The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

"Whoa! What is that?!"

"Nami! Watch out!"

"Chopper! Get out of the way!"

Amidst gasps of surprise, the three were forced to retreat repeatedly by the suddenly activated old mechanical device.

Instantly separated from the area where Vegapunk's main body, Shakyamuni, and York were located!

The heavy partition fell down, trapping them on the other side of the laboratory!

"York! What are you doing?!" Shakya was both shocked and furious, and tried to rush towards the control panel, but York's huge body had already blocked his way.

"What to do?" York chuckled. "Of course... to complete my 'mission,' my dear 'wise' gentleman."

As soon as he finished speaking, York instantly raised one arm, holding the gun barrel that was flowing with dark blue energy, and steadily aimed it at the core of Shakyamuni's head.

“You…” Shakyamuni’s data stream flashed wildly, attempting to activate its emergency protocols or defenses.

But Yorke's actions were faster and more decisive.

"boom!"

A sound that wasn't particularly loud but was exceptionally crisp, indicating the activation of energy.

The deep blue beam of light pierced precisely through the head of Buddha, which represented "wisdom".

Shakyamuni's body trembled slightly, and he finally collapsed to the ground, never to be heard again.

"Shakya!!" Vegapunk, bound by a special restraint device, roared as he watched this scene.

Only now, witnessing the avatar representing "wisdom" being destroyed without hesitation, did he fully realize what had happened.

"The photon defense system...you shut it down?!" Vegapunk stared intently at York.

"The fact that Huangmu was able to land... that CP0 was able to infiltrate... is all because of you?!"

York! You betrayed me! You betrayed us!!

Faced with the rebuke from the main body, York revealed an even more bizarre, even intoxicating, "foolish laugh."

She tilted her enormous head and looked at Vegapunk.

"Hey~ Vegapunk, you're only realizing this now?" Her voice was sickeningly sweet.

"Someone... knew about my choice a long time ago!"

"A long time ago?" Vegapunk was taken aback, and his vast database quickly searched his memories.

The image freezes on someone who had contact with York "a long time ago" and might have sensed something amiss.

The last time Egghead Island was "visited" was when the "Mother Flame" was seized, which directly triggered the Navy's independence incident!

That man...

“It’s…Gern?” Vegapunk exclaimed.

"Remember now?" York chuckled. "That's right~ it's that 'Skyquake' Marshal."

"When he came last time, he discovered that I had contact with the World Government, and it was almost..."

"He was so close! He was just a hair's breadth away from 'dealing' with me and this clone together with that black knife!"

York's tone carried a hint of lingering fear and... a strange excitement.

“But he didn’t kill me,” York recalled. “Instead, he said some strange things… I really couldn’t understand what he was thinking.”

After saying that, York shrugged: "But it doesn't matter anymore, anyway, I've won now."

"If I hand you and the 'brain' database over to the world government, I can obtain true 'freedom' and...satisfaction!"

Just as York was basking in the self-congratulatory eulogy of his successful betrayal...

“Brubrubrubru… Brubrubrubru…”

A slightly urgent Den Den Mushi ring suddenly came from Vegapunk's arms.

York frowned, impatiently reaching out with his other hand to retrieve the uniquely shaped Den Den Mushi directly from Vegapunk's body.

"So noisy! At this hour..." she muttered, just about to crush it.

Unfortunately, in a moment of carelessness, it snapped...

The Den Den Mushi slipped from her fingers and fell to the ground.

Coincidentally, the impact of the fall triggered the answer button.

The Den Den Mushi immediately activated, mimicking the caller's facial expression—it was Sentomaru!

But at this moment, the Sentomaru simulated by the Den Den Mushi is filled with terror, and the background sound is a violent explosion!

"Uncle Punk!! The western island defense line... the photon defense has been... forcibly torn apart!!"

The enemy is... the Blackbeard Pirates!!

Quickly inform Uncle and Brother Gern... Blackbeard..."

Communication abruptly ended there.

All that remained was the crackling of electrical static and the Den Den Mushi's simulated image of Sentomaru frozen in extreme horror before slowly fading away.

The old laboratory was deathly silent.

Vegapunk stared at the "dead" Den Den Mushi on the ground, then looked at York.

"The World Government... actually allowed the Blackbeard Pirates to land on the island?! Is this the 'mission' you were talking about?! York!!"

"I...I..." York was completely panicked at this point, and uncontrollably took half a step back. "I don't know! I really don't know!"

"The Five Elders...they only mentioned CP0 and Aramaki!"

As for Blackbeard... they didn't tell me that!

This is impossible! This doesn't fit the deal!

York's voice was filled with panic at the disruption of his plans.

The Blackbeard Pirates are an uncontrollable variable; their greed and destructiveness far exceed CP0's "order."

If they also land on the island, the situation will completely spiral out of control, and her value and safety as an "insider" will instantly become precarious.

.........

Meanwhile, the western coastline of Egghead Island.

The once impenetrable photon defense barrier now has a huge tear with unstable energy sparks flickering at its edges.

On the shore, Sentomaru's muscular body was completely frozen, remaining in the posture of wielding his giant axe to block, his face frozen in disbelief and shock.

The giant axe that had been his companion for many years was broken in two; one half was held in the ice, and the other half lay on the scorched earth not far away.

"Crack... Crack..."

My cold footsteps shattered the ice shards as I stepped onto the island.

"Thief! Hahahaha!!!"

"It seems... we've arrived just in time!"

Seeing it with my own eyes now, this island truly is a 'treasure trove'...

"If all else fails, I'll just take them all!!"

Chapter 649 Edison and Atlas

Aramu relies on a special "immortality" or rapid regeneration ability he gained after joining the Knights of God.

It did manage to hold out for a short period of time against Luffy's ferocious attacks in Gear 5.

He even frantically activated the awakened power of the Forest Fruit, turning the surrounding environment into a plant hell that drained his life force.

Using layers upon layers of obstruction, they entangled and attacked Luffy.

Occasionally, it can even evade Luffy's fatal blows by using plant substitutes or splitting and recombining.

However, it is only a "temporary support".

He's not Kizaru, after all.

They lack the ability to move and dodge at near-light speed, and they lack the skill to disperse their body into elements to the extreme to offset impacts.

Furthermore, he lacked the demeanor and strength to effortlessly defeat all enemies...

His "immortality" and the characteristics of his Logia-type abilities are primarily manifested in his tenacious vitality and rapid regeneration.

Faced with Luffy's Nikara form's unreasonable "rubber" properties and unbelievable attack angles...

Especially with the heavy punch imbued with top-tier Conqueror's Haki, the recovery speed began to fall behind the destructive speed.

"Rubber, rubber..."

Luffy's arm spun and extended rapidly, his fist igniting flames as it scraped against the air.

Entangled in Conqueror's Haki lightning, it transformed into a destructive spiral interwoven with crimson and dark red.

"Nika's Blazing Fist and Spear!"

A powerful punch and spear strike shattered several giant wooden shields that Huang Mu had conjured, and with undiminished force, it slammed into his plant-like arms as he was blocking with his cross-arms!

"Boom! Crack!"

A piercing cracking sound!

The hard wooden layer covering Huang Mu's arms cracked inch by inch, and he was sent flying backward, crashing into more than a dozen towering trees before he barely managed to regain his balance amidst the chaos.

His sunglasses shattered, revealing eyes filled with shock and rage, and blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

"Damn it, when did this guy's domineering aura become so powerful..."

"He's just a kid who's only been at sea for three years, cough cough..."

As Huang Mu felt the intense pain in his body and the agony of his life force being suppressed, a sense of retreat finally arose in his heart.

He wasn't there to risk his life; his mission was to "reclaim" Vegapunk and eliminate destabilizing factors.

It's not about fighting to the bitter end against this strangely strong and increasingly powerful "Nika".

So, taking advantage of the brief lull after being repelled by Luffy once again, he created a large cloud of smoke and plant debris.

Huang Mu directly merged his body into the wildly growing vine network beneath his feet, instantly concealing and dispersing his aura.

"Senra: Thousand Tree Release!"

Countless wooden clones with similar auras to him emerged from various plants, fleeing in different directions and interfering with his perception.

Meanwhile, its main body, taking advantage of the rapid spread of plant roots, silently and swiftly retreated towards the edge of the island, towards the direction from which it had landed.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, Luffy stood in the center of a chaotic wasteland of plants, the white steam slowly receding.

His gaze swept over the scattered wooden clones, and he sensed the rapidly receding and fading domineering aura of Huang Mu's main body.

He frowned, but chose not to pursue.

"I don't have time to waste on this unkillable guy..." Luffy muttered to himself, his serious expression relaxing slightly.

What he missed most were his lost companions and Vegapunk, whom he had promised to take with him.

Upon seeing Aramu flee, the white steam around him completely dissipated, his hair and eyebrows returned to black, and he exited the extremely energy-consuming Gear Fifth Nika form.

Taking a few deep breaths, he tried to alleviate the intense physical exertion and the minor injuries from the fierce battle.

Then, without hesitation, he turned around and launched himself at high speed in the general direction in which his companions and Vegapunk had retreated.

However, due to York's deliberate misleading and division, Luffy returned along the path he remembered.

They did not find Vegapunk's true form, nor Usopp, Nami, Chopper, and the others.

They even broke into several laboratories, only to find empty rooms.

Just as Luffy was anxiously searching everywhere, he found himself in a relatively intact circular corridor.

They encountered two other Vegapunk clones who were in a hurry.

One is a design resembling engineering machinery, with an oval head, and predominantly green clothing adorned with the character for "thought" (想). This is Edison.

He was frantically trying to restart a smoking repeater.