The Weight of Memory

A flashback begins with Dr. Vegapunk writing or speaking about a remarkable step. He says that even if the world does not accept how the girl came to be, she is unmistakably human, that it was a success, and that he bears witness to the achievement while maintaining it is a huge step toward world peace. The speaker is identified as Dr. Vegapunk, chief of MADS, the Laboratory of Peace. Back in the present, Bonney lies injured and sobbing that it hurts and that she thinks she broke something. Vegapunk rushes toward her, shouting, "Bonney!!" and calling for medics because Bonney has been injured.

Bonney suddenly springs her trap. Vegapunk leans in to help her and is shocked when she uses "Distorted... Future!!" to transform into an enormous, muscular version of herself. Vegapunk cries "Whoa!!" as she towers over him, and then she slams or kicks him away while he shouts in panic. He calls for her to stop, but Bonney is furious and says, "Even if you kill me--" while pressing the attack. Vegapunk tries to flee through the lab as Bonney chases him, still demanding answers about Kuma.

Bonney thrusts at Vegapunk and he screams as she strikes. Her power pops him into a helpless child form, leaving him surrounded by shiny, jewel-like objects scattered across the floor. Bonney, panting, says, "You turned me into a helpless child!! Give me back my golden years!!" Vegapunk begs her to calm down and explains that her power does not last forever on living things. She snaps that if he said he had a reason then he had better start talking, asking, "Why the hell did you kill my father?!" At Red Port, Kuma continues trying to climb the Red Line while people shout that there is no way he can make it all the way to the top.

Vegapunk, trapped in child form, tells Bonney that if he divulges the reason for Kuma's fate, it would only serve to hurt her. Bonney asks what that means, and Vegapunk insists, "That's why I can't..." At Red Port, Kuma climbs the Red Line with tremendous effort. The scene cuts between his painful ascent and the promise Vegapunk remembers: "I promised Kuma... that I would keep his secret from you no matter what!!" Bonney is shocked, while the real Kuma keeps forcing himself upward despite his battered body and the chaos below.

Bonney presses harder, saying Vegapunk claims he cannot tell her why he had to kill her father. Vegapunk protests that he is not trying to pull a fast one and asks if he looks like he was born yesterday. He says she has to believe him. Bonney refuses, shouting that nobody made the decision for Kuma and that Kuma chose that fate for himself. She calls Vegapunk a liar, insisting her father would never choose to die and abandon her, and threatens to kill Vegapunk. Vegapunk says it has been hard on him too and wishes he could forget the whole ordeal.

Vegapunk says Kuma is an incredible man and that he has always been proud to call him his close friend. He begs Bonney to understand that he cannot say anything more on the matter. Bonney rejects the excuse and attacks the childlike Vegapunk again, accusing him of half-assed explanations. As alarm beeps sound nearby, Vegapunk tells Bonney not to pay attention to what is over there because it has nothing to do with Kuma. Bonney notices his reaction and runs toward the restricted area anyway, while Vegapunk calls after her.

Bonney reaches a sealed door marked Keep Out and Caution. Vegapunk tries to stop her with an "Oil Breakdown!!" distraction, but she dismisses his denial as an obvious lie. She opens the locked room and enters, panting. Inside she finds a huge glowing paw-shaped mass hanging in the chamber. The object resembles Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit power, and Bonney stares at it in shock, sensing that it is connected to her father despite Vegapunk's desperate attempts to keep her away.

A flashback clarifies the experiment behind the glowing paw. Bonney recognizes it as memories. Vegapunk tells Kuma that a scientist out in West Blue once postulated that a person loses 21 grams of mass upon death and that this could be considered the weight of their soul. Vegapunk argues that even if nothing else, such a link would prove the soul exists in fact. He says Kuma's power can take something intangible, like pain, and give it a physical form, then asks whether the same logic can be applied to other nervous signals: can "imagination" and "memories" have mass and volume as well? Vegapunk asks to pull out Kuma's memories and show them, but Kuma refuses because it is far too personal.

Vegapunk warns Bonney not to touch the memory paw, saying she is surely familiar with Kuma's powers and that there is nothing in it but pain. He adds that the pain inside is more than enough to kill someone. Bonney answers that she knows her father's ability and touches the paw anyway, determined to face what is inside. At Red Port, Marines shoot Kuma down and shout not to let him reach Mary Geoise. Kuma is hit directly, yet he remains alive, rises from the blast, and keeps moving while civilians are ordered to evacuate.

At the Egghead Labostratum, the crew realizes Rob Lucci and CP0 have really made it all the way up after the Frontier Dome malfunctioned. Shaka apologizes for the system failure. The others note it is lucky Zoro and Brook stayed on the ship because otherwise there is no way the Sunny would not have been lost. Even if the fight is two against three, they will figure something out. Shaka tells them to look again, because the battle is far more lopsided than they think.

The Labostratum view reveals that the Seraphim have come too. Shaka says it is now two against seven, and CP0 is up against the best of the best. He reasons that CP0 probably did not order the Seraphim directly, but the Seraphim can assess combat situations and choose to capitalize on the barrier going down. Since the Vegapunks are higher in the command hierarchy than authority chip holders, the enemy has made a serious miscalculation: now that the Seraphim are here, the Vegapunks can turn them back to their side if they reach them in time. Edison and Lilith rush out to help, while Sanji insists on going too because the threat affects the whole crew and Nami's orders are absolute.

On the Sunny, Brook wonders what kind of creature Kaku is supposed to be as Kaku reveals his giraffe powers. Zoro says he is meant to be a giraffe, though Kaku seems different from what he remembers, and adds that it does not matter because Kaku will wind up a diced-up corpse either way. Kaku retorts, "That's if you can cut me!" while Zoro calls for Brook to look after the ship. Brook agrees. Kaku then attacks with "Nose Gun," launching his giraffe body and nose with a powerful strike toward Zoro.

Kaku continues the fight in his awakened giraffe form, using "Giraffe-Man Gyro!!" and boasting that he had his fill fighting critters with zig-zagging attacks back in Wano. Zoro, annoyed, says he is tired of it and knocks Kaku back. Lucci orders the Seraphim to destroy the Labostratum before Vegapunk gets there. The Seraphim prepare to attack, and the situation escalates as CP0 tries to use their short window before the Vegapunks can reclaim command.

The Seraphim begin annihilating the lab area, and Usopp screams, "This is bad!!" as Nami realizes they are going to annihilate the lab. Explosions tear across the Labostratum, and CP0 agents are also caught in the chaos while Stussy comments that the Seraphim really know how to razzle-dazzle. Kaku says they are basically doing CP0's job for them. The page emphasizes the scale of destruction as Seraphim attacks hit the lab, while the Straw Hats and CP0 alike react to the danger.

The chapter's final twist reveals Stussy's true allegiance and origin. As Kaku stands near Lucci, Stussy suddenly bites Kaku with a "Chomp!" and he collapses. Lucci turns in shock, asking what she is doing. Stussy calmly says she is just putting Kaku to sleep, then asks Lucci to join him because it is time for his cat nap too. The caption identifies her as the clone of Miss Buckingham Stussy of the Rocks Pirates: MADS' first successful clone, Unit 01 Stussy. The chapter ends on her mysterious smirk and the revelation that one of CP0's own is not what she appeared to be.

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