In the New World, on the waters surrounding Egghead Island, the Phoenix Pirates' dozen or so ships drew near. At once, the sea beast weapons lurking around the island surged up from below, forming a living barricade in front of the fleet.
"Captain Marco…" Jinbe broke the surface beside the ships, water streaming from his shoulders. "There are many sea beast weapons underwater. It seems these are all products of Dr. Vegapunk."
"These guys are so cool! The sea beasts even have armor," Yamato exclaimed, eyes shining as she stared at the mechanical plating wrapped around the monstrous creatures.
Ace, however, spoke with a more serious tone. "Marco, are you planning to go directly to Vegapunk?"
Marco nodded, answering solemnly, "Yeah. If we can win him over to our side, it'll be much easier to deal with the World Government. Even if we can't, we at least have to make sure he stays neutral."
In his previous life, when he'd watched One Piece, Marco hadn't disliked Vegapunk—an eccentric old man who acted according to his own principles. Vegapunk's original intention in creating the Mother Flame was simply to give humanity an inexhaustible energy source and prevent war. But in the end, the Mother Flame had become the fuel for Uranus.
Marco also knew just how destructive Uranus was. A single strike could wipe Wano Country off the map. That kind of terrifying power was nothing short of a nation-ending catastrophe.
If Vegapunk really had created the Mother Flame and handed it over to the World Government, then with an ancient weapon like Uranus in their grasp, the World Government would be incredibly hard to oppose.
Marco turned to the crew, his expression hardening. "You all wait for me here. If the Marines show up, you're in charge of stopping them."
"Yes!"
Black flames erupted across Marco's back, shaping into blazing wings. With a powerful beat, he took to the sky and flew straight toward Egghead Island. The moment he crossed into Egghead's airspace, the Pacifista defense system locked onto him.
"Stand down, Pacifista!" a loud voice barked. A big, thickset man with an axe stepped forward—Vegapunk's bodyguard, Sentomaru.
Sentomaru looked up at Marco and bellowed, "Marco! The Doctor's above the dome. He wants you to come."
Marco gave a brief nod and flew directly toward the dome at the island's center.
Above the dome, a web of laser-like beams formed a glowing defense net. As Marco approached, the net powered down, opening a path. The instant he passed through and entered the dome's interior, the barrier flared back to life behind him.
Inside, a graceful figure stood waiting at the main entrance. It was the Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy.
"Long time no see, Lord Marco," Stussy said in greeting.
"Mm." Marco nodded and strode toward her.
"The doctor is waiting for you inside. This way, please," Stussy continued, turning to lead him deeper into the facility.
Following her into Vegapunk's laboratory, Marco found the scientist still immersed in an experiment. Without looking up, Vegapunk said, "Wait a moment. Let me finish this experiment first."
"You're really busy, Dr. Vegapunk," Marco teased lightly.
As he glanced around the lab, he noticed several other figures besides Vegapunk. "These are Vegapunk's clones!" Marco remarked.
"Yes." Standing nearby, Stussy offered a gentle smile as she made the introductions. "The one at the computer is Shaka. The two tinkering with the mechanical arms are Edison and Pythagoras. As for Lilith and Atlas, they're outside right now, and York is temporarily confined by the Doctor."
A few minutes later, Vegapunk finally wrapped up his work and walked over to Marco.
Marco studied the old man in front of him—flushed cheeks, wild white hair, an apple-tree-branch-like contraption stuck into his head, a huge tongue lolling all the way down to his abdomen, and long, stick-thin legs. If he hadn't read the manga, he never would've believed this bizarre figure was the greatest scientist in the world.
"Nice to meet you, Dr. Vegapunk," Marco greeted him with a polite smile.
Vegapunk stuck out his tongue even further as he spoke. "I already know everything. I am indeed researching the poneglyph. If the world government discovers this, they'll definitely take my life. I'm very grateful that you're willing to protect me."
He went on, "You said before that you wouldn't force me to do anything I don't want to. Is that condition really true?"
"Of course." Marco smiled faintly. For him, it was enough as long as Vegapunk stayed neutral and didn't let the World Government get their hands on technologies like the Seraphim or the Mother Flame.
Marco was absolutely certain he could defeat the World Government.
And if Vegapunk joined the Phoenix Pirates, that would put him in direct opposition to the World Government. Even if there were things he refused to do now, once the Phoenix Pirates were pushed to the brink in a war against them, he would have no choice but to act.
