Should Have Noticed Sooner

Sentomaru urges everyone on Egghead to flee, invoking Ohara, which the World Government erased entirely for studying Poneglyphs. If they are this determined to kill Vegapunk despite the scientific cost, he reasons, something worse than that day is coming, and he silently begs Luffy to escape with the scientist. Within the Command Room, the group of Zoro, Kaku, Lucci, and Luffy can barely scratch the two attacking units. Zoro realizes that this pair of Seraphim mirrors the traits of the Beasts Pirates member King the Conflagration. Shaka is startled that Kaidou kept a Lunarian, names King as Arber, who escaped Punk Hazard alongside Kaidou, and confirms the Seraphim were built from King's Lineage Factor. Zoro warns the others to keep an eye on the fire burning along each Seraphim's back, since once it dies down they move quicker but shed their defense. He apologizes for missing the link sooner, noting King's hallmark traits of fire, white hair, black wings, and dark skin, to the annoyance of his allies, before Shaka departs with a hunch about Vegapunk's whereabouts.

Over in Building A, the party led by Nami runs into S-Shark, who has torn off Brook's head and badly hurt Edison. Nami summons Zeus, whose Raitei jolts S-Shark with electricity from inside, while she sobs apologies to the Jinbe-like clone. S-Shark dives into the ground, then resurfaces to seize her, but Sanji rushes in and sends it flying, enraged at the harm done to Nami.

In Building C, Lilith, furious that S-Snake petrified York, fires her Bubble Gun. It only grazes S-Snake's shoulder yet drops her, because the bubble carries sea energy and S-Snake's blood is synthesized from an existing Devil Fruit user, leaving her vulnerable to the sea. S-Snake recovers fast, knocks Franky away, and is briefly trapped under a bubble before pleading her suffering to make Franky lower his guard. She breaks free, petrifies part of him with Perfume Femur, dodges Lilith's bubbles, and charms both Lilith and Usopp, the Mero Mero Mellow technique sealing them in stone. Below ground, Shaka discovers the Cipher Pol agents and Vegapunk held in a former Devil Fruit research lab. Vegapunk asks who is with him, Shaka turns to look, and a shot strikes him in the head. As Shaka falls, Vegapunk hears approaching footsteps, his face frozen in horror.

Sentomaru orders the Fabriophase residents to leave, fearing a repeat of the Ohara Incident. Zoro, Kaku, Lucci, and Luffy press on against S-Bear and S-Hawk, with Zoro recognizing the Seraphim's Lunarian powers from King and sharing the weakness he found during his Wano duel, while Shaka reveals the Seraphim carry King's Lineage Factor before leaving to find Vegapunk.

Nami, Brook, and Edison fight S-Shark, and after Brook and Edison are downed, Nami unleashes Zeus and Sanji joins in. Lilith, Usopp, Franky, and Pythagoras fight S-Snake, whose Green Blood still leaves the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses, and she petrifies Franky, Lilith, and Usopp, Franky only partly. Shaka finds Vegapunk and the imprisoned Cipher Pol agents, then is shot by an unknown assailant.

The cover continues the Germa 66 serial, with Judge and Caesar halting their fight to name Vegapunk their true enemy in its thirty-second installment. The chapter belongs to the Egghead Arc and runs alongside its running Germa 66 side serial.