“There is a result, but trouble is probably coming too. This isn’t a natural disaster; it’s man-made.”
Queen stared at the analysis results in his hand, looking somber.
He had finally figured out the cause and understood why he had been failing before.
The substance making the bananas sick wasn’t what he initially thought but a man-made substance. And the creator of that substance? An old acquaintance of his.
“That b*stard Caesar. Next time I see him, I’ll plow the ground with his face!”
“Caesar?”
“Caesar Clown. Just a waste of space. We used to be in the same research group, and this stuff is just a failed product of his experiment, or rather, an improved version. I didn’t realize what it was at first, but now I’m certain.”
“Like? Some kind of new virus?”
“No, his research direction is a bit different from mine. He’s always been fond of artificial devil fruits, but he’s never succeeded. He tried to cultivate these fruits by following some plant cultivation method, but ended up creating this special ‘pesticide’.”
“Even if I explained more, you wouldn’t understand. Fortunately, it’s not too troublesome—I should be able to handle it.”
Queen didn’t go into more professional knowledge, rather he summarized it in a way that Zeraora could understand.
“But this stuff couldn’t have just appeared here on its own. He’s now a lapdog of the World Government, so this is definitely a conspiracy targeted at me!”
Queen had suspected a conspiracy all along, but confirming it brought up complex feelings.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“Well, about that…”
Logically, after identifying the issue, he should leave immediately and prepare an antidote elsewhere. However, that would waste a lot of time, and the bananas might not survive.
“Would you mind… waiting a few more days?”
“You… One of these days, that mouth of yours is going to get you killed.”
Seeing Queen’s reluctant yet slightly fearful expression, Zeraora felt an urge to kick him. He suddenly understood something Shayna once said:
“I don’t know why I always want to kick him. I just can’t help it when I see his face.”
But at that moment, someone else made the decision for them. An alarm echoed through the lab, signaling that someone had made the decision for Queen.
Taking advantage of his speed, Zeraora was the first to get outside and see what was happening.
“Queen, good news—you don’t have to worry about how to handle this anymore.”
“Huh???”
A series of explosions echoed in his ears, and a bad feeling rose in Queen’s heart.
“Are you saying…”
“Almost all of them have been burned. You probably don’t have time to save those bananas anymore. This is quite a big problem.”
The sound in his ears was different from typical gunpowder explosions. When Queen reached the window, he saw the banana plantation gradually turning into a sea of flames, with magma bombs falling along with ordinary artillery fire.
Not far away, he saw the shadow of a warship getting closer.
“It’s that mad dog…”
Looking at the Marine standing at the bow of the warship, wearing a red suit and a Justice coat draped over his shoulders, Queen immediately recognized him. Only one person in the Marines used magma as a weapon—Marine Headquarters Admiral-Sakazuki, codenamed Akainu.
Due to past grudges between Olga and him, the Beasts Pirates had always referred to Akainu as “the mad dog.” Back then, it had taken Olga a lot of effort to escape from him.
“Lord Zeraora! Lord Queen! The Marines are attacking us, and the one leading them is…”
“No need to say it. I’ve already seen it. Get everyone to retreat; don’t stay here and make things worse.”
This was one of the Beasts Pirates’ plantation islands. The population here was small; besides a handful of pirates, there were only a few workers. In total, two ships could hold everyone.
The island was never meant for combat, primarily being a retirement spot for elderly pirates who wouldn’t be able to contribute anything in a battle like this.
“Yes, understood! What about you…”
“I’ll hold the rear for you for a while. Report what’s happening here back to Onigashima.”
Zeraora quickly arranged a few things, then looked over at Queen.
“I’m going to delay that guy for a bit. What about you?”
If he wanted to leave, he could do so immediately. Sakazuki wouldn’t be able to stop him; with his agility, Sakazuki couldn’t pin him down. But if he left, the other pirates on the island would be doomed. The Marines’ top fighter was more than they could handle.
Though he’d promised Setsuna to put his own safety first, he felt a sense of responsibility. The safest thing would be to leave right away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that.
A man’s promises at home and his actions in the field often have some “reasonable discrepancy.”
He had thought Queen would want to retreat with them, but this time, Zeraora really underestimated him.
“Delay? I’m going to kill that guy! I don’t care what kind of ‘dog’ he is; he dared to burn my banana plantation! Even if it were Boss Kaido, I’d be ready to fight him over this!”
Queen’s eyes were bloodshot, with adrenaline surging through his body. Someone dared to touch his food. No matter who the enemy is, he couldn’t forgive them. At this moment, he was consumed by rage and had lost some of his rationality.
So, he made the bravest decision he’d made in over a decade.
His skin began to squirm, his muscles swelling and shifting. By the time he stepped out of the room, he had already transformed into a massive Tropius hybrid, flying toward the Marine warship.
He didn’t care about the casualties among the ordinary pirates; he only wanted to avenge the bananas that had yet to be born.
……
“Admiral Sakazuki! The target has appeared; he didn’t escape and is heading straight for us!”
The plant-destroying substance Caesar had created and Akainu’s presence here were all part of a carefully orchestrated plan by the World Government—a test, of sorts.
They couldn’t infiltrate Onigashima directly, but it was easier to plant agents on the outer islands. After analyzing Queen’s preferences, a Cipher Pol team designed this operation.
They mixed the chemical created by Caesar into the rain clouds, causing the plants to fall ill, and arranged for Sakazuki to be carrying out a mission nearby. Based on current analysis, capturing Queen alive quickly—or eliminating him if needed—was the safest approach.
In theory, Borsalino would have been better suited for this mission, but he was assigned to protect Vegapunk, so the Marines didn’t reassign him.
“Stick to the plan. Keep bombarding and wipe out all the pirates on the island!”
Sakazuki’s arm continued to spew magma into the sky. There was no room for mercy; once he had taken action, there was no turning back. Whether it was Queen or the ordinary pirates, his decision was to eliminate all the enemies.
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