The crimson axolotl-like monster hurled itself into the air—
but before it could land, countless shards of steel flew in from all directions, enclosing it in midair!
Within the laboratory, metal was everywhere—an ideal playground for Eustass Kid.
"Magnetic Prison!" Kid extended his left hand, fingers pointing sharply toward the crimson beast, locking onto it.
At once, the airborne fragments fused together into a shifting cage of magnetized iron.
The creature thrashed violently inside, smashing against the bars with deafening force.
"Perona!" Kid barked, glancing toward the floating Ghost Princess. "It's trapped. Hit it with your power!"
"Got it!" Perona's dark pearl eyes flashed as she nodded vigorously.
Up above, Caesar Clown floated smugly in the air, unwilling to believe that his Slime—his "darling masterpiece"—could be restrained so easily.
Pointing furiously at Kid, he screamed, flecks of spit flying from his mouth.
"Useless! You think that little metal cage can hold my creation?!"
And indeed—
just as he shouted, rivulets of crimson toxin began to ooze from the seams of the cage.
The Slime possessed both the stability of a Zoan and the fluidity of a Logia, able to shift freely between solid and liquid forms.
Even a prison of steel couldn't hold it for long.
Kid gritted his teeth, swinging his massive mechanical arm.
He pulled every loose scrap of metal from nearby consoles, sealing the gaps as fast as they opened.
But he knew—it was only a temporary fix. The cage wouldn't hold forever.
That was when Perona made her move.
From her petite body, dozens of tiny white ghosts drifted out like bubbles, each wearing an eerie yet adorable smile.
"Mini Ghost Bombs!" she cried.
The spectral explosives ignored the magnetic barrier entirely, phasing straight through and into the cage.
A sharp snap! echoed—Perona's signal.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The chamber shook as a chain of explosions erupted inside the prison.
The Slime howled in agony, its convulsions shaking the floor.
It rammed the cage even harder, desperate to escape.
Kid tightened his grip, summoning even more metal, ripping the laboratory practically bare to keep it contained.
Perona stayed focused, sending wave after wave of mini bombs, timing each blast between Kid's magnetic pulses.
High above them, Caesar's confidence began to crack.
Hearing his "precious pet" wailing in pain, his smug grin finally twisted into panic.
He spun in the air, preparing to swoop down.
But someone blocked his path.
Buggy.
The clown's eyes blazed with anger. "I get it now… you're the one behind the gas attack that drove us into this damn facility!"
Caesar tilted his head back arrogantly. "And what if I am?"
"Oh, don't play dumb!" Buggy snapped. "First you try to gas us to death, then you bait us with that fake offer, and now you attack us again?!"
He was fuming. If not for the shelter of this facility, half their crew would have been corpses outside by now.
"Shut up!" Caesar roared. "I'll do whatever I please! My backers are none other than the Four Emperors and the Warlords of the Sea!"
His body swelled, purple vapors swirling around him as he raised his right hand.
"Gas Rope!"
A writhing stream of gas shot toward Buggy, twisting like a living rope.
Buggy could have dodged easily—but his Observation Haki suddenly flared, warning him.
Danger!
Caesar tossed a lit match toward his own attack, grinning maniacally.
"Gas Rope Ignition!"
The gas trail erupted in flame, the fire racing straight down toward Buggy like a burning fuse.
At the last instant, Buggy's body burst apart into dozens of fragments, scattering in every direction.
The flaming lasso lashed harmlessly through empty air.
Caesar clicked his tongue, cutting off his burning arm and reforming a new one from gas.
He watched the clown's fragments flitting about and sneered.
"You can dodge as much as you like," he said coldly. "But if even one of my attacks hits you—you're finished!"
He knew his Gas-Gas Fruit inside and out.
It could burn, poison, even suffocate targets by draining the oxygen from the air.
Each ability alone was lethal—and together, they made him unstoppable.
Buggy's Chop-Chop Fruit, for all its tricks, couldn't touch an intangible body of gas.
To Caesar, it was only a matter of time.
My powers are invincible! he thought triumphantly.
But Buggy had a different view.
Yes, Logia powers were usually stronger than Paramecia abilities—
but that was only at first.
With training and creativity, many Paramecia users had long since closed that gap.
And then, there was the great equalizer: Haki.
Buggy's fragments zigzagged through the air in apparent chaos, but the erratic movement was a feint—a distraction.
Then, when Caesar's arrogance dulled his guard, the fragments all converged.
Caesar noticed too late.
"What the—?!"
He reflexively turned to gas form—
but before the transformation could complete, a solid fist smashed into his jaw.
The scientist reeled backward, stunned. "Ha… Haki—?!"
Before he could finish, a kick slammed into his lower back, sending him stumbling.
Then came a relentless barrage—from every angle, from every direction.
It felt like an army of fists pounding him all at once.
He couldn't flee. He couldn't reform.
Buggy's fragments, hardened with Armament Haki, struck in perfect rhythm.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
The air rang with the sound of steel on flesh.
Caesar's gaseous form flickered and collapsed—Haki pierced through his element like a blade through smoke.
When it finally ended, Buggy halted midair, the fragments rejoining.
Below him, Caesar's bloodied body crashed to the floor with a dull thud.
He'd lost consciousness before even hitting the ground.
His gas form dissolved completely as he fell headfirst, landing in a heap—broken, beaten, and utterly still.
Inside Kid's magnetic cage, the Slime let out a mournful whine, as if it sensed its creator's death—
then slumped lifelessly to the ground after one final explosion from Perona's ghosts.
Kid lowered his hand, releasing the magnetic hold. The metal bars clattered to the floor.
He turned to Buggy. "Is he dead?"
Buggy closed his eyes, extending his senses. Observation Haki rippled outward like an unseen wave.
After a moment, he nodded. "Both of them. No life signs at all."
Kid let out a sharp breath of relief and dismissed the last of the floating metal.
Buggy descended to the ground beside them.
Perona, still pale and trembling, bit her lip. "That Caesar guy had powerful allies… Kaido, Big Mom, Doflamingo. If we killed him, won't they come after us?"
Buggy's own expression twitched with unease, but he puffed out his chest and forced a grin.
"W-What's there to be afraid of?! So what if he had connections?! I've got connections too!"
His voice grew louder, his confidence swelling with every word.
"My backers are Captain Davy Jones himself—Crocodile, Jinbe, even Silvers Rayleigh! I don't fear Kaido, Big Mom, or Doflamingo!"
Perona eyed his trembling knees, suppressing the urge to comment. In the end, she sighed and said nothing. After all, he had beaten Caesar.
Elsewhere on the island, X Drake had chosen to act alone.
Unlike the others, his separation in the chaos hadn't been an accident—it was deliberate.
To contact the Marines, he needed to get away from the Davy Jones Pirates.
Only then could he safely meet with Vergo, Smoker, or Tashigi—and reveal his undercover identity.
And fortune seemed to favor him.
Rounding a corner in the dim hallway, he suddenly came face-to-face with Vergo himself.
Drake's eyes widened. He'd memorized the faces of Vergo, Smoker, and Tashigi precisely for this reason. There could be no mistake.
At last—a chance to reestablish contact.
But Vergo's expression was unreadable… and cold. He stepped forward, a faint killing intent radiating off him.
"Vice Admiral Vergo!" Drake said quickly, raising his hands in what he hoped was a nonthreatening gesture. "Please, listen! It may sound unbelievable, but I'm actually the captain of the Marine Headquarters' secret special unit—SWORD!"
Vergo paused mid-stride.
Drake saluted sharply, his voice steady but urgent.
"I was ordered by Marine HQ to infiltrate the pirates. My allegiance to Davy Jones is only a cover. I have no intention of truly serving him!"
Then—he felt it. A sudden burning heat on the back of his hand.
The contract seal that bound him to Davy Jones' crew flared painfully, and unease twisted in his gut.
Still, he pressed on. "It's an honor to finally meet a Marine officer. You have no idea what I've—"
He never finished.
In a blur, Vergo vanished from sight—
and a heartbeat later, Drake felt a blinding pain in his abdomen.
He looked down in shock to see Vergo's fingertip buried deep in his stomach, blood pouring freely from the wound.
Drake's breath caught in his throat.
His realization came too late.