Punk Hazard

Although Carl had slacked off throughout the entire battle, he had handled the support work flawlessly.

Every hour, he had to refresh everyone's buffs while keeping a constant eye on the battle, because Kaido would occasionally erupt with power.

That was when people would get injured, and Carl had to step in promptly to treat their wounds.

In short, aside from Kizaru and Aokiji, all four Vice Admirals had suffered serious injuries and been treated by Carl at least once.

Seeing the Marines restrain Kaido securely, Gion finally breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer had to worry about that monster getting back on his feet yet again.

"We finally dealt with this guy. I'm exhausted!"

Gion sat cross-legged on the ground without a shred of decorum, her chest rising and falling with her heavy breathing.

The other Vice Admirals were the same, sitting on the ground and panting.

"Carl, where's the stuff I asked you to bring?"

"I brought it! Here!"

Carl handed a large silver case to Kizaru. Kizaru opened it right in front of him without the slightest hesitation, and a plume of white vapor drifted out.

Inside was a set of medical instruments. They looked like tools for drawing blood, and Carl gradually formed a few guesses.

Kizaru sauntered over to the snoring Kaido and extended his right hand. "Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi."

Swish~

A wound opened on Kaido's arm, and the Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi vanished at the same time. Only then did Kizaru drive the needle into Kaido's body and begin drawing blood.

"Admiral Kizaru, this is..."

"I'll tell you later."

After a while, Kizaru had drawn nearly three blood bags' worth of blood from Kaido. That amount was negligible to Kaido, but more than enough for research.

"That's enough. Let's go to the meeting first. I'll explain everything once we're aboard the ship."

The two of them then entered the conference room. Staff Officer Tsuru presided over the meeting, whose main topic was how to deal with Jack and his formidable big brother.

Carl had no interest in listening to the meeting. Even if they sent them all to Impel Down, Kaido could very likely overturn the prisoner ship halfway there and escape with Jack.

Besides, he was only a lowly Marine Major. Everyone present was at least a Vice Admiral, so he had no say in the matter.

An hour later, the meeting ended.

The subsequent arrangements for Jack and Kaido had nothing to do with Kizaru, which meant they had nothing to do with Carl either. They only needed to pack up and leave.

After returning to the warship, Kizaru immediately ordered someone to sail to Punk Hazard. By then, Carl had already guessed most of the truth.

The current Punk Hazard was not some island of ice and fire. It was a research base under the World Government's strict protection, where Vegapunk had once researched the Artificial Devil Fruit project.

If nothing unexpected had happened, Vegapunk should be there as well. Carl simply did not know whether it was one of his clones or the original.

"Vegapunk is a research base under the Marine Science Unit. The projects currently under study include Artificial Devil Fruits and biological modification."

"One of the main purposes of capturing Kaido this time is to obtain a blood sample from him and hand it over to Dr. Vegapunk for research."

Carl pretended to nod. "Vegapunk? Is he the man said to have 'the greatest brain in the world'?"

"That's right. However, the original is conducting research somewhere else. The one overseeing the research at Punk Hazard is only one of his clones."

Carl's heart stirred. Since it was a clone... perhaps he would have a chance to meet the smartest man in the world.

"Admiral Kizaru, I'm quite interested in Vegapunk. Do I have any chance of meeting him?"

Kizaru gave a soft chuckle through pursed lips. "If you mean the original, you definitely aren't qualified. But if it's one of his clones, my reputation should be enough to arrange it."

Carl nodded in satisfaction, filled with anticipation for the journey ahead.

He had mainly heard that Vegapunk possessed a technology capable of making an object consume a Devil Fruit, like Spandam's weapon that had eaten the Zou Zou no Mi. Carl happened to have one extra Devil Fruit in his possession.

If there's a chance to reap some benefits, why wouldn't I take it?

G-2 Branch was not far from Punk Hazard. Even at their unremarkable cruising speed, they arrived near dusk.

"You stay here and don't wander around. Just wait for me and Carl to return."

"Yes!"

"Carl, let's go!"

As soon as they stepped onto the island, a group of people hurried over. When they saw Kizaru, they quickly saluted.

"Admiral Kizaru, you've arrived! And this is..."

Kizaru glanced down at Carl and said with a smile, "This is Major Carl, my adjutant."

The captain leading the group nodded solemnly and said to Carl, "Sorry, Major Carl. According to regulations, we need to search you. Please understand."

Carl looked up at Kizaru. Kizaru shrugged, indicating that he was powerless to help.

"Fine. I didn't bring much..."

After confirming that Carl had nothing suspicious on him, the guards finally let him pass. They merely confiscated his Den Den Mushi and some miscellaneous items for the time being.

"I never expected the security here to be so tight. It seems the World Government really values Vegapunk!"

Kizaru drawled, "That's the sort of thing you should only say in private. Don't go repeating it everywhere, or the agents from the CP Department will be extremely troublesome."

"Hahaha, I'm not that stupid."

The scene inside the research facility was more or less what Carl had expected.

Guards stationed every five steps, researchers rushing about, condemned prisoners with terrified eyes... Carl took it all in.

"Hey! Why haven't the condemned prisoners I asked for arrived yet? What are you all even doing!"

A shrill shout caught Carl's attention. A man in a white robe with long black hair and long horns was shouting furiously.

After recognizing him, a trace of disgust flashed through Carl's eyes. Caesar Clown—the absolute bastard.

"Well, well, isn't that Admiral Kizaru? Th-this must be Kaido's blood sample! Shulololololo, it's truly tempting!"

Kizaru pursed his lips. "Dr. Caesar, long time no see. You're as dedicated as ever."

Caesar revealed a smile, clearly pleased by Kizaru's praise.

"Not at all, not at all. Admiral Kizaru is the more dedicated one! That's the blood sample of an overlord of the sea, after all! I imagine it must have taken Admiral Kizaru quite a lot of effort to obtain it, right?"

Kizaru had no intention of chatting with Caesar. After exchanging a few perfunctory pleasantries, he was about to leave with Carl.

"It was a little troublesome, indeed. Sorry, but I still have to deliver this to Dr. Vegapunk, so I won't keep you any longer. Let's go, Carl!"

As their backs were about to disappear from view, Caesar reluctantly shifted his gaze away from the silver case in Kizaru's hand. A trace of jealousy flashed through his eyes.

"Damn Vegapunk! If he gave Kaido's blood sample to me, I could create mere Artificial Devil Fruits in a matter of minutes!"