Kizaru caught his breath. So it turned out the main force of the Blackbeard Pirates was hiding in Burgess!
"Come on, kid, show me what you've got!" Burgess slammed his sword into the ground and burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. The laughter was wild, almost endless.
If Kizaru knew who Doc Q and Burgess actually were, he might not have acted like this.
The peerless swordsman, Shimotsuki Ryuma!
The King of One Piece, Gol D. Roger!
Ezekiel believed these two were the perfect fit for these roles. Even if all three Admirals showed up, it wouldn't be a problem to deal with them.
From beyond the shoreline came the sound of a powerful explosion, a sign of how devastating the battle had become over there at that moment.
The CP0 members, who were always tasked with guarding the most vital part of the base, finally couldn't hold back and broke into Vegapunk's laboratory.
BZZZZZZT!!!
A faint blue arc flared in Vegapunk's hand as he turned on the welding torch. Bartholomew lay calmly on the operating table, and it was unclear if he was conscious. His sliced-open abdomen was fully exposed, with a part of it already transformed into machinery.
A CP0 member—a tall, thin man in a white mask—said seriously to Vegapunk:
"Doctor Vegapunk, you have to stop the operation. We need to leave."
Vegapunk replied without looking up:
"This operation was an agreement between Kuma and me. I have to finish it."
"It's already much too late! Doctor!" The masked man grabbed the Justice Phone and saw an image from the surveillance camera. There was no doubt—it was the Blackbeard Pirates. And the most frightening thing was Teach himself, who was about to break in at any moment.
"If you don't evacuate within five minutes, you won't have a chance to escape!"
Even if they evacuated now, the chances of being captured by Blackbeard were extremely high. The masked man had received explicit orders from the World Government: Get Dr. Vegapunk out of this dangerous place.
"The operation… it's already begun, and Bartholomew is unconscious. If I don't finish it, he'll die," Vegapunk muttered under his breath.
"But Doctor, even if the procedure succeeds, he'll lose his own consciousness!" the masked man said, fidgeting with confusion. He kept glancing nervously at the closed door, certain Blackbeard would burst into the laboratory at any moment.
He glared fiercely at Vegapunk and lunged at him!
Wham!
A powerful punch nearly struck Vegapunk's neck. But a mechanical arm beside Vegapunk intercepted the fist—and promptly shattered into two pieces.
"Young man, don't be so impatient. Just give me a bit more time."
Vegapunk's movements remained calm and methodical, as if there were no danger at all. It seemed as though nothing surprised him—not even an attack from a CP agent.
Vegapunk remained indescribably calm.
Even in the face of death, he had to complete this operation.
That was a man's promise.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
After a series of loud crashes, the door was blown open by a slash from a blade.
Demon Sheriff Lafitte, eyes closed beneath a Western-style hat and sword in hand, was the first to step into the operating room—calm and nothing like a pirate—followed by the ever-smiling Marshall D. Teach.
His burly figure moved forward, exuding such a powerful aura that it was almost visible, causing the masked agent to gasp sharply.
"That's Blackbeard!"
Deep down, the masked man knew he couldn't save Vegapunk, no matter what he did.
Beep! Beep!—the Justice Phone was ringing in his pocket, but he didn't answer; there was no point.
"Finger Pistol!"
He raised his hand, but his target wasn't Blackbeard—it was Vegapunk! Since the doctor couldn't be saved, he needed to be eliminated.
As extreme as that was, considering Vegapunk's formidable scientific abilities and his knowledge of far too many World Government secrets, the CP agent had no choice but to make this decision He believed this was the most correct choice for the World Government.
Vegapunk slightly turned his head as the pistol stabbed into his shoulder and bright red blood began to flow, staining his white coat a bloody crimson, but the doctor was utterly unfazed. He wouldn't die before the operation was complete!
Just as the CP member continued his attack, a voice rang out:
"Gravity Sword!"
In an instant, the CP agent's body was pinned to the floor. His mask fell off, revealing a youthful face. Under the force of gravity, he couldn't utter a single word.
Shh!
With a swing of the sword, the Justice Phone clattered loudly to the floor.
Blackbeard then approached the CP 0 agent with a grin, picking up the still-ringing phone.
"What's happening?! Is Dr. Vegapunk alright?!" came a voice from the other end.
"Zehahaha!" Blackbeard laughed his trademark laugh. "That's a hard question to answer—after all, I'm Blackbeard, and I'm here to make some real noise!"
"That's not Blackbeard!!!" The CP 0 agent, unable to move under the crushing gravitational force, realized this person definitely wasn't Blackbeard! But he couldn't utter a single word. His mind began to race, and the more the man thought about it, the more terrified he became.
That's Fujitora!
He had finally uncovered the shocking truth—it was Alabasta that wanted to capture Dr. Vegapunk, not the Blackbeard Pirates!
"Blackbeard!" came an exclamation from the other end of the line. "What's happened to Vegapunk?!"
"Zehahaha!" "Teach" didn't bother to answer, and as his laughter faded, Blackbeard crushed the telephone in his hand.
Fujitora smiled. The CP 0 member then saw Blackbeard's appearance begin to change. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a slender young man. He was dressed in a dark cloak, with a golden crown upon his head. Just one look at him—even if you'd never seen this young man before—was enough to know he was bold beyond measure.
It was none other than the Emperor of Alabasta, Wilcis Nefertari!
Staring at that youthful, harmless face with its gentle smile, the CP member's heart nearly stopped for a moment, and all he felt was… terror!