Marco explained calmly, "It's an artificial Devil Fruit—but a failed one."
"Artificial Devil Fruit?" Zack repeated, visibly stunned. "A failed one?"
Ace couldn't help but ask, curiosity written all over his face.
"Wait… Devil Fruits can actually be made artificially?"
Marco nodded.
"Yes. SMILE was created by Caesar Clown. But his technology is crude—far inferior to Dr. Vegapunk's work."
"The success rate is only about one in ten," Marco continued. "If someone eats a failed SMILE, they lose the ability to show any emotion except laughter on their faces. No matter how much pain they're in, they can only smile. That's why it's called SMILE."
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Seeing their expressions, Marco decided not to hold back anymore.
"The World Government has researched far more than artificial Devil Fruits over the years," he said evenly. "Human weapons. Giant experiments. Lineage Factors."
"And even the so-called Seraphim."
He then turned toward Zack with a faint smile.
"As for the Devil Fruit I mentioned earlier—the one I intend to give you—it's also artificial. But it's a creation of Dr. Vegapunk."
Zack stiffened.
"It's an artificial Azure Dragon Devil Fruit," Marco continued, "created using the Lineage Factor extracted from the blood of one of the Yonko—Kaido of the Beasts."
Zack's eyes widened.
"An Azure Dragon Fruit… extracted from Kaido?"
The shock lingered for a moment before hesitation crept in.
"But… it's artificial."
Marco immediately reassured him.
"Don't worry. Vegapunk's artificial Azure Dragon Fruit is different from SMILE. Aside from being unable to awaken, it's virtually indistinguishable from a genuine Devil Fruit."
"In fact," he added, "Caesar's SMILE experiments were built by reverse-engineering this very fruit."
Zack fell silent, deeply shaken.
Marco had always been reliable—Whitebeard's most trusted subordinate—but Zack hadn't realized just how much forbidden knowledge he carried.
The others were no less stunned.
Ace spoke first, disbelief clear in his voice.
"Marco… are you saying Kaido was once a test subject of the World Government?"
"Yes," Marco replied without hesitation. "And not just once."
He continued matter-of-factly,
"But Kaido is abnormal. Every time he was captured, he escaped."
A faint smile crossed Marco's lips.
"Otherwise, why do you think the title of 'the strongest' fell to him after Pops passed?"
Ace suddenly laughed as if remembering something.
"Kaido, huh? I once wanted to go to Wano to challenge him—but I never got the chance."
Marco chuckled.
"Don't worry. There'll be an opportunity."
"After we take down Doflamingo," he added, eyes narrowing slightly, "even if we don't go looking for Kaido… I suspect he'll come looking for us."
At that moment, Karma and his crew dragged in dozens of people whose legs were missing. Their bodies hovered awkwardly, supported by floating gas-filled balloons.
Marco's gaze hardened.
"Where's Caesar?"
"Hmph!"
The apparent leader of the group snorted and turned his head away.
A First Division member immediately snapped, "Hey! Captain Marco asked you a question!"
Marco raised a hand, stopping him.
He turned to Karma instead.
"Karma. Your turn. Get the information we need—quickly."
Karma grinned confidently.
"Leave it to me, Captain."
What followed was a very enthusiastic "interrogation."
It didn't take long.
Soon, every one of them cracked.
They turned out to be survivors of the catastrophic explosion on Punk Hazard three years ago—test subjects, not prisoners. Due to prolonged exposure to poison gas, their legs had been irreversibly damaged. Caesar had "rescued" them only a year later, turning them into living experiments.
More importantly, they revealed Caesar's exact location.
Standing near the island's center, Marco looked toward the frozen half of Punk Hazard, where eternal ice dominated the landscape.
"Caesar and his men should be over there," he said decisively.
"We'll split up."
"There's only one objective—capture Caesar alive."
"Once we have him," Marco concluded, "finding that Devil Fruit will be easy."
He spread his wings slightly.
"Alright. Move out."
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, deep within Punk Hazard's laboratory.
Caesar Clown stood hunched over his workbench, carefully synthesizing a new strain of neurotoxin. Tubes bubbled, vapors curled, and the air reeked of chemicals.
Outside the sealed laboratory doors, a beautiful woman with long, flowing green hair sat quietly, sipping red tea.
Her name was Monet—Caesar's secretary.
Whenever Caesar conducted experiments, Monet would personally stand guard, forbidding anyone from entering or interrupting him. This routine had gone on for years.
But Monet carried another identity.
She was a spy.
An agent personally planted by Doflamingo to keep Caesar under constant surveillance.
Of course, Caesar wasn't completely oblivious. He knew Monet had been sent by Doflamingo to monitor him. Still, she remained polite, respectful, and obedient—and so Caesar chose to turn a blind eye.
Suddenly—
"Miss Monet! This is bad—something's happened!"
A panicked voice echoed from down the corridor.
Monet's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
She set her teacup down and rose, opening the door with calm precision.
The subordinates outside immediately bowed.
"Miss Monet."
"Master Caesar is in the middle of an experiment," Monet said coldly. "No one is allowed inside."
The men exchanged uneasy glances. With no other choice, they lowered their voices and reported to her instead.
"Miss Monet… it's serious. This time, it's really serious."
"Yonko Marco has landed on Punk Hazard with the Phoenix Pirates. Dozens of our people have already been captured."
"They're heading straight for the laboratory."
"Phoenix Pirates…?"
A flicker of panic crossed Monet's composed face.
Recently, the Phoenix Pirates had shaken the entire New World.
Everyone had assumed that after Whitebeard's death, his crew would fade into obscurity. Instead, in just a few months, Marco had led them back to the summit—reclaiming their status as one of the Four Emperors.
They had even annihilated the Wang Zhi Pirates, who had dominated Beehive Island for decades, and expanded their territory further.
Phoenix Marco himself was now a monster with a bounty exceeding three billion Berries.
He had even defeated Big Mom.
Monet took a slow breath and asked sharply,
"How did Marco end up here?"
"Are you certain it's him—and the Phoenix Pirates?"
"How many did they bring?"
The subordinates answered quickly, "It's definitely them! I saw it with my own eyes—Captain Marco, First Division acting commander Zack, Second Division Commander Fire Fist Ace…"
"And the captain of an affiliated crew, Karma. Trafalgar Law of the Heart Pirates is with them too."
"Their numbers… at least a thousand."
Monet's composure finally wavered.
A Yonko had personally arrived on Punk Hazard.
There was no way this was a coincidence.
She didn't know how the information had leaked—but she was certain of one thing.
There was only one person on this island worth such attention.
Caesar Clown.
And if Marco had come here, it wasn't for a visit.
It was for him.
"I understand."
Monet issued orders without hesitation.
"Seal all laboratory entrances immediately. Have everyone guard the main gate—no matter what, do not let them enter the laboratory."
She knew better than anyone that a few steel doors and scattered subordinates could never truly stop the Phoenix Pirates. But even a short delay could buy Caesar precious time to escape.
More importantly, this situation had to be reported to the Young Master at once.
"Yes!"
After the subordinates rushed off, Monet closed the door behind her and immediately pulled a transponder snail from her pocket.
The call connected almost instantly.
"Young Master," Monet said urgently. "It's me."
On the other end, the snail replied in a light, teasing tone.
"Oh? Monet? Let me guess—something happened with Caesar?"
"No," Monet said quickly. "It's not Caesar. It's the Phoenix Pirates."
"Yonko Marco has arrived at Punk Hazard—along with Zack, Fire Fist Ace, and Trafalgar Law."
For the first time, the playful tone vanished.
Doflamingo fell silent.
He was well aware of Marco's recent exploits. Being targeted by a Yonko was never good news.
And the moment he heard Law's name, Doflamingo became almost certain of one thing.
'So it was you…'
Though he had no concrete proof, Doflamingo was convinced Law and Marco had struck some kind of deal. Otherwise, there was no reason for Marco to act—after all, the Phoenix Pirates had always kept to themselves.
Now, Marco had suddenly appeared on Punk Hazard.
Even without evidence, Doflamingo instinctively guessed the target.
Caesar.
As for why Marco wanted Caesar, Doflamingo couldn't say—but there was no denying Caesar's value.
"Are you absolutely certain?" Doflamingo asked, his voice now sharp. "That it's the Phoenix Pirates?"
"Yes," Monet replied firmly. "The reports have been confirmed."
"This time, Marco himself has come."
She hesitated briefly, then asked,
"Should we withdraw?"
Doflamingo's veins throbbed at his temples.
Marco was strong enough to defeat Big Mom. If it came to a direct confrontation, Doflamingo knew he stood little chance.
Yet seeking Kaido's help was not an option.
If Kaido learned where Caesar was, then with his personality, he would almost certainly seize Caesar outright—discarding Doflamingo, the middleman, without a second thought.
Doflamingo's entire foothold in the New World depended on a delicate balance:
On the surface, he relied on his status as a Shichibukai.
In the shadows, he relied on his dealings with the Beasts Pirates.
If Vergo were still within the Marines, Doflamingo might have sought their assistance—but Vergo was gone.
And if he approached the Marines alone, the outcome was obvious. Once Caesar's location was exposed, the Marines would arrest him immediately.
After all, Caesar's crimes on Punk Hazard were unforgivable—even a Shichibukai could no longer shield him.
For a rare moment, Doflamingo felt cornered.
'This reeks of Law's scheme', he thought grimly.
Yet something still didn't add up.
If Marco truly wanted his head, he could have attacked Dressrosa directly. There was no need to go after Caesar first.
But there was no time to ponder further.
"Prepare for evacuation," Doflamingo ordered decisively.
"I'll head to Punk Hazard myself."
"If things truly turn against us," he added coldly, "we'll retreat to Dressrosa for the time being."
Monet lowered her head respectfully.
"Yes, Young Master."
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