Last time Astro met the other five students of his grandfather, collectively known as the Punks. Their personalities varied but all of them appeared to be smart in their own respects. However Astro still has much to learn, some of these things pertaining to his old home.

It had been a week and a half since Astro Vegapunk left Kuoh Town to live with his grandfather on Egghead Island. Not much had changed in the quaint little town since his departure. That is however except for his best friend Issei Hyoudou, while he still had his perverted moments, the fellow members of Rias Gremory's Peerage noticed a shift in his attitude during training. Issei threw himself into training, having to be dragged back to the Occult Club on more than one occasion when he refused to stop when training ended. This attitude only seemed to grow worse after Riser showed up to take Rias back to the Underworld for their wedding. Issei was currently in the forest near the Occult Club, training.

Issei stood in the center of a clearing in the trees, a ornate red gauntlet on his left arm, his right arm completely bandaged.

Issei panted, sweat running down his forehead as he looked around him, six trees broken in half, four trees with holes burned through their trunks, and three reduced to splinters. "Issei, while I admire your recent dedication. This is taking it a bit far don't you think?" Ddraig, the dragon residing within the Boosted Gear said in concern for his partner. Issei wiped the sweat off his forehead with his bandages right arm, gritting his teeth in determination. "I can't stop now Ddraig, Rias is gonna be forced to marry that Riser creep and I need to be strong enough to stop it!" Issei said, conviction lacing every word he spoke. Ddraig once again let out a frustrated sigh, he understood why his partner was currently like this, it didn't however make it better.

           "You already agreed to sacrifice your arm to me, what more can you do preparations wise?" Ddraig asked as he waited for a response from his human partner. Issei gripped something hanging around his neck with his right hand, Astro's goggles. "There's no such thing as taking too many precautions Ddraig. If one plan fails, it's good to have one or two backups." Issei admitted as he continued to catch his breath. Ddraig for his part found himself stunned into silence, he did not expect that kind of answer from Issei of all people. "Ddraig, can Dragon Shot be manipulated after it's been fired?" Issei asked suddenly, pulling the dragon out of his stupor. Ddraig was silent for a moment, contemplating the question asked to him.

           "There is a possibility, what did you have in mind?" Ddraig asked his human partner, now curious as to what Issei had planned. A smirk spread across Issei's face, he had a new move in mind that could help catch Riser off guard. "Let's just say I have an idea on how to catch the pompous dick off guard." Issei said proudly as he had no intentions of letting this rematch go the same way their first went. However before Issei could explain his idea in detail, the sound of footsteps caught the duo's attention. Issei turned to face the footsteps only to find a petite girl with short white hair and golden eyes standing there. She wore a Kuoh Academy uniform and had a rather annoyed expression on her face.

This young lady was Koneko Toujou, a student of Kuoh Academy and the Rook of Rias's Perrage. "You're still out here perv? You can punch trees all you want, it's not gonna make the fight against Riser any easier." Koneko said in her usual mildly irritated monotone voice as she watched Issei closely.

"I know that, I'm not just punching trees. I'm working out a few battle strategies to have in my back pocket for the fight." Issei explained as he locked eyes with Koneko. The petite girl however gave her fellow Peerage member a perplexed look. "I thought you said you already had a plan to take Riser down, or were you just talking big in the moment?" Koneko asked as her eyes narrowed into an accusatory glare. Issei for his part rolled his eyes at Koneko questioning if he was telling the truth or not. "I do, but you can never have too many backup plans right?" Issei said in a causal tone as Koneko's glare was once again replaced with a perplexed look. Koneko didn't know what changed with Issei in the last week and a half, for him to suddenly apply himself to training was strange.

"I get you don't want the president getting married to that loser, but with the Phenex family's healing abilities, it's probably a hopeless fight." Koneko said in her usual monotone voice as a look of confusion spread across her face. Issei merely grabbed the goggles around his neck with his right hand, a confident smirk spreading across his face. "An impossible situation is just a problem you haven't found the answer to yet." Issei said plainly as both Koneko and Ddraig were taken aback by that statement. Koneko now was only more confused about Issei's sudden shift in attitude, that statement sounded pretty smart. "You get that line from a fortune cookie perv?" Koneko asked in an unamused tone as she doubted Issei came up with that himself.

