A Planned Accident

"Joker, you bastard, you broke your promise and made me wait another two months." At the Pond Hasaak research base, Caesar cursed under his breath, and the Den Den Mushi on the other end perfectly mimicked his angry expression.

"If you don't come soon, I'll be taken away. The World Government plans to evacuate this island in half a month."

"Hey, isn't this it? We've been preparing for something big lately, and I don't want to alert the World Government," Doflamingo chuckled, holding a Den Den Mushi in one hand, his red feathered coat billowing high behind him. He leaped forward, stepping on an invisible thin line.

"I'll be arriving in Pond Hasaak soon. You should be ready, right?"

Doflamingo had some understanding of Caesar's personality, and since he had broken his promise, it wouldn't matter if Caesar complained a bit; he had no loss to lose anyway.

For the past two months, he had been preparing to jointly eliminate other underground forces in the New World. Fearing that Caesar's plan would alert the World Government and cause some unforeseen circumstances, he deliberately postponed their plan.

"Of course I'm ready. I can't wait. In the past two months, I've also upgraded my ultimate weapon of destruction." Upon hearing the news of Doflamingo's arrival, Caesar stopped complaining and said excitedly. He had already begun to imagine the scene of his invented weapon unleashing its power.

"Let's confirm the time. How much longer until you arrive?"

"It'll only take a few minutes." Doflamingo had been here once before and knew the approximate distance when he contacted Caesar, so he thought for a moment and said.

"Alright, get ready. In ten minutes, I will use a weapon to cause an accident and then shut down the surveillance."

"I've prepared and stored all the research materials, data, and experimental and failed samples. There's too much stuff to take out, so I'll let you take it when you come."

"I've spared eleven researchers; the rest can die."

In the end, a cruel smile appeared on Caesar's face. Although he was the scientist in charge and had the most power in the research base, his personality meant that he could not get along with most of the other scientists.

He was a mad scientist.

Those researchers all have their own research projects and usually don't pay him any attention.

He didn't have many researchers with whom he had a decent relationship, only eleven in total. As for the other researchers and scientists, Caesar didn't care at all; in fact, he wanted them to die under his ultimate weapon.

When Vegapunk was still around, he could still hide it to some extent, but now that Vegapunk is gone and a group of elite scientists have been transferred away, no one in the entire research base can keep him in check.

With his connection to Doflamingo, Caesar gradually became more and more arrogant.

He couldn't wait to see what kind of catastrophe this island would bring.

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Caesar stepped out of the blind spot of the surveillance and returned to his private laboratory.

He saw guards and researchers along the way, but he didn't care. The researchers he wanted to keep had been assigned to a special project in a laboratory. He would lock down the laboratory to prevent poison gas from leaking in, and he also prepared an antidote.

Without an antidote, these researchers would be unable to leave the laboratory and would be trapped inside, dying as soon as they stepped outside.

Caesar's ultimate weapon, the poison gas it unleashed, was enough to annihilate all life.

In his eyes, everyone else was already dead.

He stroked the ultimate weapon in the center of the laboratory. The time had finally come for this ultimate weapon to be used, but not directly; instead, it would cause an accident.

Through a leak and explosion.

Caesar had already planned this out, and was just waiting for Doflamingo to arrive.

Seeing the Den Den Mushi hang up, Doflamingo felt a little regretful. These researchers were all talented individuals, and they were quite scarce in the market, especially in the New World Market. They could make a lot of money by selling them as commodities.

It's such a pity that he died so easily.

The flaws in this incident are actually quite obvious. Once something happens, the World Government will send people over immediately. The Navy's newly established G5 Branch is not far from Pond Hasaak.

A simple headcount check would reveal that some people have disappeared, leading to the conclusion that this was not an accident.

This was also Doflamingo's scheme, making Caesar wanted by the World Government's Marine Base so that he would have no choice but to cooperate with him and rely on him for research.

If he could, he would like to take all the researchers with him, not as an accident, but as a premeditated attack.

As for who to suspect, that's the World Government's business. The entire base is now under Caesar's control, as are the surveillance devices. In the event of an incident, all surveillance will be shut down.

Now, World Government are paying less attention to this base and rarely pay attention to it anymore.

After all, this base is going to be abandoned and preparations for relocation have already begun.

If Caesar wants the other researchers to die, then let them die. After all, besides the research data, experimental subjects, and failed experiments, the most important person is Caesar himself.

After all, Doflamingo clearly understands the relative importance of top-tier talent versus ordinary talent.

Although it is a base that is about to be abandoned, its defensive strength is still very sufficient.

It was guarded by three thousand marines, a small number of World Government agents, and led by a Commodore.

Besides the research base hidden in the mountains, this island is also home to a large number of pirates and criminals, numbering over five thousand. Their sole purpose is to serve as experimental subjects for research.

Before it was officially abandoned, this place remained one of the Navy's three most important research bases.

High in the sky, Doflamingo stood steadily on the line, looking down at Pond Hasaak below.

Then, they waited quietly for Caesar to make his move.

Since this was not an accident, it was impossible for any life on the island to simply be poisoned and lose sensation in their genitals. Caesar had deliberately increased the lethality of his weapons, making it virtually impossible for ordinary people to survive his poisonous gas.

"Hiss!" Seeing that the time was almost up, Caesar pressed the button, and the ultimate weapon in the center of the laboratory sprayed poison gas outwards as if a small crack had appeared.

The laboratory was soon filled with terrifying poisonous gas.

Immediately afterwards, Caesar quickly arrived at the monitoring room, easily using his ability to suffocate two marines to death. After a series of operations, he shut down all the Surveillance Den Den Mushi and all the monitoring equipment inside and outside the research base.

By the time others noticed the problem, it was too late. When the toxic gas accumulated to a certain level in the laboratory, the operating electronic equipment came into contact with the gas.

The heat generated inside, combined with an electric spark, directly ignited the poisonous gas.

A huge explosion rang out, which could be felt both inside and outside the research base.

Caesar's ultimate weapon exploded, the devastating blast instantly destroying a large area around it.

The glass shattered, and the door opened.

The poison gas quickly filled the entire research base, and ordinary researchers inside died within a minute of inhaling it.

The terrifying poison gas spread like a tidal wave, killing researchers one after another within the research base, and the guards couldn't hold out for long either.

The prisoners, locked in their cells, were powerless to resist and watched helplessly as the poison gas seeped in, killing them one after another.

The poisonous gas is extremely corrosive, with a power beyond imagination; it begins to corrode the skin as soon as it comes into contact with it.

The prisoners screamed in agony, and soon their bodies were disfigured beyond recognition, becoming incredibly ugly. After a struggle, the poison penetrated deep into their bones, and one by one they collapsed and died.

The explosion was so loud that it could be heard even outside.

Upon hearing the explosion, Commodore was stationed on the island, led the navy to the research base. He knew that something serious had happened at the base. Although accidents were normal in experiments, such a huge explosion was unprecedented.

It is foreseeable that there will be significant casualties, and rescue efforts need to be carried out as soon as possible.

Still on their way, they stopped in their tracks, staring in horror at the purple mist that enveloped the mountains in the distance.

The fog was spreading rapidly and was steadily approaching their direction.

"That's poison gas! Run!"

However, how could their speed possibly match the speed of gas diffusion?

They were quickly overtaken and enveloped in the toxic gas. Their bodies reacted rapidly after inhaling the gas, rendering them unable to move.

Their strong physiques can withstand the effects for a considerable period, but if they remain in the poisonous gas without timely rescue, they will die.

Pond Hasaak was an isolated island. Although news had spread, by the time rescue arrived, it was too late. Very few people managed to escape the island.

Because it is a secret research base, the navy's stationed area is not around the island, but in a hidden area inside the island, otherwise, if pirates approach, they will be discovered immediately.

The entire Pond Hasaak is now shrouded in purple poisonous gas, turning it into a forbidden zone, a gas that contains destructive and corrosive properties against life.

Therefore, large-scale biological death occurred, and even the plants began to wither and their leaves turned yellow. Of course, this was only the beginning; eventually, the island would become a lifeless wasteland.

The poisonous gas that permeated the island will take at least several months to dissipate.

"Baboons, baboons, how terrifying!" Doflamingo watched this scene unfold from the air. The poison gas was highly lethal, but it was useless against strong individuals. Strong individuals had excellent control over their bodies and could prevent the poison gas from entering their bodies.

Moreover, the effects of this poison gas take a very long time to take hold.

Some sailors had escaped from the poisonous fog to the surface of the sea. There were not many, but there were still more than two hundred of them. Although they were poisoned, the effects of the gas were not strong.

This type of weapon is highly destructive to the environment and extremely effective against ordinary people, but it becomes somewhat of a liability in war.

After all, it's poison gas; a large-scale application of poison gas doesn't mean the concentration and potency are sufficient.

However, it also shows Caesar's talent. He had previously heard that Caesar was the number one person after Vegapunk, but that was just hearsay.

Such weapons are not very effective in wars in the New World, but they can be extremely effective in wars between ordinary kingdoms.

Overall, this weapon is decent, but not very practical. Its effects and duration are not as good as the Red Demon Virus, which has a terrifying reputation among the Beasts Pirates.

Furthermore, antidotes are too easy to develop. Although Doflamingo is an amateur, he has handled too many weapons, so he still has that kind of insight.

It's also incomparable to the Ancient Weapon 'Uranus', capable of instantly annihilating an army of 100,000. How can that be compared?

Doflamingo experienced the terrifying power of Uranus up close; if he had been unlucky, he might have been reduced to ashes.

This made Doflamingo feel even more pressured. He realized that while improving his own strength, he couldn't just pursue destructive power; he also needed to develop powerful defensive techniques to match the power of Uranus's Cannon.

Who knows if the World Government still has a replica of Uranus? Uranus has already appeared, so it's not impossible that the Ancient Weapon Pluton and Poseidon will appear in the future. With the research capabilities of the Night Pirates, they might even be able to recreate Uranus.

These are all things that need to be taken seriously.

Caesar's role remains the same: to diligently research Artificial Devil Fruit.

At the same time, it can also help him study some special threads. As Devil Fruit User, he can focus his improvement on some special threads to enhance the diversity and strength of his abilities.

In a world where strength reigns supreme, especially in the New World, strength is still of paramount importance.

Unbeknownst to Caesar, Doflamingo had already meticulously planned out his future.

His body plummeted rapidly, disappearing into the poisonous gas and arriving at the place where he had made his promise to Caesar. The poisonous gas had little effect on him, although it made him feel a little uncomfortable.

"That was a good performance, Caesar." Seeing Caesar's physique, Doflamingo immediately offered a compliment; even these proud scientists had their vanities.

"Shut up! Of course, there will be even greater masterpieces to come." Caesar was easily swayed by this and felt quite pleased with himself.

"The stuff is in the Curry in the back. I've already organized it, but there's quite a lot. The researchers are currently unconscious, and I've already given them the antidote." Caesar was still quite cautious and didn't want the researchers to know Doflamingo's identity; of course, the fewer people who knew this, the better.

Without needing to exchange many words, the warehouse was opened, revealing rows of paper documents. Caesar had spent quite some time organizing these documents.

Of course, most of this data already existed at the research base itself, and it was specially organized and stored after the World Government decided to evacuate, in preparation for taking it with them.

Otherwise, Caesar would have spent even more time organizing these materials.

A small number of small experimental subjects, such as artificial monsters, were basically reduced to corpses. The larger ones could be taken away, but by then the World Government had already sent people to investigate.

Secondly, there were those Artificial Devil Fruits, not many, only about twenty, but they were all failures. The laboratories that researched Devil Fruit had also been abandoned, and Caesar even made a special trip to collect them.

The eleven researchers collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Seeing this, Doflamingo created thin white threads, wrapped them up along with the people and objects, and led them away.

Doflamingo was very familiar with this approach, having done it many times before. In the early days when he traded with the Night Pirates, he would personally handle the transactions and then return with a large number of Beli.

"Let's go, it might get a bit high up here." Doflamingo said with a sinister smile, using his ability to bind Caesar's body.

