While Chopper started testing out all the sweat samples from the children, Nana-Pygmy gave the normal sized ones rides on her back. For the giant children, she spent time letting them cuddle her and pet her. The kids really warmed up to Nami, herself, and Chopper the most. Although, the children were very entertained by bouncing around the rubberized Luffy.
"Big Sis Nami?" Mocha, the largest child of them all, asked in her soft voice, "Do you think I can really get better? I really want to see my mom and dad."
Nami-Franky looked up to her and grinned. "Don't worry. I will take you back to your family no matter what."
Synd, a giant boy with scraggly blonde hair, looked down at Nana-Pygmy. "What will happen if the Master comes with all his men to get us back?"
Nana-Pygmy bared her teeth and snapped her jaws for emphasis. "Then I will bite them all in the butt so they'll have to let you guys go."
Synd laughed and held up Nana-Pygmy, who sat on the palm of his hand. "I'll keep you guys safe. I promise," she said solemnly.
"First things first though," Nami-Franky said and walked towards the remaining Straw Hats, which were Franky-Chopper, Sanji-Chopper, Pygmy-Nana, Luffy, Usopp, and Robin, "We need to get our bodies back. I don't want to be in this perverted body."
"Hahahah," Franky-Chopper laughed, giving Chopper a weird, twisted look on his face, "That is high praise.
"Franky," Robin scolded, while she petted a happy Pygmy-Nana on the head, "Never, ever make Chopper smile like that again."
Franky-Chopper crossed his little arms and talked from the side of his mouth. "But," he said ignoring Robin's warning, "Are we really going to take all those brats with us? They're such a pain in the ass!"
"Franky," Robin deadpanned, "I don't want you to say a single word while you're in his body. Ever!"
Nana-Pygmy jumped off of Synd's hand and trotted over to Franky. "You're a pain in the ass and yet we manage to deal with you everyday," she shot back and then nodded her head with conviction, "We're taking the kids and getting them back to the family. I'll fly them one by one on Buzz-7 if I have to."
With that she turned away and trotted back to the children.
Franky-Chopper sighed. "That brat has always been that way around children. She'll smack any grown up with no hesitation but when it comes to kids...Yeah, sometimes she'll lecture them but she never rose a hand to them. Bakaberg and I never really figured out why though."
"Well, considering that she was wandering around on her own for god knows how long before she came to Water 7," Robin surmised, "It's no wonder she feels more sensitive to a child who is away from their family."
"AH! SYND!" Nana's sudden cry gave everyone a start. They looked over at the Nana-Pygmy hybrid, who was staring up at the giant child. He was clutching his head and gasping with pain. "What's wrong? Tell me what's wrong? CHOPPER! Come quick!'
The kids started to gather around him in worry but Nana hurriedly ran interference. "Please, stay back and give him space."
"Big Sis, is he okay?" they asked worriedly.
Thud.
Nana-Pygmy whirled around to see Synd crouching on the ground. "I...can't...breathe..." he gasped.
"CHOPPER!" Nana-Pygmy cried, "Help him!"
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
One by one, all the giant kids around them began to fall.
The Straw Hats spread out to see to each of the kids. Everyone, that is, except Chopper-Sanji, who was holding up a small test tube filled with a purple liquid as he walked to Synd and Nana-Pygmy. Chopper-Sanji's face had grown quite pale.
"Chopper, what sickness is this?" Nana demanded.
"It's not a sickness," Chopper said, "Synd, is there something you want right now? What do you usually do at this time of day?"
"Usually," Synd mumbled, "We...have a checkup and...after that...Ahhh!" He cried and clutched his head even tighter. Beads of sweat started to pour down his face, "After...that I...I get a candy."
"Candy?" Nana-Pygmy asked.
"It tastes good," Benji said from the side.
"And it's fun," another child added.
"Fun?" Chopper-Sanji repeated.
"Smoke comes out of it when you eat it," the child explained.
Nana-Pygmy's eyes widened and she turned to Chopper-Sanji. "The Master used sleeping gas on the ship," she said in horror, "And..when I saw him..he, himself, was in a gas-like form. Do you think-"
"When I eat the candy, I...I feel happy," Synd groaned loudly, "So...that might help me now!"
