Following Sentomaru through layer after layer of heavily guarded alloy gates and energy barriers, Gern and Kizaru finally reached the very heart of Egghead Island.
Vegapunk's main laboratory.
The sight inside the laboratory was even more extraordinary than anything outside.
Countless intricate photonic circuits spread across the walls and ceiling like a neural network.
Cascades of complex data streamed across holographic projections, while experimental devices unlike anything they had ever seen gave off a low hum.
Yet at the very center of the laboratory, what drew the most attention was not any instrument, but a...
Colossal brain, suspended in a special nutrient solution and an energy field!
This was Vegapunk's naturally gifted brain, which, after being enhanced by the Brain-Brain Fruit and subjected to his endless intake of knowledge, had become...
The largest brain in the world!
Its sheer size was suffocating, and blue bioelectric light flickered across its deeply furrowed surface.
Countless fine tubes and wires connected to it, making it the biological core of Egghead Island's entire supercomputing network!
Gern shifted his gaze away from the wondrous brain and toward the figure standing directly in front of it.
Compared with years ago, Vegapunk's head had swollen to an absurd size because of the Brain-Brain Fruit's power. His height, too, had approached that of a giant, leaving him terribly out of proportion.
Clearly, his body could no longer support that constantly evolving, infinitely expanding "source of knowledge."
And so, the genius scientist had simply cut off his original head, which had grown enormous from storing endless knowledge!
As a result, the space above Vegapunk's skull was empty, replaced by a strangely shaped device.
It resembled half a fresh apple forming a skull-like framework.
After removing his brain, he used this device to sustain his life and receive an endless