Marco's gaze swept over the silent, desolate island, his voice suddenly turning cold: "You'd better not say 'nothing', and don't try any tricks."
Before he finished speaking, Diamond Jozu, who was beside him, took a heavy step forward, his diamond-hard fists clashing together, producing a chilling clang.
The other commanders also cast cold glances at the same time, and the aura of the entire Whitebeard Pirates instantly converged, pressing down on Caesar like a tangible force!
"If you dare to lie, or try to conceal anything, then this island… along with you yourself, will have no need to continue existing."
Marco's final words were like a last judgment, filled with absolute ruthlessness:
"This concerns our Pops' health, do you… understand the gravity of this matter?"
Caesar was scared out of his wits by the terrifying killing intent, his legs went soft, and he almost knelt directly on the ground. He nodded frantically, so fast that afterimages almost appeared, the fawning smile he squeezed out was uglier than crying:
"Un-understand! Completely understand! Shurorororo! Of course I have it! That pink Devil Fruit! I know! I know where it is!"
He practically scrambled to his feet, bowing obsequiously as he pointed to the depths of the laboratory, his voice becoming sharp and urgent due to extreme fear:
"I'll take you sirs there right now! I absolutely wouldn't dare to play any tricks! Please follow me! Please, you must follow me!"
At this moment, all his dignity as a genius scientist, all his grand plans, were thrown to the back of his mind. Saving his own life and getting rid of these devils was the only option!
Under Caesar's obsequious guidance, the Whitebeard Pirates entered the gloomy interior of the Punk Hazard laboratory.
Along both sides of the corridor were many large, technologically advanced transparent culture tanks,
Inside the tanks, various strangely shaped, seemingly still twitching biological tissues were immersed. The air was filled with a nauseating mixture of formaldehyde and some peculiar chemical agent.
Soon,
some even more special culture tanks caught everyone's attention.
These tanks were even larger, and clearly marked with a large "S" and complex serial numbers.
"S…" Marco's gaze swept over the letters, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
Doflamingo, who was at the end of the line, saw these iconic "SMILE" artificial Devil Fruit test subjects, and his heart instantly jumped into his throat!
His face suddenly tensed, a fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and he subconsciously adjusted his sunglasses, trying to hide his nervousness.
Damn it…! Don't notice! Don't ask! He prayed frantically in his heart, his footsteps unconsciously quickening, putting distance between himself and those culture tanks.
He desperately winked at Caesar, who was leading the way, his lips twitching slightly, subtly signaling him to speed up and quickly leave this dangerous area.
Caesar received Doflamingo's extremely anxious signal, his heart also tightened, and he quickly turned around, his face plastered with a fawning smile, trying to distract everyone:
"Shurorororo… Esteemed guests, please come this way, this way! The vault for precious items is just ahead, we'll be there soon! The air isn't good here, let's hurry!"
As he spoke, he practically broke into a jog, wishing he could fly through this corridor that made his heart pound.
Fortunately,
the Whitebeard Pirates' minds were completely occupied by the "Pink Azure Dragon Fruit." Although they glanced curiously at the tanks on both sides, no one stopped to investigate further.
For them, these strange-looking things were far less important than healing their Pops' body.
Seeing this, Doflamingo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but his back was already drenched in cold sweat. He dared not delay for a moment, immediately quickened his pace, and closely followed the group, wanting only to leave this place that almost made his heart stop.
Led by Caesar, everyone wound through the labyrinthine, cold laboratory corridors, finally stopping in front of a heavy-looking metal door with a precise pneumatic lock.
However,
what made their hearts sink was that this door, which should have been tightly closed and required specific authorization to open, was now ajar, leaving a clear gap!
There were even signs of entry at the doorway!
"This… what's going on?!" Caesar's face instantly turned pale, his voice changing pitch, "This door should be locked! Who opened it?! Did a thief get in?!"
A very ominous premonition instantly seized him!
That unique pink Devil Fruit must not have anything happen to it!
If it was lost, he had no doubt that the devils behind him would immediately tear him to shreds!
He no longer cared about his composure, he violently pushed open the ajar door and stumbled in!
The interior of the laboratory was a mess, with traces of various experimental equipment having been rummaged through.
And right next to the control panel in the center of the room, a short figure in shabby clothes stood with his back to the door, seemingly on tiptoes, curiously fiddling with an open, delicate box on the table.
And in the figure's hand, he was holding a pink Devil Fruit, covered in spiral patterns and oddly shaped!
It was precisely the target they had been searching for!
"You damn brat! Put down what's in your hand!!!"
Caesar's eyes almost popped out of his sockets, his heart instantly leaping into his throat!
He let out a scream of shock and anger, almost instinctively, his body erupting with unprecedented speed, rushing forward like an arrow released from a bow!
Before everyone had fully reacted, he had already rushed behind the short figure, roughly grabbed the collar of his clothes, and yanked him away!
His other hand, with lightning speed, precisely and forcefully snatched the pink Devil Fruit from the small hand, gripping it tightly in his own hand!
It wasn't until the cold, real sensation of the Fruit entered his palm that Caesar finally seemed to regain some strength. He gasped for air, trying to calm his heart that had almost stopped, his face filled with lingering fear and relief.
"Hoo… hoo… Sca… scared me to death… almost… almost finished…"
His voice was broken due to extreme tension and running, as if he had just returned from the gates of hell.
Caesar, still shaken, gasped for air, clutching the recovered pink Devil Fruit tightly.
Only after confirming that the Fruit was safe and sound in his hand did the immense fear in his heart quickly transform into towering rage, and he abruptly turned to the brat who had almost caused a disaster!
....
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