"Hey hey hey, what kind of joke is this!"
Watching the massive amount of poison gas pouring in through the breach, the Marines' faces instantly turned pale.
That bastard Caesar was willing to destroy the research facility just to kill them?
"Hurry, everyone, run!"
The Marine lieutenant commander shouted, "Get into Building B first!"
Though they didn't know what was happening, they absolutely couldn't stay here any longer!
"These guys are really ruthless."
Sanji, who had been staring into the distance, blew out a smoke ring before turning to Merry, whose expression was equally grim. "Merry, can your wind block the hole?"
"Maybe, but now isn't the time for that."
"What do you mean?"
Sanji was taken aback, clearly not understanding Merry's meaning.
Why wasn't now the time for that?
"I just heard what Nami and the others said using the wind," Merry explained. "The gate ahead is closing. If we don't hurry over, we'll be trapped here."
Hearing this, Sanji's expression also changed.
If the wall was damaged, they could have Merry try to push the poison gas back with wind, but being locked outside was a different story.
After all... he wasn't Moss Head and couldn't slash the gate open!
Thinking this, Sanji rushed toward Merry without hesitation and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
"I know," Merry replied.
As she spoke, the power of wind surged around Merry.
Then, this force lifted Sanji into the air, swiftly carrying him forward.
At the same time... as they passed by the Marines, it also swept up these fools.
"?"
"!!"
Seeing their bodies flying, the Marines were all stunned.
Why... were they flying in the sky?
"You idiot Marines, don't resist," Sanji shouted, understanding what Merry intended. "Let Merry carry you!"
"We need to get into Building B as fast as possible, or we'll all die!"
"Got it!"
"Then we're counting on you, Black Leg, Miss Merry!"
Though they didn't know why these two were willing to help them... besides trusting them, they had no other choice.
After all... they couldn't resist Merry's power.
Soon, under Merry's control, the Marines successfully entered the corridor just before the gate closed.
Seeing this from afar, Nami breathed a sigh of relief before fully controlling the cloud to leave the area.
Meanwhile, Sanji frowned as he watched the gradually closing gate and said, "Not even planning to keep the research facility... ruthless!"
That bastard really showed no mercy.
"What do we do now?" a nearby Marine asked.
"What else?"
Merry, floating in mid-air with her hands on her hips, declared, "Of course, we go to Building B and do what needs to be done!"
Although the gate would take a while to close completely, the poison gas couldn't rush in before it shut, so there was no need to worry about safety.
At that moment, a beastly roar echoed from Building A, immediately capturing everyone's attention.
"Where did that roar come from?"
"Hey, look! A dragon is flying over from the distance!"
"A dragon?!"
Everyone was stunned as they watched the small green dragon swiftly charging toward them from the direction of Building A.
Why was there a dragon here?
Merry, however, stared intently at the approaching dragon, her expression grave. Wasn't this the same dragon they had encountered before?
"I remember this dragon couldn't fly before," Sanji frowned.
Merry recalled the scene after they had encountered Meiser and said, "I definitely didn't see it fly back then."
At the time, the creature had been firmly clamped onto the Wood Dragon's body and hadn't taken to the air.
"Roar!!"
"Hey, it's coming closer!"
As the dragon drew nearer, the Marines instinctively raised their weapons.
If it attacked, they wouldn't just stand there and take it.
As if sensing the hostility of the Marines, the dragon's gaze instantly locked onto them.
Then, without hesitation, it spewed flames from its mouth!
"Whoosh~"
"Boom!"
"Ahh!!"
The Marines struck by the flames let out agonized screams and immediately began rolling on the ground.
Seeing this, Merry raised her hand and used the power of wind to extinguish the flames on them. She then looked up at the diving dragon and said, "Again?"
"This time, I won't let you succeed!"
With that, Merry unleashed her ability without hesitation.
"Hum~"
In the next moment, a terrifyingly powerful gust of wind shot from Merry's hand, striking the dragon with pinpoint accuracy.
"Thud!"
The heavy force slammed into the dragon, twisting its expression in pain and sending its body crashing uncontrollably into a nearby wall, leaving a massive dent in the structure!!
