"Let me go, you idiot—"
"Gomu Gomu no—Bell!"
With Caesar in his grip, Luffy hardened his forehead with Armament Haki. He stretched his neck back and snapped it forward for a headbutt, aiming to deliver a personal touch to his capture. However—
"I dodge!"
At the last second, Caesar twisted his long frame to narrowly avoid Luffy's attack. He then swung his sleeve toward Luffy's head:
"Gas Cloak!"
Thick poison gas instantly enveloped Luffy's head, and caught off guard, he took a deep breath.
"Shurororo~~ I win!"
"My poison gas has been tested over and over—"
"Poof!!!"
"What the heck is this? It stinks so bad!"
???
Seeing Luffy spewing toxic gas from his nostrils like a chain smoker, Caesar's jaw practically dropped to his chest in shock. His earlier mysterious and intimidating aura vanished completely.
"How is this even possible?!"
This was poisonous gas, not second-hand smoke…
"Hehehe, this is way weaker than Magellan's poison."
...
"Magellan's just a measly Paramecia user! How can he even compare to my Logia powers?"
As Caesar started boasting, Roman, watching from the sidelines, rolled his eyes. Times had changed! Logia powers were almost invincible in the first half of the Grand Line, but how many of the new powerhouses in the latter half even relied on Logia abilities?
Everyone has Armament Haki now—they'd smash you to pieces.
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Headbutt!"
Luffy's missed attack had his head springing back, but he twisted his body mid-air and delivered an upside-down flying kick straight to Caesar's face! The impact sent Caesar flying like a cannonball, crashing through a nearby battleship with a loud boom. Roman's eyes narrowed slightly.
Caesar was tougher than he looked... Oh? Turns out he'd created a "gas armor" layer around himself to cushion the blows. Interesting.
"Damn it!"
If poison won't work, then—
Even though Caesar was a scientist, he was still a pirate with a bounty of 300 million berries. Sure, most of that was because of his Logia Devil Fruit, but he still had some combat skills.
"Gas Clap!"
As Luffy charged toward him, Caesar stood up from the rubble and threw a small round device.
"BOOM!"
A massive explosion erupted around Luffy as he leapt down, the blast expanding violently and consuming the sky. The air, rapidly depleted, collapsed inward with force, throwing Marine soldiers and lab personnel across the battlefield like ragdolls.
The sky turned into a sea of fire, with scorching, expanding gases radiating heat and light everywhere. Crackling sounds echoed as tiny microorganisms in the air burst from the intense heat.
In this inferno, nothing alive—whether visible or microscopic—could survive. Flesh, blood, even unseen viruses, would all be reduced to ash. But of course, no matter how powerful the attack, it meant nothing if it missed.
"Wow, that was a huge explosion."
Hearing a voice behind him, Caesar instinctively turned around, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he saw Luffy adjusting his straw hat.
What greeted him next was:
"Gomu Gomu no Jet Stamp!"
In Gear Second, Luffy's kick hit Caesar like a cannonball, sending him flying again. Luffy immediately leapt forward, pinning Caesar beneath him.
"Gotcha this time!"
It seemed like Luffy had taken Caesar down in just two moves, but—
Luffy, you've underestimated him.
In this world, scientists are some of the trickiest people. They wouldn't be worthy of the title "scientist" if they didn't pull off stunts that defy all logic.
"Cough, cough."
*Clink.*
Just as Luffy, who had the upper hand, was about to celebrate, his body suddenly gave out. He collapsed onto the ground, looking extremely pained.
"What's going on?"
"Isn't Luffy supposed to have a high resistance to poison—"
While the Straw Hat crew looked on in shock, The White Knight, clad in his armor, sprang into action! He reached out, grabbing a pure white sword mid-air.
"Armament Haki—activate."
Without using any fancy techniques, The White Knight simply dashed forward and swung his sword with precision.
*Slash!*
"Argh!!!"
Caesar screamed as he was sent flying, blood splattering everywhere. Meanwhile, Luffy, who had nearly passed out, gasped for air as he stood up.
"What just happened... I couldn't breathe for a moment?"
Roman stepped forward and answered Luffy's question directly.
"You're being suffocated. This is the enemy's Devil Fruit ability: it draws the oxygen out of a certain area, causing people to unknowingly lose consciousness or even die from suffocation."
The White Knight glanced at Smoker standing nearby and thought: same smoke-based Devil Fruit, but Caesar doesn't even know Haki yet nearly took down Luffy with one hit. Meanwhile, you, a Logia-type with only physical combat skills, aren't even qualified to fight Luffy yet.
"Hey, Luffy!"
A disgruntled voice came from behind.
"This is our first adventure in the New World! There are stronger enemies ahead! If you go down here, what does that say about you?"
"Luffy just got caught off guard by the enemy's ability," Usopp spoke up to stop them. "Don't be so harsh..."
"Ha, sorry."
Luffy took a deep breath as he got up. He had been blindsided by someone much weaker than him. If it weren't for Roman, he might've ended up in jail again.
