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Caesar's lips trembled instantly as he looked at Ian in disbelief. "H-how do you know that?"
"Vegapunk's artificial Devil Fruit is in my hands."
"That damned old bastard!"
Caesar cursed a certain big-headed old man, then ignored Wolf's disgusted look.
His eyes rolled, then he faked a cough, and said: "That guy's artificial Devil Fruit is a failure. Even the World Government thinks so. But mine..."
"Whether it is a failure, I know better than you."
Ian stared at Caesar expressionlessly. "Compared to Vegapunk's, yours is even more of a failure. You should know that yourself. Don't tell me you plan to use this garbage to fool me?"
Caesar: "...!"
How does he know?!
Caesar felt his heart squeeze tight, like someone was crushing it. With a forced smile, he rolled his eyes and said, "Actually, artificial Devil Fruits are just a minor project. I have something much more important to report this time."
He lowered his voice, just about to speak…
"Is it the Gigantification?"
Ian directly exposed him again. "That's also Vegapunk's research, and it's something Vegapunk already abandoned."
"How do you know that, too?!"
Caesar completely broke down, and he stared at Ian with wide eyes. Then he seemed to realize something and growled through gritted teeth: "Was it Vegapunk who told you? Damn it, even when he's gone, he still screws me over?!"
"It's not that Vegapunk is messing with you. It's that you're trying to fool me."
Ian didn't give this bottomless man any face. "Also, don't you think you should explain why you were fooling the newcomers into joining your Gigantification experiments?"
Caesar: "...?"
Caesar, who had been gritting his teeth, snapped back to reality the moment he heard that.
Without any hesitation, he immediately dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead on the ground with a loud thud, crying as tears flowed. "I won't dare again, Mr. Ian!"
Ian and Wolf: "..."
This guy...
Both Ian and Wolf fell silent.
Ian especially stared speechlessly at Caesar... This guy was both cowardly and dramatic.
He snorted coldly. "Continue researching your artificial Devil Fruits and toxins. Instead of dreaming of surpassing Vegapunk in everything, try surpassing him in at least one area."
After saying that, he turned away without giving Caesar any chance to speak and left with Wolf.
Only when he heard the door close did Caesar slowly lift his head, let out a deep sigh, and grind his teeth. "Damn it..."
But before he could finish cursing, the door suddenly opened again.
Startled, Caesar instantly slammed his head to the ground once more, trembling all over.
Ian's voice came through the doorway: "And if you ever try to fool me with something like that again, I'll have Law carve out another piece of your heart."
Caesar: "…"
This time, after the door closed, he didn't dare utter a single complaint. He waved his hand weakly and buried himself back into his research.
...
On the other side, Wolf walked out of the research institute with a helpless expression. "Mr. Caesar really is..."
But as he spoke, he seemed unable to find words to describe his colleague.
"That guy's always been like that. If you don't smack him every three days, he'll tear the roof off."
Ian seemed to understand what Wolf wanted to say and sighed helplessly. "Good thing I know what's going on. Otherwise, I really would've been fooled by him. Forget it, enough about him."
He waved his hand. "He's wasted my time. I won't disturb you anymore. I'm heading up."
"Take care, Mr. Ian."
Wolf nodded, but after saying goodbye, he suddenly remembered something and called out: "Right, Mr. Ian, where's Ace? I haven't seen that kid lately. The ship I built for him is done, but there are still parts that need adjustment. Could you ask him to come by?"
"Ace? Leave the ship for now, he probably can't come for a while."
Wolf: "...?"
"He's already gone to the East Blue."
Ian didn't hide it. His eyes flickered slightly as he spoke with a hint of sentiment. "That kid's... Little brother is about to set sail. He wants to go see him off."
Unknowingly, he had already been in this world so long...
...
Meanwhile, in the East Blue, at Foosha Village's dock, a boy wearing a straw hat grinned widely while raising both his arms high as he shouted: "I'm the man who will become the King of the Pirates!"
Today, the Foosha Village welcomed the most peaceful day it had seen in many years.
That little kid who always made the most noise and laughed the most had set out to sea today.
Although that kid was extremely rowdy and never let anyone relax, when he really set off to sea, the villagers of Foosha Village still felt very reluctant to see him go.
Especially for the foster mother of those three brats, Dadan, her children leaving one after another made her feel drained today.
She lay sprawled over the tavern counter of the Foosha Village's bar, looking restless.
Seeing this scene, the bar owner, Makino, could only give a helpless smile.
Although she, too, felt reluctant about Luffy and the others leaving, she still gently placed a glass of alcohol in front of Dadan and comforted her, saying, "Dadan, don't be like this. Ace and Luffy just grew up and went to chase their dreams. If the two of them saw you like this, they definitely wouldn't be happy. Come, have a drink. This one is on me."
But faced with Makino's comfort, Dadan slammed the table angrily, grabbed the glass, and downed it in one gulp.
She then wiped her mouth with her arm and said boldly, "Who cares about those damn brats? They're not my kids. If I weren't worried about getting beaten up by that damn grandpa of theirs, I wouldn't bother with them at all!"
Makino: "..."
Hearing Dadan's words, Makino wasn't bothered. Instead, she gave a gentle smile.
After all, she knew Dadan was only putting up a front. As the foster mother who raised all three... Well, two of them... Dadan's worry was likely no less than that of Ace and Luffy's parents, or Vice-Admiral Garp himself.
Makino still replied with a smile: "Yes, yes."
But this perfunctory reply only made Dadan even angrier.
Stubborn as always, she said: "I-I really mean it! If you don't believe me, ask my boys!"
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