"Whoosh~"
"Boom!!"
"Alright, that should...
"
Before Merry could finish her sentence, she saw the dragon she had just sent flying rise back to its feet.
"Roar!!"
"What?"
Merry was stunned as she watched the dragon shake its head and stand up.
Was this creature's defense really that terrifying?
"After all, it is a dragon," Sanji remarked, a hint of awe in his eyes as he watched the dragon bite through the nearby steel. This creature was even more formidable than they had imagined.
Sanji then decided to step forward and engage the creature himself.
But before he could act, the dragon in the distance seemed to sense something, its expression shifting slightly.
Without hesitation, it turned and flew away into the distance.
"Roar!"
"Huh?"
"Did it run away?"
Merry was left dumbfounded as she watched the dragon fly off without a second thought.
Why did it flee?
Was it afraid of Sanji?
"Not sure," Sanji shook his head. "But since it's already escaped, there's no need for us to stay here any longer."
After speaking, Sanji glanced back at the area behind them.
The door was now left with only a narrow gap, and the poison gas was still some distance away, so there was no need to worry about it.
Well, it was time to go.
"Merry, let's...
"
Before Sanji could finish speaking, he heard exclamations from the Marines up ahead.
"Whoa!"
"It's Vice Admiral Vergo!"
"Great, we've finally found our strong backup!"
"Hahahaha, with Vice Admiral Vergo here, we can definitely capture that bastard Caesar!"
"Whoa!!"
Listening to the voices ahead, Sanji instinctively furrowed his brow and then shifted his steps to shield Merry behind him.
He didn't know whether this Navy Vice Admiral would order an attack on their Straw Hat Crew, so he had to be prepared.
Merry understood Sanji's intention and didn't say anything.
If the other side really intended to attack them, she wouldn't hold back either.
"Members of the Straw Hat Pirates..."
Vergo glanced at Sanji and Merry standing behind the crowd and then withdrew his gaze.
Just two small fry—easily killed with a flick of the hand—so there was no need to pay them any mind.
The top priority was to eliminate all these Marines.
Thinking this, a flicker of killing intent flashed in Vergo's eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses.
At that moment, a Marine approached Vergo and said, "Vice Admiral Vergo, we have important information to report!"
Hearing this, Vergo calmly glanced at him and then nodded, signaling for him to speak.
"We've discovered that this island is the territory of the evil scientist Caesar," the Marine said. "And he has also kidnapped a large number of children, so I—"
"Pfft!"
Before he could finish speaking, Vergo's Finger Pistol pierced through his body, forcing him to swallow his words.
"Vice Admiral Vergo?!"
Seeing Vergo kill one of their own with a single move, everyone else was stunned.
Why would their own Vice Admiral attack them?
"Hey, Vice Admiral Vergo, what are you doing?!" a nearby Marine exclaimed frantically. "Even if it's disciplinary action, you can't use Finger Pistol!"
"You'll kill him!"
A Vice Admiral's Finger Pistol can easily penetrate steel—how could they possibly withstand it?
Yet, in the face of the Marines' questioning, Vergo showed no reaction and continued attacking the nearby Marines on his own.
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
"Pfft!"
Almost every strike took down a Marine!
"Hey, Vice Admiral Vergo, what exactly are you doing?!"
Why would their Navy Vice Admiral attack them?
Could it be... that what those pirates said earlier was true?
For a moment, an atmosphere of despair spread among the Marines.
"You fools!" Merry shouted. "Didn't my companion just say it? That guy named Vergo is a traitor in your Marines!"
"Impossible!"
Someone among the Marines immediately retorted, "How could our Vice Admiral Vergo become a traitor?"
"That's right!"
"Miss Merry, please don't say such things, or even you will make us angry!"
Looking at those stubborn faces, Merry was momentarily stunned.
Why were these people so stubborn?
The truth was right in front of them...
Sanji, however, seemed to understand something and said, "No need to say such things anymore, Merry."
"Why?"
"Because they won't believe it."
