Watching S-Bear and Shaka leave, Jinbe lowered his gaze to the control device in his hand—the one that could command both the Pacifista and the Seraphim. His expression grew more grave.
He walked over to Vista and Jozu and said solemnly, "Shaka just told me that the God's Knights have arrived. We must be careful."
On the other side of the island, the moment Shaka brought S-Bear over, Vegapunk didn't waste a second. He immediately led everyone toward an open clearing, planning to have S-Bear use the powers of the Paw-Paw Fruit to send them away at once.
Outside, a gigantic robot was already parked there—Vegapunk's "Vegapunk Force 1," a steel colossus modeled after the ancient iron giant, the Iron Giant Emit.
Vegapunk Force 1 was not only enormous and heavily armored; it was also highly mechanized. Its durability was in no way inferior to the ancient robot, and its arsenal included Kizaru's laser beams and electromagnetic cannons. It could dash across land, and the thrusters on its back allowed it to soar through the sky and dive into the depths of the sea.
Vegapunk called it "humanity's dream."
Soon, Vegapunk, his six satellites, Sentomaru, and Stussy all boarded Vegapunk Force 1. As they entered, Lilith complained, "Main Body, your head's gotten huge again."
"So noisy!" Vegapunk snapped impatiently. He had just retrieved a large amount of crucial data from Punk Records, causing his current brain to swell to a length of seven or eight meters.
"Alright, hold on. Before we leave, I still need to leave this behind."
With that, Vegapunk tossed a pre-recorded Transponder Snail onto the ground. The snail immediately began to play Vegapunk's voice:
"Uh, hello everyone! I'm Vegapunk."
The broadcast from the large dome carried across all of Egghead. Marines and pirates alike paused their battles when they heard it.
Vegapunk's recorded voice continued, "Hello, hello, can everyone hear me?! I am Vegapunk, the world's greatest scientist. Everyone should be able to hear my voice, right?!"
At that moment, inside Vegapunk Force 1, Vegapunk suddenly cried out, panicked, "Oh no, I forgot to set the timer! Why did it start broadcasting right away?!"
Edison said coolly, "It doesn't matter. It was going to be broadcast sooner or later anyway."
Meanwhile, Shaka shouted, "S-Bear, use your ability to send us away—and then you follow after!"
S-Bear was just about to activate his power when a figure suddenly burst out of the laboratory. It was Saint Shamrock, who roared, "Don't even think about escaping, Vegapunk…!"
In an instant, the sword in Saint Shamrock's hand transformed into a three-headed dog, which snapped its maws toward Vegapunk Force 1.
With a heavy bang, S-Bear slammed his paw against Vegapunk Force 1, sending the entire robot flying away with the Paw-Paw Fruit's power.
Seeing this, Saint Shamrock's face went pale. He swung his gaze toward S-Bear, and the Three-Headed Dog immediately lunged at the Seraphim.
But in the next second, S-Bear struck himself with his paw as well and vanished. Saint Shamrock's expression twisted, turning even uglier as he watched him disappear.
Vegapunk's voice echoed from the transponder snails, spreading across the entire island.
"Ahem. Marco and the Phoenix Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates... all members of the Three Emperors Alliance who came here to help me—there is something I must solemnly announce."
All around the battlefield, pirates looked at each other in confusion.
"What's so important that he has to say it now?"
"Is it something urgent?"
Vegapunk's voice boomed again from the dome.
"First of all, the voice you're hearing now is a recording I prepared in advance. The God's Knights have already entered the dome. They're coming to kill me, so I recorded this beforehand. As for why… it's because I needed to make my escape first. In other words, by the time you hear this message, I will already have left Egghead Island."
The Marines and pirates alike froze in shock. Even Imu muttered darkly, "To be tricked by mere insects?"
Saint Warcury snorted in disdain. "Hmph. Looks like Vegapunk used you completely. Pirates really are just muscle without a brain."
"That bastard…" Kaido growled, chest heaving. Forced on the defensive by the combined assault of Saint Warcury and Saint Garling, he grew even more furious as Vegapunk's words sank in.
Vegapunk's calm voice continued to pour from the speakers.
"I know you'll be furious when you hear this. But please forgive me. If I stayed on Egghead Island, the God's Knights would definitely kill me. I still haven't unraveled this world's secrets. I cannot die yet."
"Next, I have an unavoidable request. I hope your Three Emperors Alliance can defeat the Marines, the Gorosei, and the God's Knights and help me reclaim Egghead Island. There is too much data stored here, and I was forced to leave against my will. Please understand."
The clash of weapons and roars of battle never stopped, even as Vegapunk spoke. But hesitation had already crept into the Gorosei's movements.
Through Shamrock's telepathic report, they had just confirmed that Vegapunk had escaped Egghead with S-Bear's ability. Their mission was already a failure.
To keep fighting the Three Emperors Alliance now would only waste their military strength.
Vegapunk's recording reached its end.
"Of course, if you really can't defeat them, then retreat as soon as possible. In three days, we can contact each other again via transponder snail."
"Oh, and one more thing. I've handed full authority over all the Pacifistas on the island and the four Seraphim to a certain member of your Phoenix Pirates. If you're going to retreat, do your best to take the Seraphim with you. They were deployed in a rush this time, but this live combat has proven they're ready for real battle. The Seraphim are the 'strongest humans' I have painstakingly created."
"Alright, that's all! This old man is retreating. We'll be in contact in three days."
The moment Vegapunk's voice faded, Kaido exploded.
"Damn it…!"
He felt as if he'd been made a fool of. The three Emperors had come to Egghead to protect Vegapunk. For that alone they had started an unprecedented war against the Marines, the God's Knights, the Gorosei—even the World King, Imu. And in the end, Vegapunk just ran away.
Rage boiled in Kaido's chest. If Vegapunk were still on Egghead, he'd have gladly caved the old man's head in with his kanabo. But Vegapunk was already gone. All he could do was roar, "Marco! I'll say this first—I am walking away with at least one Seraphim!"
"Me too!" Big Mom bellowed, just as furious.
Throughout this war she had been wounded again and again, suffering heavy losses at the hands of the Gorosei. Her patience had reached its limit.
"The condition is that you can leave here alive," Imu said coldly from midair.
Then came the command: "Exterminate all these ants. Leave no one alive."
"Yes."
At Imu's order, the Gorosei and the God's Knights unleashed a fresh wave of attacks at the Three Emperors Alliance.
With Vegapunk gone from Egghead, there was no longer much meaning in fighting the Marines and the Gorosei to the bitter end. Struggling against Saint Peter, Big Mom finally yelled, "Hey, Marco! Kaido! Vegapunk's run off—let's pull out too!"
Kaido was also being pressed hard by his two opponents. One-on-one, he feared no one—but two-on-one was troublesome. He didn't hesitate.
"Alright! All members of the Beasts Pirates, retreat!"
Hearing Kaido, Big Mom immediately followed up with a roar of her own.
"Big Mom Pirates, retreat immediately!"
With that, she spun around and bolted. She had wanted to quit this war for a long time, but as long as Vegapunk needed protection—and with Marco and Kaido insisting on fighting—she'd had no choice but to endure.
Now, there was no reason to keep going.
"Wait, Big Mom!" Marco shouted. "Even if we're retreating, we still have to stay and cover the rear! Otherwise the casualties will be too heavy!"
Big Mom didn't want to stay another second, but she stopped anyway. With Zeus and Prometheus, she could fly away whenever she wanted; if she chose to escape, she was sure she could. She turned to her son.
"Katakuri, go and direct everyone to retreat quickly."
"Okay, Mama…"
Katakuri began organizing the retreat the moment Big Mom gave the order.
Big Mom herself was already charging toward the Moby Dick. A massive mirror stood on the deck—the same one the Big Mom Pirates and Beasts Pirates had used earlier to rush to Egghead Island as reinforcements.
Now that they were pulling out, that mirror was their only way back.
"Don't even think about escaping, Big Mom!" Saint Peter roared, sprinting after her.
Up above, Marco exchanged a few more blows with Imu and Saint Nusjuro. Then, using the force of one of Imu's punches, he let himself be blasted backward, breaking away from the fight.
After such a long clash with the two of them, neither side had been able to gain the upper hand. Marco now decided that, before withdrawing, he would take down a few members of the God's Knights to see if he could push his Armament Haki to the legendary realm.
In truth, Marco felt this war was still winnable. As long as Kaido and Big Mom could hold on a bit longer and give him the chance to cut down a few more of the God's Knights and strengthen himself, he was confident he could defeat Imu's clone and then deal with the Gorosei one by one.
By continuously spending points to restore his stamina and mental energy, he was certain he could topple them all.
But if it came to that, the Three Emperors Alliance would pay a devastating price.
After all, if he hadn't been holding back Imu and Saint Nusjuro, no one else on the entire battlefield could have stopped them.
With Kaido and Big Mom choosing to retreat, Marco had no choice either. He simply decided to reap one last wave of attribute points before falling back.
Imu's voice rang out at once. "Don't bother with those insects. Marco, Kaido, and Big Mom are the leaders—just crush them."
"Yes, Lord Imu."
While Marco rushed off to hunt the God's Knights, the Gorosei didn't dare face him alone. When picking targets, you went for the weak. Saint Nusjuro quickly locked onto Big Mom, who was clashing with Saint Peter.
Meanwhile, in the laboratory, Vista and the others also received the retreat order. Holding the seraphim's control device, Jinbe immediately shouted, "Seraphim, retreat!"
At his command, the seraphim turned and followed behind Jinbe and the rest.
Seeing this, Saint Saturn flew into a rage. "So it's true! Shaka actually handed control of the seraphim to you, Jinbe…? "
He took off after them at once, bellowing, "Jinbe! Hand over control of the seraphim!"
"Never!"
Having fought side by side with the seraphim, Jinbe knew very well how powerful they were. Such overwhelming combat power must never fall into the hands of the Gorosei.
Just as Jinbe and the others were fleeing toward the dome, a thunderous boom shook the passage. A gigantic three‑headed dog crashed through the wall, rubble flying, and landed directly in their path.
"Who is it?" Vista and the other two demanded, faces turning grim.
Shamrock stepped out with Saint Rimoshifu Killingham, Saint Shepherd Sommers, and Saint Manmayer Gunko, blocking Vista and the others. His voice was cold as he declared, "You can't escape, Phoenix Pirates."
"Damn it, it's the God's Knights." The moment they saw the four figures appear, Vista and the others' expressions darkened.
They were truly cornered now, with no path of escape left.
At that moment, Saint Saturn caught up as well. He spoke in an icy tone: "Alright, Jinbe, hand over the Seraphim's authority. I can at least give you a quick death…"
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