Summary:
Smoker asks Verg why the room they are in is so scary. Vergo tells him not to worry about it. Smoker tells Verga that he is not looking forward to telling the soldiers about the betrayal of their commanding officer, as Verga is deeply admired by his subordinates. Vergo tells Smoker that he won’t have to worry about his men. Smoker, angered by this, attacks Verg with his jitte, asking what he did to the soldiers. Vergo blocks this attack with his bamboo staff. Vergo then teases Smoker for having compassion for his subordinates, but tells him that since the truth is out, Smoker will have to die. Verga’s staff expands in the middle and something shoots out of it like a blowtorch. The shot causes a huge explosion. Smoker dodged the attack by turning intangible and attempted to attack Verg from behind. Vergo braces himself and narrowly avoids being hit. He then tries to kick Smoker, but Smoker blocks it with his leg. She swings her wand, but Smoker dodges it and moves to Vergo’s exposed side. Smoker then delivers a devastating blow to Verga’s face, sending the Vice Admiral flying back and landing in a heap. Smoker tells Verg that his staying with the troops doesn’t matter because as the base captain, Smoker is in charge of them when they leave the base, and challenges Verg to try to harm his other soldiers.
In Building B, Sanji and Tashigi rush through, having just reached the area that was set on fire by the dragon. Tashigi is confused by Sanji’s behavior and wants to protect her as they are supposed to be enemies. Sanji tells her that pirates are free spirits open to all. As the marines compliment him on stopping the “fake” Vergo, one of the tanks in the room explodes, damaging the wall and making a hole allowing Shinokuni inside. Another tank explodes on the other side of the room, doing the same thing. result. Wounded soldiers, as well as the soldiers carrying them, fall victim to the gas. Tashigi can’t believe this would happen in a room as spacious as the one they are in. Sanji tells her to run as he runs to the gas. She tries to argue but Sanji just tells her to go.
In a secret room on the second floor of Section R, Caesar watches these events on a monitor, pleased that the dragon rampage has let the gas in and satisfied that his demonstration will be a success. He tells the subordinate to close the gates to Sections C and D. When asked by the subordinate about Section R, Caesar tells him that the plan is to lead the pirates and soldiers into the corridor and then flood it with gas from C and D, leaving them with nowhere to escape. He goes on to say how he doesn’t like the room he’s in, but he really had no choice in the matter. A huge group of underlings are in front of him, questioning why he’s in Vegapunk’s old room, given the grudge he holds against him. One of the underlings says that Vegapunk is as much an enemy as those outside because he caused the incident four years ago. Caesar tells them that they are vital to his powers and he doesn’t want any collateral damage, causing them all to become emotional. He then goes over his plan. Once the closures of sections C and D are closed, all areas will be closed, leaving section R as the only possible route. All of his enemies will be in the same place at once. The ventilation shaft in this room is connected to the outside, so letting the gas in will be easy and they will have nowhere to escape. Their deaths will then be broadcast to the brokers. One of his subordinates questions whether Caesar created the gas, as it looks exactly like the gas from Vegapunk’s failed experiment four years ago. Caesar begins to shed tears and says that the war in science hurts his heart. He tells them that he tried to stop Vegapunk from doing the experiment because it would be dangerous for the people on the island. The accident happened anyway, and Vegapunk is still considered the best scientist in the world. He questions if it is right for someone who has caused so much pain to hold this title. His subordinates are deeply moved. Caesar tells them that he made the gas against his better judgment to prove that he is the best scientist in the world. He ends his eloquent speech by saying that once he is recognized by the Marines, he will be able to use his scientific genius for the good of the world. Moved by his emotional expression, his subordinates begin to cheer.
Caesar chuckles as he remembers what really happened that day four years ago. He was ordered to stop the experiment because it would be bad for the people on the island, which goes against what he told his subordinates. Caesar snaps and says that they are trying to find ways to kill the pirates, but the marines argue that they can’t hurt innocent civilians. Caesar laughs, calls them a necessary sacrifice, and says that world peace is the calm that comes after the storm. He then called Sengoku too soft and figured Akainu would want his weapon. He then laughs and says he heard Vegapunk’s human enlargement experiment failed again. He tells the Marines that the only way to do this is to kidnap the children, who are still growing, and subject them to various treatments. He later yells at Vegapunk and asks him what he’s doing. Vegapunk tells him that they are removing Caesar from his position on the research team. His actions became too reckless. Yelling not to be played with, Caesar slams a button on the console, causing the lab to explode in a huge mushroom cloud.
The gate connecting area B to areas C and D is now closed. In the basement, Luffy asks something if he just spoke. Luffy stares at the dragon and asks what it is. The dragon responds by asking Luffy who he is.