Chapter 201: Storm on Cake Island: The Vegapunk Heist

“Beep beep beep!”

Halil, who was eating outside, noticed his pager suddenly go off. “What’s going on this time?”

Last time Quinn accidentally pressed the button, so Halil figured maybe that happened again. He hurriedly shoveled a few more bites of food in, then started heading toward the lab.

“You don’t really look like the guy in the picture, do you?”

Angus pulled out an old photo of Vegapunk. The head in the picture was huge, but now it was so much smaller. Could they have caught the wrong person?

“I’m Vegapunk. Who are you people?”

Vegapunk wasn’t slow on the uptake. He instantly realized these folks were likely intruders.

Maybe Rufid sent them?

But somehow they didn’t look it.

Still, if not Rufid, who else would send people after him?

Vegapunk wracked his brains. He’d only really had issues with Rufid before.

“No need to guess any further, Vegapunk.”

“You’re coming with us.” Angus was done with chit-chat. The longer they lingered, the greater the danger.

“Wait, why should I just go with you because you say so?” Vegapunk was finally chasing his new dreams and had all the research funds he needed, thanks to Karl. Things weren’t bad here at all.

“Sorry, but you don’t get to decide. Grab him!”

Angus swung his arm down, and his team leapt toward Vegapunk.

“Brachiosaurus—Headbutt!”

Quinn instantly transformed into his brachiosaurus form, thundering toward the group in massive strides.

“Damn, that’s an Ancient Zoan user!”

“Keep it quiet. Take them down fast!” Angus felt a sense of dread. If sounds leaked out, none of them would leave Cake Island alive.

“Six Powers—Finger Gun!” Locke, Bryce, Linton, and others split up to target both Quinn and Caesar.

Linton originally thought Caesar was an ordinary guy—easy to deal with.

“Poison Gas!”

But to his shock, his Finger Gun went straight through Caesar’s body.

He blurted in disbelief, “A Logia user!”

“Fufufufufu!”

“I’m a man who ate the Gas-Gas Fruit, after all.”

“You think you can beat me? Dream on.” Caesar sneered.

Caesar eyed the new arrivals using Six Powers. Suspicion crept into his voice. “You people with the World Government?”

Caesar wasn’t like those bookworms Quinn and Vegapunk. He was out in the world all the time.

Besides the Navy, the only ones using Six Powers were World Government people—especially those CP agents known for infiltration jobs.

“Congrats, but so what if you guessed right?”

“Let’s see how you handle this!” Linton’s fingers glowed with Armament Haki as he jabbed for Caesar again.

Caesar immediately shifted into his elemental form, soaring above the lab to dodge.

Just then, Angus stepped in front of Vegapunk, reached out, and tried to grab his shoulder. “Dr. Vegapunk—let’s make this easy.”

“Smack!”

Vegapunk suddenly lashed out with his right hand, nailing Angus on the wrist and making him stumble back.

“Tch!” Angus grimaced at the sharp pain shooting through his palm. He couldn’t believe this plain-looking researcher packed such a punch.

His right hand was already swelling and turning bright red.

“You won’t do it the easy way, huh?”

Annoyed, Angus lashed out with a kick. Their orders were only to bring Vegapunk in alive, but they never said he couldn’t rough him up a little.

To his surprise, Vegapunk didn’t flinch—instead, he kicked right back.

“Bang!”

Boom!

The moment their feet collided, Angus was sent staggering into a machine behind him, his whole leg buzzing with numbness.

Now it was obvious—the intel had been all wrong. This Vegapunk wasn’t just some defenseless lab rat.

“Looks like you need a real lesson.”

“Tempest Kick!” He swung out with his left leg, sending three crescent-shaped shockwaves flying at Vegapunk.

Vegapunk glanced around, then grabbed a shield off the floor.

“Clang clang clang!”

Angus looked stunned. That unassuming slab of metal actually stopped his attack?

That shield was forged from high-grade alloy. Not exactly indestructible, but hardly anyone could smash it.

Hiding behind his shield, Vegapunk watched the fight nearby and realized these attackers were after him.

He gritted his teeth, planted the shield, and took off running the other way.

“Vegapunk’s making a break for it! After him!” Angus went after him first. The others scrambled to follow.

Meanwhile, Quinn and Caesar were brawling head-on with Locke and Linton.

Seeing Vegapunk leading most of the invaders out, Quinn and Caesar finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The lab’s soundproofing was top-notch. No matter how fierce the fight got, nothing leaked outside. Only after Vegapunk drew the enemy out could they signal Cake Island’s guards.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As Vegapunk bolted for the exit, two guards at the door sensed something was off.

They exchanged uneasy glances. There was noise from the lab sometimes, but never this much. It sounded like a major incident.

But without orders, they couldn’t just barge in.

“Bang!”

Just as they were about to relax, a huge crash sounded from inside.

“That’s not good. Something’s happened!” The two fishmen immediately moved to open the door.

“How’s your sensing?”

“Master Henry, he’s almost at the door.” Bot was a Sensory Fruit user.

He could sense the life signatures of things in a certain range.

“But I think we’ve got trouble.” He pointed to the research lab entrance.

Halil was striding toward them in a hurry.

There was no time to waste. Henry couldn’t hesitate. “You two, deal with those fishmen at the door! The rest of you, with me!”

Henry ordered Gill and Bot to handle the fishman guards at the lab entrance, while he led the others to intercept Halil.

“Clang!”

Halil was almost to the lab entrance when he suddenly ducked his head.

A longsword, gleaming cold, swept just above him.

“Intruders?” Halil steadied himself and took a look.

Noticing Henry and the others’ outfits weren’t from the island, he shouted, “Intruders!”

Henry and his crew were stunned. Who’d have guessed Halil would be this tough and immediately call for backup?

“Not good! Take him out, fast!”

Now wasn’t the time to hesitate. If more Cake Island fighters arrived, making it out of here alive would be a fantasy—dying would almost be a luxury.

Halil’s furious shout carried straight to Charlotte Linlin, who was dining in her room.

“Mamamamama!”

“Seems we have a few unexpected guests on Cake Island.”

“Let’s go and greet them!” Linlin set down her utensils and led her many children straight for the lab.