Chopper-Sanji's eyes narrowed and he scowled. He balled up his fist and he marched towards the Alliga-taur. "Oy! You said your name was Brownbeard? What do you know about this?!" he demanded.
"I work outside so I don't know what goes on inside the laboratory," he said, "But those brats have an intractable disease. That I know."
Thud. Thud. Thud.
More children collapsed on to the ground, including Benji. The smaller babies started to cry too. "What's going on? Chopper! What's happening?" Nana-Pygmy exclaimed as she ran around in a panicked state, looking at all the children.
"Look at them," Brownbeard insisted, "They're falling back into their sickness because they're out of the lab and haven't gotten their treatment for today."
"You're wrong!" Chopper cried and he held up the test tube, "This shows signs of NHC10...Even though there's a small trace of it, I was still able to detect it. Do you have any idea what this is?! This isn't medicine. It's a drug!"
Everyone's eyes widened in horror. "He...he drugged these...kids?" Nana gasped.
"Only select doctors in a few countries are allowed to use it. I only know it because Doctorine was using it. Even for its intended purpose, to cure disease, it is used sparingly because it's highly addictive. These children were taking a small amount of it everyday and became chronically addicted to it," Chopper explained and became so infuriated he broke the test tube he was holding in half, "What the hell is your 'savior' trying to do? Make it impossible for them to leave the lab? What is the Master trying to do to these children?"
"Unforgivable..." Nana growled.
"Don't you dare try to slander the Master's good-" Brownbeard began to protest but then started to cry out in excruciating pain instead. His left shoulder was suddenly punctured by the jaws of a very powerful and very angered canine. He struggled against his chains and tried to shake Nana-Pygmy off but it was no use.
Finally, Nana-Pygmy let go of her own free will and fell back onto the floor. She spat out the chunks of cloth and blood from her mouth. "Don't...you...dare say another word in favor of that Master Shit, " she threatened, "Or next time, I aim for your throat."
"Oy, Chopper," Luffy said worryingly as he raced over to Synd, "Maybe we should get them the candy to help their pain."
"No, you mustn't," Chopper answered, "They never should have that candy again or else they're just going to feel more and more pain."
"Big...Bro..." Synd whimpered, "Are you going to get it for me? Did you just say you were getting the candy?"
"No, I can't," Luffy replied, "Chopper just said it would be bad for you if you eat anymore."
Suddenly, Synd sat up. His whole body was trembling and it shook even more violently than before. He lowered his hands from his head and a look of pure rage took over his face. "Why...?" he gasped as he glared down at the rubber man.
"Why? Why? Why?" with every question his voice began to sound clearer and angrier. Without warning his giant fist came flying across and it sent Luffy slamming hard into the side of the room, "You said you would get me candy!"
"Luffy?!" the Straw Hats gasped.
"What is with that strength?!" Robin exclaimed in shock.
"Synd...please stop!" pleaded one of the children, who was still hanging on to his sanity.
"Ahhhh!" Synd yelled as he began to pick up random objects and throwing it hard around the room.
"Ah! He's going to destroy this place," Usopp shrieked.
"Everyone back away! Don't get hurt," Nana-Pygmy cautioned as she dragged a child by the back of the collar with her jaw.
"He's using his natural giant strength," Franky-Chopper gasped.
"No, he wasn't always a giant..None of us were," a mid-sized giant girl said quietly.
"What?!" the Straw Hats exclaimed.
"When we came to this island, we were all normal-sized," she continued, "The Master said that our sickness was causing us to grow big..."
"There isn't such a disease that'd turn an ordinary person into a giant," Chopper seethed, "Big people are big from the beginning!"
"Are all the biggest children here the ones who have been in the lab the longest?" Nana-Pygmy asked.
The children all nodded.
"Do you know how long Synd and Mocha has been here?" Nana-Pygmy asked, pinpointing the largest two she could see.
"I think...2 years? Maybe more?"
"WHAT?!" all the Straw Hats gasped.
