Chapter 278: The Rush Back to Cake Island

“We can’t really wait until the Suit-Suit Fruit is developed to perfection, can we?”

“I have no idea when I’ll finally get to experience the glory of the Emperor Armor.”

“…”

Three days later!

Back in the same room, the four of them gathered once more.

“So Vegapunk, how’s the knowledge gathering going?”

“Or do you still want to dig up even more?”

“Got to say it now—if you want to stay longer, it’s not really possible. We have to hurry back to Cake Island soon.”

As Karl spoke, he leaned back against the bench looking even more relaxed. But the truth was they’d been told they couldn’t keep wasting time here.

Over these three days he kept practicing with the Aether Element, trying to manifest things like the Armored Warriors, Golden Armor, Xingtian Belt Voice Changer and more.

Part of it was for the sake of old dreams—who hasn’t had a phase like that?

The other reason was to give his crew another path to get stronger.

But unfortunately, without a certain kind of mysterious energy, everything he managed to manifest was just a shell—no transformation, no mysterious powers.

He even tried making the Diga Ultraman Transformation Rod, but with no energy, it was nothing but an empty stick.

So all he could do for now was wait for Smith to develop the Suit-Suit Fruit.

Even Rainbow had tried it out for him, but they were still nowhere near awakening. Karl couldn’t think of any quick fix.

Maybe it’s something you just have to figure out on your own. People in the One Piece World have never seen a story like this—they don’t know how to play the part.

The movie and related anime were in production, but things were crawling along. Karl was helping out as much as he could, hoping to get them done quickly. Maybe awakening the power would only be possible once those movies and anime finally aired.

“I’ve managed to collect nearly all the knowledge I need,” Vegapunk said, sitting across from Karl. He gently tapped his right index finger against his now-massive brain.

It was the second time Vegapunk had felt his brain get this heavy.

He hadn’t experienced this weightiness since first taking Karl’s Gene Serum.

But after these three days he’d absorbed so much—he’d stored about 95% of the knowledge in the Tree of Knowledge in his mind.

Now the key thing was to truly master it, so staying in Ohara wasn’t really necessary anymore.

Dr. Clover brought over four cups of coffee, setting them out for everyone.

“We’ve learned what happened during the Void Century, but we still have to keep researching the historical records of that massive kingdom.”

Dr. Clover took a sip of coffee and went on, “We’ve talked things through with the islanders about the risks—most of them have already moved away.”

Karl couldn’t help but give Dr. Clover a thumbs up. “Nice job on that.”

“If the Navy shows up, no one on this island would survive. This way, you’ve probably saved a lot of lives.”

Judge rolled his eyes. “What a pointless effort. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to reach a goal.”

“But as long as you achieve your goal, any sacrifice is worth it.”

He couldn’t help but feel a little emotional. His cloning technology was already perfected and with the World Government’s help, he could’ve conquered North Blue in no time. Never expected to run into a disaster like Karl.

“Either way, it’s best not to drag innocent people into this if you can help it.”

“Anyway, since things are wrapped up here, Karl, I think we should set sail for home.”

It hadn’t been a long trip—just five days at most.

Karl thought Vegapunk made a fair point.

And yesterday, he’d gotten word from Krell—more and more strangers were showing up on the island.

It probably meant the World Government was about to make another move. They’d failed the first time, but if they were back, they must be confident. Karl needed to return and take command.

This time, he might have to step in personally.

Karl smiled and said, “Yeah, we’ve been here long enough. Dr. Clover, I guess this is goodbye for now.”

“And given the circumstances, the trip back should be much quicker.”

With that, he finished his coffee in one gulp and was the first to get up.

“Leaving already?”

Dr. Clover still didn’t know who they really were, or that having Karl here was more dangerous for them than even studying the Poneglyphs.

“Yes. If we have the chance, maybe we’ll come again.”

Karl hadn’t really asked Judge, but he didn’t dare complain. He just followed quietly behind Karl.

No long goodbyes—they left a Den Den Mushi behind, then took off at full speed for Cake Island.

Karl left the Den Den Mushi just in case he ever needed to stay in touch with Ohara. It was a safety net.

On the way back, he didn’t make Judge suffer through freezing winds. Instead, he expanded a living zone, shielding both of them inside.

They traveled in short bursts, following the Eternal Pose, always speeding toward Cake Island. Nothing much happened along the way.

The only thing of note came as they passed over Fish-Man Island—a stretch of islands spread out beneath them.

“What’s that?”

“Is that the legendary Skypiea?”

Judge had no idea that was Golden Lion’s turf.

Golden Lion was known everywhere for the Float-Float Fruit, but few had seen his grand fleet for themselves.

Karl looked up, sensing that familiar presence far away but decided not to say hi. “That’s the infamous pirate Golden Lion.”

“His Float-Float Fruit lets him float any object he’s touched without spending much energy.”

“The entire first half of the New World is basically his territory.”

Judge nodded thoughtfully.

It was his first time truly witnessing a New World pirate’s power. Did Golden Lion really control the whole first half?

After a few hours, a giant cake appeared on the horizon, perched atop the sea.

Judge knew this place—this was Cake Island.

Karl had told Krell his return schedule. The lookout on the skywatch reported his arrival as soon as he was sighted, so there were no alarms or interruptions.

He didn’t waste any time, leading the two straight to the lab.

“So this is your research lab?”

Judge stared at the massive lab in front of him, completely awestruck.

This research base was way bigger than the one on Machinery Island. The only thing left was to see what kind of equipment they had inside.

“Vegapunk, I’m leaving Judge to you.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Karl looked at Judge. “Rest up today. Tomorrow, I’ll talk to you one-on-one.” With that, Karl left the lab.