When the water is too clear, there are no fish; when a person is too scrutinizing, they have no companions. At this moment, Caesar had unlocked a hidden achievement—’When shameless, one becomes invincible.
In Queen’s mind, he believed Caesar was fully aware of the true nature of his Devil Fruit’s capabilities. Seeing this “perfect” Devil Fruit user, Queen was sure Caesar would be confused.
At that point, Queen could smugly boast:
【I slightly improved your technique. You’re so trash you can’t even solve such a simple issue.】
The members of MADS each specialized in different fields, and this was Caesar’s area of expertise. Queen planned to crush Caesar head-on in the field he’s best at, thereby delivering a serious blow to his goals.
Everything was progressing smoothly—except Queen underestimated Caesar’s shamelessness. For a moment, Queen didn’t even know whether to call Caesar thick-skinned or utterly shameless.
“You… don’t you know how bad your skills are? Haven’t you tested this yourself?”
“Well, you know, these things always have a success rate. I recall you guys took away 20 samples back then. It seems like these two turned out relatively perfect.”
“Not a single one of your test subjects succeeded, right?”
“Shurororororo! Which is why I said you’re a lucky pig, Queen! Honestly, I still think your old look suited you better. How about I help you change back?”
The members of MADS all had confidence in their abilities, each considering themselves a genius scientist not inferior to Vegapunk. But at this point, Caesar’s confidence had crossed the line into outright narcissism.
“Boss Queen, can we beat him up?”
“Yeah, Boss Queen, this guy seems like a pe*vert…”
Caesar’s inspection was getting on their nerves, but they were still holding back, unsure of Queen’s stance.
Although Queen had expressed his intention to give Caesar a good beating, it wasn’t enough to explain anything.
After all, in the Beasts Pirates, fighting was common. Even the officers would often insult or brawl with each other, only to turn around and drink and chat together. Kaido was the prime example of this.
“Leave it to me. I’ll make sure to beat him enough for all three of us.”
The two were merely guards stationed at Onigashima’s gates. While Queen looked down on Caesar’s abilities, he hadn’t fallen so far as to need help from mere gatekeepers to deal with them. If these two lost, it would be utterly humiliating for Queen.
Originally, Queen had planned to use his modifications to Caesar’s Devil Fruits as a way to anger him. But seeing how utterly shameless Caesar was, a new idea began forming in Queen’s mind.
Since Caesar already had such delusions, why not let him keep believing them and take things further?
No one knew that the successful fruits had been refined a second time by Arceus. Doflamingo could even sell them to others.
While outsiders might not share Kaido’s obsession with Zoan-types, there was always the possibility that they’d take an interest in the abilities.
As long as the fruits could be sold, Caesar, as their creator, would inevitably gain some fame.
By then, he will either be resented for producing too many failures or attract the attention of the World Government due to the significant impact of his creations. Maybe they’d even orchestrate an assassination plan against Caesar.
At that point, Queen could pass off some of the blame to Caesar.
Good things are meant to be shared, and Queen has no intention of letting Caesar off the hook.
At this moment, a strange smile appeared on the Queen’s face as he began hatching a new plan.
Once enough of these standard Zoan users were out causing trouble, they could serve as walking advertisements for Caesar, boosting his reputation.
Not only could this strategy elevate Caesar just to knock him down later, but Queen might even earn some compensation from Doflamingo in the process.
With that thought, Queen found Caesar slightly less detestable—but his urge to beat him up didn’t waver in the slightest.
“Hey, Pica, find me a spacious place, preferably one with a big audience. I want to make sure this guy is utterly humiliated in front of everyone.”
“Who’s letting you beat me up?! Do you really think that highly of yourself?”
“You can fight back if you want. Or are you already scared? How about we play a game. If you win, I’ll do anything you say.”
“A game?”
“That’s right. Roulette. I’ve got special Seastone bullets here, more than enough to blow your head off.”
Queen pulled out a pistol as he spoke, only to trigger Caesar’s angry outburst.
“You idiot! Do you even know what you’re talking about?! What kind of backwater sea would use a gun like that?! Are you some bumpkin from the Four Seas?!”
Caesar had no intention of agreeing to Queen’s game. He valued his life too much to participate in such a life-threatening game, but Queen was insulting him.
The rules of roulette are simple: load one or more bullets into the six chambers of a revolver, spin the cylinder at random, close it, and then the participants take turns pointing the gun at their heads and pulling the trigger.
But there was one glaring problem—this only works with a revolver. Queen, however, had brought out a fully-automatic pistol.
The game was no longer about luck but gambling on whether the gun would jam.
The technological development in the pirate world was wildly inconsistent. On the Grand Line, advanced automatic weapons were common. But in the Four Seas, many people had never even seen a revolver, still using antique flintlock pistols that required loading a single bullet after every shot.
“Quit complaining. Either take a beating and try to fight back, or bet your life and see if my gun jams. That damn M-virus of yours destroyed my banana plantation; I’m going to settle this debt today.”
“Caesar, this is Doffy’s decision.”
Pica, standing on the side, left Caesar with no escape route. To ensure future dealings and secure his funding, Caesar was forced to accept the arrangement and duel Queen. However, the duel was set to take place in the Corrida Colosseum.
It was one of Dressrosa Kingdom’s main attractions, generating significant tax revenue for them.
Originally a place where gladiators honed their swordsmanship skills, the colosseum had transformed into an arena of pure carnage and spectacle, rife with bloodshed and violence, ever since Doflamingo took control.
Yet in the Great Pirate Era, this atmosphere only served to increase revenue.
Reluctantly, Caesar arrived at the colosseum, determined to make Queen suffer. Queen, on the other hand, was itching for the fight, ready to avenge his bananas.
【Ladies and gentlemen! Today, we bring you a special match—two individuals will face off here in a decisive battle!】
In the colosseum, the announcer’s voice echoed through the stands. Nowadays, Dressrosa did not bar pirates from entering; it was quite common for pirates to participate in the competitions. Given Doflamingo’s status as a Shichibukai and former Celestial Dragon, the World Government chose to turn a blind eye to these activities.
【In one corner, we have the All-Star of the Beasts Pirates, one of the Four Emperors’ subordinate, with a bounty of 2.7 billion Berries—Queen the Plague! And his opponent, the criminal with a bounty of 300 million Berries—Caesar!】
“You b*stard! What do you mean, ‘criminal’? Am I only a criminal to you?!”
Before the fight even began, Caesar was already displeased; the disparity in the descriptions used for each side was too great.
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