Courage to Be Admired

As Dimon strolled toward the research institute, he asked a question softly.

The next moment, an image appeared in his mind.

In it, Samael flickered like a will-o'-the-wisp, easily entering Research Institute No. 1. The defenses outside might as well not have existed for him.

However, the instant he entered the institute building, the Surveillance Den Den Mushi stationed everywhere detected something amiss, and alarms blared.

Whee-oo! Whee-oo!

"As expected of a classified research institute. There's so much surveillance there are hardly any blind spots."

[Master, I can cut off their feeds.]

"You can even do that?"

Dimon was a little surprised. Ain was practically a pirate-world hacker; she could interfere with anything involving Thought Waves.

But on second thought, it made sense. Ain was the Den Den Mushi Fruit come to life, effectively the king of all ordinary Den Den Mushi. Cutting off their Thought Waves to stop them from recording was not merely simple; it was effortless.

"Cut them off. Tell Samael he's in charge of causing a commotion."

[Yes.]

Meanwhile.

In the control room of Research Institute No. 1, more than a dozen surveillance feeds cut out at once, turning to static.

The staff were horrified. Before the screens went dark, the last thing they saw was a will-o'-the-wisp suddenly appearing at the institute's entrance.

"What's going on? Why did the feeds cut out?"

"That will-o'-the-wisp had a human face, didn't it? I think it was even smiling!"

"Quick, notify the security force! An intruder! We have an intruder!"

Someone reacted quickly and sounded the alarm at once. The piercing whee-oo rang out.

At the same time, he picked up the Den Den Mushi beside him to notify the security force.

However, when he dialed the number, the Thought Waves could not get through. They seemed to have been cut off by some stronger force.

"What on earth is going on? Damn it, I'll have to go myself!"

In the blink of an eye, only one person remained in the control room. The others hurried off to notify everyone.

"Gya ha ha! Which one of you is Vegapunk?"

At the institute entrance, Samael shouted arrogantly.

As he entered, the automatic guns mounted on the ceiling swung their barrels around and swiftly locked onto him.

Ratatatat!

Gunfire rattled out, and bullets poured down like rain.

Samael stood amid the barrage, letting the bullets pass through his body. They all struck the ground, leaving a dense scattering of tiny craters.

"So noisy."

He glared in irritation. In an instant, every weapon burst into flames and melted into scrap.

The next moment, Samael followed the corridor deeper into the institute.

Elsewhere.

In a laboratory, Zephyr lay on an examination machine while Vegapunk examined him.

Suddenly, the laboratory door burst open, and a frantic member of the control room staff rushed in, shouting:

"Doctor Vegapunk, we have trouble! There's an intruder!"

"An intruder?"

Vegapunk stood beside the machine, halfway through operating it. He had to stop and turn around, his face full of confusion.

An intruder, here on Punk Hazard?

"It's a will-o'-the-wisp! He came in through the front entrance of Research Institute No. 1. He appeared out of nowhere without alerting the defenses outside!"

The staff member reported urgently, "All the surveillance feeds in the control room have been cut off. There might be a traitor among us! Please give us your orders!"

Hearing this, Vegapunk showed no fear. Instead, he looked deeply interested.

A will-o'-the-wisp?

What is it? A Devil Fruit user?

"Where's Sentomaru?"

"Someone's already gone to notify the security force!"

Hearing that, Zephyr immediately tried to get up. "I suspect he followed our ship in," he said gravely. "I'll deal with him."

"No, stay down. We're only halfway through the examination. Someone will take care of what's happening outside."

Vegapunk remained calm, unconcerned by the sudden crisis. "Don't worry, Mr. Zephyr. Your examination will be over in just ten minutes."

Hearing this, Zephyr had no choice but to lie back down.

He thought of his three students, Mammon in particular. With them there, things should be fine.

"Who are you?"

A corridor somewhere in Research Institute No. 1.

Caesar M. Clown, who had been showing Mammon and the other two around the institute, narrowed his eyes at the will-o'-the-wisp with a human face before him.

"Shurororo, was that alarm your doing? What do you want here, intruder?"

Behind Caesar, Mammon gave Samael a discreet look.

Samael did not see it at all. Instead, he cackled strangely:

"Seven Deadly Sins, Samael the Wrathful. Tell me where Vegapunk is!"

Seven Deadly Sins!?

They all started in surprise.

Chapter 51: Courage to Be Admired

"The Seven Deadly Sins!?"

Caesar Clown's expression changed.

The news from a few days ago had attracted widespread attention. Even he, a scientist, had heard about what happened in the Sabaody Archipelago.

"That mysterious organization Big Eye belongs to?"

"Big Eye? He's just a lesser demon. I'm an officer with an official title!"

Samael's body swelled rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, he transformed into a Fire God several meters tall, his flames burning crimson.

Fire God Form!

A wave of searing heat hit them, and Caesar and the other three all stepped back.

"That man is probably a Logia user," Ain warned quietly. "Be careful!"

With that, she quietly gripped the hilt of the sword at her waist. Binz likewise assumed a guarded stance.

Caesar sneered. "Shurororo... I see. You're after Vegapunk?"

"You know where he is?"

Caesar looked displeased. "Vegapunk, always Vegapunk!" he said irritably. "Everyone around me only has eyes for Vegapunk. It makes me furious!"

He was a scientist too, and he considered himself no worse than Vegapunk. Unfortunately, the world lacked discernment and could not comprehend his greatness.

"What the hell are you babbling about? I asked you where Vegapunk is!"

Samael formed a huge hand of flame and grabbed at Caesar and the others.

"Watch out!"

Mammon grabbed Ain and Binz and pulled back rapidly, putting some distance between them.

Caesar was not so lucky. The fiery hand seized him, but the next moment, his form twisted like a wisp of smoke, and he slipped free in the blink of an eye.

"Hm?" Samael's eyes lit up. "You're a Logia user?"

"Hmph, you're natural fire, while I'm a Logia gas user. Neither of us can beat the other!"

Caesar floated in midair, with no intention of fighting. Vegapunk was the one the Seven Deadly Sins were looking for, so what did it have to do with him?

He would have loved for Vegapunk to be taken away. Then he would be the one in charge of the institute.

So he chuckled strangely and said:

"Shurororo, I don't know what you want with Vegapunk, but I can tell you he's in the laboratory at the very back. Goodbye, and good luck, shurororo!"

"Where do you think you're going?"

As Caesar turned into gas and prepared to flee, Samael spat out a small flame.

The flame landed behind Caesar and transformed into a flame clone in the blink of an eye.

"Gya ha ha..." The clone blocked Caesar's path and grinned viciously. "We're both noble Logia users, so we ought to get along. I'll give you a chance: get on your knees and be my dog!"

A vein bulged on Caesar's forehead. He had already told this bastard where Vegapunk was, and now he wanted him to be his dog?

Even a clay figurine had a temper, and he was a great scientist who would shake the world sooner or later.

"Damn bastard, who do you think I am?"

Furious, Caesar curled the fingers of his right hand into a claw and clawed at the flame clone from a distance.

"Karakuni!"

With that gesture, the surrounding air was instantly drawn away.

No, to be precise, Caesar completely absorbed the surrounding oxygen.

Samael felt no discomfort. He was not human and did not need to breathe oxygen.

But Ain and Binz immediately sensed that something was wrong. Both clutched their throats, their faces turning pale.

"What did you do, Dr. Caesar?"

Mammon felt nothing either, but when he saw that the two beside him looked unwell, he immediately put on an act, pretending to be short of oxygen as well.

"Shurororo..."

The corners of Caesar's mouth rose. Ignoring Mammon and the other two, he stared fixedly at Samael. "Even if you're a Logia user, how long can you last without breathing? My ability is invincible!"

"So what the hell are you babbling about?"

Samael curled his lip. He and his clone opened their mouths together and sprayed flames at Caesar, who was caught between them.

The two streams of fire closed in on Caesar from the front and back.

Caesar's expression went blank for a moment. "How is it burning without oxygen?! That's not scientific!"

In that critical moment, his reaction was quick.

He clenched his right hand in the air, and the oxygen he had drawn away rapidly condensed into a sword of blue flame.

"Blue Flame Sword!"

With a shout, Caesar swung the blue fire sword, sending an arcing slash of flame crashing into the two streams of fire.

Boom!

In an instant, fire surged skyward, filling the entire corridor with raging flames.

Mammon grabbed Ain and Binz again, flapped the wings on his back, and swiftly retreated out of the combatants' range.

"Gya ha ha, are you an idiot? Who told you fire needs oxygen to burn?"

Suddenly, the flames filling the space came to an abrupt halt, then parted toward both sides of the corridor, as though submitting to their king.