Issei however merely smiled at the insulting statement as he gently clutched the goggles around his neck. "No, it's the motto of my best friend. He left Kuoh to live with his grandpa last week. I know he's working with his grandpa, creating amazing things. When we meet again, I don't want him to be the only one that's improved." Issei admitted, determination evident in his tone as Koneko shot him a surprised look. The petite girl was certainly taken aback, she only heard Issei mention his best friend and caught passing glimpses of him in the halls of Kuoh. "So he some kind of brainiac? You make it sound like he's some kind of inventor." Koneko asked, wondering just who this mystery friend of Issei's was. Issei let a smirk spread across his face. "Just the smartest guy I know!" Issei said confidently as Koneko was only further confused by the answer, but decided to let it be for now with everything going on.

Egghead Island
On the island of Egghead Astro had adapted to his new environment well, he was getting along with the Punks as best as he could. His grandfather had started teaching him about the inner workings of Egghead as well. Astro was currently working within the small laboratory his grandfather had provided him. Despite being an old lab that the Punks used when they were still training to earn their current positions.

Astro was currently seated at a work bench, looking over a blueprint of one of his grandfather's scrapped inventions. The invention in question being a Beam Saber. "It's rather strange that a flaw of this device is that it attracts insects. However a beam blade could prove useful in processing materials or even forms of surgery." Astro thought to himself as he continued to study the blueprint, a prototype of his version sitting in front of him on his desk. Instead of a complete sword, Astro opted to start with a Beam Knife to test out possible improvements to the design.

Astro was currently tinkering with the energy source of the Beam Knife. It was a cylinder shaped battery that had multiple caution symbols on it. Astro gently picked the battery up with protective gloves on his hands. Astro gently plugged the battery into metal blade on the prototype frame. "Well now, let's see if my design works." Astro mumbled to himself as he grabbed the handle of the Beam Knife before pressing the activation switch on the handle. However the Beam Knife did not activate, as there was zero reaction from the knife itself. "It appears my redesigns need some tweaking before I get a successful prototype." Astro mumbled to himself as he let out a disappointed sigh. Astro set aside the Beam Knife as he leaned back in his chair letting himself take a break from the last few hours of work.

         Astro heard the sound of the door to the lab sliding open as he swiveled his chair around to face the doorway. Entering the lab was Lilith who had her usual mischievous smirk adorning her face. "Hey Astro, do you have a minute?" Lilith asked as she walked up to the teenage scientist before sitting down on the work table next to where his workspace was. "I am currently taking a break, how can I help you?" Astro asked as he gave the female scientist a curious look. Lilith's smirk only grew more mischievous, which sent a shiver down Astro's spine, that look was not exactly comforting. "Dr. Vegapunk wants to show you something. He said it was of the utmost importance." Lilith explained, the mischievous smile never once leaving her face as she spoke.

A look of curiosity spread across Astro's face as his grandfather had only been teaching him about Egghead's technology so far, he figured his grandfather had explained most if not all of it to him. "If grandpa says it's important, then I have no issue stopping my work for today." Astro said as he stood up from his chair, ready to meet up with his grandfather. Lilith smirked at Astro, hopping off the table before walking up to him and leaning close to his face. "You know you've been working in this lab by yourself, I get wanting to perform your own research. However if you ever feel the desire to collaborate with someone, I'm always available." Lilith said in a flirtatious tone as she winked at Astro. Astro's face heated up as it turned a shade of pink.

Lilith let out a giggle before she walked past him and towards the door to the laboratory as Astro followed behind her. "I don't know if I'll ever get used to Lilith's teasing. I should keep my rejection a secret from her, I can only imagine the jokes she would make at my expense with that information." Astro thought to himself as he shivered at the thought of what Lilith would do with that personal information. "You okay Astro? You look like someone shot a puppy in front of you." Astro was spooked out of his thoughts by Lilith's sudden question as he looked towards the female scientist, finding her giving him a curious look over her shoulder. Astro tensed up slightly as he always got nervous when people caught him getting lost in his own thoughts.

         "J-Just going over improvements to my redesign of the Beam Knife is all. I feel like I am very close to cracking the code." Astro said hastily, hoping the excuse would be good enough for the female scientist. Lilith stared at him for a moment before shrugging her shoulders. "Well whatever, just focus up. We're here." Lilith said as Astro let out a sigh of relief before noticing that they were in fact standing in front of the door to his grandfather's laboratory. The door slid open automatically as Lilith led Astro inside the lab where they found Vegapunk and Shaka examining something on the table. Vegapunk turned and smiled at the sight of his grandson. "Astro my boy! Come here, there I something I must show you!" Vegapunk said as he gestured for his grandson to come closer with his hand.

          Astro approached the table before looking at the object Vegapunk and Shaka were examining. However when he laid eyes on it, Astro found himself completely perplexed. Sitting on a small pedestal with a glass case protecting was a strange looking fruit. It was gray in color, had a swirl design with little lightning bolt protrusions sticking out its sides. A yellow stem wrapped around the entire fruit, ending at the top in the shape of a lightning bolt.

"Grandpa, what exactly is this fruit? Did you genetically engineer it?" Astro asked, confused as to why his grandfather would engineer a fruit of all things. Vegapunk chuckled as he shook his head no, denying any involvement in the fruit's creation. "No, this is the Jiki Jiki no Mi, it is a Devil Fruit. A rather strange phenomenon in our world." Vegapunk explained as he continued to examine the fruit closely. Astro however only found himself growing more confused by his grandfather's explanation.

"Devil Fruits? What exactly do they do?" Astro asked as he began studying the Jiki Jiki no Mi closely, curiosity filling his eyes. Vegapunk chuckled at his grandson's curiosity, the Devil Fruits were rather mysterious in nature. "Their origins are unknown, they began appearing roughly eight hundred years ago. I theorize that Devil Fruits manifested as a result of humanity's desire to improve themselves and evolve further. There are three types of Devil Fruits, Paramecia, these Devil Fruits give the consumer a superhuman ability, the Jiki Jiki no Mi is apart of this category. Next is Zoans, they allow the consumer to turn into a particular animal and a human-animal hybrid form. Finally Logias, they allow the consumer to harness, conjure, and turn their entire bodies into a given element." Vegapunk explained as he listed off the three categories of Devil Fruits.

           Astro's eyes widened in shock, he didn't think mere fruits could grant a person such a wide range of potential abilities. "That is incredible! Why are these such secretive items then? I would imagine seemingly magical fruits would garner more attention from the public." Astro said as he found it rather strange Devil Fruits were completely unheard of. Shaka however stepped forward before clearing his throat. "Devil Fruits hold great power and those powers can easily be abused. That is why we work with a special organization with no loyalties any given country to collect and store them here on Egghead." Shaka explained as Astro's curious expression was replaced with one of confusion. Astro supposed he shouldn't be surprised there was an organization for such a thing.

        "What is the name of this organization?" Astro asked looking at his grandfather for answer or some form of explanation to this entire thing. Vegapunk let out a sigh before turning to completely face his grandson. "The Supernatural Warden Offensive Repression Division or SWORD for  short. A black ops organization created to combat supernatural beings that threaten the blissfully unaware human masses." Vegapunk explained with a serious expression on his face. Astro once again found himself stunned, there was an entire organization dedicated to neutralizing the supernatural, which apparently existed. "Supernatural? Are you implying that creatures of fiction are in fact very much real grandpa?" Astro asked, wanting to make sure he understood his grandfather correctly.

         "Yes, Angels, Fallen Angels, Devils, they all exist. That is what I wished to reveal to you. The town of Kuoh is the home of many of the major families within the three factions. A war between these factions was fought a thousand years ago or longer. A shaky peace exists between them after the heavy losses they all sustained during their war." Vegapunk explained as Astro's mind was now swimming. The teenage scientist gripped the side of the table as he leaned against it. "To think I was surrounded by all of that without even realizing it." Astro mumbled to himself, completely justified by the reality of the supernatural being very much real. Lilith gently patted his back, a concerned look on her face.

