Chapter 37

"Run! Don't look back! If the purple fog touches you, you turn to stone!"

Usopp's scream echoed through the freezing corridor as the purple tsunami of Shinokuni—Caesar's ultimate weapon of mass destruction—surged behind them. It wasn't just gas; it was a gelatinous, sentient cloud that petrified everything in its path.

"It’s faster than the wind!" Nami (in Franky's heavy tank body) wheezed, her metal legs clanking sparks against the floor. "I can't… keep up!"

"Grab on!" Luffy stretched his rubber arms, grabbing Nami-Franky and Chopper-Sanji, flinging them forward like luggage.

Kurumi ran at the back of the pack, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The PX-White, the prototype Seraphim, was still behind them, hovering through the gas. Its advanced filtration systems made it immune to the poison.

Beep. Target Acquired.

A laser beam sizzled past Kurumi’s ear, melting a hole in the ceiling.

"Persistent junk pile," Kurumi hissed. She reached for her guns, but her hands were trembling. The Rewind against Burgess had cost her too much. Her caloric reserves were flashing red.

"Captain!" Carmen slid alongside her, her boots melting the ice on the floor. She shoved a thermos into Kurumi’s hand. "Drink! It’s concentrated Sea King bone broth and adrenaline peppers!"

Kurumi didn't hesitate. She uncorked it and downed the boiling liquid in one gulp. It burned like acid, but warmth exploded in her stomach.

Caloric Conversion: 500 units restored.

"Better," Kurumi wiped her mouth, her red eye glowing faintly. "Laki! Suppress that robot!"

"On it!" Laki, riding on the back of Brownbeard (the alligator-centaur they had temporarily allied with), spun her rifle.

Mosa Mosa: Scatter Shot.

She fired a canister of buckshot. Mid-air, she multiplied the pellets by 100. A wall of lead slammed into the PX-White, knocking it backward into the encroaching gas.

"Gate! I see the gate!" Zoro (in Sanji's body) shouted.

Ahead, the massive blast doors of Building R were slowly closing. G-5 Marines were scrambling to squeeze through.

"They're shutting us out!" Smoker (in Tashigi's body) yelled, running with his jitte. "That bastard Caesar is sealing the lab!"

The Gatekeeper

Just as they reached the threshold, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the gate.

He wore a pristine white coat, sunglasses, and had a piece of hamburger stuck to his cheek. He held a simple bamboo stick.

Vice Admiral Vergo. The base commander of G-5. And Doflamingo's top executive.

"Vergo-san!" The G-5 Marines cheered. "Open the gate! The gas is coming!"

Vergo looked at his subordinates. He looked at the gas rolling toward them.

Then, he calmly kicked the nearest Marine into the poison.

"What…?" Tashigi (in Smoker's body) froze.

"Disorderly conduct," Vergo stated flatly. "The gate stays closed. Lord Joker's orders."

"VERGO!" Smoker screamed, realizing the betrayal instantly. "You're the traitor?!"

Vergo didn't answer. He coated his bamboo stick in Haki. It turned jet black—Demon Bamboo.

He vanished.

Soru.

He appeared in front of Law, who was struggling to keep up due to his missing heart (which Vergo held).

WHAM.

Vergo slammed the bamboo into Law’s stomach. Law coughed blood and collapsed.

"Law!" Luffy shouted, skidding to a halt.

"Stay back, Straw Hat," Vergo said, adjusting his sunglasses. "This is an internal execution."

He raised the stick to crush Law’s skull.

The Clockwork Intervention

Bang.

A black bullet sparked against Vergo’s Haki-coated cheek. It didn't pierce, but the force jerked his head to the side.

Vergo looked up. Kurumi stood ten meters away, smoke drifting from her musket.

"Hitting a cripple?" Kurumi panted, leveling her gun. "How very 'Justice' of you, Demon Bamboo."

"Commander Kurumi," Vergo said, unbothered by the gunshot. "Joker told me about you. The girl who wants to play pirate. You have excellent aim."

He disappeared again.

Kurumi’s Observation Haki screamed LEFT.

She dodged, but not fast enough. Vergo’s bamboo caught her in the ribs—the same ribs she had broken at Marineford.

CRACK.

"Gah!" Kurumi was sent flying into the closing steel door. She crumpled, clutching her side.

"Weak," Vergo walked toward her. "You rely on your fruit too much. Your physical body is fragile. Unlike mine."

He tore off his shirt. His muscles bulged, turning completely black with Full Body Armament Haki. He looked like a statue of iron.

"I will crush you first," Vergo raised his fist.

The Kick of the Chef

"Sanji-kun! Do something!" Nami screamed.

Sanji (currently in Nami's body) gritted his teeth. "Damn it! Nami-san's body isn't built for this! Her muscles are too soft!"

But he couldn't watch a lady get hit.

"Diable Jambe…" Sanji spun, igniting Nami’s leg with friction. "…Spectre!"

He launched a barrage of kicks at Vergo.

Vergo didn't even block. He took the kicks on his iron chest.

"Tickles," Vergo backhanded Sanji.

Sanji flew back, crashing into the wall. "Nami-san, I'm so sorry for the bruising!"

The Real Monster

The gas was ten seconds away. The gate was 80% closed. Vergo was blocking the path. The PX-White was rebooting behind them.

"We're trapped," Laki whispered, aiming her rifle but unable to find a weak point on Vergo’s blackened body.

"Luffy," Law gasped from the floor. "The door… break the door…"

Luffy looked at Vergo. He looked at the gas. He looked at Kurumi and Law bleeding on the ground.

"Move," Luffy said. His voice dropped an octave.

He bit his arm.

Muscle Balloon.

"Gear Fourth… Bounceman!"

Steam erupted. Luffy’s body expanded, coated in tribal Haki patterns. He bounced on the air.

Vergo’s eyes widened behind his sunglasses. "What is that form?"

"GOMU GOMU NO… KONG GUN!"

Luffy’s fist retracted into his arm like a cannon. He punched.

Vergo crossed his arms to block. Tekkai: Go.

BOOM.

The impact created a shockwave that cleared the gas for fifty meters. Vergo’s "impenetrable" Haki cracked. He was launched backward, smashing through the closing steel gate and flying deep into Building R.

"GO!" Luffy roared, his voice bouncing.

The crew scrambled through the broken gate just as the gas slammed against the outer wall.

Caesar, watching from the monitor, dropped his wine glass. "HE PUNCHED VERGO THROUGH THE DOOR?! IMPOSSIBLE! THAT BRAT SHOULDN'T HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER!"

Inside Building R

The Alliance collapsed on the floor of the safe zone. The airlock cycled shut, sealing the gas outside.

Luffy deflated, turning into a tiny, exhausted version of himself (the side effect of Gear 4).

"That… was close," Carmen panted, heating up a pan to cauterize Kurumi’s wound. "Hold still, Captain. This will hurt."

Sizzle.

Kurumi bit down on her glove to stop a scream as Carmen sealed the rib fracture with localized heat.

"Vergo isn't done," Kurumi whispered, sweat pouring down her face. "Luffy just surprised him. Vergo will stand up. And Smoker… Smoker needs to settle the score."

She looked at Law, who was clutching his chest.

"Get your heart back, Surgeon," Kurumi said. "I can't carry this team forever. My calorie count is below 10%."

Law nodded grimly. "The SAD room. That's where he's going. That's where I kill him."

The Split

"Alright!" Tiny Luffy squeaked. "We split up! I'm going to kick Caesar's butt! Smokey, you go beat up the Bamboo guy! Everyone else, run away!"

"It's a rescue mission, you idiot!" Zoro bonked him. "We have to find the kids!"

"Kurumi," Law stood up. "Come with me. To the SAD room. If Doflamingo calls… I want you to answer."

Kurumi struggled to her feet. "Fine. But Carmen goes with the Straw Hats. They need food."

"And you?" Carmen asked worriedly.

"I'll eat later," Kurumi’s clock eye ticked. "Doflamingo owes me a meal."

The Shadow in the Vent

As the groups separated, nobody noticed a small, mechanical drone detaching from the ceiling and following Kurumi and Law.

High above, on a ship sailing toward Dressrosa, a blonde man with goggles adjusted his headset.

Sabo, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.

"Luffy is here…" Sabo whispered, looking at the feed. "And that girl… Kurumi. Why does her energy feel like time itself?"

He tapped his communication piece.

"Koala, change course. We aren't going to Dressrosa just yet. We're intercepting them at Punk Hazard. I have a bad feeling about that 'White Pacifista'."

Next Time: The battle for the SAD Room. Law vs. Vergo. And Kurumi makes a deal with the devil to survive.