It was disgusting, truly, what this 'Caesar Clown' was doing to these poor children, leaving no doubt that we had done the right thing by helping them escape. We had discovered that the supposed 'Master' of the island was an avid researcher, and would even go to the extent of lying to the children's parents, claiming they had some rare, horrible disease so he could be free to experiment on them without raising suspicion from both the government and their families.
We were still hiding out in the caves, both as a refuge from the ongoing snow storm, and any hybrids who would be out searching for us. Chopper had just finished conducting several tests on the kids, to see if there was anything wrong with them to start off with, and if any of them needed medical attention, but to find the results that we did only showed us the level of depravity of the individuals' we were dealing with.
The drug NHC10 was detected from several blood tests, which happened to be a highly addictive drug when given in large doses, and was certainly something that shouldn't have been administered to any child. The realisation however was too late, as we were left with a giant child who was beginning to experience withdrawal symptoms. The thrashing and half-crazed child had to be forcefully sedated, as the pain he was in couldn't be elevated without the drug itself, leaving us grasping at straws as to what to do.
"So, to make sure he can keep experimenting on them and that they won't run away, he's got them addicted to these drugs, through the sweets he's been giving them all this time" I stated, disgust evident in my tone at what we'd been able to conclude. We were just able to get the agitated kids to sleep with the help of Usopp's sleeping gas, but they were still going to be in pain when they woke up, seeing as the sedative would only temporary pause the withdrawal effects.
Just as I was busy finding a solution to our growing problems, the events that followed couldn't have done a better job at setting my teeth on edge, seeing as the others who we really didn't have time to babysit, were managing to get themselves into even deeper trouble. Nami-Franky had gone into the snow storm, and had somehow gotten herself kidnapped. Chopper, who was still stuck in my body, also managed to get knocked out cold in the span of an hour. The feat the two were able to achieve in such a short time was beyond any of us, seeing as it had all happened in the time Luffy, Franky-Chopper, Robin, Usopp and I had been preoccupied.
Not only that, Luffy had somehow wandered back with Law in tow, babbling on about how we were now in alliance with the Heart Pirates. It was something that hadn't been discussed with any of us, earning the complaints of the Straw Hats who watched the two with hanging jaws. However, knowing Luffy, it was probably a spilt-second decision.
"Law, despite how happy I am to see you, please do something about this mess" I gestured to my/Sanji's body which only earned a deep sigh from the tanned male. It was obvious that he was both exhausted and annoyed with our combined complaints, especially with Nami-Franky's screeches at him to revert her back, her loud voice echoing across the cavern we were in and leaving our ears ringing.
The switch-back to our rightful bodies was semi-successful, seeing as Franky, Chopper and I had thankfully been put back into our bodies, though we had to deal with Nami's complaints at her having to be in Sanji's body now, which earned the rest's amusement but my sentiments, understanding the struggle she was going through.
We were all still uneasy at having Law allied with us, but for the meantime, we would have to go with it, seeing as Luffy was being stubborn for now. I couldn't see any obvious issues arising, but I would still have to keep a suspicious mind. Whilst the man was intelligent and semi-honest, he was crafty, and so I would have to inquire further when everything was settled to better understand his motives. As Law explained what we had to do from here on out to achieve our current goal which consisted of kidnapping Caesar, the Master of the island and facility, a few pressing matters were quick to arise.
"You're saying that only you, Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and I have any chance of fighting this guy? Because he's a Logia type" I tried to clarify, which caused Law to nod in agreement. Seeing as we were the only members of the crew capable of using Haki, that left the rest vulnerable. Not only was this freak clown a genius scientist, but a dangerous devil-fruit user.
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
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Law, Chopper and I were tasked with sneaking into the back entrance of Caesar's research lab, to find the drugs that were administered to the children that was causing their abnormal growth, and hopefully put together an antidote that would help them go through their withdrawal. Law and Chopper, seeing as they were the two doctors we had on hand, were in charge of the expedition, with myself as the accompaniment and protection for the two. I had no doubt that Law could defend himself, but seeing as Chopper was still incapacitated because of Franky, I wasn't too convinced to leave Chopper in the sadistic male's grasp.
"I will distract Caesar and Monet, you both go in and find the drugs" Law ordered as we hid behind an outcrop of buildings, with the entrance just around the corner. We both nodded in understanding, Chopper being handed over to me from where he had been previously hanging off Law's Nodachi.
