Chapter 159: The Ultimate Alchemy Creature! (For Automatic Subscription!)
The reinforced vault door of the alchemy chamber was suddenly blasted open by the violent air pressure from within.
"ROOOAARR!!"
BOOM!!!
A thunderous, bestial roar tore through the underground facility, shaking the entire control room. Machinery rattled, pipes burst, and steam hissed through broken valves.
"Wh-What the hell is that?!" Caesar Clown's face turned ghost-white. His gaze was glued to the shadow ahead, eyes wide in paralyzed terror.
He couldn't move a muscle.
It wasn't Haki.
It wasn't power.
It was pure, primeval dread—like a mouse caught under the cold stare of a hunting hawk. The infamous scientist, who had conducted grotesque experiments for years without flinching, was frozen like a rabbit in the snow.
Whoosh—
A cold wind swept through the lab, carrying away the thick smoke and toxic vapor. Suddenly—
SHAA!
The sound of something massive slicing through the air.
From the dissipating smog, an immense, jet-black figure emerged.
It hovered in the air.
A colossal, black-scaled dragon, nearly identical in size and shape to Kaido's Azure Dragon form, now loomed above the shattered lab. But unlike Kaido's vibrant scales, this beast's skin was forged from obsidian-black alloy, faintly glowing with alchemical veins. Its eyes—glowing violet and hollow—carried no warmth, only cold calculation.
"Roar…" The dragon let out a low, mechanical growl as it brought its head down to Carl's level.
Yamato's jaw dropped. "This… This really is a dragon," she blinked rapidly. "It even has the same aura as Father's dragon form—just… artificial!"
The resemblance was uncanny, yet its essence was entirely different. Where Kaido's transformation radiated life force and overwhelming dominance, this creature pulsed with refined energy—an artificial monstrosity.
Carl calmly reached up and pressed his hand to a scale between the dragon's eyes.
Hummm—
As the creator, Carl received the complete internal structure and function data from the alchemical runes embedded in the creature's core.
• [Immortality]: Possesses a self-repairing alchemical matrix. As long as it absorbs sufficient raw matter—metal, gas, carbon-based compounds—it can regenerate any lost tissue.
• [Venomous Dragon's Breath]: Its internal core compresses toxic elements into a corrosive flame.
• [Metamorphosis]: The dragon can control its size and shape at will.
• [Devouring]: Inside its chest cavity lies a portal to a pocket dimension called the "Gate of False Truth." Whatever is swallowed is broken down at the atomic level.
• [Divine Power]: Can manifest destructive force equal to the value of substances it consumes.
• [Sonic Flight]: Capable of flying at speeds surpassing Mach 1.
While it didn't specialize in one overpowering attribute like Kaido's defense or Big Mom's soul manipulation, its combined versatility and resilience made it absurdly dangerous. A hybrid creation—part weapon, part mythical beast.
Even Yonko-level individuals would find it nearly impossible to eliminate.
This… was the Ultimate Alchemical Creature.
Carl retracted his hand with a calm nod and a faint smile. "Perfectly stable."
"Roar—" the dragon responded in acknowledgment.
"Well, from now on… your name is 'Gluttony.'" Carl patted its obsidian forehead.
The naming was no accident. Gluttony was inspired by the artificial humans from the Steel World's alchemy doctrine—an allusion to the seven deadly sins. But unlike those emotion-based homunculi, this dragon's foundation was mechanical and scientific, not emotional.
Carl had deliberately bypassed the instability of soul-based alchemy and forged Gluttony from raw logic and physical law.
Hence, the combat effectiveness had reached this terrifying level.
"Go ahead," Carl gestured. "Enjoy your first meal."
"ROOOAR!!"
Gluttony turned its massive head with mechanical grace.
"F-First meal?!" Caesar finally snapped out of his trance. His expression contorted in horror. "Wait! Vice Admiral Carl! Please—I'm still useful! I haven't even shown you—"
His body began dissolving into gas, the Gasu Gasu no Mi ability activating.
But it was far too late.
SNAP!!!
With one smooth motion, the dragon's massive jaws shut. Caesar vanished from view, swallowed whole.
[Devouring] engaged.
The scientist was now trapped inside the "Gate of False Truth," where the internal mechanisms would deconstruct his physical form.
"You really thought I'd let you go?" Carl muttered, eyes narrowing. "After everything you've done… death is mercy."
Originally, Carl had only intended to capture him. But Caesar had tried to flee using the Death Kingdom Gas, and even tested it on Carl during the earlier encounter. That crossed a line.
"You should be grateful. Compared to what you'd face in Impel Down's Level 6, this is a peaceful death," Carl exhaled slowly, his eyes flashing with faint red light.
His Observation Haki covered all of Punk Hazard, revealing the horrific atrocities Caesar had committed here.
Human experiments on kidnapped children, trading SMILE fruits for Doflamingo and Kaido, the mass-production of artificial Zoan fruits, and even developing weapons for Big Mom before her recent mental breakdown. He'd pushed the Death State project—gas capable of annihilating entire towns.
Even the World Government would have likely raised his bounty to 600 million if they knew the full scope.
With all that…
Carl had given him the kindest death possible.
"Time to go," Carl said casually, beckoning toward Yamato.
Fwoosh—
The immense dragon shifted positions, curling its neck in front of them. Carl moved a plush chair into position, tapping it once. With a clank of alchemical light, it reformed into a saddle.
"Let's ride the dragon out," Carl smiled.
"Alright!" Yamato replied cheerfully, still amazed by Gluttony.
The two sat atop the modified saddle. Carl patted the dragon's scale gently.
"Fly."
Whooooosh—
With a blast of frozen air and high-pressure propulsion, Gluttony shot skyward through the massive opening.
Trailing behind them in a swirl of sakura petals was Vergo's hovering form, cloaked in Armament Haki.
"ROAAARR!!"
The artificial dragon let loose another infernal bellow. Flames surged from its maw, spiraling upward like a tornado of violet hellfire.
Fssshhh—!
The night sky split as the alchemical creature soared into the clouds.
Sand, rock—everything melted under this terrifying, furnace-like heat!
The molten devastation carved a direct path through the ground, piercing through layers of hardened stone as if they were paper. Even after breaching the underground base, the terrifying green dragon's breath surged upward, spiraling toward the sky without losing momentum.
"W-What is that…?" Law, who had already escaped the collapsing underground lab, clutched his injured shoulder while staring wide-eyed at the spectacle.
The emerald flames shooting skyward made his heart pound.
"Just what the hell is going on down there?!"
The violent tremors traveled from deep beneath the earth all the way to the surface. The shockwaves were so intense, Law could feel them vibrating through his feet.
Punk Hazard's lower levels weren't supposed to have access to anything like this—
So that meant…
The dragon had been forged. Built, not born.
High above the chaos, Carl sat calmly atop the beast's back, legs steady in the dragon saddle. With practiced ease, he pulled out a cigar, struck a flame with his finger, and lit it.
"Huh—" A puff of smoke drifted from his lips. "Well, at least its intelligence system seems stable."
"Intelligence?" Yamato, seated behind him, gripped the dragon's tough scales, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"Yeah. After what it's been through, you can't really call it a living being anymore," Carl replied with a cool smirk. "It's more like a bio-alchemical weapon now."
Rustle—
Chunks of rock and debris fell away from the beast's emergence tunnel as the monstrous body surged through.
With a sky-splitting howl, the dragon burst into the open air!
Chaaannnttt—!!
A reverberating roar echoed across the clouds of Punk Hazard, shaking even the drifting volcanic ash.
Thud.
Law collapsed to his knees on the slope near the ruined coastline, stunned. He stared into the sky, mouth half-open.
"You've gotta be kidding…"
Farther out to sea, aboard the massive Marine battleship Oak Dragon, Vice Admiral T. Penn's eyes widened in disbelief.
That was a dragon.
A full-sized, living dragon flying through the sky like a force of nature.
"Kaido?!"
Cold sweat gathered on his brow.
That monstrous silhouette—there was only one creature in the world that could match it: the Beast Pirate Governor-General, Kaido of the Hundred Beasts!
"YAAAAANNN—!!"
The closer the dragon came, the louder and longer its roar became.
T. Penn turned, barking orders sharply:
"Everyone! Prepare for battle!!"
"Yes, sir!!"
The entire Marine crew stood tense, their gazes locked upward. They drew sabers and raised rifles, bracing themselves. Even for the elite, the sudden appearance of such a creature was deeply unsettling.
This was the brutal reality of the sea: the overwhelming power gap between monsters and men.
The power of a single person—or beast—could annihilate a city or level an entire nation.
Saaa—!!
A massive gust split the air as the dragon passed above the Oak Dragon warship in the blink of an eye, casting its enormous shadow down on the entire deck.
"O-Oak Dragon Vice Admiral?!"
T. Penn's jaw nearly unhinged as he looked up.
On the back of the colossal creature, two figures were visible—just behind the dragon's horned head.
"Don't panic," a familiar voice called out from the sky.
"It's me," said Carl with a slight wave.
"This… this dragon—what is it?!" T. Penn shouted in disbelief.
The Marines lowered their weapons cautiously, relieved yet visibly confused.
How did their Vice Admiral go on an island mission and come back riding a dragon like a mount?!
"This guy?" Carl tapped the ridge of scales beside him. "He's mine." He grinned. "Let's just call him my pet."
"P-PET?!"
All the Marines onboard had their worldviews shattered on the spot.
It was like someone casually saying Kaido was their bodyguard.
It was a DRAGON!
"Yes. His name's 'Gluttony'. Don't worry—he's not hostile," Carl said as he casually patted the creature.
"Roooaaarrr—"
As if responding to the attention, the dragon known as Gluttony let out a lower, more controlled growl.
"…I see."
T. Penn exhaled deeply and rubbed the back of his neck, doing his best to process the impossible.
"Then, Vice Admiral… should we head back to headquarters now?"
"Oh yeah," Carl said, stretching lazily. "Thanks for the reminder."
Saaa—
A gentle breeze carried a swirl of glowing pink petals through the air, circling behind the dragon.
"I'll head back first," Carl said, watching the petals with a thoughtful gaze. "You can follow after."
He looked down toward Punk Hazard's scorched landscape. There was still one more thing to wrap up.
That "thing" had been dug up with his own hands.
It needed to be finished—
by him.
"Yes."
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