           "I understand that this is a lot to take in at once, but I wished to inform you of it all. A group of SWORD Operatives will landing in Egghead to discuss future operations and support they require from us. I did not want to leave you in the dark." Vegapunk explained as he gently rested a hand on Astro's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. Astro took a moment to collect his thoughts before he stood back up straight and nodded his head in understanding. "Understood grandpa, I will do my best to keep up then when they arrive." Astro said, now understanding just what his grandfather was involved with outside of his research and inventing. Vegapunk let out a chuckle before once again patting his grandson on the shoulder in a supportive manner.

"Now then I can finally explain what happened to my head. You see in my youth I ate the Nomi Nomi no Mi, it gave me a photographic memory, allowing to remember all information I learned. This of course led to the side effect of my cranium continually growing in size to accommodate all this information. It became rather cumbersome, so I removed a majority of my brain, turning it into Punk Records, the rest of my brain is linked to it through the antenna you see on my head." Vegapunk explained as he gestured towards the apple like object on top of his head. Astro's eyes widened in shock, he didn't know what he found more impressive, the fact his grandfather's brain was practically a super computer or the fact that he developed a safe way to remove a majority of his brain from his body.

"Unbelievable, to think mere Fruits can do things like that. I'm starting to see why all of you try and keep them under lock and key." Astro said in amazement as he was beginning to understand just how important the work his grandfather and the Punks did was. Vegapunk then reached into the pocket of his lab coat before holding out an earpiece with an antenna similar to Lilith's. "This earpiece grants you full access to Punk Records, all information I have gathered over the years at your fingertips. The Punks each have one." Vegapunk explained as he offered the earpiece to Astro. Shaka and Lilith watched Astro closely, wondering what he planned on doing. Astro reached out his hand, resting it on top of the earpiece.

       What the teen did next however shocked the two Punks, Astro gently pushed the earpiece back to his grandfather, turning it down. "I am honored grandpa, truly I am. However I have done nothing to earn such an honor, I would like to give me this earpiece when you believe I am deserving of such a thing." Astro stated simply as he smiled at his grandfather. Vegapunk let out a chuckle, he knew his grandson's answer before he even made the offer. "You never were one for doing things the easy way or being given the answers to complex problems. Very well, I will give it to you when you are ready." Vegapunk said before he put away the earpiece. Lilith walked up to Astro before smacking him on the back of the head in a scolding manner.

         "You just turned down the single best resource a scientist could ask for. Are you stupid or something?" Lilith asked in a frustrated tone as she glared at Astro in annoyance. Astro merely let a sincere smile spread across his face as he turned to look at Lilith. "It wouldn't have any meaning if I didn't earn it. Until I'm ready, I am content with finding answers by myself." Astro said confidently as the smile on his face never faltered. Lilith's cheeks were tinted a light pink color as she turned away from Astro with an annoyed huff. "Your loss I guess." Lilith grumbled before walking off to one of the monitors in the laboratory. Shaka merely nodded his head in approval of Astro's reasoning for turning down the Earpiece.

"That mentality is commendable Astro, I imagine you will earn the right to the earpiece in no time at all. My calculations are rarely wrong after all." Shaka said with a hint of pride as he gently patted Astro on the shoulder. Astro smiled at the first Punk before turning back towards his grandfather. "Grandpa what else can you tell me about these Devil Fruits? They seem like an interesting topic of study." Astro asked his grandfather, curiosity once again filling his eyes. Vegapunk chuckled at Astro's words before gesturing towards the Jiki Jiki no Mi. "Get comfortable Astro, we have much to discuss in regard to the Devil Fruits." Vegapunk said before he began an in depth explanation of the mysterious fruits and their various properties. Astro listened to every word, realizing now that he was apart of something far grander than he initially realized.

So Issei is training incredibly hard to defeat Riser and free Rias from their arranged marriage. Meanwhile Astro has learned about the Devil Fruits and the secret organization known as SWORD that protects humanity from the supernatural. As always please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments! What awaits Astro when the agents of SWORD arrive on Egghead Island? How will Issei combat Riser with his multiple plans? What dangers potentially await Astro, his Grandfather, and the Punks? Find out in the next Chapter of Highschool DxD: The Grandson of Vegapunk!