Kouta didn't know, nor did he care, how the Marines were doing.
He had nothing to say to the Marines.
In this world, where most of it was sea apart from the Red Line, and all humans lived on islands, the Marines were indispensable.
No matter who was in power, the Marines would always have a place; that would never change.
Coupled with the fact that most Marines were righteous individuals, Kouta had always been friendly towards them.
So friendly, in fact, that it stood in stark contrast to his reputation among pirates.
However, he never admitted to being a pirate. He considered himself an adventurer, and their group, just an adventuring party.
After Lily returned to Egghead Island with Kouta, she disappeared.
According to her, she needed to research more bio-machines, as one shark wasn't enough. Therefore, she had no time to entertain Kouta and the others.
What then appeared before everyone was Vegapunk's number one subordinate, Shaka, who was entirely covered in what looked like futuristic clothing, wearing a mask with "01" printed on it, and the right hem of his clothes also bore the "01" insignia, representing "Justice."
According to Shaka, the main body was experimenting and had no time to receive them, so he was sent to do so.
Kouta and the others had no objections to this.
They never thought of themselves as important figures who deserved the host's personal reception.
Following Shaka, everyone slowly walked into this legendary island.
As they stepped onto the streets, everything they saw was filled with a sense of advanced technology.
Although the buildings on the island were still under construction, the mechanical arms moving through the air and the robots left everyone mesmerized.
On both sides of the street, a giant dragon and a massive robot were locked in a standoff.
Everything here made them feel as if they had entered a futuristic world, creating a striking visual contrast with other islands.
Standing at the entrance to the street, everyone was stunned for a moment before, led by Shaka, they truly entered this city of the future.
As soon as they walked onto the street, a wave of heat washed over them, instantly making them feel like they were on a summer island.
Pausing slightly and looking down at the ground, Kouta could sense a massive system beneath the surface, providing heat to the island.
"This was originally a winter island, but the main body has altered its temperature to make it more suitable for human life," Shaka calmly explained, seeing their confusion.
At that moment, the dragon confronting the giant robot seemed to notice Kouta's group. It let out a roar and then, without hesitation, lunged towards them.
Staring at the dragon, a cold glint flashed in Ahua's eyes. He stepped forward, clenched his fist, and fiercely punched the diving dragon.
*Pfft—!*
As the dragon and Ahua clashed, there was no sound. Ahua's fist seemed to pass through air, soaring through the dragon's head. He then stumbled forward, sliding.
"What is this..." Ahua stopped, turned around, and looked with surprise at the dragon passing through their bodies.
"A phantom?"
Shaka looked up at the still descending dragon, a flash of electricity in his eyes. The dragon seemed to sense something and no longer attacked them.
Then, Shaka looked down at them and calmly said, "This is the island's holographic technology; they are all phantoms."
"Just phantoms?"
Kouta's gaze shifted from the steel ring encircling the cracked giant egg at the island's peak. He glanced at the dragon, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Hearing that it was just a phantom, Ahua let out an awkward laugh and silently retracted his fist. Then, as if nothing had happened, he began examining other machines.
"Huh? What kind of machine is this?" Walking up to a machine resembling a vending machine, Ahua sniffed and asked in confusion, "Why do I smell so many ingredients inside?"
Shaka didn't answer Ahua's question first. Instead, he walked to the right of the machine, pressed a few buttons on the control screen, and then, to everyone's surprise, the machine came to life.
Without much delay, several burgers emerged from the machine.
At this point, Shaka turned and explained to everyone, "This is an automatic cooking machine that can produce over 500 dishes within a minute."
"A cooking machine?"
Ahua's interest grew. He glanced at the machine, then lowered his head, picked up a burger in front of him, and took a bite.
"Mmm~" As the food entered his mouth, Ahua paused, then chewed a few times before swallowing.
"Although it can provide food and satisfy hunger, there's still a big difference compared to food made by a real chef." Putting down the burger, Ahua turned and said to everyone.
The interest in his eyes vanished as he turned.
He had initially thought he'd found an interesting machine, but it turned out to be merely a food synthesizer.
As a chef himself, he couldn't stomach such food.
"It's indeed not delicious," Shaka nodded and then said, "This is just a machine Vegapunk randomly created to save time. It can make dishes and satisfy his bodily energy needs.
"Deliciousness is secondary."
"However, York has been unhappy with this machine for a long time and is currently improving it in the lab. I believe that when she comes out of the lab again, the cooking machine should be able to produce more delicious food!"
"York?"
Aro asked curiously, "She's Vegapunk's sixth subordinate, right? The one who represents 'Desire'?"
"Mmm!" Shaka nodded. Speaking of York, his tone was calm, yet tinged with a hint of displeasure. "This guy, all day long, she just sleeps and eats, like a pig. I really don't know what the main body created her for."
What for?
Naturally, to eat, sleep, and use the restroom on behalf of all of them!
Even though he knew, he was still a little displeased to have a glutton in the science team.
"Uh..."
Everyone didn't know how to respond to Shaka's complaint.
"Alright, let's not talk about other things. Let's go up and see Dr. Vegapunk soon!"
At this moment, Kouta signaled Shaka to lead them up.
"Yes, sir." Shaka nodded and then led everyone towards the town center.
Along the way, they saw countless unique and interesting machines.
However, it was evident that most of the machines here were still under construction, so despite their curiosity, they didn't linger as they had with the cooking machine.
Passing through the town, what appeared before them was an extremely massive machine connected to many pipes.
In the center of the machine, a tall chimney was constantly emitting white clouds.
"Island cloud?"
Looking at the white clouds and the eggshell-shaped laboratory faintly visible within them, Guina asked Shaka uncertainly.
"Mmm! This is a machine Vegapunk created based on the characteristics of Sky Island clouds, and his laboratory is on top of the island cloud."
After speaking, he led Kouta and the others onto the elevator that led to the upper level of the island cloud.