Stop It, Vegapunk

In the S.A.D. production room, Smoker and Vergo finally stand face to face. Smoker looks around the machinery and says, "WHAT'S THIS? THIS DANGEROUS ROOM...!!" The narration marks the confrontation plainly: "THE TWO BIG PLAYERS MEET!" Vergo answers without explaining: "YOU DON'T NEED TO KNOW...!!" Smoker, seeing the man who betrayed G-5 and the Marines, tells him, "VERGO. I DON'T WANT MY MEN TO KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT YOU... THEY ADORE YOU, AS IF YOU WERE A PARENT TO THEM. AND THIS BETRAYAL..." Vergo only says his name: "...SMOKER!!!" The emotional weight is clear before the fight begins. Smoker is not only confronting an enemy; he is confronting the person whose betrayal would break the faith of his own Marines.

Vergo coldly dismisses Smoker's concern. He says, "I THINK IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT. I ENCOUNTERED THEM A LITTLE WHILE AGO." Smoker flares up: "WHAT DID YOU DO!!!" Vergo starts, "WELL..." and Smoker attacks before he can finish, shouting, "VERGO!!!" His jitte slams into Vergo with a massive impact. Vergo addresses him with mocking familiarity: "YOU'RE ALL HEATED UP NOW, AREN'T YOU, SMOKER-KUN...!! DON'T TELL ME YOU'RE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT THOSE REJECT MARINES..." Smoker answers as base commander rather than as a detached officer: "AS BASE COMMANDER, I'M QUITE FREE TO ACT AS I PLEASE NOW." He does not argue about whether G-5 are rejects. He simply makes clear they are his men, and Vergo has crossed that line.

Vergo arms himself for the duel, drawing a massive projectile-like weapon and stating the reason no witness can leave: "AT ANY RATE, I'VE NO CHOICE BUT TO ELIMINATE ALL OF YOU WHO KNOW MY TRUE IDENTITY." The two men clash amid the pipes and tanks. Vergo's attack tears through the room with a huge explosion, while Smoker twists into smoke and counters, the impacts ringing out with "CLANG," "BOOOM," and "FWIP!!" The fight is not casual punishment anymore; Vergo is openly trying to erase everyone who can expose him. Smoker, meanwhile, uses his smoke body to move through the production room, turning his anger over G-5 into direct combat.

The fight accelerates across the S.A.D. production room. Vergo strikes through Smoker's smoke, and Smoker sweeps around him, attacking from different angles with his jitte and body transformed. Vergo remains composed, his sunglasses and expression almost unchanged as Smoker comes at him again and again. Smoker presses with smoke-assisted movement, then hammers into Vergo from the side and behind. The page is mostly motion and impact rather than dialogue: Vergo's hardened body, Smoker's smoke trails, and the repeated collisions make the room feel like it is being carved apart by two high-level Marines fighting without restraint.

Smoker drives a blackened Haki-coated fist toward Vergo, and the two exchange more heavy blows. Vergo's counter lands hard, sending Smoker flying back, but Smoker keeps returning through the smoke. Vergo then explains the cruelty behind his betrayal: "NO MATTER HOW LONG YOU'VE BEEN WITH THEM OR HOW MUCH THEY ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AS 'BASE COMMANDER,' WHEN YOU LEAVE THE BASE, THE LIVES OF THE MEN ARE IN THE HANDS OF THEIR COMMANDING OFFICER." The line exposes his worldview. To Vergo, loyalty is not mutual responsibility; it is a command chain he can exploit. Smoker answers through the fight itself, refusing to let Vergo define what command over G-5 means.

Smoker's anger for G-5 carries into another scene. He shouts, "SO DON'T YOU LAY A HAND ON MY MEN!!" The map marks B-Block on the G-5 side, where Sanji, Tashigi, and the Marines are fleeing through burning corridors. Sanji notices the situation and asks, "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE..." Around them the Marines panic: "HOT HOT HOT...!!" "OUR WAY THROUGH IS...!!" "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE!!" Another shouts, "HURRY!! THOSE WITHOUT INJURIES, KEEP MOVING!!" Fire and smoke fill the stairway ahead. Smoker's declaration in the production room and the Marines' struggle in B-Block are linked by the same idea: G-5 are rough, loud, and half-broken, but they are still lives Smoker has chosen to protect.

The G-5 side keeps pushing through the flames. The Marines shout, "AND...!! LET'S PROTECT TASHIGI-CHAN!!!" and swarm around Tashigi while she protests, "PLEASE STOP THAT!!!" They answer with embarrassing devotion: "DON'T BE SO FRIENDLY WITH ME! WE'RE ENEMIES, AREN'T WE!?" one person argues, while another says, "THAT'S JUST WHAT OUR SOCIETY SAYS. BUT A PIRATE CAN DO AS HE PLEASES." Sanji snaps, "SHUT UP!! DIDN'T I SAY THAT I DON'T WANT SUPPORT FROM MEN!!" The Marines admire him anyway: "NO DOUBT BIG BRO IS SO COOL!!" "YEAH, BUT REMEMBER WHEN BIG BRO DEALT THAT BLOW TO IMPOSTOR VERGO? EVEN THOUGH HE'S A GUY, I THINK I'VE STARTED TO FALL FOR HIM!!" Sanji yells, "PLEASE STOP CALLING A PIRATE YOUR 'BIG BRO'!!" Then a dark shape rushes into view with a huge impact, warning that the danger is not only fire and gas.

The tank in B-Block explodes. The group stares upward as fire and smoke burst across the structure. Someone cries, "EH!? THAT TANK EXPLODED!!!" Sanji instantly understands: "...SHIT. THIS IS BAD...!!" A huge cloud begins to drift in: "FLOAT FLOAT." A Marine shouts, "A HOLE OPENED IN THE OUTER WALL!!! THE GAS IS COMING IN!!" The disaster doubles when another explosion tears open another side: "THE OTHER SIDE TOO!! WHAT THE HELL DO WE DO!!" The exact chain reaction Caesar wanted is happening. B-Block's fire has cracked the lab open, and Shinokuni is now flowing in from outside, turning the escape route into another death chamber.

The gas pours into B-Block from outside, swallowing the area in a thick cloud. Someone screams, "IT'S THE DEADLY GAS FROM OUTSIDE!!" Another orders, "RUN, YOU GUYS!! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE, RUN!!" People stumble, shout, and drag one another away while the gas fills the ruined space behind them. Tashigi realizes the same disaster is spreading elsewhere: "IN B-BLOCK TOO... AS BIG AS IT IS...!!" Sanji urges her forward: "TASHIGI-CHAN!! RUN AHEAD! IF YOU GET HESITATE, YOU'LL BE DONE FOR!! BE SURE NOT TO GET LOST!!" The Marines shout, "'BLACK LEG'!!" and someone else yells, "GET GOING!! SLOW DOWN AND YOU'RE DEAD!!" Even after surviving the earlier gate, the group has to run again or be trapped by Shinokuni.

In R-Block, second floor, the secret room, Caesar watches the monitors and laughs, "SHURORORORO...!! IT WENT AND LET SHINOKUNI IN!!" A feed shows chaos: "...THIS IS THAT DRAGON'S DOING..." and people cry, "GYAH HHHH HH." Caesar is briefly annoyed because the victims are not yet where he wants them: "HOWEVER...!! IF THEY DIE FOR ME WHERE THEY ARE NOW, MY EXPERIMENT DISPLAY WILL BE ALL FOR NAUGHT!" He gives new orders: "HEY!! CLOSE THE GATES TO C AND D-BLOCKS!!" When someone asks, "ROGER!! WHAT ABOUT R-BLOCK...?" Caesar answers, "LEAVE THAT ONE, AND ONLY THAT ONE, OPEN!! WE'LL DRAW THEM IN TO THE FIRST FLOOR OF R-BLOCK!!" He adds, "IN ANY CASE, THEY'RE AIMING FOR THE R-66 GATE, SO LET'S TAKE AWAY ANY DETOURS. WE'LL HELP THEM OUT A BIT...!!" Caesar is shaping the entire laboratory into a forced route toward his final demonstration.

Caesar explains the plan to his subordinates in the secret room. He says, "NO, NO, THAT'S ALRIGHT, YOU GUYS ARE MY LAST RESORT WHEN IT COMES TO FIGHTING. I DON'T WANT ANY UNNECESSARY BLOOD BEING SPILLED." Then he lays out the route: "HERE'S THE PLAN...!! LIKE I SAID BEFORE, IF WE CLOSE THE GATES TO C AND D, THEN ALL PASSAGES IN THE LAB WILL LEAD TO THE FLOOR BELOW US. THEY ALL CONNECT TO THE FIRST FLOOR OF R-BLOCK...!!" The map shows survivors from the Straw Hats, G-5, and the children being funneled toward Block R, first floor, where R66 is located. Caesar says, "THE STRAWHAT CREW, G-5, THE CHILDREN-- IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER THEY'RE ENEMIES OR NOT. ALL THE SURVIVORS UP TO THIS POINT WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO COME TO THE ROOM BELOW." Then the cruelty becomes clear: "ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF R-BLOCK, THERE ARE VENTS THAT WILL LET IN THE OUTSIDE AIR. THAT IS TO SAY... WE'LL BRING IN 'SHINOKUNI!!' THERE WILL BE NO ROUTE FOR THEM TO ESCAPE BY."

Caesar revels in the scale of his staged massacre. He says, "WHO COULD POSSIBLY SURVIVE AFTER THAT!!? WITH ALL THE GATES CLOSED, THAT ROOM WILL BE A GIANT GAS CHAMBER!!" He intends to turn the mass death into a sales pitch: "AND I CAN SEND IMAGES OF WHAT'S GOING ON IN THAT ROOM TO ALL THE SHADOW BROKERS IN THE NEW WORLD!! I WILL DISPLAY MY TRUE POWER TO THE UNDERWORLD!!" His subordinates shiver at the thought, saying, "IF I MAY... IT'S JUST... MASTER CAESAR... THAT TERRIFYING POISON GAS. DID YOU CREATE IT, MASTER...!?" and another notes, "IT'S JUST THAT IT REALLY SEEMS LIKE VEGAPUNK'S POISON GAS FROM THE INCIDENT FOUR YEARS AGO AND, TO BE QUITE HONEST, WE REALLY DON'T LIKE IT...!!" Caesar snaps the answer as an ideological confession: "THIS IS A BATTLE IN THE NAME OF SCIENTIFIC VENGEANCE, MY DEAR MEN...!!"

Caesar's resentment toward Vegapunk spills out in full. He recalls, "ON THAT DAY...!! I TRIED TO STOP HIM...!! THAT MAD SCIENTIST, VEGAPUNK!! 'IF THIS WEAPON WERE TO GO OFF, WHAT WOULD BECOME OF ALL THE PEOPLE ON THIS ISLAND!!?' 'STOP IT, VEGAPUNK!!' BUT THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ALL THE SAME." Caesar says the consequences were unjustly turned against him: "AND THAT BASTARD HAS CONTINUED TO REIGN AS THE TOP OF THE MARINES' SCIENCE DIVISION!! AS IF HE WERE THE WORLD'S GREATEST SCIENTIST... I CAN NEVER FORGIVE THAT!!" He asks, "IS IT REALLY ALRIGHT FOR SUCH A MAN TO CONTINUE TO BE PRAISED AS SUCH, EVEN AFTER CRUELLY HURTING YOU GUYS!!?" Then he claims the opposite title for himself: "A SCIENTIST FAR GREATER THAN HIM IS RIGHT HERE!! IT IS I WHO AM THE WORLD'S GREATEST!! AND THAT'S WHY I HAVE TO PROVE MYSELF, AND WHY I'VE CREATED SUCH A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION, ALTHOUGH I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO!!"

