And its first target was a terrifying entity so powerful it made even him shudder with fear.
At this thought, as if possessed, he staggered yet resolutely rushed toward the control panel.
Reaching it without hesitation, he extended a trembling finger and forcefully pressed one of the buttons.
With a soft "whoosh," vast amounts of emerald-green toxic gas surged out like a bursting flood, instantly filling the entire fortress.
The gas rapidly spread through intricate passages and pipelines, flooding into Lancelot's room in the blink of an eye.
Through the ventilation ducts, a continuous stream of toxic gas could be seen gushing out, coiling like venomous snakes, aggressively encroaching upon every inch of the room.
"Huh?"
Lancelot's heart jolted violently, his brow involuntarily furrowing tightly.
He knew exactly what this meant—it was the weapon of mass destruction meticulously developed by Caesar Clown!
The spreading toxic gas, resembling sinister serpents, would swiftly entangle anyone it touched.
Once contaminated, the gas would seep through the skin like a persistent affliction, causing instant full-body paralysis and rendering movement impossible.
Even more terrifying, over time, the gas could form an incredibly solid petrified shell on the body's surface, completely encasing the person.
Those trapped within this petrified shell would gradually lose consciousness, becoming lifeless husks.
Moreover, if the indestructible shell wasn't shattered within half a day, the victim would face certain death.
Faced with such a horrifying weapon, even he... dared not be the slightest bit overconfident at this moment.
Why does Queen have the epithet "Plague"?
Because he created three major biological weapons.
First, Plague Rounds: One of the three biochemical weapons developed by Queen, these are bullets loaded with viruses. Anyone struck by them is immediately infected with the contained virus.
During the Fire Festival, Queen even fired Plague Rounds into the crowd using a Gatling gun.
Second, Mummy: One of the three biochemical weapons developed by Queen, an artificial virus.
Those infected with this virus will feel their entire body heating up.
The high temperature gradually spreads from the point of impact to the entire body, causing excruciating pain as if being burned by fire, after which blood will gush out.
After death, the body becomes as desiccated as a mummy.
The most terrifying aspect is that this virus can also be transmitted through physical contact.
Moreover, it infects anyone who comes into contact with it immediately. Its infectiousness is truly chilling.
Third, Ice Oni: One of the three biochemical weapons developed by Queen, an artificial virus.
He considers it his masterpiece.
Those infected with this virus will feel cold. The chill gradually spreads from the point of impact to the entire body. Areas covered by the cold become like demons. If not detoxified within an hour, death occurs.
Those infected will uncontrollably attack others indiscriminately, friend or foe. Anyone touched by them is immediately infected.
The infected will fight by consuming all their physical strength and stamina, like zombies.
This is the origin of Queen's title "Plague."
However, in Lancelot's view, Queen's viruses are far inferior to Caesar Clown's poison gas.
After all, the scope of Queen's three viruses is not large.
They even require contact and mutual transmission between individuals to expand their scale. Moreover, if faced with a strong opponent who can avoid contact and eliminate all infected individuals, they can remain unharmed...
But Caesar Clown's poison gas is directly large-scale and all-encompassing.
Especially in enclosed spaces like this, it is almost an unsolvable threat.
"Swish..."
Having read the original work, Lancelot knew the situation was critical and there was no more time to waste.
A cold gleam flashed in his eyes as he decisively swung Shusui in his hand.
In an instant, a terrifying slash erupted abruptly.
This slash surged forward with an unparalleled imposing manner.
Wherever it passed, whether it was the hard, steel-like bluestone pavement, the thick and sturdy walls, or the towering mountain, they were all sliced apart as easily as cutting through soft tofu.
For a moment, shattered stones flew and dust billowed, creating an incredibly shocking scene.
If viewed from the outside, one would see a terrifying slash erupting from the fortress, piercing straight through the entire mountain.
A deep chasm appeared in the middle of the mountain.
Clearly, the entire mountain had been cut in two.
"Hiss..."
Vergo, who was outside, naturally witnessed this scene.
Even though he had already run far away, he was still startled by such a massive commotion... especially when he saw the mountain split in two.
He stood there frozen in place.
"Is he a great swordsman?"
Vergo was utterly astonished.
He recalled that when Lancelot had attacked him earlier, he hadn't even drawn his sword.
Yet now, he displayed such terrifying swordsmanship.
This forced him to reevaluate Lancelot's strength.
It was likely even stronger than what he had experienced before.
Three figures flashed through his mind: the Marine's top combat powers, Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji.
After finding a safe spot, he immediately took out a Den Den Mushi from his chest. Even when he had been hit earlier, he had protected it. All for this moment.
"Buru buru..."
The Den Den Mushi connected quickly, transforming into Doflamingo's face as it coldly asked.
"Vergo, you're calling at this hour. Has something urgent happened?"
Vergo remained silent for a moment before responding with grave seriousness.
"Young Master, I'm currently at Monet's place. And I've encountered that Rear Admiral Lancelot here."
"What?"
Doflamingo shot to his feet with an exclamation of surprise.
He instantly understood the implications of those words and what they signified.
His heart leaped into his throat.
If anything happened to Caesar Clown, he would be finished.
After all, Caesar Clown was crucial to the Artificial Devil Fruit transactions with the Beasts Pirates, as well as the gigantification experiments with the Big Mom Pirates.
Caesar Clown was the key to both operations!
Lancelot's presence there indicated he already knew about Caesar Clown's existence.
He might even be aware of the connection between Caesar Clown and Doflamingo himself.
Perhaps he even knew about their dealings with both the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates.
If that were truly the case, then Lancelot's purpose for going there was already crystal clear.
If that weren't the situation and Lancelot had merely coincidentally gone there, the timing would be far too convenient.
Though part of him hoped this was just coincidence, reason told him this was absolutely not accidental.
Therefore, at this moment, Doflamingo couldn't help but feel fear creeping into his heart.