" Monet, we were so clever! We escaped while Xia Chen was fighting that samurai, so no one noticed us!"
"Indeed, Master! Although we didn't take that brat to the young master's place, it's the best outcome that we're out of here!"
As for Monet, she certainly knew who was more important to Doflamingo, Momonosuke or Caesar, even though Momonosuke had eaten that fruit and was of great research value.
But compared to Caesar, who can create SMILE, her value is not so important. In fact, she herself would have to give her life to protect Caesar when the time is right.
However, one thing puzzled her, so she looked at Caesar and asked:
"Master, why does my face feel a little painful and swollen?"
"Well..."
Upon hearing this, Caesar couldn't help but show a hint of embarrassment.
Would he tell Monet that she had fainted and that he had been slapping her repeatedly in the face to wake her up?
Monet's face wasn't just a little swollen, it was extremely swollen! His entire face was at least several times larger than before!
So it turns out that you can't get fat in one bite, but you can get fat in one slap!
Don't get me wrong, Caesar didn't wake Monet up because he was worried Monet would be caught in the crossfire of the battle between Xia Chen and Kozuki Oden.
It's because he's trying to escape. If he's escaping, he'll definitely need someone to help him share the firepower, and in case anything happens, she can be used as a shield.
Thinking of this, Caesar said without batting an eye, "Really? Maybe he was accidentally hit by a stone just now!"
"Alright, let's not worry about that now. Let's get going. I feel uncomfortable staying on this island for even a second longer!"
Caesar continued running forward with his head down, when suddenly, several figures slowly appeared before him. He subconsciously slowed his pace.
(⊙o⊙)...
Caesar and Monet bumped right into Luffy and his crew. Nearly ten pairs of eyes stared at each other, neither side speaking first.
Caesar instinctively veered slightly towards Monet and said in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Did we forget to check the almanac before we left home today? We were blocked by Law as soon as we stepped out, then by some random samurai, and now we've run into the Straw Hat Boy..."
"They're not here to arrest me either, are they?" Caesar's face darkened.
"I don't know, but let's test the waters first!" Monet replied, unsure of what to do in this situation.
After saying that, Monet looked at everyone and asked, "Um... hello everyone!"
Caesar:...
Everyone:...
Caesar looked at Monet with a strange expression. This secretary used to seem quite intelligent, but now she seems rather foolish.
Was he knocked out of her mind by that slap? Impossible! What idiot would pay attention to such a clumsy opening line?
Oh! Hello!
Luffy greeted him in a very serious manner.
(#°Д°)!
Caesar: "There really is!!"
"..."
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent again.
Caesar quickly gave Monet a look, wanting her to continue probing the Straw Hat Pirates ' intentions.
Monet gave a slight nod, his expression suggesting he was ready to take care of her.
Then, looking at everyone, he said, "Um... goodbye!"
"Oh! See you later!" Luffy replied again.
(⊙o⊙)...
Half a minute later, Caesar and Monet continued running towards the location of the ship.
Caesar was still a bit confused. They were gone already?
Wouldn't all those plans he'd rehearsed in his mind—the plans to counterattack the moment he realized the Straw Hat Boy was about to capture him—be rendered useless?
He never imagined that their meeting would be resolved in less than twenty words.
Are... all the Straw Hat Pirates idiots?
Shaking his head, Caesar decided to stop thinking about it. The best-case scenario was that he had escaped. As long as the result was good, who cared about the process?
Meanwhile, Luffy and the others only glanced at Caesar and Vegito's departing figures for a moment before continuing their journey towards Vegito.
Just now, it was clear that Caesar and his companion had no intention of provoking them, so naturally they wouldn't go and say a few words to them out of boredom.
--
At that time, this was the battlefield where Xia Chen and Kozuki Oden were located.
With a whoosh, Oden's figure flew backward like an arrow, crashing into a distant mountain peak with a tremendous roar. Dust billowed around him.
Meanwhile, Vegito remained in a swinging stance, the metal on his body gleaming brightly in the sunlight.
"Alright, I've been playing with you for quite a while now, I'm done, it's getting boring!" Xia Chen's calm voice came from Vegito.
The next second, the energy rod in Vegito's hand began to dissipate, revealing his chest facing Oden.
Then a pentagram array appeared in front of his chest, with golden energy continuously gathering on it. Its power was also constantly increasing.
After a while, when the energy gathered to a certain limit, Xia Chen's calm voice rang out.
" Annihilation Divine Light!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a golden beam of light shot out from the pentagram array and hurtled towards Oden.
This move was the same one Xia Chen used to destroy Noah, but he named it himself; Vegito didn't give it a name.
The golden beam of energy carried terrifying power, causing the ground beneath their feet to tremble continuously.
" Oden Two-Sword Style: Togen Totsuka!"
Oden's roar echoed, and then his figure burst out of the smoke and dust, heading straight for the pillar of energy.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xia Chen's eyes upon seeing this.
Is this old guy really that stubborn?
However, he was also eager to see if this move, which could leave a scar on Kaido, could counter Vegito's move.
In the blink of an eye, the two collided, producing a tremendous roar as aftershocks spread outwards.
The two remained locked in a stalemate for about ten seconds, until at one point, Kozuki Oden roared.
"I won't be defeated like this!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Oden's body erupted with power once again, and he actually cleaved the energy beam in two.
"Hmm? Activating its power?"
Watching this scene, Xia Chen couldn't help but murmur with curiosity. He was slightly surprised that Oden could split the energy beam with just a roar.
But it was only a tiny bit!
"Since ordinary energy beams can't deal with you, then I'll try something special!" A smile appeared on Xia Chen's lips.
Then he covered something resembling an absorption device in the control room with his right hand.
The next second, Xia Chen infused him with black and red Conqueror's Haki...