Once all the crew members had disembarked, Davy Jones waved his hand, and the Terror Ghost began to sail away from the harbor.
It would patrol the waters around Punk Hazard, not sparing a single Marine ship it came across.
Standing upon the frozen shore were Law, Buggy, Perona, Kid, Drake, and Bonney — six of them in total.
Porche remained behind on Terror Ghost Island.
Law furrowed his brow; he could already sense something — though only faintly.
"Captain," he said to Davy Jones, "the 'disturbance' on Punk Hazard… it seems to be worse than I imagined."
"The two beasts," Davy Jones replied with a spark of interest, "I'll deal with them myself.
As for the others on the island — you'll handle them one by one."
"Yes, Captain," Law responded curtly.
"'Beasts'?" Buggy blinked in confusion. Then, prompted by Law's words, he used his Observation Haki — and his face instantly changed color.
"These two… these two auras…"
Those who couldn't use Haki were left completely in the dark, unable to sense what they were talking about.
Davy Jones, however, had no intention of explaining.
His black cloak swelled and twisted around him; his form dissolved into shadow — and in the next instant, he scattered into a flock of black crows that screeched and cawed as they took flight toward the island's center.
As soon as Davy Jones departed, Drake finally exhaled in relief — only to hear Law speak again.
"We move together," Law said calmly. "Within the G-5 branch forces on this island, there are several strong ones — Vergo, Smoker, and Tashigi.
Eliminate them, and the rest will collapse."
He paused, then added, "Especially 'Demon Bamboo' Vergo — be cautious around him."
"Huh? From the way you said that, you sound like you know this Vergo guy," Buggy remarked suspiciously.
Law cast him a glance, then looked briefly toward the three other "Supernovas." He didn't elaborate.
"We've met. That's all.
But trust me — he's not someone to be taken lightly. Best if you leave him to me."
Drake watched Law quietly. Something about that exchange set off an alarm in his mind.
Law… knows Vice Admiral Vergo? What was that supposed to mean?
Then, a wild thought struck him — could Trafalgar Law also be a Marine spy, just like himself? Otherwise, how would he…?
Drake couldn't help but drift into uneasy speculation.
"Tch, forget it," Buggy muttered, clicking his tongue. "All these cryptic types…"
He looked around at the endless stretch of snow and ice. "Hey, wasn't there supposed to be a 'dragon' on this island? Where is it?"
"Probably deeper inside," Law replied. "Let's move."
Vergo, meanwhile, had handed Spandam and Nero — those two burdens — over to his subordinates for protection.
He then used the excuse of "reporting the enemy situation to the Admirals" to separate himself from the main G-5 force.
Temporary command had been transferred to Smoker.
Smoker didn't hesitate to accept it. Even though the Davy Jones Pirates had grown far more dangerous since the Summit War, a Marine had no right to retreat.
He, Tashigi, and Hina all had long-standing, personal entanglements with Davy Jones and his crew — so having them lead the counteroffensive was only fitting.
Most of the Marines in G-5 were rough men — blunt, straightforward types. After witnessing Smoker's strength, none of them voiced any objection to following him.
Thus, Smoker's Marine forces clashed head-on with the pirates under Law's command, and fierce battle broke out across the island.
While chaos erupted outside, Vergo traversed the island's frozen wasteland in silence.
But instead of heading toward the island's center, he used Geppo (Moonwalk) to veer in another direction.
Before long, he arrived at a cluster of three abandoned research facilities — remnants of the "genius scientist" Vegapunk's experiments.
Two of them had been destroyed in previous failed experiments, leaving only one building intact.
Vergo entered that surviving structure.
He moved with practiced ease through the corridors, finding a hidden door and entering the code. Once inside, the thick metal door sealed behind him, cutting off the frigid air completely.
Immediately, armed figures rushed out from the shadows — clad in heavy protective suits and gas masks, rifles in hand. Chemical hazard markings glowed on their weapons.
"Stop right there!" their leader shouted. "How did you get in here? Who are you — and how do you know the code to this door?!"