Just as Chopper and I stepped through the entrance, Law ensuring the coast remained clear of any guards, our attention was drawn to a loud familiar shout which rang in the distance. Much to Law and I's mortification, we turned to see Luffy making a rather loud entrance, exclaiming his aim for the whole world to hear, which went against every warning Law and I had given him just an hour prior. Robin and Franky could be seen as the back, following their captain dutifully as they seemed unbothered by the events that were occurring.
"This fool..." I growled, eyebrows twitching with annoyance, Chopper only shaking his head as the situation unfolded, seeing numerous hybrid guards converging around the group. I could sense Law's agitation with the circumstance, a short glance to the side showed his disbelief and anger clearly painted across his face. I sighed, patting his shoulder in comfort as I moved to enter the facility, having to dip underneath his outstretched arm which held the large metal door open.
"Not much you can do now" I muttered, pulling Law to follow us into the barren halls, wanting to get our job over and done with as soon as possible.
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Thanks to the blasted clown and his accomplices, a toxic gas that paralysed and dissolved a person into ash was released onto the island as a sort of experiment for his future clients, who were watching the ordeals to witness the catastrophic effects of the mad scientist's latest invention. Luffy Robin, Franky, Law and the Marine Officers Smoker and Tashigi were currently being held in a Sea-Stone cage, whilst Chopper and I had luckily remained unnoticed during the entire ordeal when they had gotten captured.
The two of us were hidden behind a small metal wall, which obscured us from view of those who were running this entire operation, which included Caesar, Monet and surprisingly Vergo, who to my knowledge had been a well respected Marine Officer. Seeing the officer left mixed feelings, anger and resentment being the most pronounced feeling as it seemed that Smoker's officers, and the rest of the Navy, were still unaware of his betrayal.
I was seated in a crouched position with Chopper in my arms as we both watched from the safety of our alcove the large screen that glowed in the dark room, which was showing live footage of what was going on outside the facility. Caesar was in the middle of gloating about his successful experiment, the dark purple gas managing to destroy one of his own faculty members. He showed no remorse in killing one of his followers, who till the end, considered him to be their saviour. Caesar continued to brag about his accomplishments, and whether accidental or not, exposed the plans he'd held for those in the cage and the rest of our crew.
The morbid future the clown laid out before us sent Chopper in a panic, who looked up at me from where he was nestled in my arms, silently pleading for me to do something as tears clouded his eyes. I shook my head at him, bringing a finger up to my lips, hoping my eyes implied how important it was us to remain hidden and quiet for the meantime, as only then, would we be able to have a fighting chance against them.
A small scrunched piece of paper was thrown in our direction suddenly, and much to Chopper and I's confusion, the words 'Don't do anything' were scrawled across. Figuring that it was Law's message, who seemed to be the only one to have noticed us, we hid further behind the wall, preventing a chance of anyone else spotting us. We relied on our hearing to figure what was going on, and just then, the cage that held our friends and the others was lowered, a large whirring from the wires signified their descent into the open air outside, where they would be exposed to the purple poisonous gas.
We couldn't help but look around, our worries for our friends preventing us from sitting still. We were able to catch a sight of our crew from the large monitors, holding our breaths with excitement when our crew and the others with them being able to get to safety.
It seemed that was our que to leave, as I quietly gestured to Chopper that we would make a break for it upon my signal. I kept Chopper in my arms as his hooves would have otherwise revealed our position thanks to the metal floor, and as quietly as I could, I rushed towards the open door when the three's back was turned, hoping my stealth and silent footsteps would hide our escape.
As we manoeuvred through the winding halls of the quiet building after leaving the lab, Chopper and I's next objective was now clear, seeing as we had been successful in our initial mission. We'd managed to get our hands on something that would give us a fighting chance in treating the children, and that was where we were rushing to at the moment, hoping that the three we'd escaped hadn't cottoned on to what had happened.
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One thing had led to another, which eventually lead to both Chopper and I standing before the large door to the Biscuit room, holding the metal door closed with all our strength. The rampaging children we had trapped in the nursery continued to push against the door with all their might, their addiction addling their minds and preventing them from thinking clearly. We had managed to find a child by the name of Mocha, who stood frightened behind us as she clutched at the pile of sweets we'd managed to confiscate. She was one of the larger children from the bunch, and had managed to overcome the worst of her symptoms, resigning herself to aiding us in preventing the children, and her closest friends, from getting to the drug-laced sweets.