"Candy...Candy...Give us the candy."
The Straw Hats were frozen in shock as more and more of the giant children began to rise up in the same fit of rage as Synd.
"What do we do? Should we knock them out?" Franky-Chopper asked.
"No one lay a finger on them!" Nana-Pygmy roared as she leapt out of the way to prevent herself from getting stomped on by one of the giants, "Franky! There's a canister of sleeping gas hanging along my belt loop. Grab it!"
"Ah, no need!" Usopp shrieked as he sprang into action, "Special Attack- Sleep Star!"
Poof! Poof! Poof!
Blue smoke billowed around the children and rendered all of them unconscious.
"Whew," Usopp sighed with relief, "They're all asleep."
"He made them into test subjects," Chopper-Sanji said through gritted teeth and he knelt over one of the sleeping children to examine them, "Luffy...Nana...Everyone. These kids are going through a horrible ordeal without knowing anything and it's breaking my heart!"
"Luffy, we've got to help them," Nami-Franky said.
"Damn right we do," Nana-Pygmy chimed in.
"Alright, we're taking them all back to their parents," Luffy said with his hands on his hips and nod of agreement.
"Fool! It's not that easy! We have a mountain of problems," Franky-Chopper snapped.
"Nothing can be solved until we see the ringleader," Robin added.
"Shishishishishi," Luffy laughed, "I thought that was already settled."
"Huh?" The Straw Hats asked and Luffy grinned.
"Didn't Nana already declare war on the Master? All we have to do is find him and kick his ass."
"Luffy?!" the rest of the Straw Hats gasped except for Nana-Pygmy. She leapt high into the air with Pygmy's tail wagging furiously. She slammed Luffy down by the shoulders with her front paws and out of pure instinct, licked his face.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Nana-Pygmy shouted.
"I'll stay here," Chopper-Sanji said, "I'd very much like to go with you and demand answers from the Master myself but I'm worried about these kids."
"I'll stay here too," Nami-Franky volunteered.
"But it'll go crazy for you all if they go wild again," Luffy said as he looked around at the kids.
"Chain the bigger ones up so even when they wake up, they won't cause much of a trouble," Nana-Pygmy suggested, "And Chopper, take the cannister of sleeping gas that's clipped to my belt loop. It's the same one those guys used on us on the ship. If they wake up, just hit them with that."
"Yosh," Chopper-Sanji said and he walked over to Nana-Pygmy. He slipped his hand under Nana-Pygmy's duster and felt around her waist for the cannister. A small amount of blood trickled down his nose, "What the-"
"Whoa, Chopper! Are you actually turning into a man now?," Usopp gasped.
"It's not me!" Chopper whined as he pulled out the cannister, "Sanji's body is doing this on his own."
"We should look for Law guy too," Nana-Pygmy said, highly familiar with Sanji's natural reaction at this point, "That's why I'm bringing Pygmy with me instead of having him hang back here. I have a feeling we'll need our bodies all together for him to switch us back."
Luffy shrugged. "Why does he need to? It's fine as it is."
"No! It is not!" Nami-Franky snapped.
------------------
The Straw Hats split up even more with Luffy, Nana-Pygmy, Franky-Chopper, Pygmy-Nana, Usopp, and Robin forming the group that would confront the Master. Nami-Franky and Chopper-Sanji were left behind to take care of the children.
The Luffy group head back towards the backdoor of the laboratory. However they had not walked for more than 5 minutes before Nana-Pygmy stopped in her tracks. She pointed her muzzle upwards and sniffed the air. At the same time, Pygmy-Nana, who was casually riding the her the whole time, let out a low growl and perked up its ears.
"What is it? What is it boy?" Luffy asked as he came up to Nana-Pygmy and patted her head.
Chomp!
Nana-Pygmy bit Luffy's rubber hand. "Don't treat me like I'm a dog, you idiot!" she seethed and let his undamaged hand go, "And I smell gunpowder."
Pygmy-Nana started to whine a bit harder. "Tch," Nana-Pygmy grunted, "I wish I could be in my body. Then I can hear where it's coming from."
