Zino arrived at the entrance of the ruined laboratory. The ground was scorched, cracked with residual heat from the earlier explosion, but to his relief, the main structure had mostly survived.
The damage appeared to be concentrated near the outer gate. The blast had only torn apart the entrance and scattered debris across the path.
Carefully, he raised one hand and summoned a controlled burst of wind. With practiced ease, he manipulated the gust to lift and sweep away the broken chunks of wall and twisted metal blocking the doorway.
At the same time, he used the air to ventilate the corridor, removing any lingering traces of the poisonous Shinokuni gas still trapped inside. Once the path was clear, Zino stepped inside. The eerie silence greeted him like a graveyard.
Just beyond the entrance, he saw them—figures frozen in place. Several of Caesar's hired guards and Satyrs stood at their posts, turned into grey statues. Their weapons still slung over their shoulders, their hands frozen mid-gesture. Some had been trying to reach for door panels or radio equipment, their faces locked in permanent confusion and fear.
Zino walked deeper into the compound, frowning as he passed more stone bodies. He extended his senses through the halls, searching through every level with his Observation Haki. His expression darkened when he reached Section B—the general research area and subordinate living quarters. There, a horrifying sight awaited him.
An entire "forest" of statues stood in that section. Dozens of people, researchers and workers alike, had been caught by the gas without warning. Some were clutching each other tightly. Others were curled up in fear, petrified mid-prayer.
Since the gas hit them in a confined space, many had collapsed on top of one another, forming a grotesque mountain of ash-colored stone bodies, tangled together as if trying to protect one another in their final moments.
Zino paused, taking it all in. He moved to Section C—the Biscuit Room. This section was meant to house children. When he stepped inside, his heart sank further.
Rows of massive giant statues—the children subjected to Caesar's gigantification experiments—stood frozen in time, still wearing their pajamas. Some held dolls or toys, their expressions peaceful, as if they never even realized what was happening.
"What a cruel people," Zino whispered, clenching his fists, his anger on Caesar and Doflamingo. He looked at the innocent faces of the petrified children and felt a weight press on his chest. "People like them... don't deserve mercy."
The sight filled him with cold fury. It wasn't just scientific negligence. This was inhuman. "I should take matters into my own hands. Let's deliver justice to them," he said firmly, his voice echoing in the stone-filled room.
Expanding his senses beyond the laboratory, he scanned the frozen landscape. His Haki stretched far across the island. On one of the distant ice-covered mountains, he sensed two tall and imposing figures turned into statues—silent and unmoving.
"These two should be the Yeti Brothers," he muttered. He didn't need confirmation. Their massive bodies and towering presence could only belong to those monstrous assassins.
Now that the gas had petrified everyone in the lab, Zino's only option was to reverse it. But the crew members who possessed healing or medical abilities weren't present. He frowned, realizing the difficulty of the situation.
"Where are they?" he murmured. "I need to find Kaya, Chloris, and Moris."
Those three had the highest chances of curing the petrified victims. Without them, he'd be stuck here helpless. With that in mind, he extended his Haki even further. Since the toxic gas had already been burned away, he switched to his lightning sense, scanning the island and the surrounding ocean with sharp precision.
After a moment, his eyes lit up. He sensed the familiar presence of the Great White. The ship had just surfaced, a few kilometers offshore. The crew had actually returned.
"Alright," he said. "Let's bring them over."
Without wasting another second, he vanished in a flash of lightning, soaring across the sky toward the ship and his crew, hoping they had arrived in time.
...
A few kilometers away from Punk Hazard, aboard the Great White, the Orcas had made the decision to turn back. The cause was simple—Kuzan had sensed Zino's presence when he came streaking across the sea with unbelievable speed.
The former admiral, though calm on the surface, was slightly shaken by the sudden surge of explosions.
"That tremor and those explosions… did Zino do that?" Nami asked, her voice laced with both awe and concern.
Moments ago, the sea itself had trembled. A thunderous roar echoed across the water, followed by a brilliant flash and columns of violet-tinged smoke rising from the island. It wasn't natural. It felt like something had gone wrong—or perhaps, something had gone too right.
"I think his lightning power ignited the gas," Stev said, adjusting his glasses. "That's the highest possibility. With that much toxic vapor in the air, it only needed a spark."
As if to confirm the theory, a familiar voice called out.
"I didn't know there were poison gases spread across the island. If I knew, I wouldn't have used lightning."
Crackle!
In an instant, Zino appeared on the dock, electricity trailing off his form like coiling serpents. Even standing still, his presence crackled with pressure.
"Kaya, Chloris, Moris," he called out. "I need your help to cure some people. Come with me."
Before the trio could respond, Zino extended his hand. A sudden surge of electromagnetic force pulled them forward. In the blink of an eye, the three were drawn beside him and whisked away at lightning speed, soaring through the sky toward Punk Hazard.
The rest of the crew stood frozen, watching in stunned silence.
"He really just dragged them off without waiting," Sanji muttered.
"He looked… different," Nami added quietly.
"Did he turn into a deity after awakening?" Stev asked, blinking several times.
"More like he turned more dangerous," Gin replied, folding his arms.
"He… is becoming more handsome," Alvida mumbled, blushing slightly as she stared at the trail of purple lightning in the sky.
