Escape Limit

On the island of the future, Egghead Laboratory, someone calls out, "Uncle Kizaru?" while the caption asks who the conversation is with. On the second floor of Building B, Stussy explains that CP0's mission was to eliminate the doctor and then wait for Kizaru's arrival. She says, "The Government's extra prepared it seems..." and that they view the situation as even more serious than Ohara. Stussy gives two reasons: first, the doctor took the forbidden research of Ohara and continued it; second, Egghead has the combat strength that Ohara did not. Sentomaru listens grimly as the implications become clear.

Stussy says those reasons are enough for the World Government to bring unexpected forces into action, then tells the person on the line to call her if anything comes up. Elsewhere, all communication equipment in the Labophase has been destroyed. At the Fabriophase Factory, Sentomaru warns the evacuees, "You heard that, right? Learn from history and think about what the Navy could do here! You don't have time to hesitate." The factory gate opens with a "Kachak," and the civilians finally act, shouting, "Set sail! We are escaping this island!!" and "Let's do as Sir Sentomaru said! Before the Navy gets here!"

In the research area on the third floor of Building C, S-Snake stands before the half-petrified search party. Someone shouts, "Ussop!" and "Lilith!!" Franky rages, "You goddamn brat!! Undo this petrification! My right side was off guard, but my left side can still move!" Usopp and Lilith, already turned to stone, plead, "If you undo this right now, we'll forgive you!" Pythagoras's small head also reacts in alarm. S-Snake watches them calmly, then the scene turns ominous as she prepares to continue the attack instead of reversing anything.

S-Snake ignores the pleas and turns on Pythagoras. Someone screams, "Pythagoras!" as the tiny Vegapunk head is crushed with a heavy "CRUSH" sound. Pythagoras demands, "Why are you doing this, S-Snake?! On whose orders?!" but no answer comes. A huge blast erupts in the research area, filling the room with smoke and rubble. S-Snake walks away through the devastation with quiet "step" sounds while Franky, still partly stone, shouts, "Hey! Wait up!!" and another voice cries, "Wait!!" The scene leaves the defeated search team helpless as the Seraphim moves on.

On the second floor of Building A, Robin, Chopper, and Atlas move through the lab while hearing explosions and screams. Chopper says he hopes everyone is okay, and Atlas concludes, "I'm sure that the Seraphim are on a rampage." Robin notes that teams already in a fight are stuck, and Chopper worries that something might happen to Vegapunk while everyone is busy. Robin remembers one lab that was once used and is now sealed off, saying, "Come to think of it, there's one lab that was once used and is now sealed off... I don't think anyone would have any use for that place though..." Chopper replies that she is right, and they decide to check it out, asking Atlas to lead the way.

On the third floor of Building A, Sanji tells the injured Edison to stay with him while Edison says he is off to look for Vegapunk. Sanji suddenly senses danger and asks, "Hmm? Whaa!!! Sanji?!" or reacts as S-Shark attacks. He faces the childlike Jinbe Seraphim and says, "Do you understand what 'the power of love' means?" The scene cuts to the fourth floor of Building A, where Luffy, Lucci, and the others are still fighting S-Bear and S-Hawk. Zoro spots the key detail: "Huff huff... damn it!! Those flames on their backs!! Aren't going away!!" meaning their Lunarian defense is still active and the attacks are not getting through.

In the command room, the fighters realize S-Hawk has vanished. Luffy says to forget the flames because the guy with the hawk's eyes disappeared, and someone asks, "Where the hell did he go?!" Zoro figures the enemy probably wants to deal with the more troublesome ones later and "eliminate the weaklings first." Lucci agrees that taking out weaker targets first could shake the stronger ones. Zoro charges after S-Hawk, yelling, "Leave it up to me! I'll go after him!" Luffy immediately asks Usopp to go with him because Zoro gets lost easily, but Zoro shouts, "Wait up, Roronoa!" or objects as he runs. Luffy begins another Gum-Gum attack and complains about being called Usopp, while the battlefield splits yet again.

Luffy hammers S-Bear with "Hawk Gatling," shouting, "Go away flames," but the Seraphim withstands the barrage. Lucci yells at him, "Strawhat, you idiot, stop and think!! We won't beat it by just throwing out attacks like that." The narration then shifts the scale of the chapter: "This was the day before the famous 'Egghead Incident.' But this story... began 3 months ago." The page moves from the immediate Seraphim battle into a flashback structure, signaling that the hidden betrayal and the Government response are part of a longer chain of events rather than a sudden accident.

Three months earlier in the Holy Land Mary Geoise, someone calls Egghead Island and says, "I have something I'd like to discuss with the higher-ups." The caller claims, "Dr. Vegapunk is investigating the contents of the Void Century." CP5 is dispatched to investigate the matter, but no evidence is found. Still, the ship that left Egghead mysteriously disappears, so for further investigation CP7 and CP8 follow. None of those agents return to the Government. Another transmission from Egghead asks to be connected to the higher-ups, making clear that the unknown informant has been feeding the World Government information while also trapping or erasing the agents sent to verify it.

Following a conversation between the Five Elder Stars and a certain someone, it becomes clear that the genius scientist has betrayed the Government. The Five Elders decide to assassinate Dr. Vegapunk soon thereafter, and Cipher Pol Aegis Zero receives the mission and sets sail. However, the Five Elders anticipate retaliation from Vegapunk, so one of them decides to sail with Kizaru as an escort. Reinforcements are requested from various Navy branches, and war begins looming on the horizon. The page shows CP0, the Gorosei, Kizaru, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, and gathered Marine force as the Government escalates the Egghead matter into a military operation.

The narration says that what unexpectedly appeared was the ship of the Emperor of the Sea, Straw Hat Luffy. Luffy, Chopper, Jinbe, and Bonney are shown laughing on the Thousand Sunny as the World Government grows uneasy over the unforeseen development. Bonney reacts, "Not again!!" and the Government notes that the Straw Hats are there. In any case, the outcome of the incident on the following day would give the entire world an unthinkable shock. The page frames the Egghead conflict as a future world-shaking event caused by the collision of Vegapunk's betrayal, the Government assassination plan, and the Straw Hat Pirates' arrival.

Back in the underground laboratory, footsteps marked "Ktok" approach through the shadows near the wounded Shaka and the imprisoned Stella. Vegapunk asks, "Was this all your doing?!" and shouts, "Answer me!" while the hidden figure keeps walking. The CP agents and prisoners react with shock as the culprit draws closer. Stella stammers, "Ga-cha... gd-ii--" or struggles to speak, then asks, "Why are you..." The scene builds dread through repeated footsteps and the sight of Shaka's body on the floor, showing that the same hidden traitor who shot Shaka is now revealing themselves directly to Vegapunk.

The culprit is revealed as York. She smiles and says, "Hey Stella, it's me!" while leaning over the wounded Vegapunk. Stella screams in disbelief and asks why she wants to be such a scummy human being, reminding her that she was one of the Vegapunks. York casually answers that she is going to be a Celestial Dragon. Stella says, "What are you on about, York?! You've been to Mary Geoise in the past," and adds that the Celestial Dragons are scummy beings. York replies that he is sounding just like Shaka and says, "But guess what? He's dead!! Ahaha!!" She says it is confusing with so many Vegapunks around and declares, "This world would be better off... with only one of us." The chapter ends with York's desire revealed.

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