After lighting another cigarette for himself, Sanji said, "Put yourself in their shoes—would you believe Luffy betrayed us?"
"Never!" Merry replied without hesitation.
No matter what happened, she would never believe Luffy had betrayed them.
Then, as if realizing something, Merry said, "So you mean..."
"Yes."
Staring at Vergo in the distance, who was attacking the Marines, Sanji said, "No one wants to believe that someone they've lived alongside day and night could become a traitor!"
With that, Sanji prepared to stop Vergo in the distance.
He couldn't stand people who bullied the weak without a second thought!
But before he could act, Merry launched her attack first.
"Whoosh~"
"Boom!!"
A powerful gust of wind slammed into Vergo, forcefully sending him flying and crashing into a nearby wall.
"Huh?"
Vergo climbed to his feet, glancing around in confusion, clearly not understanding what had just happened.
But when he got a clear look at Merry, he said, "Was that you?"
A Devil Fruit Ability User...
He hadn't expected such a small thing to possess such strong power, capable of sending him flying. It truly surprised him.
"That's right, it was me!" Merry snorted. "I don't like your methods!"
"Little girl, you're looking for death."
"So what? I—"
Before Merry could finish, she noticed Vergo had vanished from his spot in an instant.
Merry: ??
Where did he go?
The next moment...
"Thud!"
"?!"
Watching Vergo suddenly appear in front of her and clash with Sanji, Merry was utterly stunned.
How could this person move so fast?
"You bastard..."
Sanji glared fiercely at Vergo. "What were you planning to do to our Merry?"
"Kill her, of course."
Vergo said expressionlessly, "And all of you Straw Hat Pirates must die too!"
Killing the Marines of the G-5 Branch and Law was indeed part of his plan, but... he also couldn't allow the Straw Hat Pirates to leave this place alive!
So he might as take care of them while he was at it!
"You're asking for death!"
Sanji instantly flew into a rage. This bastard actually intended to kill Merry?
He couldn't tolerate that!
With that thought, Sanji forcefully pushed Vergo back without hesitation.
Then, he swiftly closed in and engaged him in a fierce struggle.
The surrounding Marines stood frozen, unsure what to do.
"Commander, what should we do?"
The Marine commander, who had been stunned since earlier, snapped back to reality at the question. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Support Black Leg Sanji! Take down this impostor!"
"Impostor?"
"Yes!" The Marine commander, tears streaming from his eyes, roared angrily, "How could our Vice Admiral Vergo ever attack us?"
"So this guy must be an impostor!"
"The commander is right! This bastard is definitely an impostor!"
"Kill him!"
"Let's go!"
Watching these Marines crying out in fury, Merry was momentarily taken aback.
Even now, they still refused to believe this man was a traitor?
But recalling what Sanji had said earlier, she fell silent.
Yes, no one could accept that someone they'd lived alongside day and night had become a traitor.
So it was perfectly normal for them to react this way.
After sighing silently, Merry turned her gaze toward Vergo, planning to find an opportunity to give that guy a good hit!
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Inside a room within the research facility, Caesar was currently watching the footage from the area where Vergo was located.
"What the hell is Vergo doing?!"
Caesar shouted angrily, "The Marines from the G-5 Branch are important experimental subjects for me. Killing them without using the Death Realm is meaningless!"
Does that idiot even understand what he's supposed to be doing?
Upon hearing this, Monet instinctively wanted to say something, but after seeing Caesar's expression, he wisely kept his mouth shut.
Speaking out of turn at a time like this would not be a wise move.
"Monet!"
"Yes!"
"Seal off all the passages where the G-5 Marines are!" Caesar ordered. "Then release the poison gas through the back door and eliminate them all!"
"But... Vergo is still in there."
If the poison gas is released, Vergo will be killed along with them.
He didn't want to see one of their own die like that.
"Who cares about that fool's life?!" Caesar roared. "Stop wasting time and get to work!"
For a bastard who dares to interfere with his experiments, he would show no mercy!
Monet fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then sighed and said, "Understood. I'll do it."
He could only hope that Vergo would notice the problem in time and escape quickly.