Vergo had no interest in wasting time. He reached into his pocket, took out a damp handkerchief, covered his mouth and nose — ready to strike.
Just then, a fluttering of wings sounded overhead.
A woman with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a bird — Monet — soared over the armed group, her sharp eyes glinting.
"Lower your weapons," she ordered calmly.
"Miss Monet!" the suited men looked up, instantly recognizing her. They quickly obeyed, lowering their guns.
Monet descended gracefully, her talons touching down with the soft scrape of ice.
She folded her snowy wings and smiled faintly at Vergo.
"What brings you here? I thought we agreed — you'd stay offshore."
"Plans have changed," Vergo replied flatly, tucking the handkerchief back into his pocket.
"Take me to Caesar Clown."
"I see…" Monet smiled knowingly and gestured ahead.
"Caesar's working on his 'Giantification' research. I'll take you to him."
"Good."
She resumed her human form, brushing a lock of mint-green hair behind her ear, and walked ahead.
To the men in protective suits, she said lightly, "It's fine now. You may return to your posts."
Though confused, they trusted the secretary of Caesar Clown — and dispersed.
Once the two of them were alone in the corridor, Monet stopped walking.
"Is there a new order from the Young Master?" she asked, her tone suddenly shifting — her playful demeanor replaced by complete seriousness.
Not even when speaking to Caesar did she adopt such a grave expression.
"No," Vergo shook his head. "But a new problem has arrived."
"Something worse than 'Akainu' and 'Aokiji'?" Monet raised an eyebrow.
"Davy Jones," Vergo answered, adjusting his sunglasses. "His crew has clashed with my G-5 forces. Their motives are unclear."
Monet blinked in surprise. "I thought Davy Jones was expanding his influence in Fish-Man Island? How did he reach this far so fast?"
"Probably just bad luck," Vergo said, his tone cold.
"First Akainu and Aokiji — of all places, they chose this island for their duel.
And now Davy Jones barges in, stirring things up…
It greatly increases our risk of exposure. The Young Master won't be pleased."
"Don't call him that by name," Monet chided softly. "You should say 'Young Master' — or by his underworld title, Joker."
Vergo gave her a sidelong look. Loyal woman, he thought.
But he'd known Donquixote Doflamingo, the "Heavenly Yaksha," long before Monet had even entered the picture. She had no right to lecture him.
Indeed, on the surface they were a Marine Vice Admiral and Caesar's secretary — but in truth, both were agents of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Doflamingo.
"Has Caesar been complaining about being confined to the lab?" Vergo asked abruptly.
"Of course," Monet sighed softly. "I had to calm him down. It's been almost eight days since he last stepped outside. Honestly, even I'm starting to go mad."
"How long can the food and water here last?"
"Plenty," Monet replied after a quick mental calculation. "Half a year, at least.
If we get rid of those useless test subjects in hazmat suits — and the children — we could stretch it even further. Why?"
"Take me to Caesar," Vergo said coldly. "This place has drawn too much attention.
It's only a matter of time before the 'secret experiments' are exposed."
Monet hesitated, her expression uneasy.
"You mean…"
"Exactly," Vergo said decisively, his voice turning icy. "We'll end it all in one stroke.
Tell Caesar to release his 'treasure.'"
"...The gas?" Even Monet's face paled.
"You intend to— shouldn't we ask the Young Master first?"
"I have independent authority," Vergo said evenly. "But if you wish, contact him for confirmation."
Monet gave a low whistle. "You're bold, I'll give you that.
You really mean to use it here — to wipe out two Admirals, two Vice Admirals, and one notorious pirate all at once?"
"After eight days of fighting, Akainu and Aokiji are at their weakest," Vergo explained.
"Davy Jones will clash with them soon — and once they're all exhausted, one sweep of Caesar's gas will remove every obstacle.
It'll buy us at least a week or two to transfer the experimental data elsewhere."
Monet smiled faintly. "But doing that means your cover will be blown."
"It doesn't matter," Vergo replied coldly.
"Vice Admiral Vergo of G-5 will have 'died' in the gas…
and Vergo of the Donquixote Family, the 'Heart,' will be reborn once more."
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