"Sorry for worrying you all. It's my fault!"
It won't happen again.
——————
"Ugh--!"
Back in the lab, Law hadn't obtained the sample of the drugs the kids had taken. Instead, he fell to his knees in pain. Standing in front of him was:
"Law, long time no see." A giant man wearing a checkered coat, sunglasses, and with Inazuma-like sideburns stood in front of him, holding a bamboo rod in one hand and in the other:
A heart.
Law's heart.
"Been a few years, and you've become a Warlord of the Sea. You've really made something of yourself..."
"Vergo!"
Law gritted his teeth and shouted the name, kneeling on the ground. "When did you get here?"
"Just now,"
The large man in the checkered coat calmly watched Law struggle on the floor.
"Marine, Straw Hat Pirates, and you, little brat. Looks like I came to the right place."
As Law reached for his 'Ghost Cry' to fight back, the bamboo rod in Vergo's hand suddenly glowed with a metallic light! Red— the symbol of advanced Armament Haki.
Bang!!
The bamboo rod covered in Armament Haki slammed into Law's head, causing blood to spurt as it knocked him unconscious, leaving him in a pool of his own blood.
"You should call me 'Mr. Vergo'."
---
"Captain, do we really have to go to Punk Hazard Island? That place is—"
"It's a place that the World Government forbids anyone from stepping foot on. I know."
Roman, standing on the deck, nodded in response to Rear Admiral Bolkin's words. Nami, wearing a Rear Admiral's coat, stood beside him... no, it was An
"I've received reports from other Marine branches. A wanted scientist is conducting illegal experiments on that island, including 'human gigantification,' 'massive poison gas,' and more."
"Marine officers who discovered this have been trapped on the island, their lives in danger. As a Marine candidate Admiral, I cannot just ignore this!"
Roman threw his coat aside, took An in his arms, and then:
Whoosh!!
The two of them shot up from the deck like a rocket, quickly becoming nothing more than a tiny white dot in the sky, with Roman's voice fading as they flew away.
"I'll go ahead. You follow me."
Sigh,
The Captain is great at everything. His abilities are almost all-encompassing, and he's captured countless pirates, sharing all the credit with the team. He's generous with money, providing all kinds of advanced supplies.
Although the training is strict, it has made the entire 211th fleet grow at an incredible pace. Bolkin and the others are the envy of the other Marine branches. But:
"When facing a strong enemy, he just rushes ahead, leaving us behind. Captain, can't you let us—"
"What's there to complain about,"
A cold voice interrupted.
Vice Admiral Isuka, who had recently gained a Devil Fruit ability and quickly rose in rank to Vice Admiral, walked over.
"Even I, when facing a real strong enemy, would hold Roman back. What do you expect from you guys?"
"...Alright, I guess you're right,"
Bolkin sighed and scratched his blonde hair, but power is something—
Should I ask my dad to get me a Devil Fruit?
Superhuman type, or maybe Logia?
As for Zoan…
I guess even a Mythical Zoan would work.
---
Punk Hazard Island,
At the only remaining base, Vergo and Monet, who had just taken down Law, looked surprised as Caesar stumbled back, covered in smoke, from the ventilation shaft.
"You're a Logia user, yet you got beaten up by a bunch of kids?"
Caesar, covered in blood and holding his swollen face, which was missing a few teeth, looked both shocked and fearful.
"Two of them had Armament Haki, and I was careless... I took some hits..."
This pathetic state doesn't look like 'just a few hits' at all.
"Control room, release the 'decoy'—"
Ignoring the two people who weren't even his subordinates, Caesar quickly pulled out a Den Den Mushi to give orders.
"Seal all exits in Area A of the lab!"
"Sir, our men are still outside..."
"Who cares about those useless fools dying?!"
Caesar, still shaken from being scared by Luffy and Roman, didn't have time to care about the useless subordinates he'd tricked into joining. His biggest regret was not using 'Death Country' right away! But:
"Shurororo~~ I haven't lost yet! I still have my real trump card."
"By the way, you guys help me out!"
Caesar turned to Vergo and Monet.
"One of them has a tricky ability, and 'Death Country' might not work on them. If even one escapes, it'll be a problem. How about you ask 'The Joker' to send more people over?"
When dealing with weaklings, Caesar was reckless, but once faced with strong opponents, he immediately called for backup.
"No need, the two of us are enough."
"You agree, right, young master?"
Under Vergo's coat, a Den Den Mushi was connecting!
"Fufufufu~~~"
A series of distinct laughs came from under his coat, making Law, who was lying in a pool of blood, tremble for a moment.
"I trust you, but I happen to have a hyperactive person here."
"I'll send her and Buffalo to help—let them deal with the aftermath."
"Got it."
"Then let's take care of things before our people arrive—?!"
Vergo suddenly turned around and glanced at the bloodstains on the floor. His brow furrowed.
"This kid Law, he just can't learn!"
---
----You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu