Chapter 446 - 285

Chapter 286: He is... a Four Emperors' crew member!Punk Hazard · Frozen Zone · Hidden Research Lab"Caesar, I've received word that a group of unidentified pirates has broken into the outer regions of Punk Hazard."A cold female voice, tinged with a hint of urgency, rang out.She had a tall, graceful figure, wrapped in a white fur coat made of a special material, the neckline outlining her undulating curves.Her wavy, grass-green hair was like a spring of life surging beneath the ice fields, cascading over her shoulders, with a few strands falling to perfectly cover her left eye.Her uncovered right eye, with its striking golden pupil, was currently filled with scrutiny and concern as she looked toward the center of the room.The newcomer was Caesar Clown's secretary, the Snow-Snow Fruit user—Monet.The Caesar she spoke of was lazily slumped in a large, ergonomic chair.The man was slender, wearing his signature white coat, and the curved horns on his head glinted coldly under the pale laboratory lights.He was leisurely sipping a bubbling drink of a bizarre color from a glass."Shurorororo~~ Don't worry about it, my dear little Monet!""They're just a bunch of pirate cockroaches who don't know their place and wandered into a forbidden area.""I've already sent a team of 'Cleaners' to handle it. Before long, we'll have a new batch of high-quality 'living experimental subjects'.""Shurorororo, if we're lucky, we might even find one or two individuals with high compatibility for 'SAD'.""Is that so?"Monet's willow-like brows did not relax; instead, they furrowed even tighter.She didn't bite on Caesar's rhetoric about "subjects," but instead took a neatly folded newspaper from inside her coat and put on a pair of delicate glasses."I'm afraid now is not the time for unnecessary complications, Mr. Caesar."She looked up, her gaze piercing through the lenses to stare directly at Caesar."The fact that Mr. Vergo's undercover identity in the Marine G-5 Branch has been exposed is a dangerous signal in itself.""The Marine, especially that new Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, will never remain indifferent to this. No one can guarantee whether this island has already entered the Marine's reconnaissance network."Monet's voice dropped lower, carrying a sense of cold realism."More importantly,"Her fingertip lightly tapped on Luffy's photo in the newspaper."According to the highest-level intelligence within the family, we seem to have quite a grudge with this... 'newly appointed Four Emperors.' You should be aware of the pressure coming from Young Master Doflamingo's side."She put away the newspaper, took off her glasses, and let out a faint sigh.Who could have predicted that a boy from the East Blue, unheard of six months ago, could stir up such a massive wave capable of shaking the world's structure in such a short time?At that moment,The indicator lights on the console flickered, illuminating a slender figure that had appeared on the sofa at some unknown point.He leaned back, his arms cradling an eerie Nodachilonger than his height, the end of the scabbard resting lightly on the floor.His hood was pulled low, shadows covering the upper half of his face, as his cold gaze swept over Monet and Caesar."You... You are?!"The glass in Caesar's hand slipped and shattered on the insulated floor, splashing purple liquid everywhere.Almost simultaneously—Shua! Shua! Shua!The temperature inside the lab plummeted!Countless fine, crystalline hexagonal ice crystals condensed out of thin air and swirled, instantly forming a miniature blizzard!The right side of Monet's body had transformed into a flurry of pure white snowflakes, her grass-green hair dancing wildly in the cold current, and her golden pupil, not covered by her bangs, narrowed to a pinprick, locking onto the intruder on the sofa."Caesar! Run!"Having seen the newspaper headlines countless times, she had long since carved that face into her memory.Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death... a core crew member of that newly appointed Four Emperors!Thus, the identity of the pirates who had landed on the island was self-evident.A chill rose from the depths of Monet's heart, a recognition of the overwhelming power gap and the near-desperate resolve that followed.But... for the Young Master's ideal, for the Donquixote Family!"I'll stop him!"The wind and snow condensed into an array of sharp ice spikes in front of her, her gaze becoming resolute.Even if it was like a moth to a flame, even if she were to be annihilated in an instant, she would not hesitate!"A Logia?... What a pity!!" Law finally spoke, his voice flat without a hint of emotion, as if stating an inconsequential fact.He extended his arms, fingers splayed, pointing from a distance at Monet, who was enveloped in the blizzard, and Caesar, who was hiding behind the console trying to activate an emergency device.Vroom!A pale blue hemispherical force field expanded silently with Law at the center, instantly covering the entire research lab."Surgery."His half-closed fingers made a light grasping motion.Puchi.Two hearts, still beating rhythmically and radiating the warmth of life and the glow of energy, appeared out of thin air in the palms of Law's hands.Caesar's and Monet's movements froze simultaneously.The elementalized wind and snow instantly became chaotic and dissipated; Monet returned to human form, stumbling back half a step.Caesar clutched his empty chest, the color draining from his face, his eyes filled with unbelievable terror.Law remained expressionless, his fingers slowly tightening, applying pressure."Agh—!!!""Ah—!!!"Two shrill screams, hardly sounding human, instantly tore through the silence of the research lab!Caesar collapsed to the ground, his whole body twitching.Monet knelt on one knee, biting her lower lip so hard it nearly bled, her golden pupils dilating from the intense pain.Law relaxed his grip slightly, allowing them to catch their breath. His cold gaze swept over the two contorted figures on the floor."I'm asking you,"His voice was still steady, but it carried an unquestionable pressure,"What kind of research is really going on here? What is Doflamingo... plotting?""Shu... Shurorororo..."Caesar struggled to lift his head, trying to force a twisted smile onto his face, cold sweat soaking his purple lipstick,"Do... Do you really want to know? This experiment... involves countless big shots in the Underworld!""One of the collaborators is none other than the 'worlds strongest creature'—Beast Kaido!"As if grabbing onto a lifeline, a hint of blustering arrogance returned to his voice:"Brat! Are... Are you trying to make an enemy of a true 'Four Emperors'?!"In the New World, the title of "Four Emperors" was an unshakeable hegemony. Caesar gambled that the man before him would weigh the consequences, feel fear, and back down.However, the expected hesitation did not appear.Law didn't even show a flicker in his eyes.Meanwhile, Monet, who was barely supporting herself nearby, looked at Caesar with a gaze that carried an almost unmistakable... pity and mockery, as if looking at a fool."The person in front of you,"Monet spoke in a hoarse voice, enduring the agonizing pain of her heart being squeezed,"is a crew member of the newly appointed Four Emperors, 'straw hat' Luffy.""Wha...?!"The forced arrogance on Caesar's face instantly shattered, his pupils dilating from extreme terror."Aghhh—!!!"Law's hand suddenly clenched!Caesar felt as if his heart were being ruthlessly gripped and squeezed by a cold iron hand, nearly bursting!Law's gaze turned to Monet,"So, do you have anything you want to say?"Monet met his gaze; though her face was as pale as snow and her body trembled slightly from pain, a flicker of near-fanatical resolve burned in her golden eyes."You want me to betray the Young Master?"She spoke each word with absolute certainty,"Ab-so-lute-ly not!"Law's gaze turned completely cold, filled with killing intent."In that case—""Wait! I'll talk! I'll talk!!!"Caesar screamed with the last of his strength, interrupting Law.He no longer dared to harbor any hope; he forced an extremely flattering, twistedly humble smile onto his face, looking at Law with tears and snot streaming down:"My lord! I was blind before and didn't recognize your identity! Please forgive my offense!!""Whatever you want to know, I will tell you everything without reservation! I only beg you to stay your hand!!""Caesar—!!!"Monet roared in disbelief, her single eye filled with shock, anger, and a pain as if her faith had been defiled."How could you... how could you betray the Young Master?! The Young Master's ideal, the family's honor, have you forgotten it all?!"