"Hang in there, Chopper" I grunted, my shoulder pressed heavily against the metal door as it jolted with the combined efforts of the giant children, the extent of their strength surprising as we were both pushed back with each shove. Our shoulders and arms at this point were heavily bruised, our ribs aching with the effort of holding back the crazed kids.
Chopper had equipped his 'Monster Point', to try and reduce to pressure on us, but his efforts were clearly draining him, seeing as he hadn't fully recovered from Franky's escapades when he had been in his body earlier. Mocha tearfully begged with her friends, shouting to them that the sweets they wanted so desperately were bad for them, and that they would hurt them more if they ate them, though her efforts were to no avail, as they continued to wreck havoc.
"Mocha! Whatever you do, don't let anyone get their hands on those, okay?" I shouted over my shoulder, noticing the young girl approaching to try and help. Seeing my warning for what it was, Mocha nodded violently, her focused gaze on the children who pushed violently against the bordered doors, their crazed eyes peaking through the gap between the doors that was slowly widening with each passing minute. She knew how important it was that none of them got their hands on what she was holding, and so kept a wide breadth between herself and the others.
The children's hands reached through the gap and grabbed desperately at us, their nails scratching at any surface they could to try and force their way through, leaving marks on the doors and Chopper and I. We tried our best in holding them back without harming them further, both refusing to lay a hand on the kids seeing as they were already suffering enough, which allowed them to land punches and kicks wherever they could. Using my water abilities to try and form a blockade had proven to be a mistake, seeing as the children had only pounded and shoved against the makeshift ice wall until their fists bled, which only worsened their already extensive injuries.
"OI LANA! CHOPPER!" Behind us, we could hear the arrival of the rest of our crew, and just in time, as Chopper's 'Monster Point' wore off, leaving him to shrink to his small reindeer form, and quickly collapsing onto the ground in exhaustion. The loss of support left me holding the doors on my own, my startled yell echoing across the halls as I desperately held my weight against the barrier.
Before I could strain anymore and the children to finally break through, Robin had activated her Devils Fruit ability, large hands protruding from the wall, effectively holding the door closed. I dropped beside Chopper's sprawled figure, heaving with exhausted breath as we relaxed for the first time in a while. The others questioned us on what was happening, the both of us waving them off to give us a minute to compose ourselves.
Chopper stepped up after a moment, explaining our recent discoveries and current situation to our newly arrived company, which consisted of Robin, Brook, Usopp, Nami, Zoro and the samurai Sanji had taken a liking to, who had introduced himself earlier as Kin'emon. As Chopper informed them of the events, Zoro crouches beside my slumped figure, having not moved since they had arrived, and gently reached under my arms, hoisting me off the ground, and allowing me to lean heavily against him. His arm was thrown over my shoulder, preventing me from dropping back to the ground in exhaustion. He turned his attention to the others as they spoke, his hand rubbing my shoulder in comfort as he pushed some stray hairs away that had escaped my ponytail.
"Hey, you two did a good job. I'm proud" He mumbled against my hair, with me nodding mutely with a sigh, finding those small words of praise bringing a small smile on as I gazed back at the handsome green-haired swordsman, who donned a small smirk of his own, his eyes showing how proud he was of the two of us. Having regained some of my strength, Zoro moved back to let me stand on my own, though he didn't move far, his hands still hovering near my back in case I needed an emergency crutch. I looked around to spot Mocha lingering at the back of the group, looking uncomfortable as she clutched at the pile of drug sweets, flinching every time one of the children pushed against the bolted doors.
"Hey, come here sweetheart" I grinned, waving her over. She looked over with relief, waddling over as she saw she had gained someone's attention. She shrunk from the others gaze, who turned to watch her approach, feeling shy from the sudden attention. I held my hand out to her with a grin, which she held when she'd gotten close enough, her grip tightening as she regarded me with apprehension.
"Well done, munchkin. You did so well" I stated, holding her hand tighter, a wide smile breaking out on her face. Her shoulders sagged, as if my words had taken the weight of the world off her. The rest smiled at the interaction, offering their own praises to the giant brunette child, who blushed at the sudden attention.
However, our small moment of peace was shattered when Robin could no longer hold the children back, their brute strength overpowering the women and ploughing through the blockade. Their crazed eyes honed in on Mocha, who's knees shook with fright but her eyes hardened with determination, seeming to reach a resolve internally. She pulled her hand away from my own, and as fast as she could, ran straight for the exit as everyone tried to contain the approaching children. Just as Mocha was to turn the corner and leave, standing in her way was a a harpy-like beast, her domineering figure blocking the young girl from escaping. The woman's wings beat at the air, allowing her to remain airborne as she grinned down at the frightened child, who fearfully stepped back.
