【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

Chapter 516 The Giant Child

"What?" Caesar turned to look at Lucci. "Did they come looking for you? Or did you send them?"

Lucci glanced at Monet and Caesar and said casually, "So what? Don't forget why I'm here."

"Hehehe, that's right. Whether you called them here or they came to find you, what does it matter? After all, would you just leave with them like that?" Caesar floated in front of Lucci and laughed triumphantly. "If you were going to leave with them, you wouldn't have come back after meeting them at the gate."

Lucci frowned but said nothing. Law sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

……

"Tea Beard?"

"What's going on? He wasn't saying a word just now..." Zoro glanced at Teabeard, who was talking to them at length about the Sinful Generation.

Through Cha Hu Zi's account, they roughly understood what had happened on the island. About four years ago, it was a lush and verdant island.

Due to the failure of Vegapunk's experiment four years ago, two of the three research institutes were blown up. The massive explosion, with its immense heat and toxic substances, completely destroyed the island and all life on it.

However, the World Government abandoned the prisoners who were being used as experimental subjects, leaving them to fend for themselves on the island. Some even became paralyzed from the waist down due to inhaling too much poison gas. Three years ago, a guy whom Tea Beard called his master saved them, purified the poison gas on the island, and equipped them with technological balloons, allowing them to move again.

Until a few months ago, Law, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, came to the island and fitted them with live animal legs.

"So that's how all the orcs and animals with different legs on the island came about," Nami (Sanji) concluded.

"In short, you all understand who is the greatest on this island, right? No one can get close to us. This island is already our master's territory."

"Is the story over?" Ace yawned, glanced at the agitated tea-bearded man, then looked at the drowsy Luffy, and frowned as he asked, "Has Lucci not arrived yet?"

Luffy instantly snapped out of it, looked around, yawned, and replied, "No."

"Luffy, we need to go out for a bit, is that alright?"

Luffy turned to Nami (Sanji) and Brook, asking in confusion, "What happened?"

“That damn samurai ran away, and as the one who brought him out, it’s my responsibility to safely reassemble him.” Nami (Sanji) said angrily, “That guy is such a busybody.”

"Oh, no problem."

"Then I'll lead the way for you. Can I see your underwear?" Brook looked at Nami (Sanji) expectantly.

“Oh, that’s great! By the way, let’s take this opportunity to find a camera…” Nami (Sanji) said excitedly.

"Stop!" Franky (Nami) shouted angrily, pointing at Zoro, "Zoro! You come over here too!!"

"Then let's think about what to do next." Usopp sighed as he watched Sanji and Zoro leave noisily. Nami's idea was really good; with Zoro around, Sanji would completely fall into a arguing state.

"In short, the most urgent thing is for us to get back to normal!" Franky (Nami) shouted angrily, raising her hand. "I can't stand this freakish body anymore!"

"Hey, you're making me feel so good~" Chopper (Franky) revealed a lewd smile that was completely out of character for Chopper.

Robin immediately snapped at Chopper (Franky), "Franky! Don't make that face with Chopper! Don't do it again!"

"The problem is those brats are a real nuisance," Chopper (Franky) said with a smirk, seemingly ignoring Robin's words.

"Frankie, stop using other people's bodies to talk!" Robin said, frowning.

“It’s out.” Sanji (Chopper) gripped the blood sample bottle tightly, his eyes fixed on the dark red stain, which was the sample he had taken from the children for analysis.

"what!!"

"Sinde, are you alright?!"

"Hey, Chopper, he says he's in a lot of pain! Quick, help him!" Luffy shouted urgently as he saw the giant child suddenly kneeling on the ground screaming in pain.

"All the big kids have fallen down!?" Chopper (Franky) asked, looking at the fallen giant children.

"Chopper, you just checked them out, right? Are these kids really sick?" Franky (Nami) asked.

“No…” Sanji (Chopper) hesitated, looking at the children who were clutching their heads and groaning in pain, and asked, “Do you want anything right now? What are you usually doing at this time?”

"It's time for the physical examination, and then you'll get the candy."

"candy?"

"The candy that hisses and smokes; eating it always makes us feel happy, so maybe it will make us feel better..."

Upon hearing the children's words, Sanji (Chopper)'s expression instantly turned serious. He walked up to the tea-bearded man and shouted angrily, "You know what's going on here, right?! These children aren't sick at all!!"

The others looked at Chopper angrily shouting at the tea-bearded man with puzzlement, not understanding why Chopper was suddenly so angry.

Ace had already guessed something from the children's condition and what they were saying. This truth was truly unexpected. Lucci knew this would probably make him angry; he always had an inexplicable rage towards those who hurt children. Was this the reason he was still there? Ace stroked his chin, lost in thought.

"That's not right! Even though it was only a trace amount detected in the children's bodies, it's still a stimulant!!" Sanji (Chopper) stared at the reagent in his hand with a gloomy face.

"Only specific doctors in specific countries have the right to use it! Even if it is originally intended to treat diseases, the dosage of this drug must never reach the level that would cause poisoning."

“These children are ingesting this medicine every day, which has led to chronic poisoning. In order to be relieved of the pain, they will desperately crave the next dose!”

"Why are you treating these children like this?!" Sanji (Chopper) shouted angrily, tears streaming down his face. "Is it to prevent them from escaping from the lab?! What have your saviors done to these children?!"

"Chopper, what should we do? More and more children are falling down! Do they want candy? If that building has some, I'll go get some," Luffy asked, puzzled.

"No, we absolutely can't let them touch the candy again!" Chopper shouted immediately.

"Straw Hat Brother, will you get us some candy?"

"Hmm? No way. Since Chopper says no, then no. He's our ship's doctor," Luffy explained.

“They can be very destructive when they go berserk.” Ace stood up from where he was sitting, walked to Luffy’s side, and frowned as he looked at the children whose expressions were getting increasingly strange. “Let’s find a way to put them to sleep.”