The White Knight shook his head helplessly while escorting the kids away.
Smoker, the Logia-type who only focused on hand-to-hand combat, had lost even the smoke techniques he used in Alabasta. This Smoker... was most likely finished.
"What's wrong, Roman?"
Nami quietly approached The White Knight and asked in a low voice. While Smoker had relentlessly pursued the Straw Hat crew, the crew didn't actually dislike him. This was why they had always avoided direct combat with him.
"Smoker is most likely no match for Law. He really is... how should I put it?"
Even though "smoke" couldn't compare to the destructive power of ice, magma, or lightning from other Logia-type Devil Fruits, it was still a full-fledged natural-type Devil Fruit!
In Smoker's hands, it only bullied weaker enemies, but against stronger ones, it was completely useless and even became a weakness?
Where is the fairness in that?
'Smoke' doesn't just refer to traditional coal smoke and water vapor. It also includes various solid particles that act as condensation nuclei to form mist-like substances, or pollutants generated by photochemical reactions between hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. Theoretically, the Smoke Fruit should even be considered an upgraded version of the Gas Fruit.
Look at Caesar, who's not even a combatant but a scientist, yet he's managed to develop practical skills like gas explosions, suffocating zones, and toxic gas infusion. Meanwhile, all Smoker can do is swing his fists... No need to overcomplicate things—just create a large-scale smoke cloud! Even if 'Hidden Mist Jutsu' could be countered by an expert using Observation Haki, can an expert stop breathing? By increasing the smoke's density, it would be easy to create a suffocating effect!
Take a look at Hunter x Hunter's Morel. He's not even a Logia user, yet with his pipe, he has perfected various techniques like smoke clones, smoke prisons, octopus smoke pipes, and the Purple Smoke Soldiers. With these flexible and varied tactics, he's beaten opponents much stronger than himself.
Poor Smoker—looks like he's been left behind by the 'meta'...
"Anyway, let's rest here for now. Chopper, Sanji, come here."
In a nearby abandoned lab, Roman sliced open the metal walls with a few sword strikes. He had Franky set up some lighting, Nami and Brook clean the place with the kids, and finally called Sanji and Chopper over.
"Sanji, you'll handle interrogating these guys."
Roman pointed at the bio-weaponized soldiers wrapped in his paper, turned into puppets. Sanji, chivalrous as he might be with women, wasn't going to hold back against men. Plus, as the former prince of the Germa Kingdom, he wasn't unfamiliar with interrogation techniques—though in his childhood, he was usually on the receiving end.
"Leave it to me."
Facing these guys who might as well have "I'm a villain" and "Illegal experiments" written on their foreheads, Sanji wouldn't show any mercy.
"Roman, I want to check the kids' health..."
Hearing the little reindeer's words, Roman nodded.
"That's exactly what I wanted to talk about. I've already used Observation Haki to check the kids. They don't seem to have any physical 'restraints' like explosive collars or subdermal transmitters. So:"
"If even the kids realized something was wrong and sought help from us strangers, how could the mastermind behind their abduction feel so confident letting them roam freely?"
Secret experiments, a Warlord guarding the gate—letting Roman's group walk off with the kids without a fight made no sense unless:
"Understood, Roman. But... I hope it's not what I think."
Chopper put down his backpack and pulled out medical tools to start blood tests and analyses on the kids. Meanwhile, Roman silently shook his head.
Unfortunately, it's exactly what you think.
---"ROOM—Scalpel!"
On another battlefield, the fight ended the moment Law stole Smoker's heart.
None of the remaining G-5 Marines or Captain Tashigi could do anything but wait for death... No, they couldn't even die if they wanted to within Law's domain.
"See? I told you there was a warship floating in the air earlier!"
"This is really something..."
Amidst the rumbling footsteps, the half-human, half-crocodile creature 'Brownbeard' carried Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Robin to the battlefield, turning everyone's attention toward them.
"Hehehe, isn't this Trafalgar?"
Luffy's wave instantly broke the tense atmosphere, making the air feel livelier.
"Trafalgar Law?"
Robin immediately recognized him. Naturally, a proper pirate crew should know each other, especially a famous Warlord like him.
"Isn't this the guy from the Sabaody auction?"
But for the rest of the Straw Hat crew, except Robin, their memory of Law was still stuck at Sabaody as mere bystanders... "Thanks for treating my wounds after the Summit War! I owe you big time!"
"By the way, where's your talking bear?"
Faced with the overly friendly Luffy, the aloof Law finally spoke.
"No need to thank me. I only did it on a whim."
"Don't forget, we're all pirates..."
"Hehehe, I know."
But how could anyone understand Luffy's way of thinking?
"In the quest for the 'One Piece,' we're definitely rivals. But two years ago, I was lucky thanks to you—meeting Jinbe and then running into you right after was such good fortune!"
... Law: Who said anything about 'One Piece'? Don't get so overly familiar with me, geez!
"You're not here for me, right?"
Ignoring the desperate "help me" look from the 'Brownbeard' he was using as a mount, Law, still keeping his aloof demeanor, pointed toward the direction where Roman and the others had gone.
"Your crewmates are over there."
"Thanks, Tra-guy~~!"
Luffy rushed off just as quickly as he came.
After taking Smoker's heart, Law also turned to leave. Today, this island was filled with both Marines and the Straw Hats, far beyond what he wanted to deal with. Plus:
The Straw Hats... Two years ago, their total bounty already surpassed 900 million, and they had three members who were Supernovas.
If he could use them, maybe he could take down that guy:
Donquixote Doflamingo!!
Corazon, I'll avenge you. Just wait for it. ——————
"Hahaha, you've really done a good job with this place."
"Dragons, bird-faced people, centaurs... even swimming across a freezing lake with Luffy on your back..."
A disheartened Usopp, reflecting on their earlier "adventures," declared he never wanted to experience something like that again. But soon, he started showing off his "talent":
"Hahaha, next up is the tale of the Great Warrior of the Sea, Usopp, battling the evil dragon—"
"Oooh!"
A group of children listened with shining eyes as Usopp spun his mix of nine parts fiction and one part truth.
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
"We got the information."
Sanji walked into the temporary shelter, wiping blood off his hands. This was the same guy who'd once beaten Marines black and blue just for interrupting a meal, so roughing up these shady armed men gave him no guilt at all.
Facing the group of White Knight, Nami, Zoro, Robin, and Brook, Sanji shared what he'd found:
"When these kids first came here, they were normal."
"But under the 'treatment' of the people here, their bodies started growing larger. The longer they've stayed, the bigger they've gotten! This isn't 'treatment' at all—it's..."
"As we thought, it's 'human gigantification experiments.'"
Nami sighed. With all the evidence in front of them, even the smallest hope was crushed. These kids... "Scum!"
Sanji crushed his cigarette butt underfoot, furious. Anything related to "human experimentation" was something he despised deeply. His mother, sister, even those brothers of his, and himself—they were all victims of such experiments.
"Is this 'NHC10'?!"
Chopper, who was analyzing the kids' blood, exclaimed in surprise, drawing everyone's attention.
"Although it's just a trace amount, I've extracted 'NHC10' from their blood. Which means..."
"What's NHC10?"
Luffy stretched his neck over suddenly, prompting an angry response from Chopper.
"It's a banned stimulant worldwide, only used medically as a painkiller. Even then, it must be strictly controlled because this stuff..."
"Is addictive."
The White Knight continued, "Put simply, it's like Sanji's cigarettes or Zoro's booze—without it, you'd feel awful."
"Hey, I went two years without my booze!"
"And cigarettes... I could quit anytime..."
"But the effects of 'NHC10' are far worse than those of mere smoking or drinking. If someone goes without this stimulant for a while, they'll..."
"Ugh, feel terrible!"
At that moment, the largest of the little girls suddenly fell to her knees. Even though they were in a warm room, she was trembling all over, with tears and snot running uncontrollably down her face.
"What's wrong with you?"
But as this child started acting strangely, the other oversized children began clutching their heads, rolling on the ground, and crying. It was obvious from just looking at them that they were in extreme discomfort.
"Even you..."
Even the black-haired girl who had bravely stopped Nami to ask for help was now in such pain that she pressed her head firmly against the floor. This made Roman from The White Knight sigh.
Caesar, experimenting on children and using drugs to control them... That's just crossing the line.
--- ----You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu