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'.....'= Thoughts 

"....."= Conversations 

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All of them had dark circles under their eyes, their faces looking tired from the sleepless nights they had. Another common thing was the expression of fear on their faces.

John had his questions, but first he decided to complete the task at hand. After that, he would interrogate these researchers.

John activated his Conqueror's Haki to knock these people out and turned back to go to the room where Flerken was kept.

'Hm?' John was surprised to observe that not all the people had fallen unconscious.

The woman among the group seemed to be conscious, though she was also affected by his Conqueror's Haki. She seemed to be pretending to have fallen unconscious like the others, but John easily noticed with his Observation Haki.

Suddenly, the woman brought her arm forward, and a green object flew out of her palm.

The object flew at great speed in the direction of John's head. John, who had his back turned to the girl, slightly tilted his head as the green object whizzed past him. He realized it was a green thorn-like object. As the green thorn hit the wall ahead of him, the spot where it collided began to melt.

John's eyes twitched as he considered what would have happened if the thorn had even grazed him slightly.

Quickly, he turned around to face the woman who had just attacked him. He realized she must possess some sort of ability that allowed her to create and manipulate a corrosive substance. He couldn't allow her to continue attacking him in that manner.

"What the hell? Do you have eyes in the back of your head or something?" the woman exclaimed.

John had never seen her in the original movies or comics. He concluded that she must be a side character among the mutants present in the Marvel universe. After all, Marvel didn't give every mutant equal screen time.

Without wasting any more time, John activated his Armament Haki to protect himself. He knew that his Haki would enhance his physical defense, making it difficult for the corrosive substance to harm him.

John quickly closed the distance between them, moving with incredible speed using his Observation Haki. He threw a powerful punch directly at the woman, aiming to knock her out and put an end to this confrontation.

However, just as his fist was about to connect with her, the woman swiftly dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the attack. She was faster than he had anticipated, and he couldn't afford to underestimate her any longer as he was not using his while power

It's not that John had forgotten to use his Quake Quake Fruit's abilities, but rather he deliberately chose not to use them. The abilities of his Devil Fruit were distinct characteristics that could easily identify him. He already had enemies and, until he became strong enough, he didn't want to recklessly increase their numbers.

After all, this laboratory was anything but ordinary, considering its affiliation with people who possessed the ability to capture Flerken and had a mutant on their team.

Furthermore, John was confident that he could defeat this woman without exerting much effort.

Using his Observation Haki, John closely studied the woman's movements and patterns. He noticed that, just before she attacked him with the corrosive thorns, her arm would briefly glow with a green aura.

Taking advantage of this observation, John prepared himself for her next attack. As she raised her arm once again, he quickly sidestepped, narrowly avoiding the incoming thorns. He then reached out with his own arm, grabbing hold of her wrist and preventing her from launching another attack.

With a powerful twist, John easily disarmed the woman, causing her to drop the green thorn-like objects. He then used his Conquerors Haki once again, this time directing it specifically at her.

The woman, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure from his Haki, fell to the ground, unconscious. John had successfully defeated her without causing any harm to himself.

Satisfied with his victory, John quickly headed towards the room where Flerken was being kept, knowing that he needed to rescue the creature before anyone else could use it for their own purposes and finally complete a part of the task in upgrading the system.

As John approached the room, he heard faint muffled sounds coming from inside. He used Jarvis to open the door once again as it was locked and required a passcode to enter inside. Within a few seconds Jarvis opened the door and John entered the room, only to find Flerken held captive in a reinforced cage. The room was dimly lit, making it difficult to make out the details. But having his Observation Haki, John didn't have much trouble while navigating through the room.

As John analyzed the cage, he noticed that it was made of a strong alloy, reinforced with energy shields. It would prove difficult to break through conventionally. But with the assistance of his powers, John had an idea.

Inside the cage sat a cat like figure with huge, glowing golden eyes. It looked at John with unfriendly eyes. Seeing it's reaction John knew that it had its bad moments with humans. The Flerken seemed to have a collar around its neck. It did not look like a normal collar though.

John approached the cage cautiously, keeping a eye on Flerken's every move. The creature hissed and growled, clearly irritated by its captivity. John didn't blame it – he would be just as angry if he were locked up against its will.

John activated his communication device and called for Jarvis.

"Jarvis, I need you to scan the cage and analyze its energy shield system," John said.

"Of course, sir. I will begin scanning the cage immediately," Jarvis responded promptly.

"Based on my initial scans, sir, it seems that the energy shield is activated by a control panel located on the side of the cage," Jarvis informed him after a few seconds. "However, the control panel is reinforced with a secondary encryption system. Deactivating it will require a special code or key."

"Jarvis, can you open it?" John asked, hopeful.

"Sir, I can certainly attempt it. However, it may take some time," Jarvis replied.

John knew that the Flerken had sharp claws and teeth, yet it didn't attempt to cut through the cage. There must be something wrong with the cage and the energy shield enclosing it.

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