Infinite Hell

Someone inside the research institute had leaked information, and it was a vital member, not some peripheral figure!

The research into Artificial Devil Fruits was highly classified by the World Government. Even within the institute, not everyone knew about it.

Even if the mole was not involved in the research, he was at least a senior researcher at the institute!

As he considered this, Vegapunk said calmly, "That research failed."

"No, it succeeded. Perhaps the different color made it a failure to you, but we don't care about the color, as long as the fruit's power is real."

Dimon chuckled. None of those words had been spoken casually; he had deliberately steered the conversation.

Vegapunk fell silent for a moment, his eyes growing puzzled. "Since you've already obtained the fruit, what are you still doing here for?"

"Do you really not know what we want?" Dimon asked in return.

Zephyr's tone was icy. Even he, an outsider, could now guess what the Seven Deadly Sins wanted.

"You want to abduct Vegapunk and make him continue producing Artificial Devil Fruits for you?"

Dimon glanced at him. "We have a great deal of respect for knowledge. Calling it an abduction is rather rude. This is an invitation."

He paused before explaining why he had come. "We'd like to invite you to join the Seven Deadly Sins."

"What if I refuse? Only the World Government can provide me with the vast funding I need to pursue all my research freely."

Vegapunk showed no fear as he said this.

As the greatest scientist of his age, he did not believe the mysterious Seven Deadly Sins would kill him.

Just as the World Government had done in the past: after learning that he had unlocked the secrets of the Lineage Factor, it had merely forced the MADS research institute he led to disband and recruited him.

Dimon was not surprised by Vegapunk's refusal.

Who would give up a position with the World Government to join a civilian organization for no apparent reason?

He had come to meet Vegapunk in person this time partly to steer the conversation and clear Mammon of suspicion, and partly just to say hello, get acquainted, and plant a seed in Vegapunk's mind.

Whether that seed would sprout and whether there would be an opportunity to work together were matters for the future.

Even if Vegapunk agreed on the spot, Dimon did not have Luffy's and Loki's Lineage Factors in his possession.

"There's no need to rush your refusal. We're very patient. Sooner or later, you and the World Government will fall out. We know a lot, more than you imagine."

Dimon said no more. For a first meeting, this was enough.

"When you change your mind, you can call the name [Ain]."

Having left him with that cryptic remark, Dimon made to leave at once. "Well then, good..."

Before he could finish saying goodbye, Zephyr suddenly moved.

He closed in, his left hand wreathed in Armament Haki, and lunged for Dimon's neck as he bellowed:

"You think you can come and go as you please? What do you take this place for?!"

As a former Marine Admiral, he was now advanced in age and had lost his right arm, but his sudden attack was still fierce.

He moved as fast as lightning, far faster than an ordinary Soru.

Yet someone moved faster.

More precisely, a sword!

Shusui drew itself, intercepting Zephyr's attack almost the instant he struck.

Boom!

Flesh met blade with a muffled boom, and pitch-black Haki lightning spread like a spiderweb.

"What?"

Zephyr froze for an instant. A sword, one that no one was holding, had actually blocked his blow.

What kind of ability is this?

He could not imagine a sword possessing a mind of its own and protecting its master automatically. He preferred to believe that Dimon was controlling it with some ability.

"Storyboard Lockdown!"

Big Eye beat his wings and released a thin, soft white thread from his beak. The thread swept through the air in fluid strokes, forming a cubic space around Zephyr in the instant he was stunned.

The space trapped not only Zephyr but Vegapunk as well.

Zephyr's expression changed, and he was about to try breaking out...

Just then, a tremendous boom came from outside the laboratory.

"Hmm?" Dimon turned toward the door, images sent by Ain appearing in his mind. "Have they already started fighting?"

With that, he beckoned to Shusui.

Big Eye immediately understood his master's intention and opened a gap in the barrier, allowing Shusui to return to his master's hand.

Dimon slowly sheathed Shusui, then looked at the two trapped men and said softly:

"Time's up. Farewell, gentlemen."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zephyr and Vegapunk watched the mysterious cloaked man vanish before their eyes.

Zephyr's expression darkened, and he clenched his fist in frustration. "I let my guard down, and he got away. Damn it!"

Vegapunk pinched his chin, pondering something the man had said earlier.

When you change your mind, you can call the name [Ain].

What is Ain? A name?

As he thought about it, an even louder boom suddenly rang out, though the two men trapped by Storyboard Lockdown could not hear sounds from outside.

A terrifying shockwave came with it.

Boom!!

The shockwave swept across dozens of kilometers, flattening the laboratory they were in almost instantly. Everything around them was destroyed, but the Storyboard Space alone stood firm against the impact.

"That's...?!"

Amid the chaos, Zephyr looked up in shock.

The institute's roof was gone, replaced by a star-studded night sky.

Beneath the night sky, an enormous pink dragon circled, while the other, seemingly tiny figure was none other than his newly recruited student.

Vegapunk saw the same scene and could not help freezing for a moment. He murmured helplessly:

"So it was eaten after all? This is going to be a real headache. There's going to be another 'Kaido' in this world..."

Chapter 55: Infinite Hell

As the creator of the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit, no one knew its power better than Vegapunk.

Aside from its imperfect color, as long as the person who ate it was not too inept, it would inevitably create a second "Kaido of the Four Emperors."

If that were all, it would have been one thing. The problem was that he had written [experiment failed] in his research report.

Once the World Government learned what had happened here, he would be in trouble.

Vegapunk pressed a hand to his forehead, his head aching.

"...Who on earth leaked the information?"

"There's no point worrying about who the mole is now. The important thing is to make sure you're safe!"

Zephyr spoke heavily, his gaze fixed on the battle in the sky. "Fortunately, the space that man used to trap us actually shielded us from that shockwave. But..."

He was worried about his students.

The pink dragon in the sky looked powerful. Mammon had only just awakened his Haki and might not be a match for it. And then there were Ain and Binz; he had no idea where they were.

Zephyr would not allow himself to stand there and watch the situation worsen. He furiously slammed a fist into the boundary of the Storyboard Space, but could not budge it in the slightest.

"Damn it! Am I supposed to just watch? I don't want to lose any more students!"

Veins bulged on Zephyr's forehead, his chest filled with rage. He felt powerless in that moment.

One other person was also trapped in a Storyboard Space.

Outside the main entrance of Research Institute No. 1.

Sentomaru stared up at the pink dragon in the night sky, his jaw nearly hitting the ground.

"Ka-Kaido!? No, no, no, that's not right. It's Uncle Punk's Artificial Devil Fruit!"

"I see! That's what the Seven Deadly Sins were after!"

"Damn it! Uncle Punk is in danger!"

Sentomaru swung his giant axe again, hacking desperately at the boundary of the Storyboard Space. Under his relentless assault, cracks appeared in the space, but they were quickly repaired.

A corridor somewhere in Research Institute No. 1.

The place had been reduced to ruins. Broken walls and rubble lay everywhere, and the surrounding flames burned everything, turning the ground into a hellscape.

Samael, in his Fire God Form, floated in midair, cackling as he repeatedly slashed flaming swords into the ruins.

"Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!"

"Go on, dodge! Keep dodging! Let's see where you can hide! Keh heh heh..."

Each swing of his sword sent a crescent of fierce fire flying. The flaming sword energy struck the ruins, setting off explosion after explosion.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Caesar dodged about in disarray. As the user of the Gas-Gas Fruit, he was not actually afraid of fire and could even remove the oxygen to extinguish flames with ease.

But the fire Samael created was strange. He could not put it out.

"Son of a bitch, you forced me to do this!"

After dodging another slash of flaming sword energy, Caesar's face twisted with rage.

He threw his mouth open, the corners stretching almost to his ears. A large amount of gas gathered in his mouth before firing out as a ray.

"Gastanet!"

The straight beam of gas pierced Samael's chest in an instant, triggering a violent explosion.

Firelight briefly stained the night sky red, and thick smoke from the explosion shot into the clouds, even reaching the two mythical beasts fighting overhead.

"Keh heh heh, is that all?"

The flames twisted, and in the blink of an eye, Samael was as good as new.

He looked down at Caesar from above and mocked him. "How can there be a Logia as weak as you? You're killing me here."

Seeing that he was unharmed and could even mock him, Caesar's aged face flushed bright red.

"Damn it, I'm a scientist! I was never good at fighting!"

"Spare me the excuses. You little piece of trash, you haven't even awakened. You're a disgrace to the noble Logia class."

With a wave of his hand, Samael dispersed the flaming sword he held, turning it back into a wisp of flame that merged with his body.

"Let me show you what a Logia really is!"

With that, he raised both hands to the sky, as though sensing all of nature.

The next moment, he abruptly clenched both fists.

"Awakening technique: Demon Fire: Infinite Hell!"

The instant he clenched his fists, all the moisture was drawn from the atmosphere across the entire island.

In the forests that should have been lush and green, ancient trees withered one after another, and their flourishing branches and leaves spontaneously burst into flames.

The earth split apart, and an earthquake erupted.

With a rumble, pillars of fire erupted one after another from the gaping cracks in the ground. Their light illuminated the entire island, turning the black night into evening.

"Keh heh heh... Now that's what a Logia is. Understand, idiot?"

Samael's wild laughter echoed through hell.