At the same time, Smoker hit the ground hard and was jolted awake.
The moment he opened his eyes, he vaguely saw a blurry figure standing before him.
A heartbeat later, his instincts kicked in. He launched an attack on reflex.
"White Fist!"
A loud thud rang out. Smoker felt as if his head had been smashed by an iron block. The pain was so sharp he almost cried out on the spot.
"It hurts. It hurts…"
Zeff didn't bother dodging. His Armament Haki-covered fist slammed straight into Smoker's face, breaking through his defenses instantly.
His tone was cold. "Smoker, what sort of nonsense are you pulling in the middle of the night?"
"Teacher Zeff?!"
Recognizing the voice, Smoker snapped his head up. His brain froze. He suddenly wondered whether the person who had been ambushing him these past two nights was… He didn't dare finish the thought.
"Smoker, I am talking to you. It is the middle of the night and you are standing before me with nothing on but that loincloth. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Zeff lowered his head slightly. His stern features were illuminated just enough to reveal the sharp glint in his eyes. Seeing his student nearly naked before him was almost unbearable.
"This… well…"
Smoker's lips trembled. His expression collapsed as he struggled to come up with an explanation. Anything he said would destroy whatever dignity he had left.
"Stop wasting my time. Why are you nearly naked? And why did you fall from the sky? What is it? Planning to go for a swim?"
Zeff's voice grew colder. This was the Marine Academy, a place meant to raise future pillars of justice. And here was Smoker, looking like this. If a news reporter like Morgans caught sight of him, the story would spread across the world by tomorrow. The academy's reputation would be ruined.
That thought alone was enough to make Zeff furious.
Smoker's response nearly made him cough up blood.
"Teacher, you guessed it right. It was too hot, so I wanted to cool off in the sea."
He even tried to flatter him while making excuses.
Zeff glared at him. "You are a Logia. You cannot even swim."
Smoker instantly wilted.
"Looks like I need to interrogate you properly."
Zeff picked him up like a scrawny chicken and dragged him away.
…
Inside the chief instructor's office.
Knowing he had no escape, Smoker confessed everything.
Zeff listened, his expression darkening further and further.
"You did not see the attacker's face?" he asked.
"No," Smoker replied. "He always wore a mask."
"I will handle it. And if you dare pull another stunt like this, you will deal with my fist."
Smoker nearly cried. As if he wanted any of this to happen.
After sending him away, Zeff sank into deep thought. Someone had the guts to cause trouble right under his nose. That alone was suspicious. He would get to the bottom of it.
…
A warship carrying the World Government's flag slowly approached Impel Down.
A half-bald, lanky man in a lab coat, checkered shirt underneath, and a pair of glasses stepped off the ship. His expression carried a mixture of brilliance and madness. Behind him followed Sentomaru, carrying his giant axe, and Admiral Kizaru in his Marine coat.
The moment the scientist stepped onto the shore, he spoke excitedly to Magellan.
"Where is the test subject?"
"Still in Level Six," Magellan quickly answered.
"Hurry and bring him to my lab. Now. Aha ha ha ha…"
…
Level Six, Eternal Hell.
Magellan led two soldiers and stopped in front of the cell holding Liam Ross's clone.
"Open it."
Liam looked up when he heard footsteps and snorted. "Finally here? My body's practically rusted from waiting."
Magellan personally shackled him with seastone cuffs and chains. Liam lowered his head, pretending to comply, but focused entirely on where Magellan placed the keys. Seeing him hook them back onto his belt, Liam smiled faintly beneath the mask.
As Liam stepped out, Barrett from the next cell spoke.
"Magellan, where are you taking him?"
Other inmates turned to look, listening with curiosity.
"Vegapunk has arrived," Magellan replied simply.
"Kid, will I get to hear you brag again later?" Barrett asked, eyeing Liam.
"For the last time, Barrett, I was not bragging," Liam snapped.
"Your so-called friends never came to save you. Keep telling yourself you were not bragging," a pirate with a six-hundred-million bounty scoffed.
Liam's voice remained calm. "I don't need anyone to rescue me. If I want to leave, I can leave anytime I want."
The claim sent every prisoner into a laughing fit.
"He is at it again."
"This kid is dreaming. Once Vegapunk gets his hands on you, escaping will be the least of your worries."
Liam ignored them and followed Magellan, dragging the seastone chains with him.
Vegapunk's lab sat between Level Five and Level Six, built by the Government specifically for studying Liam.
As soon as they entered the bright, sterile lab, Vegapunk began firing questions nonstop.
"Why did you vanish without a trace?"
"Are you a special race?"
"Strange, you look like a normal human. How curious. Fascinating. There is hope for life in you."
He was a true mad scientist. Once he started, he did not stop.
Liam smirked. "Aren't you the genius five hundred years ahead of everyone else? Why don't you guess?"
"Do not worry. I will uncover every secret in your body. Aha ha ha…" Vegapunk shouted.
"Bring him in. We are testing his bloodline first."
Two lab-coated researchers escorted Liam into a room filled with advanced machines.
Ten minutes later, Vegapunk held a report in his hands.
"What? He is not a special race?"
His grin widened into madness rather than disappointment. This only meant more challenge.
Hours passed, yet he uncovered nothing.
Exhausted, he ordered Magellan to return Liam to his cell.
Liam obediently walked back in, eyes fixed on where the key went once again.
The next day, and then the next, the same routine repeated.
By the third day, Vegapunk still had no breakthrough. His excitement turned into agitation.
On the fourth day, the moment Magellan hooked the key onto his belt again, Liam activated the Thief's Hand card he had obtained earlier. It granted him supernatural pickpocketing abilities.
When Magellan walked away, Liam reached into his sleeve and produced the key like a magician.
And that was that.