The next day at noon, inside the grand hall, Hancock and the other women busied themselves with their own activities. However, their attention constantly drifted toward the upper floor without them realizing it.
It was not until the sound of a door opening echoed through the hall that everyone instinctively looked up.
Lloyd stepped out, fully dressed in neat attire.
The women quickly looked away.
Lloyd slowly descended the stairs before glancing at Sugar.
"Sugar, go to my room later and bring your sister something to eat. It's a little difficult for her to move around right now."
Sugar's face instantly turned red after being singled out. She nodded repeatedly in embarrassment.
Hancock steadied herself and spoke softly.
"Young Master, I will have lunch prepared immediately..."
Lloyd casually waved his hand.
"No need. I have business outside."
He paused briefly before asking,
"Where is Saint Shalria? Still asleep?"
Hancock shook her head.
"Saint Shalria already returned earlier."
Lloyd gave a slight nod before shifting his gaze toward Pudding.
"Pudding, you're coming with me."
"Yes, Young Master."
Pudding obediently responded.
After a short preparation, Lloyd and Pudding left the residence together. Lloyd wrapped one arm around Pudding's slender waist before spreading the black wings behind his back.
With a powerful flap, the two soared into the sky.
...
Punk Hazard.
Inside the massive laboratory, Dr. Vegapunk and his six satellites were occupied with various experiments and calculations.
At that moment, a faint dripping sound echoed outside the laboratory entrance.
The door slowly opened.
A large amount of pale purple gas quietly seeped through the gap before gradually condensing into a human figure behind Dr. Vegapunk.
It was Caesar.
Because the gas was colorless and odorless, neither Vegapunk nor the satellites noticed his arrival.
Caesar curled his lips with annoyance before turning his attention toward the figure lying on a nearby experimental bed.
It was a child with dark skin and a sturdy build far larger than an ordinary human child. Small black wings protruded from his back.
His appearance closely resembled Admiral Kuma.
This was the latest artificial human developed by Dr. Vegapunk.
The Seraphim, S-Bear.
A trace of amazement flashed through Caesar's eyes.
"It'll be completed in a few more days, right?"
"!!!"
The sudden voice startled the highly focused Vegapunk. His hand jerked violently, accidentally slamming down onto a nearby red button.
Vegapunk immediately spun around furiously.
"Caesar! How many times have I told you not to sneak into my laboratory?!"
The six satellites instantly reacted.
Led by Shaka, they stepped forward and surrounded Caesar.
However, Caesar merely sneered in disdain. As a Logia user, he had no fear of Vegapunk or the satellites.
Vegapunk took several deep breaths to suppress his anger.
Suddenly, sharp electrical crackling filled the laboratory.
Everyone froze.
Their heads snapped toward S-Bear simultaneously.
The black tubes connected throughout S-Bear's body violently trembled before snapping apart one after another, dangling uselessly beside the bed.
Vegapunk's face immediately paled.
Only then did he realize he had accidentally pressed the emergency activation switch.
But it was already too late.
S-Bear slowly opened his eyes.
Then he sat upright.
Caesar still failed to grasp the severity of the situation.
"Hey, isn't this thing already finished?"
Vegapunk swallowed nervously.
"No! Not even close! His consciousness hasn't stabilized yet!"
Caesar frowned.
"What do you mean his consciousness hasn't stabilized?"
Before Vegapunk could answer, S-Bear slowly turned his head.
His cold gaze locked directly onto everyone inside the laboratory.
An inexplicable chill ran down Caesar's spine.
The next instant, before he could react, S-Bear vanished from the bed.
A palm with a paw pad suddenly slammed toward Caesar.
Poof!
Caesar's body exploded into gas after taking the hit head-on.
His face emerged from the drifting gas cloud as he shouted in panic,
"What the hell?! Why is he attacking me?! Damn it, Vegapunk! You planned this, didn't you?!"
Vegapunk almost cursed back at him.
Why would he bother creating such a pointless setup?
However, before he could speak, his pupils suddenly contracted.
A layer of black Armament Haki rapidly coated S-Bear's arm.
Vegapunk's expression drastically changed.
"Move!"
Caesar scoffed dismissively.
"Move from what? I'm a Logia user..."
Bang!
A heavy impact exploded through the room.
Caesar's voice abruptly stopped.
His eyes nearly burst out of their sockets.
S-Bear's Haki-coated fist had directly struck Caesar's true body hidden within the gas.
Vegapunk stared in shock.
"He can already use Armament Haki..."
The moment those words left his mouth, Shaka immediately grabbed Vegapunk by the collar.
"Run!"
Without hesitation, Shaka dragged him toward the exit at full speed.
Meanwhile, Caesar remained frozen in disbelief, strange choking sounds escaping his mouth.
S-Bear frowned slightly.
The muscles in his arm bulged before he unleashed another devastating punch.
Boom!
Caesar's body shot backward like a cannonball, flying past Vegapunk and the others before smashing violently into the wall near the laboratory entrance.
S-Bear immediately followed.
Standing before the nearly unconscious Caesar, he stared blankly down at him.
At the rear of the laboratory, Lilith narrowed her eyes seriously.
Taking advantage of S-Bear's temporary pause, she quietly retreated toward three enormous mechanical culture tanks lined against the wall like giant coffins.
Vegapunk suddenly noticed her movement.
His eyes lit up.
"Lilith! Quickly activate the Pacifista!"
Lilith clicked her tongue in irritation.
Originally, she had planned to wait until Caesar was beaten half to death before interfering.
Still, she reluctantly turned around and pressed several buttons on the nearby control panel.
Click. Click. Click.
The giant culture tanks slowly opened.
Three massive Giant figures stepped out with their heads lowered.
They all wore identical white high-collared coats emblazoned with the black World Government emblem.
Each one possessed the same crescent-shaped white mustache.
Vegapunk hurriedly shouted,
"Pacifista! Stop S-Bear immediately!"
The three Pacifista simultaneously raised their heads.
Streams of data rapidly flashed across their mechanical eyes while electronic sounds echoed from within their bodies.
Their appearances were identical.
Each one looked exactly like the deceased Whitebeard II.
After locking onto S-Bear near the entrance, all three Pacifista opened their mouths.
Blinding golden light instantly gathered within.