A minute later, the ceiling of the makeshift laboratory had been blown open, leaving a massive, jagged hole. Smoke and dust hung in the air.
Over a dozen Beasts Pirates crew members huddled in a corner, trembling and barely daring to breathe as they watched the towering figure with the kanabo.
Overalls Fatso lay flat on his back, head covered in bumps, face swollen and bruised black and blue.
"...Get back to researching that virus," Kaido growled, resting the kanabo on his shoulder as he glared down at Queen, who was grimacing in pain, eyes still rolling dizzily. "I'm serious."
Queen shot upright with a whoosh, eyes suddenly bright. "Really?"
Kaido paused, then answered slowly, "Yeah. If you need stronger test subjects, just ask."
Before he could say more, a languid voice cut in.
"Maybe I can help with that."
Queen recognized it instantly. His face went sheet-white as he spun around in terror, eyes locking onto Darren, who had appeared behind him without a sound.
"You again?!" he snarled through clenched teeth.
Then he caught sight of the tall, gaunt man standing behind Darren—a long mane of black hair, tattoos winding across his body. Queen's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
"You... you again too?!"
Darren needed no introduction on Onigashima; he was practically a frequent guest at this point.
As for Dragon, that troublemaking Revolutionary had challenged Kaido more than once already, stirring up no small amount of chaos.
Seeing the two of them together, Queen suddenly recalled something and panicked. He spun toward Kaido, frantically waving his hands.
"Boss Kaido, this has nothing to do with me! He just showed up on his own!"
Darren chuckled as he lit a cigar, his tone drawling and amused. "He's right. This time really has nothing to do with him."
This time?! Queen's fat face flushed crimson. Did he have to say it like that?
But to Queen's surprise, Kaido didn't snap at Darren's arrival, nor did he reach straight for his kanabo as usual. Instead, he narrowed his eyes, silently taking in the two men's mangled bodies.
After a long three seconds, Kaido finally spoke, voice low and gravelly.
"You two… actually hit Holy Land Mary Geoise?"
Darren let out a soft laugh. "Something like that."
He lifted a hand, and a three-meter-long metal box descended slowly from midair.
"Here's the sample you wanted," he said. "Or rather—an excellent experimental subject."
Queen glanced at Kaido, and seeing that his captain wasn't immediately charging Darren and Dragon, he muttered under his breath and edged forward.
The metal box creaked open.
Inside lay a corpse, skin pale, flesh slightly bloated from soaking in seawater. Even so, his handsome features still clearly marked him as someone far from ordinary.
"A corpse?" Queen sneered after a cursory look. "He's already dead. What research value could that have?"
He clicked his tongue, already losing interest. "Even if there is any, it'd be more trouble than it's worth."
He failed to notice how sharply Kaido's pupils contracted the instant he saw the body.
"What if I told you he was a Mythical Zoan user—and he'd already reached Awakening?" Darren asked with a faint smile.
Queen froze. "That's impossible!"
He almost shrieked. "Mythical Zoans are insanely rare to begin with, and Awakening them is way harder than any ordinary Zoan… Even Boss Kaido hasn't awakened his Fish-Fish Fruit—uh, I mean, that's just impossible!"
He slapped a hand over his own mouth.
Idiot.
Kaido's eye twitched violently. He stared at the corpse in the metal box for a long moment, then took a deep breath.
After that silence, he suddenly burst into laughter.
"You've gone and done something outrageous again, Little Brat Darren…"
"Commander Saint Michael of the Knights of God, 'the Strongest Celestial Dragon'—killed by your hand."
His smile was crooked, with a strange mix of mockery, melancholy, and bitterness.
The look he gave Darren was complicated beyond words.
"The… Commander of the Knights of God?!"
Queen's voice broke into a strangled scream the moment Kaido finished speaking. He stared at the corpse, eyes bulging so hard they looked ready to pop out of his skull, jaw nearly hitting the floor.
The Knights of God were the World Government's most exalted enforcers, with the authority to judge and execute even other Celestial Dragons. They moved in the shadows at the highest level.
Their Commander—hailed as the Strongest Celestial Dragon—was undoubtedly one of the most terrifying powers on the Grand Line.
Even Boss Kaido might not stand a chance against someone like that.
And this legendary monster had actually died at the hands of Little Brat Darren—no, this freak?!
Wait.
A thought finally pierced the fog of shock in Queen's mind.
Even if it was just a corpse, this was still the corpse of the Commander of the Knights of God.
"Ahem. Since you're so enthusiastic about supplying me with test subjects, it'd be rude of me to refuse," the Overalls Fatso said, forcing a dry cough as he tried to keep his expression neutral.
Kaido turned away, pretending not to know this idiot.
He hefted his kanabo and strode toward the exit of the lab.
"Queen. Patch them up."
As he stepped out of the laboratory, he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder at Darren. A fierce battle lust slowly ignited in his eyes, burning bright and wild.
"Little Brat Darren," he rumbled, "once you're healed… let's fight again."
Darren narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Anytime."
Kaido seemed satisfied with that answer. He threw his head back in hearty laughter and swaggered out of the Research Institute.
"They didn't fight? That's… weird," Queen muttered, stunned by the oddly peaceful exchange. After all, Boss Kaido wasn't even drunk right now.
He shook off the thought and turned his greedy gaze back to the dead Commander of the Knights of God, tongue clicking in barely contained excitement.
Sure, the research value of a corpse might be limited on paper. But this wasn't just any corpse. If he could've gotten his hands on Boss Kaido's body, the research value would've been unimaginable—but even without an Indestructible Body, the Commander of the Knights of God's remains were still a priceless treasure.
Queen stroked his chin, practically drooling.
"Hold on a second," he blurted, freezing mid-thought as something finally registered. He whipped around to stare at Darren.
"Your body… something's wrong."
Queen's expression hardened, the levity gone from his face.
"What did you do?"
To be continued...