Chapters · Final Saga › Egghead

Chapter 1077: Should Have Noticed Sooner

Arc: Egghead · Saga: Final Saga · Released: 2023-03-26

Summary

On Egghead’s Fabriophase, Sentomaru orders everyone off the island: the World Government has deployed Pacifista everywhere because Dr. Vegapunk “dared to defy” them, and he invokes the Ohara Buster Call as the precedent for what is about to happen here (pp. 2-3). Inside Building A the Straw Hats struggle against a bear-type Seraphim that keeps getting back up; Zoro, Sanji and Nami recognize it fights like the Lunarian King (“Alber”) they encountered in Wano. They learn the Seraphim are augmented with King’s Lunarian blood, granting the flame-on-back near-invincibility — their attacks do no damage until the back-flames are out (pp. 4-7). The crew splits across the lab building: Nami and Zeus and Sanji and Jinbe batter the bear-Seraphim and a shark-type “Jimbei Jr.” Seraphim, while Edison is found half-destroyed (pp. 8-11). In Building C, Franky and the satellite Lilith fight the petrifying snake-type Seraphim (a little-girl Hancock model who turned York to stone); Franky’s “Bubble Gun,” made of sea energy, is revealed as the Seraphim’s hard counter against their Lunarian “green blood,” though Sanji is briefly turned to stone by Love-Love Mellow (pp. 12-15). Deep below in the old Devil-Fruit Research Lab (B1), the satellite Shaka searches for the original Vegapunk (“Stella”), finds captives begging for release, locates Stella — and is abruptly shot by an unseen assailant. Cliffhanger (pp. 16-17).

New reveals

• A Buster Call is coming to Egghead. Sentomaru (p. 2) reveals the WG deployed Pacifista island-wide because Vegapunk “dared to defy the World Government,” and explicitly likens it to Ohara — erased from the maps overnight for deciphering poneglyphs, with Nico Robin the sole survivor (pp. 2-3).
• The Seraphim run on King’s Lunarian blood. They are “augmented with none other than his Lunarian blood” — i.e. King / Alber — so they share his Lunarian biology: brown skin, black wings, and flames on the back that make them near-invincible until the fire is out (pp. 6-7).
• King/Alber + Punk Hazard. Alber is named as “the test subject who escaped from Punk Hazard with Kaido,” tying King’s origin to Vegapunk’s old Punk Hazard experiments (p. 7).
• Seraphim “green blood” weakness. Their Lunarian green blood grants powers and risks; sea-energy bubbles (Franky’s Bubble Gun) are their hard counter (pp. 12-13).
• Satellites take damage. Edison is found half-destroyed (p. 9); York has already been turned to stone by the snake-Seraphim (p. 12); Shaka is shot by an unidentified assailant in the B1 lab (pp. 16-17).
• Captives in the basement lab. People are imprisoned in the old Devil-Fruit Research Lab (B1), pleading to be let out; they reference “the Cipher Pol agents who visited a while back” (p. 16).
• “Stella” located. Shaka realizes the original Vegapunk (“Stella”) was present in the basement just before being shot (pp. 8, 16).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Franky, Jinbei, Sentomaru, Shaka, Lilith, Edison (half-destroyed), York (petrified, named), Vegapunk (“Stella”), King / Alber (referenced), Kaido (referenced), Nico Robin (Ohara flashback)
• Seraphim units shown: S-Bear (Kuma model), S-Snake (Hancock model), S-Shark (Jinbe model, “Jimbei Jr.”)
• Groups / lore: Seraphim, Pacifista, Lunarians, CP-0 (referenced), Buster Call
• Locations: Egghead (Fabriophase; Buildings A & C; B1 old Devil-Fruit Research Lab), Ohara (flashback), Punk Hazard (referenced)
• Weapons / homies: Zeus (Nami’s cloud homie)

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page. Cover-story caption: Germa 66’s “Ahh… An Emotionless Excursion” Vol. 32 — “Actually, I think our real problem is Vegapunk.” .
• Page 2 — Egghead “Fabriophase” sign + Sentomaru ordering the evacuation; building/floor placards begin (Command Floor, 4F, Building A).
• Page 3 — Ohara incident refresher: Nico Robin’s child wanted poster + the burning World’s-Largest Historical Library.
• Pages 4-7 — The bear-Seraphim’s resilience; crew deduces the King/Lunarian flame-invincibility (“You SHOULD have noticed sooner!!”).
• Pages 12-15 — Franky + Lilith vs. the snake-Seraphim; Bubble Gun / sea-energy weakness reveal; Love-Love Mellow petrifies Franky/Sanji.
• Pages 16-17 — B1 old Devil-Fruit Research Lab: caged captives; Shaka finds “Stella,” then is shot. “To be continued.”

Open questions raised

• Who shot Shaka, and how did they reach the most secure basement lab undetected?
• Who are the captives imprisoned in the old Devil-Fruit Research Lab, and what were they used for?
• Is the original Vegapunk (“Stella”) safe — and was the shooter aiming at Shaka or at Stella?
• How did the WG obtain Lunarian (King/Alber) blood for the Seraphim, and what is the Punk Hazard link?