Chapter 277: Loyalty
Meanwhile, at Punk Hazard.
"Damn it, bastard! They actually demand I surrender the core technology? Absolutely not!"
Caesar slammed his fist on the laboratory table, absolutely furious.
His relationship with Doflamingo had been purely transactional—there was no genuine connection whatsoever. If Doflamingo died, he could simply locate another trade partner.
But he hadn't anticipated the Thunder God Swordsman's approach would prove so forceful, several times more ruthless than Doflamingo, squeezing his profit margins to absolute minimum.
At that moment, the laboratory door was pushed open from outside, and a woman with long, wavy green hair entered.
This woman possessed a voluptuous figure with distinctive golden pupils.
She was none other than Monet—the Logia-type Yuki Yuki no Mi user, Doflamingo's spy positioned at Caesar's side.
At this moment, she hadn't assumed her half-human, half-harpy form as in the original timeline. Her long, slender, pale legs appeared quite striking.
"Has Vergo made contact? Are you certain Fleet Admiral Sakazuki will actually respond?"
Caesar inquired coldly upon witnessing the newcomer.
Since Doflamingo's death, Monet had revealed her true identity to him, exposing how he'd been infiltrated by Doflamingo's organization all along. This realization had sent chills down his spine, and naturally, his attitude toward her was far from pleasant.
"Vergo-sama will arrive here by tomorrow at the absolute latest.
Punk Hazard is positioned near the New World's entrance, not far from the relocated Marine Headquarters. If the Thunder God Swordsman does appear here, current Fleet Admiral Sakazuki will rapidly deploy with military forces.
Then, the Thunder God Swordsman's death will be imminent!
The Thunder God Swordsman openly humiliated the World Government recently. They've probably already issued elimination orders against him, but simply haven't found an appropriate opportunity yet."
Monet disregarded Caesar's hostile tone, her beautiful eyes filled with hatred as she spoke with fierce intensity.
She was extraordinarily loyal to Doflamingo, firmly believing he represented the only legitimate candidate for Pirate King, and in the original timeline, she'd been willing to sacrifice her life for him without hesitation.
By killing Doflamingo, Rhodes had essentially destroyed her entire faith. The deeper her loyalty to Doflamingo had been, the more intensely Monet hated Rhodes.
"It had better work exactly as planned."
Caesar's eyes flickered with obvious hesitation.
"Will the Thunder God Swordsman truly be eliminated here?"
He felt genuine apprehension. The Thunder God Swordsman was no pushover whatsoever. If he discovered he'd been deceived, he'd probably hunt Caesar relentlessly across the entire New World.
"What are you so afraid of?!
Your SMILE production capabilities have caught Kaido's attention. You can simply join the Beast Pirates directly. Rhodes couldn't possibly venture into Beast Pirates territory to capture you.
Besides, don't think I'm unaware you're secretly assisting Big Mom with human gigantification research. If all else fails, joining Big Mom represents another viable option."
Monet's expression remained cold, though she still attempted reassurance.
Caesar was a crucial component. He'd attracted the Thunder God Swordsman here, and she didn't want him backing down at the critical moment.
"..."
Caesar's expression shifted uncomfortably. The sensation of having someone this close functioning as a spy was profoundly unpleasant.
But Monet was correct. He didn't need to worry about Rhodes' threat at all. With either Kaido or Big Mom providing protection, even if Rhodes genuinely achieved Yonko status, he wouldn't amount to much.
"The secret escape passage is only known to me. If combat erupts, I can simply flee,"
Caesar decided internally.
He'd long wanted to abandon Punk Hazard as his operational base.
The devastating battle between Marine Admirals several days ago had genuinely terrified him.
Monet secretly sneered, a ruthless glint flashing through her eyes. She was fully prepared to destroy Punk Hazard and perish alongside her enemies.
Rhodes was unacceptable, and so were the Marine Admirals!
The Young Master would probably be very pleased witnessing such a sacrifice.
A slightly unhinged expression appeared in Monet's golden eyes.
The following day, a green dimensional gate suddenly manifested in the sky above Punk Hazard.
The portal opened, revealing two figures—none other than Rhodes and Law, who'd traveled from Dressrosa.
Observing the island below—half covered in ice and snow, the other half flowing with magma—Law gasped audibly,
"Was this truly caused by battle aftershocks? Just how powerful were those two Marine Admirals?"
Rhodes felt equally surprised, remarking,
"Sakazuki and Kuzan have probably developed their Devil Fruit abilities to their absolute limits."
"I couldn't even alter an island's climate like this currently."
With Rhodes' present strength, sinking an island was barely achievable, but permanently changing climate patterns remained beyond his capabilities.
"Alright, let's descend."
Rhodes stated, taking a step forward and initiating descent. He lightly stepped on air several times before landing gracefully on the frozen island half.
Law, conversely, utilized his spatial manipulation abilities to teleport to an open area.
Witnessing Law slightly winded after landing, Rhodes shook his head.
"Your stamina reserves still require improvement, and you should master Geppou sooner rather than later."
Law replied with a hint of helplessness,
"Not everyone possesses your monstrous constitution."
His focus remained concentrated on developing his Ope Ope no Mi and advancing medical knowledge—he simply didn't possess the energy or time for extensive physical conditioning.
"I still need to locate it."
Rhodes surveyed their surroundings.
The harsh environmental conditions affected his Observation Haki's effectiveness. It was unfortunate Enel wasn't present—otherwise he'd excel at this game of hide-and-seek, locating everyone perfectly.
"According to Robin's intelligence, it should be near the frozen region's center."
Rhodes' voice trembled slightly. He wasn't the monstrous cold-resistant type—the extreme temperatures of the ice region still made him quite uncomfortable.
"What a nuisance."
Rhodes shook his head with mild irritation. If he wasn't concerned about damaging research equipment, he could simply cleave the island in two.
Oh well, he'd spare this poor, already-ravaged island.
While Rhodes and his companion searched for the research facility—
Caesar and the others at the base had already detected their arrival through surveillance equipment.
"The Thunder God Swordsman is here! How did he appear? No approaching ships detected. Never mind that—where's Vergo? Where's Sakazuki?!"
Caesar paced anxiously around the monitoring room.
Monet felt equally tense. She quickly retrieved a Den Den Mushi from her coat and contacted Vergo:
"Vergo-sama, the Thunder God Swordsman has appeared on Punk Hazard, accompanied by the Surgeon of Death, Trafalgar Law."
"What?! I understand. I'll arrange Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's deployment immediately. You two delay them—I'll arrive shortly!"
With that declaration, Vergo terminated the transmission.
As the highest-ranking surviving member of the Donquixote Family and Doflamingo's longest-serving follower, his loyalty to Doflamingo was absolutely beyond question. This time, he was willing to sacrifice his own life to trap Rhodes here!
Naturally, he remained acutely aware of such top-tier combatants' terrifying capabilities and understood he simply couldn't eliminate Rhodes independently. He could only attempt luring the tiger to devour the wolf.
The Den Den Mushi disconnected. Watching Rhodes and Law approaching the research facility on monitoring screens, Monet clenched her fist determinedly and stated,
"I'll delay them. You find methods to release poison gas—the most concentrated type available."
She was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. As long as she maintained elemental transformation, simple poison gas wouldn't affect her whatsoever.
"Understood."
Caesar glanced at his Logia-type associate with genuine surprise. He hadn't expected this woman to demonstrate such fanatical loyalty to Doflamingo, seemingly unconcerned about death itself.
After all, the Thunder God Swordsman was a madman who'd dared challenge Whitebeard in single combat. Facing that man, she might be killed instantaneously.
(End of Chapter)
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