Vegapunk met Marco's gaze and said solemnly, "Marco, may I ask you for something?"
A bit intrigued, Marco answered seriously, "Don't worry. I said I'd protect you. As long as it's within my power, I'll definitely help you."
"Thank you," Vegapunk replied with genuine gratitude before making his request. "I hope to remain on Egghead Island."
Marco's brows knit at that. Vegapunk continued, "I know this request is unreasonable, but there are too many treasures on this island. Experimental data and technological materials researched by scientists throughout history are all stored here, so please."
Marco's expression turned troubled. "That's a bit difficult. If the Marines and the World Government launch a full-scale attack on Egghead Island, even the Phoenix Pirates might have a hard time handling it. And the World Government also possesses Uranus."
"Uranus?" A grave look flashed in Vegapunk's eyes.
Marco explained, "Just recently, the World Government used Uranus to destroy Wano Country. According to the testimony of the surviving Beasts Pirates members from Onigashima, it was a massive circular flying ship that wiped out Wano after firing a white light."
Vegapunk's face grew even more serious. "Uranus… it's really in the hands of the World Government?"
'However, to activate an Ancient Weapon, it needs an unimaginably vast amount of energy. The World Government asking me to create the Mother Flame… it must be because they want to use it as fuel for Uranus.'
Vegapunk fell silent for a moment, then spoke gravely. "In that case, I want you to bring Egghead Island under the protection of the Phoenix Pirates."
In the end, Marco agreed to Vegapunk's request. He really had no other choice; the old man was far too stubborn. Vegapunk insisted Egghead held an enormous amount of research data and that he absolutely could not abandon it. So Marco could only accept and bring Egghead Island into the Phoenix Pirates' territory.
By then, all the Phoenix Pirates had already gathered on Egghead and were excitedly testing out the island's technology. Each of them looked like a kid visiting Disney World, wide‑eyed and overwhelmed by the endless high‑tech wonders.
"It's really great to be out at sea," Yamato said, cheeks puffed out as she devoured a burger. She'd ordered one of everything from the automated food dispenser.
"To be honest, this is my first time seeing technology like this," Ace said happily. "As expected of the island of the world's greatest scientist. It really feels like the future!"
Atlas laughed. "How is it? Pretty amazing, right? This is the Island of the Future. If we can mass‑produce these automated food dispensers and spread them across the world, anyone will be able to eat whatever they want within a single minute."
Just then, Marco and Stussy walked over. Looking at Ace and the others, Marco smiled. "Ace, everyone—how do you like Egghead Island?"
Yamato perked up at once, eyes sparkling. "Marco, did you finish talking with Vegapunk? Is he joining us?"
"Yeah." Marco nodded, then explained, "But since Dr. Vegapunk is a pacifist, even if he joins us, he won't make any offensive weapons for us. At most, he'll give us some defensive equipment. Other than that, he's going to use his technology to help the poor people in Phoenix Pirates territory."
"And we'll also have to fund the doctor's research," he added.
Jozu frowned slightly, a bit let down. "So the Doctor's not planning to make weapons for us?"
Ace, however, stayed upbeat and confident. "It's fine. As long as Vegapunk's technology doesn't help the World Government, that's already enough. With our own strength, we can still beat the World Government."
Yamato nodded enthusiastically. "Dr. Vegapunk is really a good person! Unlike scum like Queen, who only knows how to make biochemical viruses, he's willing to use his inventions to help the poor."
At that moment, Stussy spoke up. "Now that the Doctor has joined the Phoenix Pirates, and with the news of your arrival on Egghead Island, the World Government has probably already caught wind of it. The Doctor's value to them is absolutely irreplaceable. Next, the Marines will likely move personally—so please be prepared."
The members of the Phoenix Pirates straightened up, brimming with confidence. Not long ago, they had defeated the Marines—Marco had even killed Fleet Admiral Akainu with his own hands. Even if the Marines came again, they believed they could win.
Ace grinned. "It's just the Marines. Don't worry! We'll definitely protect the doctor."
"That's right! As long as we're here, what are the Marines to us?!" the pirates shouted, excitement surging through the crew.
Watching their confidence rise, Marco spoke up in a more serious tone. "If it's just the Marines, we can handle it. But if the World Government sends forces too, things get troublesome. Besides the Gorosei, there's also a unit among the Celestial Dragons called the God's Knights. Every one of them is a top-tier Celestial Dragon with terrifying strength."
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