On the sea outside Punk Hazard, a massive warship was currently floating.
Standing on the ship were the Marines of G-5!
"What is Vice Admiral Vergo doing?"
A Marine glanced curiously at the captain's cabin and said, "Why hasn't he come out since earlier?"
"Maybe he's shy, hahahaha."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone burst into laughter.
"Hey, hey, hey, you'll get beaten up for saying that... hahaha."
"It's fine, he can't hear us from inside the captain's cabin anyway, hahahaha."
"What a bunch of idiots."
Hearing the commotion, a hint of mockery flashed in Vergo's eyes. These fools probably had no idea what awaited them.
After quietly lowering the curtain, Vergo returned to his seat and took out a Den Den Mushi.
"Purupurupuru~"
"Purupurupuru~"
"Purupurupuru~"
"Click~"
"Who is it?" Caesar said.
"It's Vergo," Vergo replied calmly. "I assume Doflamingo has already informed you of the details."
After receiving news that Smoker would succeed him as Vice Admiral of the G-5 Branch, Vergo had reported this to Doflamingo.
The decision was for him to come to Punk Hazard to protect Caesar after stepping down!
This was one of the reasons he was here.
"Yes, he contacted me."
Caesar nodded. "So, have you already stepped down?"
"Not yet."
Vergo said indifferently, "Originally, I planned to return today to hand over duties to Smoker, but I suddenly received news that the Straw Hat Crew has arrived on this island, so I decided to come here and take a look."
If necessary, he would step in and eliminate the entire Straw Hat Crew.
"Shurororororo~"
"The Straw Hat Crew has indeed appeared on this island," Caesar said, glancing at the Wanted Posters on the table. "My men just captured a few members of the Straw Hat Crew."
Especially that Cyborg—his body must be quite fascinating~
Well, after this call, I'll go and bring that guy out for a thorough study.
"You've already captured a few people..." Vergo said. "Who are they?"
"Some of the weaker ones."
Caesar thought for a moment. "The stronger ones, like Straw Hat Boy, haven't been caught."
"Then it seems I came at the right time," Vergo said.
The troublesome ones in the Straw Hat Crew are mainly the stronger members; the weaker ones pose little threat.
"Actually, it wouldn't have mattered if you hadn't come," Caesar said. "After all, Law is here with us."
As he spoke, Caesar glanced at the spot where Law had been sitting earlier and continued, "His strength is quite impressive."
"He is not trustworthy," Vergo said flatly.
Since that guy dared to betray the Young Master once, he would dare to do it a second time. That's why Vergo didn't trust him.
"It doesn't matter. That guy's heart is in my hands anyway," Caesar said.
As long as he held Law's heart, he wasn't afraid of the other disobeying.
This time, Vergo didn't refute him. Instead, he nodded and said, "Indeed, that's true."
"But keeping the heart with you isn't entirely safe. Hand it over to me once I arrive."
With his strength, even if Law tried to betray them, there was no way he could snatch the heart back.
"Alright, no problem."
Caesar knew Vergo's capabilities, so he didn't mind handing it over. This would also keep Law better in check.
Then, as if remembering something, Caesar said, "By the way, did you come alone this time, or..."
"Most of the G-5 Branch personnel are with me."
"That's perfect." A smirk curled at the corner of Caesar's mouth. "I happen to be quite short on experimental subjects right now~"
Hearing Caesar's words, Vergo fell silent for a moment before replying, "Fine."
When he uttered that word, Vergo's expression didn't change at all. Clearly, he didn't much care about the lives of those people.
"That'll be a huge help."
"Shurororororo~"
"Alright, I'm probably about to reach the island soon. We'll talk more once I'm inside."
"Okay."
Click
After casually placing the disconnected Den Den Mushi on the table, Caesar smirked. "Vergo's timing is really perfect."
With those G-5 Marines, his research progress wouldn't fall behind.
Shurororororo~
Then, Caesar glanced at Monet, who had just walked in through the door, and asked, "Monet, where did that Law guy go?"
"Not sure."
Monet shook his head. "Maybe he went back to his room."
He had also just returned not long ago, so he didn't know where Law had gone.
Hearing this, Caesar frowned slightly before averting his gaze. "Forget it, never mind him."
That guy can do whatever he wants.
Just then, a soldier in a protective suit rushed in from outside, his voice urgent. "It's bad, Master! The people we captured earlier have escaped!"
"What?"
Caesar roared angrily. "How is that possible?!"
The door imprisoning those guys was extremely sturdy—even cannons couldn't blast it open!
