Chapter 16: Vegapunk
"Vegapunk? What do they want me to learn from him anyway?"
Mark calmly asked while sipping his tea. His father wanted to know about this as well, so he read further.
"The Elders want you to learn everything from Vegapunk."
"They believe you can rival his intelligence when given the right tools."
"Remember when they checked your brain's neural response yesterday?"
"They concluded that your intelligence was upgraded along with your body."
"That's the reason they promoted you to junior scientific elder."
Putting down the letter, his father gave his advice.
"I don't know why they want you learning from Vegapunk instead of Saint Saturn, I'll use my connections to find out."
"Although, by the way they're acting, they probably want to replace the man named Vegapunk and make you in charge instead."
Luna was a bit confused by the heavy tone Charles used, so she asked him for clarification.
"Replace him? Do you mean... kill him?"
She gestured at her throat, showing Vegapunk being killed off.
Charles nodded grimly; his years of experience were telling him the Elders didn't like this man anymore.
"Vegapunk is definitely on their kill list; they just need a replacement for him."
"I guess that's where you come in. They believe you have the potential to be his replacement."
"This must be why you were given the title of warrior god of science and defense so early on."
Looking down at the letter, Charles thought about the Elders' offer, but Luna rejected it right away.
"You shouldn't learn anything from Vegapunk. He seems like someone they want to kill."
"If you gain all his knowledge, what's stopping them from seeing you as a threat in the future?"
In response to Luna's concerns, Charles shook his head. This matter wasn't so simple.
"Mark's promotion is a test of loyalty; if Mark learns from Vegapunk and remains loyal, he will become a real elder."
"But if he becomes disloyal after learning from Vegapunk, he too will be replaced, just like his teacher."
Charles stopped talking for a moment. He cautiously looked around everywhere, then asked his family to come closer.
He bent down and whispered in their ears at his lowest volume.
"Don't think that just because Mark is a junior elder, the Elders don't have the authority to kill him."
"I'll tell you a secret: I don't believe the Elders are actually in charge. There is someone above the five Elders."
"This information was erased from the records, but my father, Lord Rose, kept a copy."
Luna quickly put her hands over her face in shock, while Mark's eyebrows shot up.
"200 years ago, an elder candidate was killed in his home."
"It was said to be the act of a rogue CP agent, but that's not true."
Mark gulped. Yo, his father has some reach, but 800 years was a long time. Finding clues about Im wasn't out of the question.
A young Doflamingo found the secret of Castle Pangaea, while Sabo and Wapol straight-up strolled into the throne room, saw Im, and left casually for some reason.
Hell, random guards have to be disposed of regularly because some of them happen to see Im.
'Castle Pangaea's security definitely needs some upgrades.'
Charles didn't know about Mark's cranky thoughts; he continued to tell the secrets he knew in a low voice.
"The elder candidate who died was from the Rose family, so we have a copy of what actually happened."
"He seems to have gone against the other five Elders on something; that's what got him killed."
After saying this, Charles quickly sat up and pretended that nothing had happened.
On the other side, Luna hid her face with a handkerchief so her shocked expression wasn't seen by anyone.
Mark, meanwhile, managed to remain expressionless with his sheer calmness.
He wasn't too surprised that his father had clues about Im. Humans are inherently curious, and after living together for so long, some information was bound to leak.
What he was more concerned about was Im's loyalty test. He had to show his loyalty by agreeing to learn from Vegapunk, while also not appearing too interested.
Being too interested in Vegapunk would only get him killed.
"I understand, Father. I am ready to learn from Vegapunk."
Mark said casually.
"But before that, I want to roam around the world and have some fun."
"I've never left the Holy Land, and I'm curious about how the lower realms look."
"After I return, I will start studying under the scientist Vegapunk."
Mark waved his hand and announced his decision. This was enough to tell Charles what Mark was trying to do.
Mark was agreeing to the Elders' invitation and showing he was loyal to the Elders and the secret ruler above them.
At the same time, he was also showing that he wasn't that interested in Vegapunk's science.
This would prove that Mark was faithful to the Celestial Dragons and wouldn't bring them the same threat that Vegapunk did.
'My son has become really smart; he solved this danger with such ease.'
Luna and Charles Rose thought this simultaneously.
Being Mark's parents, they could see one more thing: Mark was very dissatisfied with being ordered around.
'Hopefully, he doesn't do anything drastic.'
The couple thought silently. The Rose family had birthed a monster. Their family was bound to change its status after this incident.
Their future depended on Mark's decision. They might reach the top of the world or degenerate to the level of the Nefertari family in the future.
'But no matter what happens, we will be there with you, Mark.'
Charles Rose thought grimly, then he suddenly remembered something important.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you something. There is another thing in the letter."
"Saint Saturn wants you to meet him at the arena immediately."
"He didn't say what he was calling you for, but as far as I understand, he might want to check your fighting skills."
Charles said this with a disgusted face, and Luna made the same face after understanding what Mark was being told to do.
Although Mark remained calm, Charles assumed he didn't like it either, so he tried to explain to his son.
"I know, I know, fighting is barbaric and beneath us Celestial Dragons; I understand it as well, Mark."
"Fighting and killing are things lower creatures do, but every Elder needs to know how to fight; it's a tradition."
Charles said this with disgust apparent in his tone.
Luna patted Mark on the head as well before telling him.
"Just go ahead and show your strength to Saint Saturn, then think of it as a bad dream and forget about it."
Mark, meanwhile, was smiling helplessly. This wasn't what he was worried about at all.
He was much more worried about fighting Saturn of all people, that too in his first fight.
'I haven't even unlocked Armament Haki yet!'
'How am I going to survive against Saturn, man? Much less damage him!'
Chapter 17: Mark vs Saint Saturn
Regardless of Mark's desire to avoid fighting against Saturn, he had to accept this invitation.
Mark and his family were now at the arena; his parents were sitting on the stands while Mark was walking down to the field.
Mark was nervous, incredibly so, but he was still walking towards Saint Saturn.
He might not be confident right now, but he knew that he would learn to fight in no time; his intellect was said to rival Vegapunk after all.
What took others decades or even centuries to understand, he can understand within minutes.
'There is a reason Vegapunk is said to be 5 centuries ahead of the entire world.'
'As long as Saturn doesn't kill me in one shot, I'll learn to fight sooner or later.'
Mark cracked his neck, and his eyes narrowed; a burst of conqueror's haki started emitting from his body; his clothes fluttered, and so did his hair.
He was starting to resemble Goku Black in looks as well as his attitude towards battle.
_Tap_
Taking the last step forward, Mark reached Saturn and stood before the man.
"Conqueror's Haki…"
"Hope you are well prepared, Mark; we are about to begin."
Saint Saturn muttered before he clutched his cane, and his body started to grow bigger; a large shadow soon covered Mark's whole body.
"What is that!"
"How did Saturn grow spider legs and horns? He became so large that he's the size of a small hill!"
"What's going on, honey?!"
Luna Rose exclaimed from the seats; she had never seen one of the elders transform, much less into such a monstrous-looking thing.
Charles held Luna's hand from the side. After seeing this form, he remembered some rumors he had heard as the Rose patriarch.
"Honey, I think Saint Saturn has eaten the Ushi Oni mythical zoan."
"He is said to be an awakened devil fruit user; do you see the black flame around his shoulders?"
"That's an indication of his awakening."
Charles told Luna, as the Rose patriarch, he knew a lot of things; putting together a possible explanation wasn't that difficult for him.
Luna heard this and bit into her nails; Saturn was so tall that Mark was the size of his finger.
"Charles, let's stop this fight."
Luna said with some fear in her voice; she was getting a bit scared that her boy was going to get hurt.
"I don't think this is the right time; let's wait for a while. If something happens, I'll stop them personally."
Charles said with gritted teeth, his fists were clenched under the seat; he was starting to understand why celestial dragon traditions include knowing how to fight.
Charles suddenly realized that in situations like these, he could only depend on himself.
Their love for Mark forced Charles and Luna to wake up to the dangers of the real world; their inherent celestial dragon attitude was slowly starting to change because of this.
Meanwhile at the battlefield, Saint Saturn looked at Mark.
"The Rose family has a good bond with each other."
Saint Saturn said lightly. He was a strong and experienced man; he could clearly hear what Mark's parents were talking about back at the stands.
"Yeah, we stick together."
Mark laughed a low laugh, which slowly changed into a loud, boisterous one.
"Hahahaha! We certainly do!"
Mark's pearl-like earrings were shaking with his laugh; it wasn't only his parents who understood the need for personal strength after facing Saturn's monstrous form.
