The Great Hammer Pirates! Caesar Clown!
The lieutenant colonel's head lolled to one side, and he lost consciousness.
About half a minute later.
"Aaah!"
The lieutenant colonel's eyes flew open in terror. "Spare me! Please spare me!"
Naito said calmly, "Now, tell me where Vegapunk keeps his collection."
"I, I..."
The lieutenant colonel's body trembled uncontrollably. "I don't know..."
"Then take me to someone who does."
Almost simultaneously, in the Punk Hazard monitoring room.
What had happened at the harbor was displayed clearly on the screens.
"Report to headquarters immediately! Those escaped prisoners are attacking!!"
The Science Unit was subordinate to the Marines, so of course headquarters had to be notified at once.
And so.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The sound of hurried footsteps outside the door made Sengoku frown instinctively as he worked through his paperwork.
Why do I have a bad feeling about this?
The next moment, the door swung open.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Bad news! Those escaped prisoners have appeared on Punk Hazard!"
"What?!"
Sengoku's expression changed dramatically.
How could it be Punk Hazard?!
That place should be an absolute secret!
But now isn't the time to worry about that!
"Contact Punk Hazard and have Sentomaru protect Dr. Vegapunk and get him out of there immediately! Also, notify G-1 Base and G-5 Base and have them send reinforcements! Right, and Zephyr too. I remember the area they're in isn't far from Punk Hazard either!"
"Yes, sir!"
Even after making those arrangements, Sengoku's brow remained furrowed.
Whether it was the Marine Guerrilla Unit, G-1 Base, or G-5 Base, they were all some distance from Punk Hazard.
They wouldn't make it in time.
Damn it, and this had to happen when Borsalino had rotated back!
The one closest to Punk Hazard-
Sengoku pulled out a Den Den Mushi and dialed a number directly.
The other end soon picked up. "Sengoku, you're contacting me so suddenly. Has something happened?"
"Saint Saturn,"
Sengoku said directly, "The prisoners who escaped from Impel Down have attacked Punk Hazard."
"What did you say? How could it be Punk Hazard?!"
The voice on the other end, previously utterly unruffled, abruptly turned sharp. "Vegapunk is there! Nothing can be allowed to happen there!"
"I know. The Science Unit's forces are nowhere near enough to stop those people, and the forces that could reinforce them are all too far away. They simply won't make it in time!"
Sengoku took a deep breath. "Only Dressrosa is close to that place! Only Doflamingo can get there in time to help! It's dangerous to send that man to Punk Hazard, but at this point, we have no choice!"
With hardly any hesitation, Saturn, one of the Five Elders on the other end of the call, replied, "Fine. I'll contact Doflamingo immediately. He has to go!"
Chapter 27: The Great Hammer Pirates! Caesar Clown!
Dressrosa.
A World Government Member State in the first half of the New World.
It was a tropical country famous for its breathtaking sunflower fields and its passionate beauties.
A year ago, a cruel tragedy had occurred in this country. Its king at the time, King Riku, had suddenly gone mad and led the royal army in a massacre of civilians.
Fortunately, the current king, Donquixote Doflamingo, and his family had stopped King Riku's atrocities, and he had become the country's new king as a result.
At the very center of Dressrosa stood a massive rock mountain, shaped like a remarkably regular cylinder. A broad, flat expanse lay at its summit, where the country's royal palace had been built.
And now, deep within the palace, in the king's room.
"Fuffuffuffu, one of the Five Elders?"
A man in a burgundy suit, with a pink feather coat draped over his shoulders, sunglasses on his face, and blond hair defiantly swept upward, sat with his legs crossed, speaking into the Den Den Mushi in his hand with a mocking expression.
"What can I do for you? You went out of your way to contact me."
"Doflamingo, go to Punk Hazard immediately."
The elder's voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi was ice-cold. "The escaped prisoners led by Byrnndi World have attacked it. Go and stop them."
"Byrnndi World?"
Doflamingo's expression tightened slightly.
Of course, he couldn't have missed the recent news.
Since the World Destroyer's return, his bounty had soared to a billion, and every one of his accomplices possessed extraordinary strength.
"Why the hell should I go do something like that for no reason?"
Doflamingo sneered.
"I'm not negotiating with you, Doflamingo."
The elder's tone was uncompromising. "Or you can wait in Dressrosa for God's Knights to come to you."
The smile on Doflamingo's face abruptly froze, and a vein throbbed on his forehead. "Aren't you afraid I'll spread the Celestial Dragons' secret?"
"You're welcome to try."
The voice on the other end remained unyielding.
Doflamingo gritted his teeth.
He could indeed threaten the World Government with some of the secrets he knew, but when the Five Elders got serious, what was he?
"I understand."
That was all he could say.
Looking on the bright side, Vegapunk was on Punk Hazard. Perhaps this trip would bring an unexpected reward.
That was how Doflamingo consoled himself.
Perhaps it's time to find someone to back me?
In any case, Doflamingo shot into the sky like a great bird. Fine threads attached themselves to the clouds high overhead, and he crossed the sea like Spider-Man.
Almost simultaneously, deep within the research base on Punk Hazard.
"Uncle Punk! There's no time to hesitate! Let's hurry and leave through the backup passage!"
A rotund man wearing a red bib and carrying a large axe forcibly pulled a man with an absurdly large head out of the laboratory.
"But Sentomaru! I haven't finished my experiment!"
The big-headed man, Vegapunk, the world's greatest scientist, spoke reluctantly. "And there are so many research results-"
"You can do the experiment again anytime! And haven't you already memorized the data from those scientific results?"
Vegapunk's bodyguard and captain of the Marine Science Unit, Sentomaru, shouted, "My job is to protect you, Uncle Punk! If you get hurt, Uncle won't forgive me!"
"Oh, Sentomaru! What about everyone else-"
Vegapunk's plaintive voice echoed through the spacious corridor.
Meanwhile.
Naito's group was heading deeper into the base along its passageways, led by the trembling Marine lieutenant colonel.
Alarm lights kept flashing in the passage, their dangerous red glow making the unsavory characters behind Naito look even more menacing.
"So this is where the Marine Science Unit is based?"
Buckingham sat on her foolish son's shoulders, looking a little excited.
They had originally had no idea what this island called Punk Hazard was.
But when the lord who had possessed World mentioned Vegapunk just now, Buckingham had understood completely.
"Hahaha, my lord!"
Buckingham said teasingly, "Are we here to capture Vegapunk this time?"
"Don't do anything unnecessary."
Naito spoke indifferently.
Vegapunk was indeed a talented man. Whether through archaeology or his own independent research, he had indeed made many remarkable things.
But his scientific research depended on having sufficient funds and resources to invest in it.
What the hell do I have?
As for having Vegapunk conduct research in the Dream World, all that could be said was that the Dream World didn't even have a concept like physical constants, because everything was Naito's will.
It would be better to leave a few hubs in the Marine Science Unit and come back to reap the rewards once Vegapunk's research was more or less complete.
"Yes..."
Buckingham nodded hurriedly.
But she was still a little disappointed.
She and Vegapunk went way back. They had both been members of MADS.
Come to think of it, she even had Vegapunk to thank for Weevil's birth.
Precisely because they were old friends, now that she had met with misfortune—no, was enjoying good fortune—she had to bring Vegapunk along too!
"Hm?"
Naito raised an eyebrow.
The corridor ahead had come to an end, and a heavy metal gate blocked their path.
Then, slits suddenly opened in the ceiling of the corridor, and white mist poured down.
The Marine lieutenant colonel leading the way turned pale. "It's anesthetic gas-"