On the sea, the fleet was sailing toward Fish-Man Island.
A Marine lieutenant was reporting to Borsalino, "Admiral Kizaru, Punk Hazard is operating normally."
"How strange."
Borsalino dismissed his subordinate and rubbed his chin in thought.
Punk Hazard was not far from Fish-Man Island.
However, Reddy had requested the fleet to collect marine life under the pretext of researching the biological populations in the nearby waters. As a result, even after three full days, the fleet was still some distance away from Fish-Man Island.
"Get moving, you useless fools!"
Borsalino looked toward Caesar, who was standing at the bow of the ship, arrogantly shouting at the Marines, and shook his head helplessly.
Caesar sneered, "Shurororororo... These are samples for Lord Reddy. If you delay his research, you won't be able to bear the consequences!"
The Marines were furious but dared not speak up.
For the past three days, Caesar had used Reddy's name to boss them around, acting as if he were Reddy's spokesperson. His shameless behavior was unbearable to witness.
Borsalino scratched his head, too lazy to stop Caesar's antics.
After spending over a year on Punk Hazard, he already knew exactly what kind of person Caesar was.
At that moment, a Marine lieutenant rushed onto the deck in a panic and shouted, "Admiral Kizaru, Dr. Reddy has disappeared!"
His cry echoed across the deck.
Everyone was stunned.
They were in the middle of the sea, with only five warships in the area. Where could Dr. Reddy have gone?
"Huh?"
Caesar's face froze in confusion.
Lord Reddy is missing?
But I'm still on the ship!
Borsalino scratched his head and sighed, "Ara ara, it seems I've been tricked by that guy."
As he spoke, he looked at Caesar.
Caesar shuddered and immediately activated his Devil Fruit ability to fly away from the warship.
"Shurororororo... You fools, I'm a Gas-Gas Fruit user!" Caesar taunted Borsalino smugly after escaping the warship.
Before he could finish, a laser beam suddenly pierced through his chest.
Caesar looked down at the hole in his chest and sneered even more arrogantly, "Shurororororo... Admiral Kizaru, did you not eat enough today?"
"Such a terrifying ability..."
Borsalino lowered his right hand and lazily shook his head. "Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
"Huh?"
Caesar froze.
Borsalino clasped his hands together, gathering light particles, then fired a beam of light, instantly appearing in front of Caesar.
"Huh?"
Caesar's face went blank again. Before he could react, Borsalino kicked him, sending him flying back toward the warship.
Before he could crash onto the deck, countless light particles condensed on the deck, reforming Borsalino's figure.
With a single grab!
Borsalino seized the back of Caesar's head with one hand, as if holding a small chick.
"I confess!"
Caesar was terrified out of his wits and immediately screamed, "I'm one of you! I was the one who provided evidence to CP5! That bastard Reddy has been planning to betray the World Government for a long time. He killed CP5 and forced me to become his subordinate..."
"Huh?"
Just as Caesar was speaking, a door suddenly opened in the air in front of him, and Reddy was staring at him intently.
The situation became extremely awkward!
Borsalino scratched his head. "Dr. Reddy, you're making things difficult for me."
Reddy shrugged. "Admiral Kizaru, the World Government is making things difficult for me too."
Caesar, caught between the two, curled up as much as possible, trying to make himself invisible.
Being caught red-handed by the person he was betraying was so embarrassing!
Borsalino said nothing, unsure of what to say. There was nothing left to discuss now. The only thing left was to capture Reddy.
"Well then... goodbye!"
Reddy smiled slightly, and the air door in front of him disappeared.
No saving him!
Let Caesar go to Impel Down. The effect would be about the same.
"Lord Reddy!"
Caesar's face twisted in horror.
I'm the world's greatest scientist!
Are you really abandoning me?
At that moment, another air door opened above the warship's deck, and Reddy reappeared in front of the still-stunned Marines.
"Oh, I almost forgot to say, Caesar is my most valued and capable assistant. Please do not imprison him in Impel Down. Thank you." Reddy quickly finished speaking, and the air door vanished before Borsalino could react.
"No!"
Seeing that Reddy had truly abandoned him without hesitation, Caesar fell into despair.
"Throwing you into Impel Down sounds like a good idea."
Borsalino's voice came from behind. Caesar's face stiffened as he mechanically turned his head and saw Borsalino actually considering the pros and cons. He immediately put on a flattering expression.
"Admiral Kizaru, I'm the world's greatest scientist!"
"Throwing me into Impel Down would be the biggest waste!"
"I have many achievements! I have value!"
"Great value!"
Borsalino rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That does sound pretty good."
Caesar was overjoyed and quickly added, "That guy is an idiot for publicly releasing the Lineage Factor blueprint. I've memorized all of it. Just give me some time, and I can develop the perfect artificial Devil Fruit!"
It had to be said that Caesar was clever. He knew Marineford was not the World Government and had little interest in poison weapons. But when it came to artificial Devil Fruits, the Marines were very interested.
However, Borsalino's next words left him dumbfounded.
Borsalino shook his head. "Too troublesome. If Marineford wants artificial Devil Fruits, we can just ask Vegapunk."
"Huh?"
Caesar's face went blank.
This script was definitely wrong!
You're an admiral!
Don't you know the value of artificial Devil Fruits?
You don't deserve to be an admiral!
"You should just go to Impel Down."
Borsalino ordered the warship to turn back, instructing his subordinates to handcuff Caesar with Seastone cuffs and lock him in the ship's brig.
"No... you'll regret this!"
Caesar struggled desperately, but the Seastone cuffs suppressed his Devil Fruit powers. He was no match for two Marine lieutenants working together and was dragged into the ship's hold amid a stream of curses.
Borsalino had someone bring him a deck chair. Lying on it, he lazily pondered, "Dr. Reddy, you've really given me a difficult problem."
Marineford
Tsuru was once again summoned to Sengoku's office.
Sengoku motioned for Tsuru to sit, then said with a dark expression, "Kizaru was tricked by that guy... That bastard took Punk Hazard with him!"
As he spoke, Sengoku grew angrier and slammed his hand on the desk, standing up. "I should have expected this when I found out he stole Golden Lion Shiki's Float-Float Fruit powers. I was careless."
Tsuru sighed.
She had also misjudged the situation.
Originally, she had intended to use the World Government's pressure to force Reddy to align more closely with Marineford, allowing the Marines to establish a true scientific division centered around him.
But the man had flipped the table and refused to play, even taking Punk Hazard with him.
This slap hurt!
Sengoku was about to vent further when the Den Den Mushi in his drawer rang.
The call connected.
After just one sentence from the other side, Sengoku and Tsuru's expressions changed instantly. They exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.
The call ended.
The office fell into silence.
After a long pause, Sengoku made a decision with a dark expression. "All vice admirals and above currently stationed at Marineford must assemble immediately to discuss how to set his bounty."