Boom!
"Okay, I think we all heard that one, didn't we?" Usopp asked nervously as they turned to the direction of the sound.
Boom!
Another explosion came up and Robin's eyes widened as they saw smoke billow up from behind a hill. "That's where we just left," she gasped, "Nami and Usopp are being attacked."
"We need to go back!" Luffy exclaimed and he raced back towards the abandoned lab, "Let's go save Nami and them!"
The group ran fast but by the time they returned, it was too late. Chopper-Sanji was waving at them from the entrance of the building. Smoke was billowing everywhere. "Help! Luffy! Everybody! They took Nami!"
"What?!" the Straw Hats gasped. They hurriedly returned inside to assess the situation.
"It was my fault," Chopper-Sanji said dejectedly, "Even though they were very big, I didn't notice they were there until they appeared in front of my eyes. They were giant, furry men that call themselves the Yeti Cool Brothers. Brownbeard said they are hired assassins from the Master."
"Maybe they were waiting for their chance to attack us," Robin surmised, "Probably wanted us to split up so they could divide and conquer."
"So they didn't come here to save Brownbeard?" Luffy asked as he knelt over a very battered and smoky Brownbeard, whose chains had broken off and was slumped on the floor.
Nana-Pygmy immediately started to run around the room with her nose twitching uncontrollably.
"It seemed like their main purpose was to kill us and take the kids...but they tried to kill Brownbeard first," Chopper-Sanji said, "But when they saw Nami, they grabbed her and called her 'one of the products the Master wants'. I'm very scared. It's obvious the Master is a sick and twisted person. I don't know what they're going to do to her."
"Probably chop up the body and find all the weapons Franky has hidden in his body," Robin said very casually.
"Oy! I don't like your tone!" Franky-Chopper seethed, "They're going to destroy my super body."
"I can't let these kids go back to such an evil person but I'm also very concerned about Nami!" Chopper-Sanji wailed.
"Don't worry. I'm going to go get her back. You guys, look after the kids!" Luffy shouted as he sped off.
"Wait! Luffy! It's my body that they took. I'm coming with you," Franky-Chopper said.
"I can lead the way," Nana-Pygmy added with Pygmy-Nana staying behind with the others, "I think I narrowed down their scent so I can follow that trail."
"Does anyone else think it's weird how easy it is for Nana to adapt into a dog?" Usopp whispered to the group.
"Well, it's not that super surprising considering sometimes she can be a real b-" Franky-Chopper started to say.
"OY! Pygmy's hearing may not be good as mine but it's still beyond a normal human's ability!" Nana-Pygmy snapped back as she exited the lab to catch up with Luffy.
Luffy stopped outside and stamped his foot. "Hurry up, Nana! Franky! Let's go."
"They went this way," Nana said, running past the rubber man and not bothering to stop, "Let's go."
"Come on! Franky! Nana is tracking them!" Luffy shouted back at the building.
With a sudden crash, Franky, in Chopper's monster form, came bursting out the side of the building.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Luffy and Nana yelled as it started to chase them down the snowy hill.
"He ate the rumble ball too early! He'll return to normal in 3 minutes..." Chopper-Sanji called out helplessly. His voice faded slowly away in the distance as the over-eager Franky pursued his own captain and little sister.
"Hey, their footprints are pretty easy to follow. Nana, looks like you didn't need to come at all," Luffy laughed as they ran forward with the crazed Franky-Chopper still roaring behind them.
"Shut up! It's obviously a trap," Nana-Pygmy snapped, "If they are professional assassins then they would know better than to lead a trail. See? Look ahead. It's a cliff. I bet they want us to jump and fall to our- KYAHHHHH!'
At the word "jump", Luffy grabbed Nana-Pygmy with his rubberized arm and leapt wholeheartedly over the side of the cliff.
"Yosh! Let's goooo!" Luffy shouted.
"You big idiot!" Nana-Pygmy screamed, "See? There are big spiky icicles at the bottom!"
"Luffy? Nana?...FRANKY?!" came Nami's voice and they saw her dangling by a chain off the other side of the cliff in Franky's body.
"Nami!" Luffy cried as he flung Nana-Pygmy towards Nami-Franky and started to coat his fists with Armament Haki, "Gum Gum Gatling!"
The rubber man pounded the icicles until they were nothing more than flecks of snow. He and Franky-Chopper landed safely onto the ground as Nana-Pygmy hung over Nami-Franky's shoulder.
"That idiot," Nana scoffed, "What good can I do like this?"
"Be careful!" Nami-Franky shouted down below, "They're still around!"
"Watch out! They're going to shoot!" Nana-Pygmy warned as she tilted her ears to the side, "They're close enough that I can hear their rifles!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Giant bullets flew down towards Luffy and Franky-Chopper, which they both narrowly dodged. The attackers were hidden well along the side of the cliffs so no one could see where they were. However, Nana didn't need to rely on sight.
"Second round coming to you from 30 degrees to your right!" Nana shouted.
With Nana's guidance, Luffy jumped high into the air. Five bullets came at him and he ballooned up so that they all hit him in his giant stomach. "Gum Gum Fire Salute!"
He shot the bullets back to where they originally came from and they hit the assailant with a huge explosion.
Bang!
"Watch out! Right above!" Nana cried just as a new bullet hit the top of a mountain. It cracked from the impact. The large but sharp chunk of ice began to fall down towards them.
From the other side, Nana heard the sound of a rifle clicking again.
"Shit! Another attack from behind this time!" Nana yelled.
"Rooooarrr!" Franky-Chopper yelled as he leapt high up into the air. He caught the huge wedge of ice and threw it at the side of the mountain, where the first assailant was.
"He...he did something useful?!" Nami-Franky and Nana-Pygmy gasped at the same time.
Suddenly, a giant hand reached out and grabbed the two of them. He started to climb up the mountain with both the cyborg and dog in his fingers. "You can't catch me," he snarled, "I know these mountains like the back of my hand."
He scaled the mountain side like a monkey. Just by his speed and the large span of his grip, he was able to shake off Luffy pretty easily. He leapt over the top and slid down the other side of the mountain until he reached a flat plateau. He then stopped and grinned when he saw a man standing in front of him.
"Ah, it's the freeloader Law," he said.
"Law!" Nana-Pygmy gasped.
"It's a good thing you're here. I'm being chased by Straw Hat Luffy right now but I gotta get this cyborg back to the lab for-" he started to say.
"Room," Law interrupted casually as a familiar thin dome encased all of them. He unsheathed his large sword and very swiftly cut the yeti in half by the waist. The yeti, along with Nami-Franky and Nana-Pygmy, fell hard onto the ground. The impact and shock of it all made the yeti lose his grip. Nami-Franky and Nana-Pygmy tumbled out of his hold.
"Oy! What's the big idea?" the yeti demanded and then found Law's two fists held up against his chest.
"Countershock," Law said casually and blasted the yeti unconscious and away with some type of electrical energy. He then slowly turned around.
"Whew. Thanks for saving us," Nami-Franky said with a sigh of relief but then she snapped to attention, "Wait! Give us our bodies back!"
"Law..." Nana-Pygmy said as she hunched over and narrowed her eyes.
"Mizu-ya," Law replied smoothly and held up his piece of her Vivre Card between his fingers, "Looks like this was unnecessary. You came to me voluntarily."
"Nana? What is he talking about?" Nami-Franky asked nervously.
"If I knew you were here," Nana hissed, "I wouldn't have docked."
"Oh," Law said with a lazy smile, "I figured you guys might've arrived on this island by accident."
"Oy! Are you guys okay?!"
They turned to see the rubber man running up to them. His eyes lit up even more when he saw Law, "Oh! Tra-guy. Did you save Nana and Nami?"
Law nodded. "I came here to discuss something important with you, Straw Hat-ya..."
"Good," Luffy said with a grin, "Because I have something to discuss with you too."
"Eh?" Nami-Franky and Nana-Pygmy said at the same time.
Luffy adjusted his Straw Hat but kept his smile on his face. "I want you to break the deal you made with Nana."