Chapters · Final Saga › Egghead

Chapter 1074: MK. III

Arc: Egghead · Saga: Final Saga · Released: 2023-02-06

Summary

At Egghead’s Fabriophase a Pacifista (PX-041) turns on the Marines occupying the island, raising one of Vegapunk’s bubble-shields and announcing it is “taking in” the soldiers — to their shock, since “Pacifistas can’t act on their own.” Sentomaru, cut off from “Punk” by the navy’s looped comms and the sealed frontier dome, declares himself a rebel and deploys all 50 of the redesigned Pacifista MK III to see Luffy and Dr. Vegapunk safely off the island. Inside the Labophase (Punk Records), the search for the missing “Stella” is on: the satellites (Shaka, Pythagoras, Lilith, Edison, Atlas), Stussy, Robin and an exhausted Luffy comb the lab via the camsnails, which were knocked out by the earlier Seraphim rampage. Meanwhile Bonney slips into the P.A.W. Room and finds Kuma’s stored memories — reliving his childhood abuse — and screams to be allowed a closer look: “Dad…?! I FOUND HIM!!!” Elsewhere the real Kuma is reported climbing toward Egghead, the navy shouting “Shoot him down!!” Finally the chapter cuts to the World Economic Journal newsroom, where Morgans gleefully spins the incident — “the Ohara incident all over again” — into a front page declaring Pirate-Emperor Luffy is holding Vegapunk hostage, with Wapol and a tearful Nefeltari Vivi revealed on his staff.

New reveals

• Pacifista MK III — the “far superior redesign of the prototypes deployed at the Paramount War,” officially the Naval Science Team Battle Weapon; fitted with Vegapunk’s bubble-shield, “the ultimate protection.” (Pages 2–3)
• Sentomaru rebels. Cut off from “Punk” by the navy looping its communications and the closed frontier dome, he says “guess I’m a rebel now too… then I might as well act like one!” and orders “Pacifistas MK. III, deploy!! All 50 of you!!!” to escort Luffy/Vegapunk off Egghead. (Pages 4–6)
• Vegapunk (the Stella) is missing somewhere in the lab; the camsnails were knocked out/dispersed by the earlier Seraphim damage, so even the all-seeing monitors can’t find him. The satellites split up to search. (Pages 7–10, 15)
• Bonney + the P.A.W. Room. Bonney enters the “P.A.W. Room, Lab” and reacts to bubble-stored memories of young Kuma being abused (“don’t send me back to that horrible place,” beaten, “it hurts,” “help me”); she begs for a closer look — “I can’t move on unless I know the truth!! Please, dad…” — then: “I FOUND HIM!!! Dad…?!” (Pages 11–15)
• Kuma is en route. A cloaked figure is reported “climbing the [Red Line]” — “I repeat, Bartholomew Kuma…” — and the navy orders “Shoot him down!!” (Page 14)
• World Economic Journal newsroom reveal. Morgans frames the WG’s move on Vegapunk as an assassination of “the world’s greatest mind” / “the Ohara incident all over again,” and prints “Straw Hat Luffy, Emperor of the Sea… wages all-out war with navy at Egghead, holding Vegapunk hostage.” Wapol (captioned King of Evil Black Drum Kingdom) and Nefeltari Vivi (captioned Princess of Alabasta) are shown as members of his newsroom staff. (Pages 16–17)

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Luffy (exhausted, hover-boots broken, searched the whole lab on foot), Zoro (told to “stay, Zolo,” wants to join the search), Sanji, Franky (“I hope Ice guy’s doing well… haven’t thought about Water Seven in ages”), Nico Robin, Jewelry Bonney, Kuma (memory-bubbles + climbing figure), Vegapunk (the missing Stella), Sentomaru, Stussy (“Madame Stussy,” searching), Morgans, Wapol, Vivi, Iceberg (referenced by Franky)
• Vegapunk satellites (recurring; first appeared earlier in the arc): Shaka, Pythagoras (named on-page, “Shaka!! This is Pythagoras!!”), Lilith (treasure-greedy), Edison, Atlas (with Luffy / repairing the dome)
• Groups / tech: Pacifista (MK III, PX-041, PX-033, “all 50”), World Economic Journal, Marines, CP-0 (Stussy), the Seraphim (referenced — “originally created here,” caused the earlier camsnail damage)
• Locations: Egghead (Fabriophase, Labophase, Punk Records, the P.A.W. Room), Evil Black Drum Kingdom (Wapol’s caption), Alabasta (Vivi’s caption), Water Seven (Franky reference)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page “Chapter 1074: MK. III.” Cover story Germa 66’s Ahh… An Emotionless Excursion, Vol. 30: “Three Bitter Rivals in the Perpetual War to be No. 2” — the three Vinsmoke brothers (Ichiji/Niji/Yonji) brawling in raid-suit silhouette. (Cover-story page → cover-tracker.)
• Page 3 — PX-041 raises a bubble-shield; data-caption “Naval Science Team Battle Weapon — PACIFISTA — The Pacifista MK. III!!!!”
• Page 5 — Sentomaru: “Pacifistas MK. III, deploy!! All 50 of you!!!”
• Page 12 — Bonney crying in the P.A.W. Room; “Hey, kid. What’s the matter…?”
• Page 14 — Kuma’s giant memory-bubble of his abused child self; cross-cut with the navy report “Bartholomew Kuma… Shoot him down!!”
• Page 15 — Pythagoras (PUNK 04) calling “STELLAAAA!! WHERE AAARE you…”
• Page 17 — Roster reveal: Wapol (“King of Evil Black Drum Kingdom”) and Nefeltari Vivi (“Princess of Alabasta”) at Morgans’ newsroom — Vivi’s first on-page appearance since the Reverie.

Open questions raised

• Where is Vegapunk (the Stella), and why has he vanished inside his own lab?
• How did Vivi end up at the World Economic Journal — is Morgans sheltering her from the WG / Imu, and is she a willing staffer or a refugee?
• What exactly does the P.A.W. Room store, and why are Kuma’s extracted memories/pain kept there?
• Will the climbing Kuma reach Egghead — and Bonney — before the navy shoots him down?
• Can Sentomaru’s 50 rebel Pacifista MK III actually hold the Navy off the island?