horrified by his monstrous new form, staggered backward, staring at his scaled limbs and clawed hands with abject terror. He screamed, frantically running his hands over his transformed body, unable to process the nightmare he had become.
In stark contrast to his despair, Kaido and the Beasts Pirates erupted with excitement. They cheered and clinked their sake cups, admiring the artificial Devil Fruit's effects with unrestrained enthusiasm. Seeing their satisfaction, Diamante let out a shaky sigh of relief. He knew all too well that artificial Devil Fruits had only a fifty percent success rate, and if this first attempt had failed, Kaido's wrath would likely have fallen on him. But with Passerby A's transformation a success, Diamante felt momentarily safe.
Seizing the opportunity, Diamante quickly subdued the trembling Passerby A and stepped forward to address Kaido with an air of practiced confidence. "Lord Kaido," he said, gesturing to the transformed man, "this is a product of SAD, a substance developed by Dr. Caesar Clown. Through his process, we're able to create SMILE fruits, or artificial Devil Fruits."
Kaido listened, his eyes brightening with interest. Black Maria leaned in and poured him another bowl of sake, her sly smile never wavering.
"We're working with Dr. Caesar to increase the production of SAD," Diamante continued, "but since he's under government surveillance, producing large quantities has proven… challenging."
Kaido's brow furrowed as he heard Caesar's name again. It sounded familiar, yet he couldn't quite place it. Black Maria noticed his confusion and leaned in, speaking softly.
"Lord Kaido, Caesar Clown was a former colleague of Queen's. They were both part of the original MADS research team," she explained.
"Ah, so he's one of Queen's people," Kaido muttered, a look of understanding dawning on his face. His expression grew serious as he rubbed his temple, feeling the effects of the sake. "Where is Caesar now? And is he the only one who knows how to produce SAD?"
Diamante hesitated, his eyes darting to the other officers before he reluctantly replied, "He's currently at Punk Hazard, the Marine research base. No one else has his expertise in SAD production…."
He paused, then added carefully, "Lord Kaido, the base is often guarded by Admiral Kizaru. And lately, Admiral Aokiji has also been stationed in the New World. It… might be difficult to retrieve him."
Kaido's eyes narrowed, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "Are you suggesting I can't handle two Admirals?"
"No, no, not at all!" Diamante stammered, sweat beading on his forehead. "I only meant that Dr. Caesar's research is linked to Dr. Vegapunk. If he leaves, it could delay progress on the SAD formula…."
Kaido leaned down, his massive face mere inches from Diamante's, his breath hot with the scent of sake. "You think I care about a delay?" he sneered, his voice rumbling. "And who says I can't just take Vegapunk along with him?"
Diamante froze, his mouth opening and closing without a word. He hadn't considered the possibility of Kaido kidnapping both scientists, but now that Kaido had mentioned it, he realized it wasn't entirely unthinkable. Yet the sheer audacity of such an act left him speechless.
After a tense moment, Kaido scoffed, pulling back. "Relax, idiot," he grumbled, straightening up. "I'm not actually planning on kidnapping Vegapunk. That'd only bring the whole Marine and World Government force down on my head, and I have better things to do than waste time fighting them off."
Kaido's gaze shifted to the SMILE fruits arranged on the table, and he let out a deep sigh. Producing SAD under government supervision would be inefficient and unpredictable, with no way to control delivery timelines. But Kaido had no interest in letting the Marines discover his involvement with Caesar or risk losing this precious "treasure" of his.
His frustration mounting, Kaido lifted a sake jar and drained it in one go. Then, with a loud roar, he smashed the empty jar onto the ground, the shards scattering across the banquet floor.
"Damn you, Joker! I should kill you right now!" Kaido shouted, his voice echoing through the hall. His eyes burned with envy as he looked at Doflamingo's empty seat. "Why do you get the luxury of a Shichibukai title? All that freedom! It's not fair!"
As he shouted, Kaido's expression shifted, his anger giving way to a strange, almost childlike sorrow. His face contorted, and tears began to roll down his cheeks as he let out a loud, exaggerated sob.
Watching Kaido's sudden mood swing, the officers of both the Donquixote and Beasts Pirates looked on with a mix of bewilderment and horror. Who's-Who, one of the Tobiroppo, shook his head, his voice filled with exasperation. "The Governor's really gone off the deep end. Looks like the alcohol finally hit him."
"What do we do?" Sasaki whispered, casting a wary glance at Kaido, who was now weeping and pounding his fists against the table. "If we don't stop him, he might go on a rampage and sink the whole island."
Kaido, his face flushed and streaked with tears, staggered to his feet, grabbing his mace as he began swinging it wildly. Plates, bowls, and trays of food flew through the air as he smashed the banquet table, scattering what little remained of the feast across the floor.
With a resigned sigh, Black Maria stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Kaido to restrain him. "Lord Kaido, that's enough," she murmured, her voice soothing as she gently pulled him back. She turned to Who's-Who and the stunned Diamante, her expression calm and commanding. "You two, gather up the SMILE fruits and take them somewhere safe. Lord Kaido will examine them when he's sober."
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