【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

Chapter 544 Beware of Women

"Hello everyone, welcome to Dressrosa! Respected guests, I am a soldier! If you need a guide, please ask me. The price... Ouch, that hurts!" The toy soldier rushed up to them, bowing enthusiastically, only to trip over the strings on his own body the next second. "Oh no! I'm tripped by the strings! Please help me!"

Zoro stared speechlessly at the toy soldier who had tripped over the strings attached to him. Lucci stepped forward to help rescue the poor toy soldier, curiously observing the toy soldier's structure as he untied the strings.

Seeing Lucci approach, Luffy curiously rushed over to the toy soldier and helped Lucci untangle the strings, only to find the strings tangled even more...

"Ah!! Another man has been stabbed!"

Zoro looked in the direction of the screams with confusion, listening to their explanation that something had happened again. "What happened again? Is there a serial killer here?"

"No, the women of this country are passionate about love and very jealous. If they are betrayed by a man, they will stab him with a knife. The more beautiful the woman, the more vicious she will be," explained the toy soldier who had been successfully rescued by Lucci.

"This is terrifying." Zoro said in shock, looking at the soldiers, while also glancing at Sanji and Lucci.

Noticing Zoro's expression, Lucci looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"

"The women here are very jealous..."

"So?" Lucci and Ace exchanged a puzzled look.

"So you guys shouldn't mess with them," Zoro said seriously.

Lucci's lips twitched. "Then what do you mean by telling me this? You should be saying this to Sanji."

"The perverted cook took the initiative, but you are..." Zoro was stopped by Sanji by the collar before he could finish speaking. He glared at Sanji with displeasure and said, "Perverted cook, do you want to fight? I was just trying to warn you."

"Green-haired guy, what did you mean by saying that on purpose just now!?" Sanji angrily grabbed Zoro by the collar and pulled him closer. "How dare you say that Lucci is more popular with girls than me!?"

Lucci reluctantly pulled the two men who were preparing to fight apart. "Don't forget our purpose. You're attracting attention by acting like this."

“However, Zoro is right, Brother Lucci, you really should change your clothes and hide yourself,” Franky said, looking at Lucci who was completely undisguised.

"I wasn't planning on coming to the island anyway, but Luffy suddenly dragged me here," Lucci complained, then pulled Ace and Kin'emon toward a corner.

"Because Lucci wanted to come to the island," Luffy replied with a grin.

"This is totally the Beard Squad." Ace rubbed his thick fake beard and complained, "Besides, why should I pretend with you guys?"

“The public’s attention will also shift to us because of you,” Lucci explained.

"Let's find a place to eat first!! These toys are fun, but let's eat first!!" Luffy shouted excitedly, then led everyone to run towards the direction with the strongest aroma.

Lucci looked around, somewhat puzzled, at the bustling and chaotic crowd. Everyone had a smile on their face, as if it were just another beautiful day. But the morning newspaper had clearly stated that the king of this country, Doflamingo, had abdicated. It was easy to imagine how much turmoil that newspaper would cause in the country, but now it was so calm.

"Lucci, come quickly!"

Luffy's cheers echoed from the bustling street. Lucci shook his head helplessly; they would be exposed sooner or later.

In a secluded corner, a cloaked man leaned against a stone wall, reached into his inner pocket, and pulled out a snail-shaped Den Den Mushi. He flicked it away with a click and calmly spoke into the receiver, "This is Bayasir. The Straw Hat Pirates have arrived in Dressrosa. Monkey D. Lucci has been confirmed to be with the Straw Hat Pirates."

……

Led by Luffy, they soon arrived at a restaurant. The atmosphere inside was quite lively, making it a good place to gather information.

Lucky rested his elbow on the table, his palm supporting his cheek as he quietly observed his surroundings. Almost every table had toys around, which was a strange phenomenon. Toys could actually eat, and their behavior and eating habits were as if they had real lives, but he couldn't sense any life force in these toys at all.

"I believe that I am not in the mood to enjoy fine food here right now!"

Lucci shifted his gaze to the agitated Kin'emon, picked up the water on the table and took a sip. At that moment, Ace leaned over and whispered in his ear, "Did you notice?"

Lu Qi continued drinking his water without making a sound, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the group of noisy gamblers behind them. One of them, a short-haired man in a light purple kimono, stood out. Even when he was hiding his powerful aura, his difference was still clearly noticeable.

"Don't you guys think something's really wrong?" Sanji rested his right arm on the back of the dining chair, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and looked at the citizens eating in the restaurant, observing the smiles on their faces. "The king of this country abdicated the throne this morning, didn't he? I thought the people here should be in a state of panic."

“Moreover, I could sense that these citizens were truly at peace, living their lives as usual,” Lucci added calmly.

"They probably haven't received the news yet," Zoro guessed.

"How could that be!" Franky retorted, knowing that such news would only spread across the country at lightning speed.

"Are you stupid? Just ask! Hey sir..."

Sanji watched as Luffy, in the middle of his conversation, actually reached out to ask the man behind him for directions. He quickly stopped him, pressing Luffy's head and scolding him, "Your face made the headlines this morning!"

“The only explanation for this phenomenon right now is…” Lucci put down his water glass, his expression slightly grave. “Either these people don’t care who their king is, or their king is not in any danger at all.”

"Does that mean the news in that newspaper..." Ace looked at Lucci in shock.

“The newspapers wouldn’t report such a major event falsely.” Sanji seemed to know more. “The newspapers are published by the World Government, and the Seven Warlords of the Sea…” Before Sanji could finish, a drumming monkey toy carrying two plates of food interrupted their discussion.

"I wonder if you've all been waiting for quite a while now!"

Wow! I've been waiting for so long!

"Dressre shrimp and seafood fried rice!"

"Rose squid sauce pasta!"

"Fairy Pumpkin Gazpacho!"

Looking at the delicious dishes placed on the table, Luffy excitedly shouted, "They all look so delicious! Let's eat!!"

Upon hearing the name of the last dish, Sanji asked with some confusion, "What is this fairy pumpkin?"

"In this country, everyone still firmly believes in... the legend of fairies," the toy salesperson said mysteriously. "Do they exist, or don't they? In short, will the fairies appear or not?"

"A fairy has appeared?" Sanji asked, somewhat surprised.