"Everyone, hurry! The poison gas is about to spread here! Take the important equipment and leave the rest!"
Inside the ruined research institute.
A man who looked like a World Government official was urgently directing his subordinates as they salvaged important machines dug out from the ruins.
It was a race against time to recover supplies.
Crates of research materials and precision instruments were carried by hand toward the outskirts.
Along the way, explosions could be seen everywhere, along with violent poison gas storms.
One careless mistake was often enough to render a gas mask useless.
Under the onslaught of the poisonous gas, anyone without a gas mask would quickly die.
Yet even so, World Government and Marine personnel continued charging fearlessly into the island's interior.
Perhaps they had been forced to do so, or perhaps they were fulfilling the duties they bore.
But regardless, their backs looked brave and fearless at that moment.
Roy turned into mist and searched from above the island.
The poison gas on the island had severely impaired everyone's vision.
Everything before their eyes was gray and hazy, causing the World Government soldiers no end of trouble.
But none of this meant anything to Roy.
Using the Echo Map, Roy quickly located the research institute he was looking for.
However, that research institute was currently shrouded in the densest poisonous fog.
Perhaps that was precisely why the World Government and Marine personnel had deliberately avoided this area.
Great swaths of white clouds spread out around Roy.
As the poison gas came into contact with the white clouds, the clouds absorbed the surrounding gas like sponges.
A safe passage of white clouds opened before Roy.
The snow-white clouds had changed color due to the purple poison gas.
As Roy headed toward the research institute, he discovered that by deliberately controlling these poison-contaminated clouds, he could make them rain highly toxic droplets.
This discovery proved that Roy's earlier guess had been correct.
The fusion of clouds and poison gas could indeed create a weapon on the level of a natural disaster.
Looking at the purple clouds in the sky, an idea flashed through his mind.
He took out a Cloud Dial containing sea clouds from his pocket.
Watching the poison clouds gathering above his head.
Roy opened the Cloud Dial in his hand, and a massive amount of sea clouds surged out.
He controlled the sea clouds and fused them with the poison clouds overhead.
He sensed the constant changes within the clouds in the sky.
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers.
Raindrops containing deadly poison and Seastone factors began pattering down onto the exposed rocky valley before him.
Watching the stones corrode and emit green smoke, Roy knew that a devastating weapon had been created.
Using Observation Haki and the Echo Map, Roy soon arrived at the entrance of the only intact research institute on Punk Hazard.
"Oh, there are people still alive? This institute's seal must be pretty strong. Such intense poison gas actually didn't seep inside."
Through the Echo Map and Observation Haki, Roy could clearly sense that quite a few survivors were still alive inside the massive research institute before him.
Looking at the towering iron doors.
Roy knew that the lucky people still alive inside were probably prisoners used for experiments.
Following the original course of events, they would become Caesar Clown's subordinates in the future.
But for Roy, once he had arrived on Punk Hazard, everything here would change.
"Sonic Nuclear Missile!"
He slightly opened his mouth, and compressed sound and sound waves violently shot forward.
Boom!
A violent explosion rang out.
The towering iron doors were instantly blasted through.
Dust scattered in every direction under the fierce attack.
The once-sealed research institute now resembled an opened can.
The poison gas around them followed behind Roy and began spreading into the institute.
Roy did not care whether the lab rats still alive in this research institute lived or died.
After all, they were pirate criminals specifically used for experiments.
Their original fates had long since been sentenced to death by the World Government.
As the saying went, once you set sail, you had to be prepared for the consequences.
So Roy felt not the slightest pity for the consequences of the poison gas entering the institute.
Using the Echo Map to rapidly scan the entire laboratory.
Roy headed straight toward his destination.
But the poison gas was clearly spreading faster than Roy could walk.
As the purplish-red poison gas began seeping through every gap in the institute and spreading throughout its interior.
"Damn it, what is going on? Why is this poison gas getting in?"
"Help! Help! I barely escaped being used for experiments! I don't want to die here!"
"Everyone, hurry! Get to the inner laboratory at the very back! If we stay here, we'll all die!"
Noisy, panicked voices rose from inside the laboratory.
The lucky survivors who had escaped the earlier violent explosion hurriedly gathered survival supplies before fleeing deeper into the laboratory.
As Roy searched for the Artificial Fish-Fish Fruit.
He looked at the dazzling array of precision instruments inside the research institute.
Roy felt that these things should not be left here to rust. A high-tech laboratory was where they truly belonged.
After all, every one of these precision instruments was worth a fortune.
Letting them be scrapped here for nothing would be far too wasteful.
After the thought of taking them all away flashed through Roy's mind.
The next moment, Roy decided to move this entire research institute into the sky.
Caesar Clown was someone Roy had to conquer.
And as the world's second-greatest scientist, he definitely needed a laboratory worthy of his status.
Thinking of the taxes regularly deducted from his chamber of commerce.
Roy suddenly felt that some of the money used to build this research institute had come from him.
Since this place had now been abandoned by the World Government, Roy did not mind taking everything away.
After all, he had paid taxes too.
Just as Roy continued walking deeper into the laboratory.
"Hm, am I here already?"
Guided by the Echo Map, Roy quickly arrived before the laboratory where Devil Fruits were stored.
His previously calm mood instantly turned excited.
After all, this was a top-tier Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
And with it, he could be said to possess a portion of Teacher Kaido's potential.
"Sound Release."
The instant Roy sensed that Devil Fruit, he turned into a phantom.
At that moment, he only wanted to get that Artificial Devil Fruit into his hands as quickly as possible.
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