The news that Zhang Liao had shattered the poison nest with a single sword strike and captured Caesar alive swept across the seas like a hurricane. For the first time, cracks appeared in Doflamingo's decade-long reign of darkness. Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates and Heart Pirates, who had only just departed from the Sabaody Archipelago, happened to arrive at Punk Hazard, stumbling into a game the Hua Empire had already set in motion.
Along the coast of Punk Hazard, the Thousand Sunny and Polar Tang slowly docked. Luffy bounded onto the beach and stretched. "Wow! So this is Punk Hazard? It looks so scary! Half fire and half ice!"
Luo leaned against the railing, his brow tightly furrowed. His Observation Haki had already covered the entire island, yet he sensed no trace of Caesar, nor any movement from the guards he had expected. Only a faint smell of blood and disinfectant drifted on the sea breeze.
"Something's wrong," Luo said gravely. "The whole island is too quiet. Unnaturally quiet. Caesar should be here, and so should his guards."
The group cautiously entered the research facility, and the sight before them left everyone stunned.
The research facility was deserted, its experimental equipment neatly sealed away. There was not a trace of blood on the floor, only Hua Empire seals posted on the walls, fluttering gently in the wind. The children who should have been Caesar's experimental subjects were sitting in the courtyard under the care of imperial medical personnel, their faces bearing smiles they had not shown in a long time.
"Wh-what's going on?" Usopp asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Where's Caesar? Where are the guards?"
An imperial officer approached, looked at Luffy's group, and spoke evenly. "You're the Straw Hat Pirates and Heart Pirates, correct? Caesar Clown was captured