The next day at noon, in the great hall, Hancock and the other women were absentmindedly attending to their tasks, but their eyes kept drifting upstairs.
Until the sound of a door opening broke the silence, and a neatly dressed Carl emerged.
The women quickly withdrew their gazes. Carl slowly descended the staircase and addressed Sugar.
"Sugar, later, bring some food to your sister in my room. She's not very mobile right now."
Hearing this, Sugar's face flushed, and she nodded vigorously. Hancock steadied herself and said,
"Young Master, I'll arrange for lunch to be prepared immediately..."
Carl waved a hand. "No need, I'm heading out for a bit. By the way, where's Shalria? Is she still asleep?"
"Lady Shalria has already returned."
Carl nodded, then beckoned to Pudding. "Pudding, come with me later."
Pudding obediently agreed. After some brief preparations, Carl and Pudding stepped out of the palace. He wrapped an arm around her waist, spread his wings, and soared into the sky with her.
...
Punk Hazard's Restricted Zone
Inside the laboratory, Vegapunk and his six clones were busy with their experiments when a beep sounded at the lab's entrance. The door cracked open slightly, allowing a thick mist of pale purple gas to seep in. It quickly gathered behind Vegapunk, condensing into the form of a man—Caesar.
The gas was colorless and odorless. Neither Vegapunk nor his clones noticed Caesar's arrival.
Caesar smirked and turned his gaze to the bed at the back of the room, where a "child" lay motionless.
This child had dark skin, but despite his youthful face, his physique was larger than Caesar's. A pair of small black wings sprouted from his back.
His facial features bore a striking resemblance to the current Marine Admiral Kuma—an almost perfect child version of him. He was none other than Vegapunk's latest creation: the Seraphim, S-Bear.
A glint of awe flashed through Caesar's eyes. He spoke. "It should be finished in a few days, right?"
"!!!"
Vegapunk, deeply focused, was startled by the sudden voice from behind. His hand trembled, accidentally pressing a red button nearby.
Whirling around in anger, Vegapunk roared, "Caesar! How many times have I told you not to barge into my lab?!"
As he spoke, the six clones, led by Shaka, stepped forward to surround Caesar. But Caesar remained unfazed, even amused. As a Logia-type user, he didn't fear them in the slightest. Not even if Vegapunk and all his clones attacked him together.
(T/N: Shaka, also designated as Punk-01, is one of the six satellites of Dr. Vegapunk, embodying his aspect of "good".)
Vegapunk took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. But before he could say another word, a crackling electric sound filled the room.
Everyone froze and turned their heads.
The black tubes connected to S-Bear's body were trembling violently. Vegapunk's eyes widened in horror as all the tubes suddenly snapped, falling limply to the floor.
Only then did he realize he had pressed the wrong button. But it was too late.
S-Bear's eyes opened. Slowly, he sat up.
Caesar, unaware of the gravity of the situation, scoffed. "Hah! So he's already complete, huh?"
Vegapunk swallowed hard. "No! He's nowhere near complete! Right now, he can't even think properly!"
Caesar hesitated. "What do you mean he can't think properly?"
Before anyone could respond, S-Bear suddenly turned his head, locking eyes with the people in the lab.
A chill ran down Caesar's spine as he met S-Bear's gaze.
In the next instant—before Caesar could react—S-Bear flashed forward and swung his paw.
With a muffled thud, Caesar was swatted into a cloud of gas.
His gaseous form reassembled above, his face full of shock.
"What the hell?! Why did he attack me? Damn it, Vegapunk! You really set me up!"
Vegapunk wanted to retort, but then his eyes caught something terrifying—S-Bear's arm was now covered in jet-black Haki.
His pupils shrank. "Get out of the way!"
Caesar scoffed. "Get out of the way for what? I'm a Logia user—"
Boom!
A deafening impact cut Caesar's words short. His eyes bulged in disbelief.
S-Bear's jet-black fist had plunged into the gaseous form of Caesar—hitting his actual body!
Vegapunk gasped. "So it's true... he can already use Armament Haki!"
Before the words even settled, Shaka, the clone, grabbed Vegapunk and yelled, "Run!" He then bolted toward the exit.
Caesar, still paralyzed with shock, could only make strangled noises. S-Bear frowned slightly, his muscles tensing, and then—
Boom!
Caesar's body was blasted across the lab, slamming into the wall near the door.
S-Bear followed closely, standing over the nearly unconscious Caesar, staring blankly.
Lilith, the "Evil" clone, had a grim expression. Seizing the moment while S-Bear was still, she silently backed away toward three massive mechanical pods lined up against the wall.
Up ahead, S-Bear lifted his Haki-covered hand, aiming directly at Caesar's head.
Vegapunk, despite his distaste for Caesar, didn't want to see his colleague die right in front of him. In a moment of desperation, an idea struck him. He turned sharply and spotted Lilith near the pods.
His eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Lilith! Activate the Pacifistas!"
Lilith clicked her tongue. She had been hoping to see S-Bear finish off Caesar first. But with a reluctant sigh, she pressed a few buttons on the control panel.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
With mechanical noises, the pods' doors slid open. Three towering figures emerged, their heads bowed.
They wore identical white high-collared coats emblazoned with the World Government's emblem. A crescent-shaped white mustache adorned their faces.
Vegapunk bellowed, "Pacifistas! Stop S-Bear!"
Following the command, the three Pacifistas raised their heads. Their eyes flashed with data streams, emitting a mechanical hum.
Their faces were identical—carbon copies of the long-deceased Whitebeard Jr.
They locked onto S-Bear.
Then, simultaneously, they opened their mouths, golden energy gathering within, preparing to fire.
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