flame that would continue consuming endlessly. When outside of containment, it could quickly spread and completely swallow up the world with time.

Vegapunk's ambition and the results of his hard work had the potential to end the world.

Even now, the mere activation of the Mother Flame was lowering sea levels across the world, as it evaporated all water around it and consumed everything around it as soon as it escaped confinement.

Vegapunk's heart ached with the weight of that responsibility, but there was no time for guilt. There was only time to act.

"Stella!" Shaka, the first satellite shouted over the communications, his voice trembling. "The flame is almost upon us! We have maybe seconds before—"

"I know!" Vegapunk's main body snapped, though his tone was not one of anger but of desperate focus. "All systems are green. Prepare the catcher!"

The 'Catcher', or more aptly nicknamed 'Project Albatross'.

The 'Albatross' standing for a continuous, infinite problem that was almost impossible to resolve.

It was Vegapunk's latest and most ambitious invention. From each control room, the Satellites pressed the switch to turn it on after quickly skipping over any further safety checks, they had no time left for those.

The islands immediately shifted, metallic rings extending out from the bottom of each island, forming an intricate pattern.

It was a massive structure, a net of interlocking rings and conduits that now hovered just underneath the flying archipelago, crackling with an eerie blue light.

'The Mother Flame has developed too much... We are doomed.'

"ShiShiShi~" It was only then that they all heard a burst of laughter, as Luffy jumped off of the island as soon as he was healed by Bonney.

He jumped directly towards the centre of the whirlpool, his heart singing the rhythm of the drums of liberation as he immediately grew in size, becoming a giant as soon as he passed through the highly energized link.

Some slight burns covered his body, but the wide smile on his face was unfaltering.

His gigantic hands immediately stretched out, becoming larger and larger as they grasped at all of the pillars of flames, forcing them to bend unnaturally in his hands.

"HUFFF~ HUFF~" Immediately, Luffy started blowing at the flames, trying to extinguish them. But he was unsuccessful.

"Stupid fire noodles aren't going out!" Luffy groaned, before realizing what he said and his smile widened.

In an instant, Luffy shoved all of the fire pillars into his mouth and immediately slurped them.

"W-what..." Vegapunk blinked a few times, struggling to wrap his head around why Luffy's imagination worked in such a way.

But, for some reason, Luffy's idea seemed to be working.

He slurped up the Mother flame from the sea, all of it going into his enlargened mouth, which appeared to be quite burnt.

He then bit down on the 'noodles', a part of the Mother Flame remained, getting sucked into Project Albatross almost instantly.

And Luffy?

The Sun God just held his cheeks, chewing the 'food' slowly before finally swallowing, his throat and cheeks were already read.

As soon as the food was swallowed, Luffy opened his mouth, releasing a lot of steam and smoke.

Vegapunk was a bit concerned for a moment... All up to the point where Luffy let out the most monstrous and stomach-churning burp that one could imagine.

"W-well... Albatross has been partly successful, the remaining parts of the Mother Flame have been captured." Shaka's voice could be heard among the communication channels.

Thankfully, after energy was diverted, some lights burnt out, and some cannons were overcharged, the Mother Flame was finally fully absorbed within the revolving whirlpool, and the temperatures cooled down.

Vegapunk brought his hands together as he heaved a sigh of relief. Some of the rings were slightly melted, and slightly deformed, but the construct was still functional.

"We've survived thanks to Luffy's interference." The main body of the great scientist sighed as he looked over the still-boiling sea below them.

'Shame he did not make it in time to save those below... Let's just hope some of them managed to survive.'

"Albatross should hold up until we store the flame within a proper containment unit." Lilith, the second satellite, was also not really in a celebratory mood.

They still had work on their hands. But at least a crisis was averted.

And thanks to that, Enel was able to focus fully on containing IMU as well, whilst Luffy was now back to making his way back to them, to continue their bout.

_____________________________________________

Hope you liked the chapter!

Yeah, the Mother Flame had to come in at one point or another

Casualties will only be counted after the war tho ;)

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