"Listen up."
In a long corridor of the research facility, Law was running ahead, saying:
"Our goal is to capture Caesar. That way, we can disrupt his deal with Doflamingo and target Kaido. The SAD is crucial to Kaido, so since we've formed an alliance, we need to move towards the same goal."
Beside him, Luffy grinned widely, flashing a bright smile: "Well, whatever, as long as we beat up Caesar, right, Traffy!"
"..."
Law glanced at Luffy, who seemed carefree, and couldn't help but sigh to himself, "It's to capture him, not beat him up."
Why did I choose an ally like this?
I shouldn't have been so impulsive back then.
A Pirate Alliance should have a well-thought-out plan, pursued earnestly.
Especially since the final target is a Four Emperor.
Not like this, all friendly and helping each other...
Though Law didn't really dislike it.
The turning point happened when he was confronting Smoker, Blackfoot showed up with a group of test subjects, and upon seeing Smoker, they were preparing to flee.
At that time, he was planning not to let those guys leave to avoid disrupting his plan.
But something happened with the test subjects, they seemingly thought the Navy were good guys, and after thanking Blackfoot for saving them, they asked the Navy to take them home.
This made Law unable to act, and at that moment, the Straw Hat showed up.
But the expected battle didn't happen; it was from the mouths of those test subjects that Caesar Clown's deeds were revealed: developing poisonous gas, conducting human experiments, capturing pirates for inhumane experiments... making Smoker decide to arrest this three hundred million Belly-bounty Caesar.
The kids didn't have much to say, but they seemed to know that people regularly came here to take something from Caesar. According to the apprentices, it was something like formulae and medicines being studied...
This shocked Law.
That definitely wasn't Doflamingo.
He knew Doflamingo's deal with Caesar only involved the raw materials for the Artificial Devil Fruit "SAD," nothing else, let alone any apprentices actively learning...
Another force has entered the picture!
This disrupted Law's plan to figure out where the SAD was stored to destroy it, and upon hearing about human experimentation and Blackfoot mentioning a place full of frozen corpses while passing by...
It was nothing at first, but the crucial point was, Caesar immediately released poison gas on them, knocking them unconscious and capturing them, taking all the test subjects away.
And then...
They escaped.
The Straw Hat, in response to the test subjects' plea, decided to rescue them and thus decided to beat up Caesar, while Law informed him about who was really backing these people.
One of the Four Emperors... Kaido!
And so, they decided to form an alliance.
"Hey, Straw Hat! Law! After this is over, I'm gonna arrest you too!" Smoker shouted from the back, keeping pace.
He didn't even know why he was cooperating with Straw Hat.
Maybe it's...
Seeing the tears on those who were taken away?
Pirates representing evil, yet they also represent justice?
At this moment, Smoker felt conflicted.
"Franky, blow this place up!"
Running, Luffy's eyes flashed red, as if sensing something, and he pointed Franky towards a side corridor.
"OK! Watch me, super~ Franky Laser Beam!"
His robust right hand extended, firing countless laser beams, destroying all the rooms along the side corridor, and incidentally blowing up the ceiling, burying the entire hallway under rubble and debris.
"No!!"
At this moment, a gas suddenly appeared in front of them, and Caesar stood there, his eyes wide open, "What have you done! That's my research!"
When Luffy and the others were escaping, out of fear, he didn't report to Renedia but pursued them instead.
Finally finding them, he witnessed this shocking scene.
That place!
That was a crucial part of his research!
"Caesar!!"
Just as Caesar appeared, Luffy shouted and threw a fist, hitting Caesar's clearly elementalized face hard.
Boom!
The fist sank in deep, delivering a massive impact, punching Caesar away until he rolled to a stop in the distance.
Luffy retrieved his fist, pressing his arm with his left hand, he yelled: "I've come to beat you up!"
"You damn brats!"
Caesar clutched his nose, using the other hand to push himself up halfway, glaring viciously at the people before him, "I'll kill you, I swear I'll kill you all!"
As he began to rise, a pair of feet appeared next to him.
"Strange..."
Vergo approached slowly, pulling out a bamboo stick, "Why are you all still alive, did I find you first?"
"Vergo!"
Law gripped Kikoku's handle tightly, his face solemn.
"Vergo!!"
But faster than him was Smoker, who had transformed into smoke, charging forward, stabbing his jitte forward, "You damn..."
Clang!
The bamboo, coated in black at this moment, collided with the jitte, producing a crisp sound.
"Pirate!" Smoker grit his teeth.
This guy, during his imprisonment, not only injured Tashigi but also took down several of his subordinates in the Navy!
"Vice Admiral Smoker."
Vergo applied force to his arm, sliding the bamboo along the jitte and, before Smoker could react, delivered a hard blow to his body.
Boom!
Smoker flew backward, his body dispersing into smoke and then reforming into a human shape, landing in front of Luffy and Law.
"Please call me Base Commander Vergo."
Vergo said calmly, "Once this incident is over and you die here, I'll still be the base commander of G-5, and you..."
He glanced at Law and the Straw Hat Gang, continuing:
"In this place, Punk Hazard, where the Navy and pirates collided and ended up in mutual ruin. Perhaps, I might even recommend you for a medal, what do you say, Smoker?"
Renedia wasn't encountered, but it's not a problem; dealing with these people is the same!
Rip!
He tore open his shirt, revealing his robust upper body, letting out a loud shout, other than the bamboo in hand, his entire body was coated in this layer of black.
"Shoo-loo-loo-loo, well said."
Caesar stood up, his body gradually turning into gas and dispersing, sneering: "Let's take them down like this!"
One, an expert in body techniques and Armament; the other, a Logia-type gas user...
Along with a pirate undercover, and a mad scientist.
On the other side, a coalition of pirates, a Seven Warlord, and the Navy.
"I don't care about any of you!"
Luffy clenched his fist, "I said I'd beat you up, so I will beat you up!"