Sakazuki's cold voice sounded. "Take him away."
A few trembling soldiers carried Doflamingo off. The others had already been dealt with by Enel, who had tossed them into nutrient pods to be used as material.
Only then did Sakazuki turn his gaze to the warship, looking directly at Rosinante. "Anything else?"
Rosinante froze for a second. "No..."
Sakazuki raised an eyebrow. "Then come down."
That finally snapped him back to his senses. "Oh, right. Come on, Law."
He turned and held the boy, whose legs had gone weak. Law's eyes went wide with confusion.
"W-what?! Ahhhh!"
Rosinante leapt straight off the deck with him in hand.
They landed with a heavy thud. The boy collapsed at once, his backside hitting the ground. He glared up at Rosinante and shouted, his voice cracking, "Are you an idiot?! From that high up, you just jumped down like that!"
Rosinante blinked, startled, then scratched the back of his head. "Ah, sorry!"
Before Law could catch his breath, a huge shadow loomed over him. He turned his head slowly and saw Sakazuki's towering figure, blocking out the light.
Swallowing hard, he instinctively clutched the hem of Rosinante's trousers.
Sakazuki studied him and said, "So this is the brat who ate the fruit worth five billion."
Rosinante gave a sheepish laugh. "Yes..."
After all, he had stolen the fruit for Law on his own. The information itself had even come from his foster father. In a way, it was a betrayal.
Though Sengoku had later taken responsibility for the failed transaction and never blamed him, there was still a gnawing guilt deep down. Every time the matter came up, it made him uneasy.
Sakazuki chuckled and shook his head. "Relax. Sengoku won't blame you. Children are always a bit reckless. His affection for you is worth more than any fruit. Don't overthink it."
He glanced toward the island. "There's nothing much to see here. For medical matters, you can check out the Third Research Institute. The scientists there study biology, anatomy, and microbes. There should be useful overlaps. Enel will take you."
Rosinante gave a respectful nod. "Thank you, Admiral Sakazuki."
He crouched down and pulled Law back to his feet. "Let's go."
The boy also copied Rosinante, bowing his head stiffly toward Sakazuki.
Sakazuki gave a short hum of acknowledgment, then turned away, striding off with Carlo at his side.
Enel let out a mischievous laugh. "Come."
Unable to react, Law was grabbed once again.
Whoosh!
"Ahhhh!"
Rosinante gave an exasperated smile, braced his legs, and muttered under his breath, "Soru."
He vanished in a flash, heading straight toward the laboratory.
* * *
At the Third Research Institute.
The moment they stepped inside, Law froze. The dizziness he'd felt from Enel's rough handling was forgotten.
Row after row of giant containers stretched out before him. The lower halves were metal, the upper halves glass, all filled with thick nutrient fluid.
Suspended in the liquid were uncountable shapes, creatures of every form and size. Law's breath caught in his throat when he saw not just animals but humans as well, twisted and misshapen.
The whole place looked less like a marine facility and more like the lair of a dark organization.
"This... this..." His voice stammered. "You're really… the Marines? This is... this is too…"
Smack!
Enel flicked a finger against his forehead. "What are you thinking? Most of the things in these tanks were cultivated from cells. They're not alive. They exist only for study and record-keeping."
He tilted his chin toward the distorted human shapes floating in other pods. "As for them, they're all scum of the seas. Every last one of them has more blood on their hands than you can imagine. All deserved the death penalty. This is the only contribution they can still make to the world. Dying in experiments is their way of atonement."
Swoosh!
Rosinante appeared at the entrance, his eyes landing on Law, who still stood frozen in place. "What's wrong? Why aren't you going in?"
He looked toward Enel, puzzled. The latter shrugged and jerked his head to the side. "Maybe he can't handle it yet. You were the same back then."
Rosinante turned back to the containers, his expression dimming with memory. "I see..."
He scratched his head. It was true. When Enel had first brought him here, he had struggled to accept it too. But everything had changed once his friend had shown him the crimes committed by those being experimented on.
After that, he even felt that dying in an experiment was too merciful for them.
"Come on, Law," he said gently. "They're all heinous pirates. You don't want to see the crimes they've committed. The Third Research Institute has gathered the world's finest scientists in biology and microbiology. Most of them specialize in cellular and bacterial studies. You might be able to learn something and apply it elsewhere."
The mention of learning instantly lit up the boy's eyes. "Really?!"
For someone who had loved studying since he was little, he could hardly contain his eagerness.
Rosinante smiled warmly. "Yes. I'll take you to meet them."
As he led Law deeper into the facility, he asked, "Enel, aren't you coming?"
The tall man waved dismissively. "No. I've got business with that bastard Caesar."
Just thinking about him made Enel's blood boil.
He had already heard the full story from Rosinante. It turned out the virus Caesar had given him had never spread properly. Even when unleashed, it had been useless. The enemy chased them down regardless. If not for Funkfreed shielding them for a time, they would have been slaughtered before Enel arrived.
Shhh!
With a flash, Enel disappeared. This time he didn't turn into lightning; the last time he'd done that inside the lab, he'd nearly blown the place apart.
Not long later, from deep inside the complex, the sound of terrible screaming erupted.
* * *
In a high-tech laboratory, researchers pressed themselves against the walls, watching nervously.
In the center, Caesar was on the floor, his face swollen and bruised. Enel sat on top of him, pinning him down.
"Damn it!" Caesar shouted. "What the hell happened?! Give me one good reason for this, you lightning bastard!"
Enel snorted coldly and flung a small pendant onto the ground. "This thing doesn't even work. You gave me junk, didn't you?"
Caesar thrashed under his weight, jumping in outrage despite being pinned. "Impossible! You can question my character, but not my research results!"
He snatched up the pendant, pressed a small hidden button, and instantly activated it.
Ssshh!
A burst of compressed gas hissed out and both men's pupils shrank. Caesar quickly slammed the button again, shutting it off.
"Everyone out! Seal the lab!" he screamed.
The scientists didn't hesitate. They bolted for the doors, Enel and Ceasar included. The chamber sealed shut, and the air purification system kicked in. Only then did Caesar let out a shaky breath.
He held the pendant up in front of Enel. "You see? It works perfectly, damn it!"
Enel's face darkened. "So you're saying I lied."
Caesar clicked his tongue. "Tell me exactly what happened."
As Enel described the events, Caesar's expression soured. By the time he finished, realization had dawned.
"Enough. I know what went wrong. It's the temperature. That's the weakness of most bacteria. The warmer it is, the faster they multiply. If the temperature is suitable, they can engulf an island in no time. But the activation site was on an island at more than ten degrees below freezing…"
His face twisted in frustration. "Damn it."
He spun around to face his researchers. "All of you, stop what you're working on. From this moment, your only task is to make these bacteria capable of surviving and spreading in freezing conditions!"
* * *
Late that night, Punk Hazard.
Deep beneath the island's center, nearly a hundred meters underground…
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