Chapter 87: Caesar Falls into Self-Doubt
"So it was a specially made Sea-Prism Stone bullet!" Ace's face darkened.
He had underestimated the enemy. In a world where Sea-Prism Stone could neutralize Devil Fruit powers, overlooking such a detail was a critical mistake.
Regaining his strength, Ace immediately turned toward the direction the bullets had come from. He activated Observation Haki and quickly locked onto the sniper's position.
"Hiding behind that cliff?" Ace sneered. He raised both arms and crossed his index fingers. Flames ignited from their tips and converged into a blazing cross.
"Crossfire!"
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted. The cliff collapsed, and a cloud of smoke rose into the sky. The entire ridge had been obliterated.
"Th-they're dead!"
Van Bock, the strange half-man, half-sheep guard, trembled in fear. He was thankful he hadn't done anything rash against the intruder. Compared to the two snipers from the "Snow Mountain Brothers," who had tried to shoot Ace with seastone bullets, his inaction probably saved his life.
Ace glanced at Van Bock, who immediately collapsed, pretending to faint.
Ace frowned but said nothing. Truthfully, he had considered eliminating the gatekeeper—but the guy had passed out on his own, removing the need.
Shaking his head, Ace stepped over Van Bock and entered the facility.
"That was too close. I nearly died." Van Bock peeked out from under his eyelids once Ace passed. "Who the hell is this monster?"
With no intention of dying for Caesar, he grabbed his hammer and ran as fast as his four legs could carry him.
BOOM!
Just as expected, the facility behind him exploded in flames.
"Too slow! I need more legs!" Van Bock cried, wishing Caesar had given him six instead of four.
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Inside the research base, Ace moved through the corridors. Along the way, several more half-human, half-animal guards charged at him. They were incinerated in seconds, leaving behind only the scent of charred flesh.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
An alarm blared throughout the laboratory.
In the lab's control room, Caesar Clown was in the middle of a chemical experiment when he heard the alarm. Enraged, he turned to the door.
"What's going on!? Why is the alarm sounding!?"
"An intruder has broken in," said a cold voice.
It was Monet, Caesar's personal secretary and undercover operative for Doflamingo.
At this time, Monet had not yet been altered into her harpy form. She still retained her natural beauty.
"An intruder? This is Joker's territory! Who would dare?!" Caesar exclaimed.
Monet remained calm. "Let's see for ourselves. Bring the surveillance Den Den Mushi."
A guard rushed over and set up the surveillance feed.
When Ace's image appeared on screen, Monet's expression twisted.
"It's him."
"You recognize him?" Caesar asked.
"That's Portgas D. Ace. He's one of the most dangerous new pirates in the New World." Monet explained, "He escaped pursuit from two Marine Admirals when entering the New World. On Sun Island, he single-handedly defeated Charlotte Cracker and Jinbe—both high-ranking members of Big Mom's forces. His current bounty is 880 million Berries."
"During that battle, even Vice Admiral Vergo died. And although Marco and Thatch of the Whitebeard Pirates appeared, they didn't intervene. That shows the weight Ace carries now."
Caesar's jaw dropped. He stared at the screen, dumbfounded.
"But why is someone like that here?! I never provoked him!" Caesar protested.
Monet narrowed her eyes. She couldn't reveal that Ace was targeting Doflamingo, so she lied.
"You've offended too many people. Maybe you forgot. But he's obviously here for you."
"That... might be true." Caesar scratched his head, unsure. "But if he's that strong, we should evacuate."
"Exactly," Monet said. "Let's leave while we still can."
"No! I can't! My research is at a critical stage. There's too much to pack. I'm calling Joker. He'll deal with him."
Caesar pulled out a golden Den Den Mushi to contact Doflamingo, muttering, "He'll protect his investment."
Meanwhile, Ace strode deeper into the facility, flames swirling around him, fully prepared to torch everything Caesar held dear.
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