How could they possibly have gotten out under such circumstances?
"But they did get out..."
"Was the door blown open?"
"No." The man shook his head. "The door shows no damage at all. It looks like someone simply opened it."
Hearing this, Caesar was immediately stunned.
The door was opened?
Who did it?
Is there a traitor?
Thinking of this, Caesar's expression turned grim.
"Perhaps the Straw Hat Crew has some special Ability User," Monet said, pushing up his glasses.
Caesar fell silent. If there wasn't a traitor, then this was the only plausible explanation.
Then, Caesar looked at the man and asked, "Did you notice what kind of Ability Users they were?"
"Only two of them have taken action so far," the man reported. "One is an orange-haired woman. She can release many strange clouds from her body."
"Those clouds can unleash lightning. Our men couldn't stop her at all."
"Clouds?"
Monet was taken aback for a moment, then said with great interest, "A Logia type?"
To think they'd encounter a Logia-type Ability User here... How intriguing!
Caesar also showed a look of interest. Logia-type experimental subjects were quite rare indeed.
"Our bullets really couldn't hit that woman, so I also think she's a Logia type."
This was one of the reasons he had come here for help—because they didn't know Haki!
"Then use Sea Stone," Caesar said. "As long as you can touch her body with Sea Stone, you can capture her!"
"Understood!"
Caesar nodded, then continued asking, "What about the other person?"
"The other one..."
The man thought for a moment and said, "That woman can release some strange ghosts. Just touching them makes you extremely pessimistic..."
As if recalling a certain scene, the man's expression turned unpleasant.
The way he had knelt on the ground earlier was just too embarrassing...
"Ghosts?"
Monet was stunned for a second, then said, "Could it be that this person was the one who opened the gate?"
She felt this possibility was very high.
"Most likely that guy," Caesar nodded, then waved his hand grandly and said, "Increase the manpower. Make sure to capture these guys for me!"
"Don't forget to bring the Seastone Handcuffs and the Seastone chain net," Monet reminded.
"Understood!"
The man nodded, then picked up his weapon and ran outside.
"Shurororororo~"
"A Logia-type experimental subject~" Caesar said with a smirk. "How interesting~"
This time, he could study it properly!
Shurororororo~
Watching Caesar laughing uncontrollably, Monet's lips twitched slightly.
This lunatic...
"Is this island even habitable?"
Staring at the island blocked by the iceberg, the Marines from the G-5 Branch looked grim.
Wouldn't they be poisoned to death going to such a place?
"Ah, Vice Admiral Vergo, you're out."
"Mhm."
Vergo, with a piece of beef stuck to his face, squinted in confusion at the distant iceberg and said, "What's the situation now?"
"Our ship has been blocked by several icebergs," a Marine reported.
"Icebergs, huh..."
Vergo narrowed his eyes as he stared into the distance. That guy Caesar really had his ways.
"Vice Admiral Vergo, do we really have to go there?" a Marine said hesitantly. "This island is filled with poisonous gas!"
Although they had brought gas masks, in such a dangerous place, gas masks might not even be useful!
"That's right, Vice Admiral Vergo. The Straw Hat Crew definitely wouldn't come here."
"Exactly, please reconsider."
If possible, they really didn't want to go to this extremely dangerous island.
After all... they might be poisoned to death!
"No, I've received confirmed intel that the Straw Hat Crew has come here," Vergo said calmly. "So we must go."
"Only then can we bring these evildoers to justice!"
Seeing that Vergo had spoken so decisively, the others couldn't say much more.
After all... he was the boss.
But the thought of going to a place possibly filled with poisonous gas made their heads ache.
"They... really won't die in there?"
As if reading the thoughts of these subordinates, Vergo said, "Don't worry, the poisonous gas on this island might already be gone."
"Gone?"
The others were stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then asked in confusion, "What do you mean by that?"
"You can see this Ice Island, right?" Vergo pointed at the ice island before them.
"Of course, we're not blind..."
Vergo didn't get angry upon hearing this. Instead, he raised his hand and pointed toward the sky above the island, continuing, "And opposite this Ice Island is a volcano filled with flames!"
"?"
"!!!"
Listening to Vergo's words, all the Marines were dumbfounded.
Then, one Marine said in a tone of disbelief, "How is that possible, Vice Admiral Vergo!"
"Yeah, how could two islands with completely different attributes exist in this world? Please don't joke about this."
They could believe that the climate in the New World changed rapidly, but they absolutely refused to believe in such an ice-fire island.
After all... these were two opposing attributes!
