Sabaody Islands — Live Broadcast Plaza
"Ehhhhhhh!!!"
"Vegapunk!? Did she just say she's Vegapunk?"
"The Marine genius scientist—Vegapunk—has appeared!"
"But… why is she such a beautiful girl!?"
"I always thought Vegapunk would be some pot-bellied old man, or maybe a wrinkled, gray-haired scientist!"
"Miss Vegapunk is so cute! I want to take her out to dinner!"
"I hereby declare the Vegapunk Support Association officially established! Hands up if you're joining!"
"Me! Me! Count me in!"
The plaza erupted into chaos.
Gentlemen across the square were practically bouncing with excitement.
"Breaking news! The true identity of Vegapunk is—"
"Shocking revelation! The Marine genius scientist Vegapunk is actually a beautiful young woman!"
Entertainment reporters went into a frenzy, shouting headlines into their microphones while their cameramen zoomed in on Lilith's smiling face.
But not everyone was convinced.
"Stop talking nonsense!" one of the more skeptical onlookers yelled. "How could Vegapunk—the genius scientist of the Marines—be such a young girl!?"
"That's right! A person whose brain is said to be five hundred years ahead of the rest of the world can't possibly look like that!"
"I heard Vegapunk has been active since decades ago!" another added. "I even saw him once—he was a man with a huge head!"
"That girl must not be the real Vegapunk. If you told me she was his granddaughter, then I'd believe it!"
As more people voiced their disbelief, theories began spreading like wildfire.
"But… what if Vegapunk performed human modification surgery on himself? With his level of technology, that's not impossible!"
"Exactly! If anyone could transfer their mind into another body—or even clone themselves—it'd be Vegapunk!"
"Yeah, creating an artificial body—a beautiful girl's body at that—would be child's play for someone like him!"
"And don't forget," one pointed out, "those little Warlord Seraphim actually obeyed her commands! That proves she's the real deal!"
The debate raged across the world, from civilians and reporters in Sabaody to soldiers and pirates clashing at Marineford.
Even on the battlefield, chaos rippled through the ranks.
Ordinary Marines and pirates alike couldn't accept that the greatest scientific mind in the world had revealed herself as a young woman aligned with Fairy Tail.
Even the Fairy Tail girls themselves were momentarily stunned.
After a few seconds of silence, however, they finally let out sighs of relief.
"Oh, so she's not an enemy!" Nami said, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Thank goodness," Vivi added. "Those things were impossible to fight. No matter how hard we hit them, they wouldn't even flinch!"
Rebecca nodded, eyes wide. "I didn't expect them to be allies! That's so like Yuuto—everything's under his control as always."
The girls exchanged glances, impressed but unsurprised by Sugisawa Yuuto's foresight.
Even though the Seraphim had the faces of Crocodile and Doflamingo, none of them held a grudge. They knew these weren't the real men—just creations modeled after them.
The earlier battle had only happened because they had been fighting as enemies.
Now that the truth was clear, there was no reason for hostility.
"Punk-02 Lilith," barked Sentomaru, the Captain of the Marine Science Division. "Your appearance here—is it by your own decision, or is this the will of your creator?"
Lilith smirked and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, come now, little Sentomaru. Isn't the answer obvious?"
Her tone was playful but carried a sharp edge.
"Anyway," she continued, "since I'm here, your command authority chips won't work anymore. I'll be taking back the Seraphim!"
At her signal, the seven Seraphim turned in perfect synchronization and marched toward her.
Lilith gestured casually toward the magic-powered ship. "All aboard."
The Seraphim climbed into the vessel one by one.
Then, with a graceful flick of his hand, Sugisawa Yuuto activated the ship's levitation seals. The massive craft lifted off, glowing runes spinning beneath its hull.
"How was that?" Yuuto asked with a faint smile. "Was the surprise to your liking?"
Figaland Garin's expression darkened, though a mocking grin tugged at the corners of his mouth.
"Hmph… don't think this means it's over."
His voice dripped with amusement and menace all at once.
"Did you really think you could take the Seraphim just because you called Vegapunk to your side?" His eyes gleamed dangerously. "You're far too naïve, Sugisawa Yuuto."
A deep, echoing voice thundered across the battlefield.
And then—
From the highest vantage point of Marineford, five figures emerged, their presence heavy enough to make the very air tremble.
The Five Elders—the supreme authority of the world—had finally stepped into the light.