Caesar roughly lifted the scrawny figure in his hand to his face, still clutching the fruit tightly with his other hand. His bloodshot eyes glared fiercely at the boy, spittle almost spraying onto his face, his voice sharp and twisted with anger and lingering fear: "You little bastard!! Who the hell are you?!"
Caesar's roar echoed through the lab, "How dare you sneak into my lab to steal something?! Do you know what you almost did?! You almost got me killed, do you understand?!"
The one he held like a chicken was none other than Kozuki Momonosuke.
He had never seen such a terrifyingly ferocious face and hysterical roar.
He was already scared out of his wits, his small face pale as paper, his body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind, his teeth chattering, unable to utter a single word. Only large tears silently rolled from his eyes.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates at the entrance now clearly saw the situation inside.
Everyone's gaze was focused on the trembling child Caesar was holding, their eyes filled with undisguised anger.
Marco stepped forward quickly, his eyes no longer his usual calm, but filled with cold disgust and a hint of lingering fear. He pushed up his glasses, his voice low and sharp: "Good thing... we arrived just in time."
His gaze swept over the pink fruit in Caesar's hand, then returned to Momonosuke, his tone filled with undeniable relief and sternness: "If we had been even a few minutes later, and this brat, not knowing any better, had eaten this precious fruit... the consequences would truly have been unimaginable! Everything would have been over!"
Thinking of that possibility, all the commanders' hearts sank. They had gone through so many hardships, finally finding hope to cure their Pops, only for it to almost be completely shattered by some inexplicable brat!
The atmosphere in the lab became especially heavy due to this sudden interlude and their shared anger.
Caesar, still shaken, looked at the fruit he had recovered, then at the child who had almost caused such a disaster. His lingering fear quickly transformed into vicious killing intent.
He shrieked: "Shurororo! That's right! This damned thief is nothing but trouble! How dare he steal Whitebeard-sama's hope! A heinous crime! He must be eliminated!"
His words immediately ignited Ace's suppressed fury.
The thought of the only hope for Pops' recovery almost being destroyed before his eyes by this inexplicable brat made Ace's gaze turn instantly cold. Pale flames uncontrollably burst forth from around him!
He took a step forward, moving so fast it created a gust of wind, instantly appearing before Momonosuke.
Ace mercilessly grabbed Momonosuke's collar, lifting him completely off the ground like a chicken, forcing those tear-filled eyes of fear to meet his own eyes burning with rage.
"Brat!" Ace's voice was terrifyingly low. "You almost destroyed something more important to me than my own life! Do you have any last words? If not... then prepare to die!"
The threat of death was like a dousing of ice water. Momonosuke, already terrified, instantly turned pale, devoid of any color. His body trembled violently, and a large wet patch quickly spread on his crotch, emitting an unpleasant stench. He had actually peed himself from fright!
He opened his mouth wide, but due to extreme fear, he couldn't make any sound, only tears gushed out madly.
Izo, standing nearby, frowned slightly at the petrified Momonosuke. He felt like this child looked somewhat familiar, perhaps he had seen him before?
Then he took a step forward and patted Ace's arm,
"Ace, this little guy looks a bit..."
Seeing everyone hesitate, and Caesar still chattering on about execution, Doflamingo frowned deeply, appearing extremely impatient.
The fruit had been found, why hesitate over a stinking brat?
He suddenly struck, moving like lightning, snatching the limp Momonosuke from Ace's hand and mercilessly kicking him hard in the stomach!
He was kicked flying!
"Ugh!" Momonosuke let out a painful groan, his body flying through the air like a broken sack, crashing heavily against the distant wall, then softly sliding to the ground.
Doflamingo didn't even spare another glance at the useless boy, directly ordering Diamante and the others waiting behind him in a sharp voice: "Diamante! Take this damned brat away! 'Take good care' of him! He almost made all of us die with him!"
Diamante had long been seething with anger over this sudden turn of events and the immense risk. Hearing this, he immediately grinned sinisterly and stepped forward: "Don't worry, Young Master! We will definitely 'take extra care' of this brat who doesn't know his place!"
He and several family members behind him roughly dragged the limp, almost unconscious Momonosuke from the ground, mercilessly subjecting him to another round of punches and kicks, venting their lingering fear and anger.
Afterward, Diamante, carrying the bruised and dying Momonosuke like trash, nodded to Doflamingo and Whitebeard, then quickly disappeared down the corridor.
The lab returned to silence, leaving only the faint smell of urine and blood in the air, a reminder of everything that had just happened.
At the same time,
On the other side of Punk Hazard island, in a dark corner where discarded experimental equipment and industrial waste piled up like mountains.
The Red Scabbard Kin'emon anxiously pushed aside a pile of rusted metal pipes, sweat beading on his forehead, calling out in a low voice: "Momonosuke-sama! Where are you? Please don't scare me! Come out quickly!"
Beside him, the painter Kanjuro also looked worried, quickly sketching possible hiding places for Momonosuke on a piece of paper with his peculiar paintbrush, trying to find clues:
"Where could Momonosuke-sama have gone? It's too dangerous here, we must find him as soon as possible!"
The two were completely unaware that Kozuki Momonosuke, whom they were desperately searching for, had already fallen into the hands of Donquixote Family executive Diamante.
Just a short while ago,
Diamante and his men dragged Momonosuke to the edge of a remote poisonous gas swamp, subjecting the child who had almost caused such a disaster to another brutal beating, venting their anger and lingering fear.
"Damned brat! You almost got all of us killed!" Diamante spat viciously.
Then, they mercilessly threw the battered, dying, and injured Momonosuke, like discarded trash, into an abandoned experimental ground where giant, ferocious wolves were kept.
"Roar—!"
Accompanied by a few hungry growls and ear-splitting tearing sounds... everything quickly fell silent.
By now, Momonosuke was probably long gone, not even a speck of bone left…