Hearing Claudius' words, Vegapunk looked slightly puzzled.
"Your Highness, please elaborate."
"It's simple. Now that PX-Pacifista research has reached a stable phase, and as the focus of the era shifts, your research will gradually expand beyond military applications," Claudius said casually.
Sengoku nodded, as did Sakazuki. It was clear that the Marine high command was already aware of Claudius' plans.
Although Vegapunk had speculated something like this, hearing it directly from Claudius still pleased him.
"Yes, science should never be restricted!" Vegapunk said enthusiastically.
"Exactly. But if you're moving beyond military research, then it's no longer appropriate for you to be under Marine Headquarters, Doctor," Claudius continued, leading into the real topic.
Vegapunk paused, momentarily unsure of what Claudius meant.
At that moment, Sengoku stepped in.
"Doctor, what His Highness means is that you should establish a new, independent research division dedicated solely to scientific advancement.
At the same time, this division would also train the next generation of scientists for the World Government."
Only then did Vegapunk fully grasp the proposal. His eyes lit up with excitement.
"A new research division…? That sounds too good to be true!"
Hearing his enthusiasm, Sakazuki and Borsalino looked slightly awkward.
The way Vegapunk said it, it almost sounded like he had been suffering under the Marines all these years.
Claudius chuckled.
"That's right, Doctor. I plan to recruit you to lead this research division."
"And what exactly do you have in mind, Your Highness?" Vegapunk asked eagerly.
"As you just said, science should not be restricted.
So, this new division will have far more research freedom, though naturally, there will still be oversight to ensure things don't get out of hand."
Vegapunk nodded. "That makes sense, but oversight should be handled by professionals. No offense, but most people simply aren't qualified for that responsibility."
"Agreed," Claudius said with a grin. "Which is why I want you to oversee it, Doctor."
Vegapunk blinked in surprise.
"I would be in charge of my own oversight?"
"That's right. I have full confidence in you.
As the world's leading scientist, no one else is truly qualified to judge your work.
Of course, you wouldn't just be reviewing your own research—you'd be managing the entire division."
"That's not a problem," Vegapunk said without hesitation. He had absolute confidence in his expertise, especially in the field of scientific research.
After a brief pause, Vegapunk asked, "And what about funding?"
Claudius smiled.
"Naturally, this will require a significant budget, right?"
Vegapunk didn't sugarcoat his response.
"Funding is directly proportional to the research being conducted.
New fields of study are often bottomless pits—projects can take years, sometimes decades, without yielding tangible results.
Scientific research is a process of constant trial and error.
We may have to sift through ten thousand failures just to find one correct answer.
And even if a project doesn't bear fruit immediately, it still contributes to the scientific foundation.
Your Highness, I hope you understand—this is a long-term, ongoing investment, and the return on investment isn't always immediate."
The Marine officers nodded.
The Marine Science Unit had devoured enormous amounts of funding over the years, often with few concrete results.
The PX-Pacifistas were one of the few successful outcomes. If not for them, the science unit would have looked like a complete waste of resources.
Claudius also nodded in understanding.
Scientific progress wasn't linear.
Even failed experiments contributed to the overall knowledge base, and no one could predict when a seemingly useless discovery might later lead to a breakthrough.
This was how scientific foundations were built—through countless unseen possibilities.
Claudius thought for a moment, then said with a smile,
"It's true that this will be a costly endeavor, but I believe it's worth the investment.
That said, the World Government's budget is a bit tight right now."
Of course, this was a blatant lie.
Whether the government's finances were actually strained was irrelevant, Tesoro constantly complained about money issues, which gave the impression that funds were limited.
In reality, the World Government still had a significant surplus.
But Claudius had no intention of making this a public research initiative.
Or rather, he wasn't planning to make this a government-controlled project.
There would be an official branch, of course, but the real cutting-edge research would be privately managed.
Specifically, it would be controlled by the Donquixote Family.
"And what does Your Highness propose?" Vegapunk asked curiously.
"I intend to fund this new research division under the name of the Donquixote Family," Claudius declared.
Vegapunk was momentarily stunned.
Claudius continued with a righteous tone,
"Scientific research is a bottomless pit.
The World Government's financial priorities must remain focused on public welfare, infrastructure, stabilizing the world after the Great Pirate Era, and ensuring economic growth.
There simply aren't enough funds to also support this division at full capacity."
After a brief pause, Claudius added,
"But my Donquixote Family is different.
To be honest, we possess an enormous amount of wealth.
If properly managed, this fortune can be used to benefit the world.
As the ruling family, it is our duty to guide the world toward a brighter future.
That is the new mission I have set for the Donquixote Family.
Therefore, I will invest in this research division under our name.
And this new institution shall be called… the Donquixote Institute of Science."
The name sounded a bit over-the-top, but Claudius didn't care. The name wasn't important—the meaning behind it was.
Eventually, Claudius planned to decentralize the power of the World Government.
That was an inevitable trend and he had even agreed to Dragon's proposal on this matter.
There was no point in going back on that now.
But once the government's power was reduced, how would the Donquixote Family maintain its influence?
First, by maintaining prestige and public reputation.
Claudius had already been working on this, his personal prestige was at an all-time high.
The Donquixote name, once synonymous with Celestial Dragon corruption, was now associated with reform and leadership.
To reinforce this, he had Celestial Dragons actively patrolling the world, monitoring the situation, and publicly interacting with the people to build goodwill.
Second, and more importantly—they needed power.
Not just political power, but economic power.
Money was the true power behind the throne.
And the Donquixote Family had a lot of it.
In fact, they might even be richer than the World Government itself.
The Calm Belt project alone brought in massive profits.
Beyond that, the family controlled vast trade networks, countless business investments, and early control over Sea Train infrastructure.
While Water 7's railway had since become government-controlled, the original Sea Train network was still privately owned by the Donquixote Family.
Additionally, the military industry in Alabasta, the Golden City, shipping enterprises, and Tesoro's financial empire all fell under Donquixote influence.
Tesoro was even planning to establish an international Donquixote Bank, securing their foothold in the global financial system.
In short—
They had money.
An absurd amount of money.
(To be continued.)