ALL NOVEL Chapter 89: CHAPTER 89
Caesar's eyes bulged out in panic as his tongue lolled from his mouth. His usual arrogance had turned into sheer terror.
He had ordered Viola to steal the Devil Fruit just to show that Vegapunk was inferior to him—not to destroy it. Now, he was facing the consequences of his actions.
"This is bad… this is bad!" Caesar muttered frantically. "The World Government has spent so many resources on this fruit. If they find out I've lost it, they'll kill me for sure!"
"It's all that bastard Vegapunk's fault! What kind of worthless Devil Fruit did he create?! It can't even survive a laser attack!"
"Joker, come save me!" Caesar shouted, trembling in fear. His Gas Gas Fruit abilities allowed him to float anxiously in the air, but his usual self-assurance was gone.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the lab. Caesar had accidentally knocked over a jar, and toxic gas began leaking out.
His eyes widened in horror as he looked over at the jar. His hair stood on end.
"This is my poison gas! It's all leaking out!" he screamed in panic. "This gas can kill a whole country!"
Then, an idea crossed his mind. His fear shifted to a malicious grin. "Wait a minute... if I poison everyone on this island, the World Government won't even know who took the Devil Fruit. They'll stop chasing me, hehehe!"
Caesar, ever the self-absorbed coward, didn't care about the lives of others—only his own safety. The toxic gas spread quickly, blanketing the area.
Meanwhile, outside, Viola and Rebecca were the first to notice the danger.
"Auntie, run! The gas is poison!" Rebecca cried, pulling Viola along.
Viola was still dazed, but when she saw Caesar laughing maniacally in the lab with the Devil Fruit, her expression turned grim. "Caesar did this... that bastard, is he really trying to kill everyone?"
The poisonous gas spread even faster. The island was still shrouded in the dead of night, and many researchers were fast asleep, unaware of the deadly danger approaching them. As they inhaled the toxic fumes, they woke up in agony, clutching their throats before succumbing to the poison.
When the gas finally reached Vegapunk's lab, one of the researchers noticed and screamed in panic, "Poison gas! Poison gas!"
Vegapunk, who had been awake due to his scientific endeavors, was the first to hear the alarm. In a hurry, he rushed outside and immediately recognized the poison gas. His face hardened as he muttered, "This is a weapon created by Caesar Clown... a vile weapon of mass destruction."
Vegapunk, an anti-war scientist who once created the Berris cannon that only shot flowers, had long dreamed of creating an energy source that could end the world's need for resources, thereby eliminating the cause of war. But now, Caesar's actions had turned this island into a deathtrap.
"This island is unusable. Everyone, evacuate!" Vegapunk ordered.
One of the World Government officials accompanying him protested, "But what about the Devil Fruit imitating Kaido's powers? We have to take it!"
"It's too late," Vegapunk replied, shaking his head. "Besides, it's a failure."
The official, frustrated, said, "The Five Elders will be angry. We spent so much to create that fruit!"
"There's nothing we can do now," Vegapunk said, his tone resolute. "If you want me to try again, provide the funds, and I'll make a better one."
As Vegapunk and his clones packed up the critical research, government agents escorted them out. The island, once a hub of scientific research, was now a death zone.
As the poisonous gas quickly spread, Viola and Rebecca were too close to the source to escape in time. Even though they ran as fast as they could, they were still within the reach of the toxic fumes.
As the gas began to engulf them, Viola felt the weight of despair settle in her heart. She had finally seen a chance at revenge, but now, it seemed like fate was mocking her.
"Rebecca... there's no way out," she whispered, her face showing a sad smile. "We're going to be poisoned here..."
But Rebecca was not so easily defeated. Her heart raced, but her countless battles in the arena had taught her how to stay calm under pressure. She wasn't ready to give up.
"No, there has to be a way!" she thought, her mind spinning for an answer. "I've faced so many challenges before... I won't die here!"
At that moment, she remembered the Devil Fruit she had consumed earlier, the one Alastor had urged her to eat. Rebecca could feel the surge of power within her body, something far beyond her original limits.
Though she didn't understand it fully, she instinctively knew she had to try.
"Come on, use it!" she shouted, her voice desperate.
With a sudden burst of energy, a cloud of smoke erupted from her, and out emerged a pink dragon. It wasn't as massive as Kaido's Blue Dragon form, but it was a dragon nonetheless.
"Viola... it's me!" the pink dragon spoke in Rebecca's voice.
Viola, stunned and wide-eyed, could hardly believe what she was seeing. The dragon was about ten meters long, smaller than Kaido's, but it was powerful nonetheless.
"Rebecca?!" Viola gasped, her shock evident. "Is this... is this you?"
Rebecca, now in her dragon form, didn't waste any time. She grabbed Viola by the collar with her dragon claws and lifted her off the ground.
"We need to get out of here!" Rebecca said, her voice still her own, even as the dragon spoke.
With surprising speed, the pink dragon took to the air, though still close to the ground. The wind whipped through Viola's hair as they ascended, and she couldn't help but marvel at the unbelievable transformation.
"Alastor... I see now," Viola thought. "Rebecca has inherited the power of the Devil Fruit... this wasn't a failure at all."
As they flew through the gas-filled island, Viola realized that Rebecca had only just begun to understand the full extent of her power.
After escaping the poisonous gas, Rebecca and Viola reached a mountain, where the gas could no longer reach them.
"It's finally safe…" Rebecca panted as she gently lowered Viola to the ground.
But in the next instant, Rebecca collapsed from exhaustion. The entire dragon form crashed to the ground.
Boom!
The mountain top trembled under the weight of the fall.
"Rebecca!" Viola rushed over in concern.
"I'm… I'm fine. It doesn't hurt at all," Rebecca's voice came weakly from the fallen dragon, still in her transformed state.
Viola stared at the pink dragon in awe. The scales shimmered with a lustrous shine, like precious pearls or agate, gleaming in the light.
Her hand instinctively reached out, gently stroking the smooth, yet hard, scales. They were sharp and solid—no wonder Rebecca didn't feel any pain from the fall.
After a long sigh of relief, Viola smiled through her tears. "Rebecca, you've grown up. You have the kind of power that even I could never have imagined. Your mother would be so proud if she could see you now."
After a brief rest, Rebecca noticed her strength returning quickly. Soon, she could stand again. Carefully controlling her dragon form, she tested her new abilities. She stood, a bit unsteady, and then tentatively leapt into the air.
"I can control it now!" she exclaimed with joy. "This power is incredible. It must have been given to me by Alastor!"
It was clear that Rebecca had surpassed Momonosuke, who, when he first transformed into a dragon, could barely control his form. Rebecca, on the other hand, was mastering her dragon form with ease.
Viola wiped her eyes, still a little teary. "It's true. Without Alastor, we wouldn't have come this far." She smirked and teased, "But, Rebecca, you've really become a complete fan of that man."
Rebecca blushed, though her dragon form hid it. She mumbled, "Lord Alastor, I owe him everything. He's given me so much."
Viola chuckled. Even though Rebecca had the power of a dragon, her innocence remained. She'd always been so simple—Viola couldn't help but worry that one day Alastor might take advantage of her naiveté.
"Rebecca, you need to change back to your human form. You're too noticeable like this. The World Government might still be looking for us."
Viola realized at that moment that the Green Dragon fruit, which Rebecca had eaten by accident, was likely the result of a World Government experiment, and if the truth came out, it would spell disaster.
But after a long silence, Rebecca remained in her dragon form.
"What's wrong?" Viola asked, confused.
Rebecca's voice sounded weak as she admitted, "I… I can't change back."
At the Revolutionary Army headquarters in Bardigo, Luffy reunited with Sabo after hearing his name. But when Luffy called out to him, Sabo suddenly clutched his head in pain, his memories still clouded.
"Luffy?!" he gasped, feeling a deep ache as memories flooded back. Slowly, he stood up, his eyes brimming with tears. "I'm sorry, Luffy... I had lost my memory all this time, but when I saw you, everything came back. You're my brother!"
The two embraced, overjoyed at the reunion.
Dragon, standing nearby, was shocked. He had rescued the boy in Goya Kingdom years ago, never expecting that this boy would grow to be Luffy's sworn brother. Dragon knew well that fate had a strange way of working.
After a moment of joy, Luffy's urgency resurfaced. "Sabo, I need to head to Saobady Archipelago! I promised my friends I'd meet them there in three days!"
But Sabo shook his head, a serious expression overtaking his face. "Luffy, you can't go to Saobady right now. The Celestial Dragon was killed, and the World Government has declared martial law. The last person suspected to be behind it, now called the 'Thunder Calamity Star', managed to escape to the New World, but Saobady is still in lockdown."
Luffy's eyes widened with anxiety. "But… but I promised my friends…"
Dragon intervened calmly. "Luffy, as a father, I've watched your growth from afar. You've done great things, but the battles ahead are far more dangerous. To face what's coming, you need to train. You and your crew must grow stronger, or you'll fall to despair like what happened at Saobady."
Luffy's face was determined, but he nodded slowly. "Alright, I'll train harder… I understand, Dad."
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