Enel looked at Caesar with a cold, flat expression.
"Do you think I'd ever agree to that?"
Caesar stayed silent at that. A trace of grim resolve flickered in his eyes as he stared at Enel and struggled to rise.
"Yeah… you're right… someone like you…"
After years of working together, he understood Enel's nature far too well. That was why he didn't bother begging. It would have been pointless. Enel might claim they'd known each other for years, but his killing intent had never faded, not even now.
"In that case, let's all die together…"
His thumb began to loosen from the detonator.
Shhh!
The next instant, Caesar's entire forearm vanished. It had been sliced clean off.
A wooden staff appeared in front of him instead.
Law held Caesar's severed arm by the thumb as he walked over. Caesar tried to move his fingers, but the crushing force pinning them down didn't let them twitch.
Caesar's expression darkened as he glared at Law with pure hatred.
Enel spoke up. "Any last words."
Caesar's lips twitched like he wanted to say something.
Then he suddenly grinned, baring his teeth.
"I've been stalling you idiots! Shurororororo! If the pressure on that detonator gets too strong… it explodes anyway! You fools!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Irregular blasts ripped through the ground inside the barrier at that moment. Toxic gas and poison mixed with shards of iron and particles of seastone erupted outward.
The shockwaves surged toward the three at the center.
Law flicked his hand.
"Antibacterial Curtain."
A transparent membrane wrapped around the two of them.
Caesar kept laughing, but something about their calm expressions felt wrong.
Right then, the ground beneath him shifted.
The earth rolled open into a deep pit as a tanuki burst out of the dirt, gave him a cheerful grin, and the next moment Caesar was launched dozens of meters into the air atop a rising mound of soil.
Crash!
He fell straight into a massive pit. His eyes widened after he realized what was happening. These were the bombs he had buried all over the island.
A chill shot straight up his spine. As a horrifying thought surfaced, he snapped his head toward Enel.
Enel crossed his arms and let out a cold snort. "I was stalling too, idiot."
Caesar's little tricks had never escaped Enel's Observation Haki. The island's key locations had long been secured. But because the bombs were placed in unstable chains, even a single disturbance would trigger all of them. Any attempt to disable or block them would cause an instant chain reaction strong enough to wipe out the entire island.
After researching the setup, they discovered that only once the detonator had been pressed into standby mode could the bombs be safely moved.
Which led to the coordinated timing between Enel and Law.
The extractor's needle sank deep into Caesar's body. The seastone dust mixed into the injector drained what little strength he had left, leaving him unable to escape the mountain of bombs.
The explosions grew closer, one after another. Caesar had many regrets, but they meant nothing now. He shut his eyes in despair.
'Damn that lightning bastard… damn that Vegapunk…!'
Boom!!!
The island shook violently. A blinding white flash erupted, followed by a surge of purple poisonous mist.
* * *
At the edge of the barrier.
The stone in Law's hand vanished, replaced by the completed Devil Fruit Extractor. He looked up at the incoming wave of gas and pressure and frowned.
Then he tossed the extractor to Enel outside the dome, raised both hands, and pressed down.
"Compress!"
The barrier covering a third of the island contracted at high speed.
The toxic mist at the center crashed against the top of the shrinking dome. The blast waves slammed into Law's power.
The barrier warped, its surface bending unnaturally as the shrinking slowed.
It wasn't that Law lacked strength. These bombs had been built by Caesar to obliterate the entire island. They were mostly poison, but packed together, their explosive force was anything but small.
Sweat traced down Law's forehead as he focused every last bit of strength on the barrier.
Enel flipped the extractor in his hand and stepped beside him.
"You doing all right—"
He didn't finish before Law snapped.
"Shut up! You lightning bastard!"
The latter's eyes stayed fixed on the barrier, now compressed to the size of four football fields. Veins bulged along his arms as he pushed harder.
"Haaa!"
Inside the dome, the bombs had finally finished detonating. With no more force behind the blast, the shockwave collapsed under Law's final push. The barrier shrank to the size of a small house.
A purple sphere floated before them, wrapped in a glowing membrane: compressed liquid poison.
Law wiped the sweat from his brow and sent the sphere hurtling toward Enel.
Enel shifted aside effortlessly.
"Careful there, kid."
Law snorted. "Blowing you up would be a bonus."
Enel clicked his tongue. "Always been nasty since you were little."
A vein throbbed on Law's forehead. "You're the nasty one, idiot!"
* * *
Punk Hazard, inside Vegapunk's laboratory.
Law floated the purple sphere behind him as he and Enel entered.
"Teacher."
Vegapunk nodded. "No unexpected problems?"
Law shook his head. "None. But a third of the island still blew up."
To stall Caesar and keep him distracted, they hadn't removed the bombs inside the barrier. Because of that, everything under the dome had been destroyed. But the research facilities had been reinforced long ago, so there were no casualties.
"That's fine," Vegapunk said.
He took the Devil Fruit Extractor from Enel, glanced at the fruit, and put it away.
Law moved the purple sphere forward and asked, "What about this? It's all compressed poison."
Vegapunk frowned. If Law released his power now, it would expand instantly and contaminate everything.
Enel spoke. "Come with me. We can toss this thing somewhere in the New World. Some pirate's island or whatever. You've been stuck here for years. Time you got some fresh air."
Law blinked. "Fresh air, huh…"
Vegapunk smiled. "That's right, Law. Go travel a little. You're young. Don't stay in one place for too long. I should relocate as well. The government still has no idea Caesar's bombs have all been dealt with. Egghead Island is nearly finished. Perfect timing for a move."
Law thought for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Alright."
* * *
Grand Line, Tarkia Island.
A small island on the edge of the Calm Belt, close to the New World.
Ore deposits covered the land, but the location made it dangerous. With the Calm Belt on one side and the New World on the other, Sea Kings prowled the surrounding waters. Travel was treacherous.
In secret, the island was under the control of one of the New World's Four Emperors, Knox. It served as a weapons-production base for trading with the Revolutionary Army. Thick black smoke rose from the island day and night.
Whoosh!
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!