"I know you don't believe it. Before coming here, I didn't believe it either," Vergo said. "But I just used Moonwalk to go up and take a look. The opposite side really is Fire Island."
"And this... confirms a rumor I heard before."
"There really is one... gulp..."
Listening to Vergo's words, a trace of shock flashed in the eyes of the Marines. Could such an ice-fire island really exist in this world?!
This was too unbelievable!
"What rumor did you hear?" someone asked.
"You know about the duel between Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and the former Marine Admiral, Aokiji, right?" Vergo said.
"Of course, who wouldn't know about such a major event?"
It was a huge incident that shocked the entire world and made the newspapers!
Even ordinary civilians knew about it, let alone those within the Marine system like them.
"Is what you're saying related to this event?"
"Of course it's related," Vergo nodded, then pointed at the island before them and said, "This is the place where Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and Aokiji fought for ten days and ten nights."
"According to rumors, when they fought here two years ago, the poisonous gas had already mostly dissipated."
"That's why they chose this place as their battleground."
"And this current ice-fire island... was created due to the influence of their abilities!"
As soon as these words were spoken, all the Marines showed expressions of shock.
What had they just heard?
The current Marine Fleet Admiral and the former Marine Admiral fought on this island for ten days and ten nights, altering the island's climate?
Wasn't that a bit too terrifying?
Was this the power of the world's peak fighters?
Permanently changing an island's climate?
"Gulp..."
"This... is this really possible..."
"I know this sounds unbelievable, but it's the truth," Vergo said.
As he spoke, a hint of envy appeared in Vergo's eyes.
If he possessed such formidable strength... he could have helped Doflamingo.
It was a pity he didn't have that capability.
Sigh...
"Permanently altering the climate... truly terrifying combat power."
Is this the power of a Marine Admiral and Marine Fleet Admiral?
It truly exceeds imagination.
"So you all can rest assured," Vergo said. "This island should now be suitable for human habitation."
Upon hearing this, the Marines sighed in relief, then laughed and said, "Then there's nothing more to worry about."
"Let's head to Punk Hazard together!!"
"Alright!!"
Taking in their reactions, a hint of mockery flashed in Vergo's eyes.
He wondered how these guys would react once they knew their fate~
After a cold, internal chuckle, Vergo slowly adjusted his sunglasses.
Just then, a Marine pointed at Vergo's face and said, "Vice Admiral Vergo, there's a piece of steak stuck to your face..."
"Ah, probably got stuck there accidentally while eating again."
As he spoke, Vergo removed the steak from his face and tossed it into his mouth to eat.
Food is precious at sea, so it shouldn't be wasted.
Seeing this, the other Marines felt a bit helpless. Their Vice Admiral Vergo could be such a scatterbrain at times.
Shortly after, the Navigator approached and said, "Vice Admiral Vergo, there are icebergs everywhere here. It won't be easy to get in..."
"I know."
Staring at the distant icebergs, Vergo calmly replied, "But there will always be a way in."
As he spoke, Vergo recalled the method Doflamingo had previously instructed him for entering Punk Hazard.
Then, he raised his hand and pointed toward an area with a whirlpool, saying, "Use the cannons to blast open the icebergs there."
"Understood!"
The Marines immediately sprang into action, turning the cannons to aim at the distant icebergs and firing without hesitation.
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
"Boom!!"
Soon, several cannonballs struck the distant icebergs, forcefully blasting numerous cracks into them.
The next moment...
"Crack~"
"Boom!!"
Having reached their limit, the icebergs shattered into countless ice fragments!
With the icebergs no longer blocking the way, the Marines noticed the river hidden behind them.
"There really is a river back there!" a Marine exclaimed in shock. "Vice Admiral Vergo, how did you discover it?"
"Boss, you're amazing!"
"Hahaha!"
"I just happened to notice something unusual," Vergo said, pointing at the gradually disappearing whirlpool. "The whirlpool in that area didn't look normal."
Hearing this, the others immediately glanced in the direction Vergo pointed and exclaimed, "Incredible! We didn't notice that at all!"
"No wonder he's called the Bamboo. His insight is beyond human!"
"Hahaha."
"Enough nonsense, you guys," Vergo frowned. "Hurry up and steer the ship inside."
"Ahaha, Vice Admiral Vergo is getting a bit angry~"
"Hurry, hurry, let's get the ship moving!"
"Alright!"
Vergo paid no further attention to these guys, instead fixing his gaze intently on the distant icebergs, lost in thought.
After a moment, he murmured, "I hope you all behave yourselves."
