Chapter 200: Infiltration at Cake Island: The Research Lab Standoff

Perospero led his siblings outside, putting his Power of Titan Blood on full display.

After returning to the lab, Vegapunk used the ordinary blood sample Karl left behind to develop a new batch of serum.

Still, those serums would probably only end up in the hands of a select few worthy of a reward.

Even with Quinn and Caesar helping out, it was going to take Vegapunk at least a month to produce hundreds of doses.

Time slipped by, and after seven days, two separate teams arrived at the Sweets Sea one after the other.

They didn’t take the usual route — instead, they soared down from the sky, entering the Sweets Sea from above.

The reason? They’d caught wind that Karl had a formidable force of Fishmen stationed below, and if they came in by water, they’d be caught instantly.

“Lord Henry, look at this.” Mailon handed over some news he’d picked up through special channels.

Henry took the slip of paper, reading it carefully. “The lab, huh?”

A burst of flame erupted in his palm, reducing the note to ash in an instant.

“Pass this along to Angus. We’re heading straight for Cake Island.” With that, Henry led his team toward Cake Island without hesitation.

Meanwhile, in the other group, Angus received Henry’s message and immediately abandoned the island he’d been watching, setting his sights on the distant Cake Island.

Both teams slipped into Cake Island unnoticed — a testament to their reputation as elite intelligence operatives.

Of course, it helped that most of the island’s top fighters had been sent out by Karl. If not, sneaking onto Cake Island this easily would’ve been impossible.

Still, Karl couldn’t predict everything. He never would have guessed that the World Government would dare send agents to infiltrate Cake Island.

And so, this bizarre turn of events unfolded out of the blue.

“Lord Angus.”

“The lab is just up ahead.”

“According to our intel, Vegapunk should be inside right now.”

Angus glanced back at his team. “What have you all found out?”

Sterka reported, “Sir, the guards change every fifteen minutes. There are close to three thousand Fishmen soldiers stationed here.”

“As for the Fishman at the entrance — he’s clearly not ordinary.”

“From our scouting, there should only be three people inside the lab: Vegapunk, Quinn, and Caesar.”

“If we can get in, our chances of snatching Vegapunk are high.”

And for good reason — the one keeping watch at the door was Halil, a man famous for killing Navy Vice Admirals with his bare hands.

“Solid work on the intel,” Angus said approvingly.

He nodded in satisfaction. It seemed his subordinates weren’t just ordinary soldiers after all.

But they hadn’t considered one thing: did Vegapunk and the others have any way to fight back?

The data had blinded them — it painted the trio as nothing but legitimate researchers. But what they didn’t know was that Vegapunk had injected the Power of Titan Blood, Quinn was an ancient Zoan-type Brachiosaurus user, and Caesar was a Logia ability wielder.

Dusk was falling.

Halil, growing bored at his post, stood up and told the nearby guard, “I’m going to get something to eat. Call me if you need anything.”

Angus and his crew, hidden not far away, saw Halil leave and knew this was their chance.

Henry was lurking as well, but he had no way to get into the lab ahead of them.

“Follow me,” Angus said, leading his team to the side of the research lab.

He’d eaten the Spatial Slash Fruit, and after making sure the coast was clear, he led his crew right to the lab wall.

“Spatial Slash!” In a flash, he used his power to carve a perfect square door in the side of the building.

One by one, they slipped through the opening. From a glance, it looked like nothing had changed — the door was simply back in place — but up close, a tiny fissure could still be seen if you looked for it. It was their planned escape route.

Though the fissure was almost invisible, they’d be using this route to get out as well.

“Lord Henry, look.” Mailon, unable to contain himself, pointed at the spot where Angus and the others had vanished.

“Why the rush?”

“It’s not like they’ve come back yet.” Henry was anxious, but he had no idea what was happening inside. Frankly, it was better to let Angus and the others go in first.

Moving into the lab felt like walking into a massive maze. The place was just too big; Angus’s team searched everywhere but could find no trace of Vegapunk or the others.

“You think we’ll be stuck doing this forever?”

“Right? Haven’t slept properly for seven days.” At that moment, Angus caught the sound of movement around a distant corner and threw a hand up for silence.

His team immediately crouched low, waiting quietly for his command.

Clatter clatter…

They huddled by the corner, listening to the sound of a cart being pushed closer. Angus peeked around to get a look.

It was Quinn and Caesar, pushing research materials toward the workbench to prep Titan Serum.

Angus and his team trailed them silently, weaving through corridors until they reached a pristine white room.

Bang!

At a corner, Angus watched as Quinn and Caesar disappeared behind a heavy door.

He brought his team forward, checked that the hallway was clear, and pressed his ear against the door, hoping to eavesdrop.

But the lab’s soundproofing was just too good — they couldn’t hear a single thing inside.

Angus used his Spatial Slash Fruit again, cutting a small piece out of the door.

They slipped through the gap one after another.

Inside was a bright, spotless workspace lined with all kinds of equipment and racks of colorful test tubes.

Angus’s crew avoided touching anything, keeping hidden behind the machinery as they gradually crept closer to Vegapunk and the others.

“Who’s there?” Vegapunk suddenly turned, staring right at Angus’s hiding spot.

The intruders hadn’t made a sound — but this was a research lab, and the silence inside was absolute.

Especially now. With the Titan Serum in his veins, Vegapunk’s senses were sharper than ever, and he immediately detected even the faintest disturbance.

“Is someone there?” Quinn and Caesar were startled.

After seven straight days of grueling work, their senses had dulled. They hadn’t noticed Angus and the others right away.

“You’re Vegapunk, aren’t you?”

Since they’d been spotted, Angus stepped out from behind cover, dropping any pretense of secrecy.

“There really are intruders?” Quinn’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He’d only blurted out in surprise before — he hadn’t dreamed there’d actually be outsiders inside the lab.

He ruled out Karl’s people immediately — no one from Karl’s crew would enter without authorization.

That made these obvious intruders.

Quinn leaned calmly against the workbench, glanced over, and quietly pressed a white button.

No one noticed his little move, since all eyes were fixed warily on Vegapunk.