"You naughty child, you shouldn't keep all the candy to yourself" The harpy, Monet, chided, having landed on the ground as stepped closer to Mocha. Mocha retreated as far as she could, but before the women could take another step, I forced a large water barrier to form between the two, causing Monet to turn towards me with muted interest. I met her lidded gaze with a fierce glare, a hand stretched towards her in warning.
"Take one more step, I dare you" I snarled, widening the thickness of the barrier so the two could be kept separated, sending Mocha a side glance to make a run for it. Mocha seemed to understand the signal, as she took that moment to run off with the candy, the children quickly storming after her, though my focus remained on the lime-green haired woman.
Monet only tutted, her hands/wings raised in mock surrender as she approached closer, her smirk showing her amusement and arrogance. From the corner of my eye, I could see Sanji and the G-5 Marines entering the Biscuit room, the large group being followed by the plumes of purple poisonous gas, which was slowly ebbing through all the crevices of the wooden and metal barricade they had hurriedly made.
"So, what do you want to do little miss? Those children are Caesar's property and won't be allowed to leave anytime soon. You see, they really do like that candy of his" She whispered mockingly, her lashes fluttering as she giggled. Seeing the attitude she so happily donned when faced with such a sick situation caused an intense fury to burn deeply, the disgust and anger felt only increasing with how these people had gotten away with all of this for so long. How dare they?
Just as I was about to hurl a water wave at the smirking pigeon, it seemed that Tashigi, the Marine Captain who had been captured earlier with Law and the others, decided it would be an appropriate time to step forward and monologue. It wasn't as if it added anything, seeing as she only simply stated everything that had just been inferred from the green-haired woman's statement again, as if we really had time for such time-wasting theatrics.
With an eye-roll at the Navy's antics, I picked Chopper's sprawled figure up from the ground, seeing as he hadn't recovered from using his 'Monster point', and turned to address our crew and added company, which included the now assembled Samurai.
"You guys make sure to deal with the Harpy, we're going after the children" They nodded with understanding at the order, and seeing as the Clown's minion was distracted by the Marine Captain, the two of us took the opportunity to make a stealthy escape through the forming snow storm that Monet was creating, the power seeming to be from her Devils Fruit ability.
As we made a mad dash for the exit, I glanced back to see Zoro approaching the Harpy, who seemed to be frozen with fear as she observed the smirking man. The sight was reassuring, knowing that their was no doubt that our crew were strong enough to take on a little pawn such as her. However, the brunt of my worries lay with Mocha and the frenzied children, not knowing what could have happened in the short time we had been occupied. We meandered through the halls, running towards where the harsh shouts and screeches of the children were originating from, but as we turned the corner to where they were standing, it seemed we had arrived too late.
Mocha had ended up sacrificing herself, by consuming all the sweets she had so desperately tried to avoid taking in again. Her act left none for the others to grab, and the sight of her collapsed figure with blank eyes seemed to shock them out of their previous craze, who observed their fallen friend apprehensively, not realising what she had done to save them.
"MOCHA!" Chopper and I screamed in horror as we hastily approached her unconscious body, dribbles of blood dripping down her chin and staining the floor. Chopper froze at the sight, his pupils shaking as they remained trained on her still body. Mocha's body was quickly failing her as she continued to choke on the sweets, and having our only able-bodied doctor around to help in a state of shock wasn't doing her any favours. I quickly placed him on the ground, and dropped to Mocha's side, desperately trying to find a way to help the child.
"Chopper, is the poison water-based? Maybe I can try and pull it out before it can do anymore damage" He shook his head miserably, not having moved from where I had placed him. I gritted my teeth at the sight of the still doctor, knowing we were losing precious time in saving the collapsed girl.
"Get it together Chopper. We have to help her, or she won't make it" I stated coldly, noticing Chopper becoming distracted with his own thoughts and not at the situation at hand. His unfocused gaze remained on Mocha's pained expression, but the harsh words managed to wake him up from his stupor as he rushed forward, pulling his backpack closer as he brought out the supplies he would need to treat her. The children surrounding us backed away a little to give the little doctor the space he needed, having realised the extent of the situation and what Mocha had done for them.
"Leave her to me. Try and do something about the others, we need to get to a more secured position" I nodded at the instruction, trusting him with Mocha as I turned to the children.