Caesar continues the performance in tears, insisting that his goal is noble: "WHEN THEY ACKNOWLEDGE ME AND I ATTAIN THE TOP POSITION IN THE SCIENCE DIVISION...!! WHEN AT LAST MY DREAM COMES TRUE... I'LL USE MY SCIENTIFIC ABILITY TO WORK TOWARDS WORLD PEACE!!" His subordinates are moved, shouting, "MASTER!!! UOOHHH!!" "SORRY, MASTER!! WE'RE... EMBARRASSED FOR HAVING DOUBTED YOU...!!" and "YOU TRULY ARE OUR 'SAVIOR GOD'...!!" But the flashback contradiction is immediate: someone pleaded, "STOP IT, CAESAR!! STOP THAT EXPERIMENT IMMEDIATELY!!! IF THIS WEAPON WERE TO GO OFF, WHAT WOULD BECOME OF ALL THE PEOPLE ON THIS ISLAND!?" Caesar, shown laughing wildly, heard the protest and answered only with madness: "NYAA." The page exposes his self-pity as a lie. He frames himself as a victim of Vegapunk, but the past shows others trying to stop Caesar from unleashing the disaster.

The flashback clarifies Caesar's actual crime. Scientists in PH coats beg him, "SHUT UP, YOU BRAINLESS FOOLS!! THIS IS A RESEARCH FACILITY FOR THE MARINES!! DON'T THEY WANT TO KILL AS MANY PIRATES AS POSSIBLE!" They answer, "NO!! WE DON'T WANT ANY WEAPON SO HORRIBLE THAT IT MIGHT AFFECT PEACEFUL CITIZENS. ALL I'M DOING IS STRIVING FOR SUCH A WEAPON!!" Caesar rejects the distinction between test subjects and victims: "HORRIBLE, YOU SAY!? THE EXPERIMENTS WE DO ON THE PRISONERS OF THIS ISLAND, TREATING THEM LIKE SO MUCH HUMAN TRASH-- HOW IS THAT ANY DIFFERENT!?" He calls the deaths necessary: "SHURORORORO RO!! YOU MORONS! THAT'S A NECESSARY SACRIFICE!!! ANYONE WHO GETS CAUGHT UP IN IT IS AN IDIOT ANYWAY!! WE'LL BLOW THEM ALL AWAY AND ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE!!!" In the present he sneers at Vegapunk's failed gigantification project, saying, "THAT GUY VEGAPUNK IS JUST JEALOUS OF MY GENIUS... I HEARD HE'S ONCE AGAIN FAILED WITH HIS GIGANTIFICATION PROJECT! HUMANS WON'T JUST SUDDENLY GROW LARGER, LIKE MAGIC. THAT'S WHAT I TOLD HIM...!! BUT IF HE WERE TO KIDNAP SOME KIDS, STILL IN THE MIDDLE OF GROWING, AND STUFF THEM FULL OF DRUGS...!!"

The scientists finally condemn Caesar directly: "WHAT THE HELL...!! VEGAPUNK! YOU'RE HEREBY BANISHED FROM THE SCIENCE DIVISION, CAESAR. I CAN NO LONGER STAND BY AND CONTINUE TO COVER UP FOR YOUR... ECCENTRICITIES." Caesar explodes, "STOP FUCKING AROUND!!" and someone pleads, "DON'T DO IT!! CAESAR!!" A hand presses a switch with "CLICK." The result is catastrophic: an enormous mushroom cloud erupts from Punk Hazard, the blast consuming the island as the chapter marks "CH.684 END." The flashback makes the truth undeniable. Caesar was not the scientist who tried to stop Vegapunk; he was the one who triggered the disaster after being rejected, and Shinokuni is his attempt to repackage that old crime as genius.

A following story page returns to the current laboratory layout after the chapter-end panel. The B to C passage is closing, the B to D passage is also closed, and entry from B-Block is now impossible. The labels show the separated groups: "C-BLOCK'S 'GARBAGE CAN' - LUFFY SIDE," "D-BLOCK, S.A.D. PRODUCTION ROOM - SMOKER AND LAW SIDE," "B-BLOCK, NEAR THE BISCUIT ROOM - ZORO AND NAMI SIDE," and "THE MIDDLE OF B-BLOCK - SANJI AND G-5 SIDE." Voices react across the lab: "DID YOU SPEAK, JUST NOW!?" Luffy, down in the garbage can, suddenly sees the small dragon-like Momonosuke before him and asks, "WHAT ARE YOU!?" The creature answers in archaic speech, "IT... IT IS I WHO SHOULD ASK-- WHO ART THOU!?" Another voice cries, "WH-WHAT'S THIS?" The page confirms the lab has been split into isolated battle zones, while Luffy has unexpectedly encountered the boy-dragon far below.

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