Inside the laboratory within the dome, the atmosphere was heavy with tension.
"Doctor…"
A heavily injured Sentomaru finally found Vegapunk. His body was covered in wounds, and even standing seemed difficult for him.
"Sentomaru, that's great, it's really great that you're still alive," Vegapunk said immediately, relief filling his voice the moment he saw him.
However, Sentomaru lowered his head in guilt. "I'm sorry, Doctor. More than half of the fifty Pacifista have already been destroyed."
"It doesn't matter, as long as you're alive," Vegapunk replied without hesitation. At this stage of the war, even two Seraphim had already been destroyed. Compared to that, the loss of the Pacifista no longer shocked him.
Sentomaru still looked deeply guilty. After a moment, he asked, "Doctor, why did you suddenly call me back? Is something wrong?"
Vegapunk nodded slowly, his expression extremely serious.
"World King Imu, the Gorosei, and the God's Knights have all arrived. Egghead Island may no longer be defensible. Just now, through the monitoring system, I also discovered that Saint Charlos has already entered the dome. If we give them enough time, they will definitely find us."
Sentomaru immediately tensed. "Then what should we do, Doctor?"
"There is only one choice left. We retreat."
His voice was calm, but his eyes were heavy.
"The situation has already exceeded my expectations, and it has probably exceeded Marco's expectations as well. The World Government is determined to eliminate me this time. Even with the Three Emperors Alliance, they probably cannot protect me any longer."
"As for the Three Emperors Alliance, all I can do now is wish them good luck."
Sentomaru and Stussy both nodded silently. However, Stussy still looked worried.
"But if we do this, Marco and the others might become angry. After all, they came here to fight this war in order to protect you, Doctor."
"Of course I know that," Vegapunk replied immediately. "But right now, they no longer have the ability to protect me, do they? If I continue to stay here, the only result will be death. I believe Marco and the others will understand my decision."
After saying that, Vegapunk's voice became even more serious.
"I am not afraid of death. However, the Poneglyphs have not yet been fully deciphered, and I still have not discovered the truth of this world. I cannot die yet."
"If Marco and the others manage to survive the encirclement of the Gorosei and the God's Knights, they will still need my scientific power in the future. And if they lose, the World Government will definitely suffer heavy losses as well. At that time, they will not have the strength to continue hunting me down immediately. That will give me enough time to continue deciphering the remaining historical secrets."
Sentomaru and Stussy understood immediately and nodded again.
Stussy then asked softly, "What about the research on the island?"
Vegapunk hesitated for a moment, and a trace of sadness appeared in his eyes.
"There is no choice. We can only abandon it. Even though I really do not want to, the situation no longer allows me to keep it."
He took a deep breath and continued speaking.
"Next, I will use the power of the Brain Brain Fruit to retrieve some of the most important data from Punk Records directly into my mind. It is impossible to retrieve everything in such a short time, but I will retrieve as much as I can."
"In that case, my head will probably become very large again. Once Shaka brings S Bear back, we will leave immediately."
"Yes, Doctor," Sentomaru and Stussy replied at the same time.
---
At that very moment, Shaka arrived in front of Vista, Jinbe, and Jozu.
The three of them, together with five Seraphim, were currently fighting Saint Saturn.
To be honest, the five Seraphim were extremely powerful. However, they did not possess Haki that could counter Saturn's ability of immortality. Even the bubble gun had no effect.
The bubble gun was a technological weapon created by Vegapunk. The bubbles it fired had an effect similar to Seastone and could suppress Devil Fruit users.
But the Gorosei were not afraid of seawater or Seastone, so naturally, the weapon was useless against Saturn.
Vista gritted his teeth. "This guy really is immortal. Without Conqueror's Haki, there is absolutely no way to defeat him."
Jinbe's expression was equally serious. "You're right. Even when his body is completely destroyed, he recovers almost instantly. And his strength is much greater than when he fought on Whole Cake Island."
At that moment, footsteps suddenly approached.
Jinbe and the others turned their heads at the same time and saw Shaka walking toward them.
"Mr. Shaka…" Jinbe said quietly.
Jozu immediately shouted, "What are you doing here? It's dangerous here!"
Saint Saturn also looked at Shaka with a hint of confusion.
Shaka spoke calmly, "Jinbe, S Bear, come here for a moment. I need to tell you something important."
After hearing this, S Bear immediately obeyed the order and walked toward Shaka. Although Jinbe felt confused, he followed as well.
After they moved far enough away from Saint Saturn, Shaka spoke in a low voice.
"The God's Knights have already entered the laboratory. For the safety of the main body, we will have to retreat."
"Retreat?" Jinbe was clearly shocked.
Shaka nodded again. "If we continue to stay here, we will definitely die. A temporary retreat is the only logical choice. Also, the main body asked me to give this to Marco."
As he spoke, Shaka took out a black five star shaped device with a small button in the centre and handed it to Jinbe.
"This is…" Jinbe looked at the device in surprise.
Shaka explained calmly, "This is the highest level control device for the Pacifista and the Seraphim. From this moment on, all the Pacifista and Seraphim on the island will obey your orders."
"If you manage to defeat the God's Knights and the Gorosei, the Doctor will naturally return to Egghead Island. If you cannot defeat them, then retreat immediately. We will contact you through the Transponder Snail afterwards."
After finishing his explanation, Shaka did not wait for Jinbe to respond.
"S Bear, follow me."
S Bear immediately turned around and followed him without hesitation.