Ch. 20- The Observers

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Aika, Kumi, and Jupiter © Me

Back in the lab ruins, Nami and Usopp found themselves face-to-face with Caesar while the children cheered happily at his appearance.

"Master!" cheered a little boy.

"Master!" cheered Ally.

"Master?" Nami repeated before she gasped in realization. "So it's you! You're the one who kidnapped these poor children!"

"What's he doing here?!" Usopp questioned. "Did Luffy and his group miss him coming the other way or something?!"

"…Luffy…!" Aika whispered, worriedly.

"Shulolololo…" Caesar laughed. "My, my…what a cruel thing to do. Why did you take the children outside?! Can't you see their suffering?!"

"What did you say, you rat-faced-" Nami shouted, but Usopp held her back.

"No, Nami!" Usopp shouted. "Don't you see?! That's just what he wants! Law told us he's a Logia user, worth 300 million, remember?!"

But Nami didn't listen. She pushed Usopp away and stepped toward Caesar.

"You sick son of a bitch," she cursed. "You dare accuse US of causing these poor kids to suffer?! What the hell did you do to them, you monster?! They all just wanna go home! