All you're doing is tricking Luffy into helping you deal with Doflamingo.
Underneath The White Knight armor, Roman was speechless. Who would have thought the ever-cool Law would resort to "selling dreams"?
Even if you cut off the raw materials for the artificial Devil Fruits, the most that'll happen is Kaido taking his anger out on Doflamingo. Sure, Doflamingo's got Sugar as his trump card, but against someone like Kaido, who's mastered all three advanced forms of Haki, what could Sugar possibly do?
Don't be fooled by Kaido's usual "tank all hits without flinching" act. His Observation Haki is top-tier too. He dodged attacks from Luffy that could hurt him as soon as he sensed them coming. He's no mindless brute. As for Sugar, she'd probably faint from just the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki.
In short: Doflamingo might have to flee again, but the Emperor won't suffer a scratch.
And that's Law's "plan."
"Hey, hey, hey, Luffy!"
Usopp grabbed Luffy by the collar and shook him furiously.
"Get a grip! We're supposed to be looking for 'candy'! Don't just agree to something so crazy on a whim! And making an alliance with this shady guy? I won't be able to sleep at night!"
"Isn't aiming for an Emperor a bit premature?"
Sanji calmly took a drag from his cigarette. "Luffy, didn't we set sail for adventure, not war?"
Even Nami chimed in to dissuade him. After all, the Straw Hat crew was more of an "adventure team" than a "fighting team."
"What does it matter,"
Zoro said, always ready for battle, as he glanced at The White Knight.
"Right, Roman?"
"...I told you not to call me by my real name in front of outsiders... never mind, it doesn't matter."
Since a clash with the Emperors was inevitable, with both Big Mom and Kaido holding Poneglyphs leading to Raftel, Roman didn't see any reason to oppose an alliance with Law.
"Luffy, I'll respect your decision. But—"
Robin, who had seen too much of people's deceit, raised a different concern.
"Betrayal is common in pirate alliances. You're too trusting, and that might lead to you being taken advantage of."
"Huh? Will you betray me?"
Luffy's straightforward question made Law sigh.
Would anyone in their right mind say "yes" to that right after forming an alliance? Suddenly, he felt a twinge of regret.
"No."
"See?"
Luffy smiled confidently at the crew.
"I already checked."
"You idiot!!"
Usopp exploded with rage.
"Anyway, a pirate alliance sounds fun! Besides, Tra-guy isn't a bad person. And—"
Luffy grinned at the crew with unwavering faith.
"I've got all of you with me, don't I?"
... "Hah, you don't even have to say it. We'll cut down any obstacles in our way!"
"Fair enough. We've always been reliable—"
"Luffy, leave it to me! Even if Zoro and the others chicken out, I'll take care of those enemies!"
"...Well, now that I think about it, this *is* how we've been doing things all along."
?
Law's icy demeanor was starting to crack. So, this is what the Straw Hat crew is really like?! They're not just fascinating from a distance—they're impossible up close...
Is it too late to back out of this alliance?
Unfortunately, it was already too late— "What did you mean earlier about looking for 'candy'?"
Resigned, Law changed the subject, and Roman, still in his White Knight armor, stepped forward to explain.
This and that, here and there.
"...So that's how it is. I advise you not to bother with those kids—they're all addicts."
"We know that, but those kids cried and begged us for help."
Nami shook her head firmly.
"I can't just stand by and do nothing!"
"By the way, aren't we allies now?"
Luffy, picking his nose, came up with another bright idea.
"Law, you should help too."
?!
"Law, I think Luffy's understanding of 'alliance' might be a bit... off."
The White Knight shrugged, making a helpless gesture.
"Yeah, Luffy is so single-minded,"
Usopp said seriously.
"In terms of stubbornness, he's at least Yonko-level!"
"Hey... this is your crew's problem. It has nothing to do with our alliance, right?"
But when faced with Luffy's determined expression, Law gave in after just one second of eye contact.
"Fine. I'll investigate the drug they were given. You guys handle capturing Caesar."
Poor Law. Giving in is like cross-dressing—once you do it, there's no going back. Roman welcomed Law's alliance. After all, it wasn't just about taking on a Yonko together. Watching someone else suffer? That was a bonus.
Building happiness on someone else's pain—
What a joy.
"I heard you've been having a rough time lately. That makes me feel much better."
Now *that's* the true essence of friendship.
"Let's go kidnap this Caesar guy!"
"No need to shout so loud,"
"You're scaring people off..."
As the group casually made their way toward the base on the Earth Current:
"Shurorororor.. What kind of monster is that?!" In the lab's control room, Caesar Clown stumbled back, falling onto a sofa with a forced smile. On the monitors in front of him, a terrifying mushroom cloud was rising, shown from several angles. Many other screens had already gone black.
"We need to act now!"
Monet, a woman with green wavy hair, wings, and bird-like legs, looked grim. If something went wrong here, her own death was a minor issue—the real problem was ruining the "Young Master's" plans. She hadn't expected the Straw Hats to be this strong. The "Yeti Cool Brothers" she sent out hadn't even shown their faces before being wiped out. Based on The White Knight's displayed strength, even the family's high-ranking officers might not stand a chance... "Shurorororo, they're just a bunch of muscle-bound fools relying on their powers."
Caesar regained his composure, standing up with a sinister smirk. Given the unique nature of his abilities, he believed he could take them down with a "first strike kill."
"Activate the plan. Bring Smiley here."
Caesar's eerie laughter echoed in the room. "It's time for my little darling to make its entrance. Shoo-lolo-lolo~~"
This man... Monet adjusted her heavy glasses, her expression cold. Arrogant, ruthless, insane... but undeniably a genius scientist. For the Young Master's sake, she couldn't let Caesar die here.
It seemed she would have to fight as well.
——————"Vice Admiral Smoker, what should we do?"
The ship was destroyed, their communication devices taken, and the G-5 Marines were effectively trapped on the island. The mere thought of going against a Warlord left the ordinary Marines feeling utterly defeated.
It wasn't that they didn't want to try—it was just that the power gap was too overwhelming. "What do we do? We keep fighting, of course!"
After a short rest, Smoker led the Marines to attack again. Despite Law taking his heart with his powers, it didn't affect Smoker's combat ability much.
Facing the lab's half-human, half-animal guards this time, Smoker finally displayed the strength expected of a Vice Admiral, tearing through the opposition with ease. Just as the enemy began to crumble—
"Wow, it's so lively here!"
"Idiot, lively? This is a battlefield!"
With the sound of bickering, the Straw Hat crew casually strolled onto the battlefield from another direction, leaving both sides dumbfounded.
Although Smoker was strong, his team only had one capable fighter, Captain Tashigi. On the other side, while there weren't any particularly powerful individuals, there were several leaders with bounties of 70 or 80 million berries. These were former pirate captains who had been imprisoned here.
"Straw Hat Luffy! What are you planning on this island?!"
As Smoker shifted his focus and charged at Luffy, the latter looked pleasantly surprised.
"Smoker! You're okay? I saw you lying on the ground earlier."
"I'm perfectly fine,"
"The one in trouble is you!!"
With a roar, Smoker thrust his Sea Prism Stone-embedded weapon, the Jutte, at Luffy. The weapon let out a sharp, piercing whistle as it sliced through the air. In the past, Luffy had suffered greatly against this weapon, but now:
"Gear Second!"
*Whoosh*
In a blur, Luffy activated Gear Second. His figure flickered, easily dodging Smoker's strike. With a loud *clap*, Luffy's Armament Haki-covered hand grabbed the Jutte while his other hand pressed down on Smoker's shoulder:
*Crack!*
The ground shattered into countless radial cracks as Smoker's legs were forcefully driven into the cement outside the base. With a grin, Luffy said:
"Let's fight another time. You're not in good shape right now, so there's no point in battling like this."
!?
"Don't order me!!"
Humiliated by his "enemy's" pity, Smoker was both furious and frustrated. Had this Straw Hat kid really grown this much in just two years?
"Luffy, the door's open."
On the other side, the White Knight used the Door-Door Fruit to "push open" a small door on the lab's gate.
"If you don't hurry, we're going in without you."
"Ah! Wait for me! Kidnapping Caesar sounds way too fun to miss—"
"Shurororo! Who are you planning to kidnap?"
!?
Amid the chaos, a tall, slender figure suddenly appeared atop the ruins of a nearby warship. White smoke swirled around his body, giving him a rather boss-like presence.
"The Straw Hat Crew and G-5 Unit, witness the greatness of my invention!"
As he spread his arms and spoke arrogantly, large jelly-like blobs of poison rained down from the sky, forcing everyone in the battle to scatter.
"Enjoy my art of dea—?!"
"I caught you!"
Just as Caesar finished his dramatic introduction, Luffy, using Gear Second, dashed onto the wrecked warship in an instant. With a single move, he locked Caesar in a tight hold!
"Wait, wait, wait!?"
... Wow, you really did "kidnap" him.
Wouldn't it be better to beat him half to death first?
If it weren't for wanting to give everyone some experience fighting against poison gas, Caesar, who didn't even have Haki, would've been taken out instantly by Roman the moment he showed up. What's the point of dragging this out? ----You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu