BOOM—!
A side wall exploded inward under a tremendous impact, and from the dust burst forth a massive, fire-breathing dragon with two leathery wings.
Its glowing eyes locked onto the three intruders—and it charged.
"It's chasing us again?!"
Buggy shrieked, nearly tripping over himself. In the chaos of toxic gas and rampaging fire-dragons, they'd been separated from Law and Drake.
Kid laughed as he ran. "Didn't you say you wanted to see a dragon? Well, wish granted."
His right arm gleamed with magnetized metal, forming a brutal fusion of machine and weapon.
"I was joking when I said that back on the shore!" Buggy yelled, panic and indignation warring on his painted face. "How was I supposed to know this island's crawling with monsters?!"
After another round of frantic shouting, Buggy managed to collect himself enough to bark orders:
"Perona! Hit it with your Negative Hollows! Kid, use that mechanical fist of yours and smash it down!"
Perona was panting hard from the sprint, too winded to reply. Instead, she turned mid-run and thrust out both hands.
From her palms floated two pale-white ghosts—round, eerie, and moaning softly as they drifted through the air like bubbles.
The wraiths let out chilling howls as they dove straight through the dragon's chest and out again.
The dragon took no visible damage—but suddenly, its mighty body slumped, crashing onto the metal floor with a quake that shook the whole hallway.
It folded its wings, lying still, as if overcome by despair.
"Now's your chance, Kid! Take it down!" Buggy urged, his voice cracking.
"I know!" Kid growled, digging his heels in and pivoting sharply.
In one fluid leap, he vaulted over Perona, launching himself toward the dragon's head.
With a roar, his massive mechanical arm came crashing down.
THUD—!
The dragon's skull was driven into the floor like a nail into wood.
It twitched, limbs spasming once… twice… then went limp.
Buggy threw up his arms in triumph. "Ha! As expected, my tactical brilliance is flawless!"
Kid landed beside the fallen dragon, rolling his eyes. He didn't even bother arguing.
Perona finally collapsed against a wall, catching her breath and wiping sweat from her pale cheeks with a dainty handkerchief.
Buggy's disassembled body parts reattached themselves, reforming atop his own two feet.
He gave the dragon a long, thoughtful look—until something made him grunt in suspicion.
"Hm?"
That one sound made Kid and Perona tense instantly. They turned toward him.
Over the course of their exploration, Buggy's uncanny Observation Haki—refined by years of cowardice and survival instinct—had saved them more than once.
Aside from that single dragon encounter, they'd avoided every major danger on the island.
For that reason alone, Kid and Perona had reluctantly accepted him as their temporary leader.
Buggy's gaze shifted toward a dark corridor ahead.
"There's… something nearby," he muttered. "Something… monstrous."
The words had barely left his lips when a deep, guttural roar echoed from that very direction.
Kid scowled and marched toward the sound.
A thick steel wall blocked his path—so he swung his metal arm once, twice, smashing it down until the barrier crumpled like paper.
Another wall stood behind it; he tore through that one too.
Within moments, he had literally punched himself a new path through the facility.
When Buggy and Perona caught up, they found Kid standing at the edge of a vast chamber, staring through an iron railing into the depths below.
"What is it?" Buggy asked, stepping up beside him.
Down below, perhaps ten meters deep, stood a massive, glowing, dome-shaped containment field.
And inside that translucent barrier—something moved.
It was a crimson beast.
Its body was bulky and slick, supported by four stumpy legs, while a tail like a fish's fin swayed lazily behind it.
"What in the world… is that?" Buggy whispered, eyes wide.
Perona joined them at the railing, curiosity shining despite her exhaustion.
The three stared in silence, unable to name or even describe what kind of creature they were seeing.
Then—
BZZZT—!
A sharp burst of static rang from hidden speakers.
Buggy and Perona both clutched their ears.
Kid merely frowned, his brow twitching.
"...Intruders."
The voice that followed was smooth yet oily, echoing across the chamber.
"So, you've stumbled upon my little treasure…"
Buggy's eyes darted around the room, pinpointing the direction of the sound.
"There! Over there—by the dome's shadow!"
A silhouette stirred within the gloom.
"Oh-ho… caught me already? How troublesome."
From the shadows drifted a man—his upper body humanoid, but his legs dissolving into swirling violet gas.
Two curling horns jutted from his head.
Kid's eyes narrowed. "A Logia-type."
The man chuckled softly. "So you're with the Davy Jones Pirates, aren't you? Then we're not necessarily enemies. Pirates and scientists can get along… under the right terms."
He gestured downward. "Come. Let's talk. Unless, of course, you're too afraid."
That was all Kid needed to hear. Without a moment's hesitation, he vaulted over the railing.
"Always so damn reckless…" Buggy grumbled, then sighed.
He glanced at Perona. "Come on. Let's go."
Leaving his legs behind to act as an anchor, Buggy's floating torso descended alongside Perona's ghostly form, gently drifting to the floor below.
When the trio regrouped near the containment dome, the creature inside bellowed at them—a guttural, rage-filled roar that made the air tremble.
And at last, the voice's owner revealed himself fully.
"I am the true genius scientist," he said with a wide, gleeful grin. "Caesar Clown."
Caesar Clown spread his arms, the grin on his face stretching unnaturally wide.
"This," he declared, tapping the transparent barrier beside him, "is my greatest masterpiece! It's not perfect yet, of course—but give me another year or two, and it'll become the most dreadful weapon of mass slaughter ever born!"
Buggy raised a painted brow. "Genius scientist, huh? I've only ever heard of Vegapunk."
The mention of that name made Caesar's face twist with fury.
"Don't you dare compare me to that self-righteous fool!" he shouted. "Vegapunk is nothing! I've surpassed him completely! Even the Four Emperors and the Warlords of the Sea covet my inventions!"
He threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing like a madman's.
Once, Caesar had indeed been Vegapunk's assistant—two years ago, during their time on Punk Hazard, he'd worked alongside him on human experimentation.
But their partnership had crumbled when Caesar insisted on pursuing forbidden research… culminating in the creation of the abomination now contained before them.
When Vegapunk refused to support him, Caesar took matters into his own hands.
In a fit of vindictive rage, he detonated two of the island's three research facilities, blanketing Punk Hazard in toxic gas and killing countless scientists and Marines.
Captured by the Navy but later escaping custody, Caesar vanished into obscurity—until three powerful "investors" brought him back to life.
Now, puffed with pride, he strutted before them, gesturing animatedly.
"My work has attracted three sponsors so far," he said, smirking. "First—Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom herself, patron of the Giantification Project!"
He chuckled darkly. "To tell you the truth, I think that line of research is a dead end. But as long as she keeps paying, I'm happy to experiment on a few children and send her some fabricated data. Hmph! A genius knows how to please his clients."
Perona's face blanched. Buggy and Kid exchanged a glance, equally disturbed.
Caesar went on, his tone turning gleeful again.
"Second—Kaido of the Beasts Pirates! His money fuels my Artificial Devil Fruit Project! The man has a special fondness for the Zoan series. I've already produced plenty of semi-finished products."
He spread his arms with a flourish. "You've seen them yourselves, haven't you? Those fire-breathing dragons you fought on the way here—those are my creations! The crowning triumphs of the Artificial Zoan!"
Buggy, Kid, and Perona all fell silent, their expressions darkening.
They hadn't realized that the monsters terrorizing this island were Caesar's doing—nor that Kaido himself was one of his clients.
Caesar's grin widened further, feeding off their shock.
"But my most important benefactor," he continued, "the one who truly allowed me to thrive in the underworld… is the king of the black market himself—Joker!"
"'Joker'...?"
Perona and Kid turned in unison toward the red-nosed clown standing beside them.
Buggy flailed his arms. "Hey—hey! Don't look at me! I don't even know what he's talking about!"
Caesar blinked, momentarily thrown off. Then he smirked.
"Not you, clown. I mean Donquixote Doflamingo! You didn't know? That's his underworld alias—'Joker.'"
Understanding dawned across Kid's and Perona's faces. "Ahh… that makes more sense."
Buggy muttered under his breath, cheeks burning with irritation. "Could've led with that, you maniac…"
But none of them could hide their astonishment.
Big Mom. Kaido. Doflamingo.
Each a name that shook the seas—and all of them, apparently, Caesar Clown's clients.
Caesar, clearly enjoying the disbelief on their faces, walked toward the shimmering containment dome.
"Of course," he said casually, "I have a few other customers too, but they're small-time nobodies. Not worth mentioning."
He ran one gloved hand along the glowing surface of the barrier, his eyes gleaming with mad devotion.
"Doflamingo's investment was for a weapon of mass destruction. And that, gentlemen and lady, is when inspiration struck!"
His grin stretched, crooked and feral.
"I realized that the poisonous gas that once blanketed Punk Hazard could be compressed, combined with the essence of a Zoan Devil Fruit, and reborn as something far more terrifying—something alive."
Inside the dome, the crimson creature stirred again, its gelatinous body quivering. It slammed against the barrier with a deafening thud.
"Behold—Slime!" Caesar's voice rang with manic pride. "A gas-based lifeform infused with the Axolotl Zoan Fruit! A monster born of science and Devil Fruit—a living weapon of destruction!"
The monstrous Slime let out a deafening roar, sending vibrations up through the floor.
Caesar turned back toward them, his expression smug and businesslike once more.
"I know of your Davy Jones Pirates," he said smoothly. "Expanding your territory, aren't you? Expansion means war. And war means weapons."
He spread his arms wide in invitation.
"So? Interested in my creations? If your captain is willing to pay the right price, I can arm your entire crew. Perhaps you'd like something… toxic?"
Buggy, Kid, and Perona all froze. Even for pirates, the offer was appalling.
Weapons born of human experimentation—poison, monsters, and mass slaughter.
Even by their standards, this was a line few dared to cross.
Their captain, Davy Jones, might be ruthless toward enemies and traitors, but he was no butcher of innocents.
To unleash indiscriminate poison would kill ally and foe alike—and that, even they knew, was unthinkable.
The three exchanged uneasy glances.
For the first time, Caesar seemed unsettled by their hesitation.
What's this? he thought. They're not interested?
Kaido and Doflamingo had accepted his "toys" without question. Even Big Mom had thrown money at his experiments.
But these pirates… were hesitating?
His smile faltered for the briefest moment—then hardened into cold resolve.
"Well then," he muttered, drifting upward into the air, his gaseous lower body twisting. "That's disappointing. But I suppose it makes things easier."
From his coat pocket, he drew a small handheld remote and pressed a crimson button.
"If you won't buy my weapons… then you can experience them firsthand."
The dome split open from the top, unfolding like a metallic flower.
Panels retracted with smooth precision, lowering into the floor—and the Slime was released.
ROOOAAAR—!
The monstrous creature bellowed, its gel-like body trembling as it surged forward.
Each drop of its oozing toxin that splashed onto the ground hissed and smoked, releasing clouds of corrosive gas.
Buggy, Kid, and Perona barely had time to react before the beast lunged.
They scattered, diving for cover as Caesar's gleeful laughter filled the chamber.
"Now then," he said, eyes wild with delight, "let me show you… just how magnificent my science truly is!"
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