The other crewmembers managed to catch up with us at that point, and joined me in herding the children away to a more safe location. Thanks to whatever sorcery Sanji possessed, he seemed to be able to order the G-5 Marines around into helping, the men listening to his words attentively despite him being a pirate. The feat itself was admirable, but their would be time to discuss his tactics at a later time. Chopper, with the help of several Marine officers, managed to move Mocha to a nearby examination room, where he would be able to more efficiently provide treatment for her.
"Lana! Help!" Nami shouted, running over with an unconscious child cradled in her arms. Quickly dropping down beside her to regard the child, and using the instructions Chopper had left behind, we were able to treat the kid and anyone else that needed first aid.
Through the mess and havoc, I noticed that we were still missing Zoro and Tashigi, who should have been with the group that had just joined us, but seeing as their wasn't anytime to remain curious and knowing Zoro could take care of himself, I turned my attention elsewhere to where aid was needed.
Thanks to the antidote Chopper had managed to pull together in the lab he and I had run into before with Law, we managed to bring the children back to their senses, them realising how they had been affected by the sweets they had been fed for all these years. We managed to gather the rest to move to the R building, which Nami had informed me was now our only chance of escaping safely, seeing as it was still free of the poisonous gas and had an underground cavern that lead to the coast.
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Each of our respective groups, which included the marines, us pirates, the children and even the hybrid workers of Caesar, met up at Gate 66 in the R building. We were currently working together to escape through the underground system, preparing supplies and organising the evacuation route. It was a mess, but seeing as we all had a common goal, the were making steady progress in making a getaway.
After herding some children to the marines who had been put in charge of keeping them together, I spotted the members of our crew towards the entrance of the system. Whilst Franky was the exception, knowing he had remained with the Sunny after escaping the cage, it was certainly a welcome relief seeing as no one had gotten seriously injured. I approached the group, now noticing the added company, which included Law and Smoker.
"I gave you one task Mugiwara. Where's Caesar?" Law grumbled with a low voice, clearly irritated with the missing piece Luffy had been responsible in retrieving. The only response he received was an innocent shrug, along with the fact that Luffy had punched the scientist down the tunnel we would soon head into. My echoed footsteps drew attention from the group, turning to face me when I was close enough, as I shook my head at Luffy's goofy grin.
"We should head out soon. Everyone's been accounted for, and that door isn't going to hold up much longer" I nodded over to the door that stood between us and the poison, the purple cloud slowly starting to seep through the cracks. I could feel Smoker's eyes linger, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him, knowing I wasn't quite ready to face the man. I focused on Robin and Usopp, who informed me on what had happened in the time I had been away with Chopper, using the conversation as a distraction as the others became occupied with other tasks.
We loaded everyone into the large rail carts, pushing them down the worn metal track. As we move through the dark underground tunnel, Smoker begins to question Law on his heart. We all noticed that Law had used his ability to cut out Smoker's and Monet's heart, but unknowing to us, had switching them in a moment's decision, and instead, had handed over Monet's heart instead. As we near the end of the tunnel, the sunlight illuminating the edges of the open cave, we were faced with a surprising sight. Franky was in the middle of battling against two pirates who we realised were after Caesar. It seemed that these pirates were here under Doflamingo's orders, showing us that the Warlord was well aware of what was happening on the island.
"Those two are enemies" Law stated coldly at the sight of the two, answering Luffy's questions. The two pirates managed to grab the purple-haired scientist, and just as they attempt to make a getaway with our prisoner, I push through the large crowd meeting disgruntled protest but I ignored them, muttering angrily to myself as my patience wore thin.
"A break, that's all I ask" I grumbled, waving my hands to control the sea at the shore to whip forward, the thin stream of water wrapping around the two pirate's ankles, and with a pull, the two came tumbling down to the ground with a harsh crash. I'd guessed the two were Devils fruit users, so as a precaution, I gathered the puddles of seawater to surround them in a bubble, leaving only their heads exposed so that they could breathe, but them being incapable of moving. There oud protests were met with a small frown, regarding their annoyance with little importance as I walked away towards the Sunny.
"So cool" The children and marines muttered behind me, their awe causing their eyes to sparkle.
With a yawn, I announced that I was heading to the Sunny for a nap, which was met with nods of acceptance, leaving me to my own devices at they set up a camp for themselves and the children. Grabbing onto the hanging rope that I'd guessed had been thrown over by Franky, I climbed abroad with clumsy movements, heading straight to my quarters for what I think to be a well-deserved nap.