The others exchanged awkward glances, some coughing lightly at her unexpected comment.
"Who does he need to heal so urgently that he had to take all three of them?" Hibari asked.
"No idea," Kruz said. "But if it's Zino, then it's important. Let's follow him."
Without wasting time, they turned the ship back toward Punk Hazard. The Great White cut through the waves with purpose, its crew unusually quiet as the weight of the situation began to settle in.
Before long, the ship docked once again, this time on the icy side of the island. The cold air brushed against their faces as they prepared to disembark.
"Where's Zino now?" Gin asked, scanning the area.
"He's in that building," Kuzan replied slowly, pointing toward the ruined laboratory in the distance. Smoke still rose from some of the collapsed structures, and a faint trace of lightning still lingered in the air.
"Should we all go there too?" Usopp asked, slightly hesitant.
But the rest of the crew was already moving, hopping down from the ship and heading toward the lab without hesitation.
"Hey, wait for me!" Usopp shouted, scrambling after them with exaggerated steps.
With everyone off the ship, the only one left behind was Kuzan. The former admiral remained on the deck, eyes looking lazily at the frozen land before him.
He didn't say a word—but deep down, even he was curious about what Zino had found inside that lab.
...
Outside the damaged remains of the laboratory, Zino busied himself with gathering all the people who had been turned into statues. He moved carefully and efficiently, using controlled wind currents to levitate the petrified figures and lay them gently in rows.
Nearby, Kaya, Moris, and Chloris were preparing themselves for treatment, although none of them had ever encountered a condition like this before.
"This is… new," Chloris said, frowning as she examined one of the stone statues—a humanoid with goat legs and a human torso, clearly one of Caesar's hybrid creations.
"How do we even heal something like this?" she asked, turning to the others.
Kaya looked uncertain. "Maybe we can just apply healing light to them and see what happens?"
Moris, meanwhile, was eyeing a group of centaur-like statues with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. "These people… are they some sort of crossbreed? Half-human, half-animal?"
"Oi, stop assuming things like that!" Chloris snapped, frowning at him.
As she reprimanded him, she lightly slapped his arm. Caught off balance, Moris stumbled back and accidentally bumped into one of the larger statues—a crocodile-man hybrid with a heavy torso and a thick tail, frozen in a defensive stance.
Crack!
The statue tipped over with a heavy crash and shattered on the ground.
"AAAAHHH!" Moris jumped back in horror, his face pale. "He… he's broken! What have you done!?"
Chloris's eyes widened as she took in the shattered pieces. "I didn't mean to! I swear it was an accident!"
Both of them were now sweating nervously, terrified that they may have just ended a life by accident.
"Did we just… kill a guy?" Moris asked, his voice almost a whisper.
But before panic could rise any further, the broken pieces of the statue began to twitch. They saw some movement from the broken statue, and then the stone fragments scattered away. From within, a groggy but very alive crocodile centaur slowly rose to his feet, blinking in confusion.
"Ugh… I'm still alive?" he muttered, flexing his clawed hands and inspecting his arms.
He looked around, dazed, trying to piece together what happened. In his last memory, the poison gas had rushed in suddenly. There was no time to react—he thought death was certain. But now he was alive, and in front of him stood three strangers.
"Are you… doctors?" he asked slowly, looking at the trio.
"...Yes," Moris answered on reflex.
The crocodile centaur, Brownbeard, immediately stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Thank you for saving me. Please save my men too. They got turned into statue too."
The three exchanged glances, speechless. The awkward push, the cracking of the shell, and now… he was alive and grateful? He even asking for help? Moris and Chloris were still sweating nervously, but they managed a weak smile.
Just then, Zino returned, this time carrying several large stone figures in his arms—children, turned to stone, clearly once captives in the lab.
Seeing Brownbeard already awake and moving, Zino stopped mid-step. "Oh, right," he muttered. "They don't die. The statue form is just a shell. Once it's broken, they can return to normal."
He looked over to Kaya, Moris, and Chloris. "Just carefully crack the shell. That should release them safely."
The trio nodded quickly, relieved that they now had a confirmed method. With gentler hands, they began to break apart the stone coverings of the other petrified victims, starting with the children. Brownbeard, now fully awake and grateful, joined them without hesitation, using his strength to help loosen the heavier statues.
One by one, more and more people were freed from their stone prisons. What began as an awkward and uncertain process soon turned into a rhythm of teamwork. Moris and Chloris, while still shaken from earlier, worked with focus. Kaya used her healing ability to ease the aftereffects of petrification, making sure no one suffered long-term damage.
It took time, but eventually the place outside the laboratory filled with the sound of voices—confused, grateful, and overwhelmed. Those who had once been turned to stone now stood beneath the open sky again, breathing freely, some staring at their own hands as if to confirm this was real.
As soon as they recovered, the newly freed wasted no time, and started helping those who were still trapped in their petrified state. Piece by piece, statue by statue, the place returned to life. With Zino having already cleared everyone out of the laboratory, it wasn't long before the last of the stone victims was restored. In the end, no one was left behind.
"Thank you, saviors."
The centaur, the satyr, and all of the children bowed deeply toward Zino and the three healers, their gratitude plain in every movement.