"The temperature by this river is noticeably much colder..."
After staring at the water's surface for a while, Usopp looked up at the distant Ice Island and said, "I just wonder how they're doing over there."
"Probably trying to escape," Meiser replied.
Given their physical constitution, they should wake up quickly, so Meiser guessed that Nami and the others were likely attempting to flee.
"Escape..."
Nico Robin thought seriously for a moment before saying with a straight face, "I... hope they don't get turned into sieves by flintlocks."
Hearing this, Meiser twitched at the corner of his mouth. Couldn't this guy think of something positive?
Usopp, meanwhile, opened his shark mouth and shouted, "Stop talking, you scheming jerk!"
Couldn't you make things sound less terrifying, you bastard!
In response, Nico Robin merely smiled and said nothing more.
"If I'd known we were going to that island over there, we should've landed on the other side," Zoro said, scratching his head. "That would've been much faster."
"But then we wouldn't have gotten to eat dragon meat," Luffy chimed in. "And we wouldn't have met Jiao Malu either."
Zoro: ??
Hearing Luffy's words, several question marks immediately popped up in Zoro's mind.
"What's Jiao Malu?"
"That's the name of my hind leg," Luffy replied with a toothy grin.
Zoro: ...
So what kind of weird name is that?
"Here, everyone, put on some clothes first."
As she spoke, Merry took out several cotton jackets and handed them to Meiser and the others, signaling for everyone to put on the thick garments.
After putting on the cotton jacket, Usopp sighed with relief. "Thank goodness Merry has spatial abilities. Otherwise, we wouldn't know where to find these jackets."
At that moment, Usopp was more grateful than ever that Merry had spatial abilities.
Otherwise, they'd have to brave the cold to rescue the others.
Meanwhile, Zoro, holding his cotton jacket, stared at the lake for a while before suddenly having an idea. "Hey... what if we swam over?"
Usopp: ??
Usopp looked at Zoro with a face full of question marks. How could this guy say something like that?
"You're not joking, are you?"
Meiser also stared at Zoro in disbelief. How did this guy come up with the idea of swimming here?
"Winter swimming helps build physical strength," Zoro explained.
Hearing this, Usopp immediately shoved his nose into Zoro's face and roared, "Have you forgotten that some of us are Devil Fruit ability users?"
How are we supposed to swim in this situation, you bastard!
"Just have Meiser put a protective layer on you," Zoro suggested.
As soon as he said this, Luffy's eyes lit up.
That might actually work!
With Meiser's ability, even ability users could swim!
"But it's still cold!"
Usopp pushed Zoro away, looking annoyed. "Do you think we're all like you?"
Only someone like Zoro would think of swimming in a river in the middle of winter.
"Actually, I think—"
"Shut up!"
Usopp grabbed the corners of Luffy's mouth, opened his shark mouth, and roared, "No thinking allowed!!"
He didn't want to swim in a river at this temperature...
He'd die!
Luffy pouted at this. If he wasn't allowed to speak, why grab his mouth?
Meiser, who had taken in everyone's reactions, shook his head helplessly.
Afterwards, Meiser said, "Alright, enough fooling around. Let's use Merry's ability to fly over. That would be better."
He wasn't particularly interested in swimming here either, so flying over was the way to go.
Seeing that Meiser had put it that way, Zoro and Luffy gave up on the idea of swimming across.
Then, Merry harnessed the power of the wind, lifting the group from the ground and swiftly carrying them toward the distant Ice Island.
Feeling the wind whipping against his face, Usopp said, "It's so cold..."
If the temperature was this low here, then... what would the temperature on Ice Island be like?
Would they end up frozen into ice popsicles?!
As if imagining such a scene, Usopp's expression turned rather grim.
"Is it very cold?"
Merry glanced at Usopp and said, "Then I'll create a Wind Shield."
With that, Merry used her ability to form a shield made of wind in front of the group, blocking the oncoming gusts.
Noticing the change in temperature, Usopp grinned and said, "The temperature really went up."
"Only for now," Zoro, who was staring into the distance, remarked. "Once we get there, we'll still have to endure the cold winds."
At least during a fight, they wouldn't be able to rely on Merry to shield them from the biting cold.
"Of course I know that..." Usopp's face fell. "I just want to enjoy it for now."
This time, Zoro simply nodded without saying anything more.
Meanwhile, Merry smiled and said, "As long as there's no fighting, I can still create a windless environment around us."
Hearing this, Usopp's eyes lit up, and he said, "Then I'm counting on you, Merry!"
"Alright!"
"Leave it to me!"