He did as well.
He was bound to go against Im in the future; someone like Saint Saturn was the least of his concerns.
He had a long way to go before he could protect himself, much less his family; one wrong step and the entire Rose family might die with him.
But for now, he was with them, and he'll use the elders to build his strength.
"I am ready to begin, Saint Saturn."
Mark slowly said with a smirk on his face, although he still didn't know how to fight, but his attitude towards battle was incredibly serious.
"Good spirit."
"Now dodge."
Saint Saturn's eyes suddenly shone a bright glow, and Mark's eyes shrank.
_Boom_
His forehead felt as if it was hit with a hammer, his ears buzzed, and his face felt wet from all the gushing blood.
_Bang_
Mark ragdolled onto the ground and skidded to a stop.
_Cough_
Coughing up some blood, Mark ignored the fearful yelling of his parents and tried to stand up shakily.
His eyes were seeing red due to all that blood, but he refused to fall.
His courage as a conqueror was what kept him standing.
"Your observation haki is strong; you could see the attack coming, but your physical instincts need improvement."
Saturn acted as a teacher to Mark; he had hit Mark pretty hard, but it wasn't enough to kill him.
Mark didn't know armament Haki yet; if Saturn wanted to, he could have killed Mark in one shot.
"I lack physical instincts? Good to know."
Mark huffed with a chuckle and wiped off the blood flowing down his forehead.
Soon his shaking legs became steady, and his forehead, which was supposed to be bashed in and bleeding, was completely healed.
"You healed? How did you heal…?"
"Did you eat a Zoan devil fruit?"
Saturn raised his eyebrows and asked curiously; this speed of healing was immense even for mythical zoans.
Only awakened mythical zoans could compare to Mark's sudden and rapid healing of wounds.
He had never seen anything like this without devil fruits being involved somewhere.
"No, I didn't eat a devil fruit; I just happen to heal a lot faster than normal people."
Mark said with a grin, of course, what he said was a total lie; he didn't want to tell his future enemies about his powers.
He had actually used life return, the technique that lets him control his body completely, to finish healing his wounds in seconds.
Wound healing was far less complex than digestion or muscle augmentation; this was an easy job for Mark.
Of course, if someone else wanted to copy this speed, they would need a brain on the same level as Mark's.
"You have regeneration abilities? Wonderful."
Saturn spoke with excitement and tapped his cane on the ground.
"Shall we test the limits of it?"
_BOOM_
Instantly Saturn's eyes glowed, and Mark's torso was hit.
_Splat_
The sound of flesh and blood hitting the ground was heard throughout the arena.
"Aaaagh, my boy! You have a hole in your body!"
Luna Rose screamed in terror, and Charles Rose was about to run down and stop Saturn himself.
"Ahem… Stop it, Mom, Dad, ahem."
Mark weakly said from the ground; he turned his eyes towards his body and found a large hole in his stomach.
He looked like how Ace did after getting hit by Akainu's magma fist.
Still, he didn't want to involve his parents in the mix; who knows if Saturn will attack them because they were disrespecting him?
There was very little chance of this happening, but he couldn't risk it.
"Ahem."
Spitting out some more blood, Mark concentrated on his stomach area.
_Wiggle_
And to his surprise, it took him a total of three seconds to close these gaping wounds; his body stitched itself back together like nothing.
'Wow… I feel like I am more Zamasu than Goku Black now.'
'Before this fight I didn't even realize that I was almost immortal.'
Mark smiled with amazement.
With a mind far beyond regular humanity and control over one's body, which was second to none, Mark had achieved this incredible feat.
_Spit_
Spitting out some remaining blood in his mouth, Mark stood back up once more, shocking everyone watching.
Even Saturn was shocked at his almost immortal-like body.
"Saint Saturn, let's continue."
"By the way, there is one more thing I need to tell you: I have already seen through your last attack."
"Your powers won't work on me again!"
Giving a very Saiyan-like smirk, Mark himself rushed towards Saturn.
"Oh? We will see about that."
Saturn grunted, and his eyes shone once more.
_Bang_
The attack hit Mark right in the head.
"What?!"
But to Saturn's absolute shock, Mark stopped for one second before rushing towards him again.
How could it be!
How could Mark remain unaffected by his ability!
Weekly Power Status
200+ Power
Ranking 
27 Power
stone 
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