Immediately afterward, amidst Caesar's exclamation, he leaped into the air, concealing threads that propelled him into the sky, carrying a large quantity of goods and twelve people.

As Logia Devil Fruit User, Caesar was not weak. He quickly got used to the perspective from high above and calmed down.

"Let's talk, Caesar. In your opinion, how long would it take to develop Artificial Devil Fruit technology?" Doflamingo asked, looking at Caesar.

"To be honest?" Caesar thought for a moment, then said confidently, "Three or four years will be enough."

"Such a short time?" Doflamingo was somewhat surprised by Caesar's answer.

"This is based on Vegapunk's research," Caesar added, even he had to acknowledge Vegapunk's wisdom.

"First, we need to understand what Artificial Devil Fruit are. They're not real Devil Fruit, but rather fruits that give people animal genes," Caesar explained, giving Doflamingo his understanding of Artificial Devil Fruit.

"First, a mixed liquid containing various animal Lineage Factor is created, or it can be the Lineage Factor of a single animal. Then, plants absorb these factors, and the resulting fruit is the Artificial Devil Fruit."

Therefore, Artificial Devil Fruit can only be Zoan, not Paramecia or Logia.

"This kind of fruit cannot be compared with ordinary Zoan Devil Fruit. It is much weaker in every aspect, and it is even more useless to give it to a strong person."

"The main difference lies in the Lineage Factor. How can the power within Devil Fruit be compared to that of an ordinary animal? It's more like the Lineage Factor of extremely powerful beasts, ancient creatures, or Zoan Devil Fruit users." Caesar sneered as he spoke, having already developed a complete plan for the research on Artificial Devil Fruit.

"That's something to consider later. The current challenge is how to create effective finished products, instead of these useless failures with strong side effects. These are the problems we need to overcome."

Ultimately, Artificial Devil Fruit are simply modifications of the human body through Lineage Factor.

It's similar to the Vinsmoke Family's human modification technology, except one is congenital modification, done before birth when plasticity is higher, while the other is done through a very aggressive postnatal injection method.

"The technology for creating a mixed liquid containing Lineage Factor is already available, but it still needs optimization. The plants that can absorb this liquid also require special cultivation. The most difficult part is figuring out how to get the plants to absorb the mixed liquid and grow fruits containing Lineage Factor. These other things are useless." Caesar pointed to an area where failed Artificial Devil Fruit were stored.

"Oh?" Upon hearing Caesar's words, Doflamingo realized that plants were crucial. The reason why the Night Pirates had asked him for a batch of Tontatta was because Tontatta possessed very special techniques and talents in cultivating plants.

It seems the Night Pirates' research is progressing much faster than expected; Caesar's explanation has given Doflamingo a clear understanding of Artificial Devil Fruit.

He was now somewhat glad that he hadn't given away all the Tontatta, and had kept a portion for himself.

"Then why did the World Government abandon its research into Artificial Devil Fruit?" Doflamingo suddenly asked, puzzled.

Since Caesar was able to deduce that Artificial Devil Fruit could be developed within three or four years, based on his understanding of Caesar, this timeframe must be somewhat exaggerated; it might take longer, perhaps five or six years.

With the support of the World Government, a top-notch research team, and Vegapunk's wisdom that surpasses five hundred years of world wisdom, they might have figured it out long ago if they had continued their research.

"Shut up, shut up. Who knows? I remember the research progress hasn't improved for a long time. Maybe Vegapunk doesn't want to develop Artificial Devil Fruit." Caesar couldn't help but laugh.

"Adding to the influence of the prevailing circumstances at the time, it seemed that the World Government had encountered some problems and could no longer wait, so it turned to researching other practical technologies, such as feeding Devil Fruit to inanimate objects, embedding Seastone under warships, and technologies that would allow navigation in the Calm Belt unaffected by Sea King."

He and Doflamingo are now in a cooperative relationship, so there's nothing he can't say. At the same time, he's demonstrating his own value; he also possesses these techniques.

Meanwhile, naval support from the G5 Branch arrived in Pond Hasaak and rescued two hundred surviving sailors on the sea, gazing at the island shrouded in poison gas.

"What exactly is going on?"