Turning around, Eiji observed the appearance of the other party.
It was a medium-built man, wearing an extremely long dark blue coat with yellow patterns; his jacket had the words "Vegapunk 01" on the lower part, "Caution" on the left sleeve, and two light blue horizontal stripes on the right side.
The most striking feature was that his head was covered by a futuristic metal helmet with the number 01 on the front.
"Me? I am Dr. Vegapunk."
The helmeted man replied, claiming to be Vegapunk. Then, he sat next to Eiji without concern for his safety, despite being beside someone wanted by the World Government.
"You're Vegapunk? Although I've never seen Vegapunk, I know he's an eccentric old man. Wait... So, that's it, you're a robot he created."
After observing the other party for a moment, Eiji was quite confident in his speculation.
"That's almost correct. More precisely, I am a clone. Because he was too busy with his inventions, Dr. Vegapunk divided himself into six different individuals, called satellites. I am Shaka, representing Dr. Vegapunk's aspect of goodness."
"I'm done introducing myself. Now it's your turn."
Shaka's tone was calm, as if he didn't consider the man beside him dangerous.
"Since you've appeared before me, you must already know my true identity. But... It would indeed be impolite if I didn't introduce myself. My name is Kamiki Eiji."
Sensing no hostility from Shaka, Eiji removed his sunglasses and hat for a moment, revealing his true face, before putting his disguise back on.
"I already knew. When you changed clothes, the system immediately recognized your face. So, do you need something? You didn't come to Egghead just for sightseeing, did you? If possible, I'd like to avoid any violence that could disrupt the peace on Egghead."
This was why Shaka didn't deploy the Pacifista or Seraphim, opting instead to negotiate directly.
The other party had the power to destroy Egghead, and he didn't want that situation to arise. After all, building Egghead had cost an astronomical amount of money!
"I like talking to smart people. In that case, I'll state my purpose for coming. Take me to the real Vegapunk. There's something I want to ask him." Eiji didn't beat around the bush and spoke directly.
"..."
Shaka didn't immediately respond, seriously contemplating the matter.
For the satellites, Vegapunk's safety was their top priority. Bringing someone as dangerous as Eiji to meet Vegapunk was very risky. Even if Shaka believed the Seraphim could hold Eiji off, he was still concerned.
"Rest assured, I'm not someone who relies on violence to solve problems. Trust me, even if Vegapunk can't help me, I won't do anything to him."
Seeing Shaka's hesitation, Eiji promised not to harm Vegapunk.
"I hope you keep your word, Kamiki Eiji."
After a moment of consideration, Shaka communicated directly with Vegapunk through the device in his helmet. Only after receiving approval did he give his response.
"Stella is conducting research in the lab phase, follow me."
"Okay."
Then, Eiji followed Shaka and sat inside a capsule.
"This is called the Vacuum Rocket, a special transport system used as a means of transit between Fabiriophase and Labofase. It only takes about 32 seconds to complete the journey between the two locations."
"Prepare yourself. The speed of the Vacuum Rocket is extremely fast, first-time riders usually feel very uncomfortable."
"Thanks for the warning."
Eiji didn't take Shaka's advice seriously.
His physical strength had been strong from the start thanks to Heavenly Restrictions. Plus, his body had become even stronger after training in Busoshoku Haki. After all, the basic requirement for learning Busoshoku Haki was to have a physique beyond that of a normal human.
"Then I'll start."
After saying that, Shaka pressed a button. In the next moment, a soft hissing sound was heard from beneath his seat. In an instant, the capsule began to accelerate, and within seconds, it was moving at extreme speed.
*WHOOSH*
Eiji felt his body being pushed back, pressing against the seat with incredible force. The air around him seemed to coalesce into a thick, invisible wall, hitting his face with a force that almost made it difficult to breathe. However, he felt no discomfort.
In his eyes, the scenery outside was moving so quickly that it became a blur of indistinct lines, creating the illusion that he was flying through outer space.
Then, the capsule slowed down. Eiji found himself in a large, bright room. The Vacuum Rocket had reached its final destination, Labofase.
"We've arrived."
Glancing at Eiji beside him, Shaka was slightly surprised to see him unharmed. In reality, even experienced workers often experienced nausea, dizziness, or even vomiting after riding the Vacuum Rocket.
"Labofase is located inside the giant egg on the artificial Cloud Island. This is where Stella conducts his research projects."
With his hands in his pockets, Shaka walked towards the Labphase.
As the two had just entered the lab, a young woman with wild red hair blocked their way.
"Shaka! Are you crazy?! You brought a dangerous person to meet Stella? Chaosbringer is a psychopath who's not even afraid to attack Mary Geoise! Let's capture him and hand him over to the Marines; the bounty is huge and could cover the research project's funding shortage."
"Lilith, don't cause trouble. Stella himself authorized Kamiki Eiji to meet him."
"Huh? You helmeted head! That's because Stella is too easy to fool, we can't let this Chaosbringer meet Stella!"
Lilith and Shaka started arguing with each other.
On the other side, Charlie observed the girl named Lilith.
She wore a pink jumpsuit that covered her entire body, with the words "Punk-02" written on her left chest. She also wore a purple hooded jacket with loose sleeves around the forearm area.
There was no doubt that Lilith was a beautiful woman.
'Vegapunk made a clone of himself as a woman? Turns out he has a hobby like that. What a perverted maniac.'
In his mind, Eiji had labeled Vegapunk as a dirty old man.
"Sorry for the disturbance, Kamiki Eiji. Let's go meet Stella."
Finally, Shaka managed to convince Lilith.
"Hmph, I'm coming too. If Chaosbringer dares to try anything with Stella, I'll shoot him with my Bubble Gun!"
Holding a large gun resembling a child's toy gun, Lilith grinned menacingly.
"Do as you like." Eiji said indifferently.
After that, the three of them walked down a long corridor. Eiji also saw various equipment whose functions he didn't know as they passed by.
He had to admit that Vegapunk was very skilled at creating advanced technology that was far ahead of its time.
"We're here. Remember your promise not to harm Stella."
Before opening the door, Shaka once again earnestly reminded him.
"Yeah." Eiji nodded lightly, looking up and seeing the sign that read Third Floor Building A.
"No matter how I look at it, this guy doesn't seem like a good person." Lilith said suspiciously.
Shaka and Eiji ignored Lilith's sarcastic comment. As the door opened, the three of them stepped inside.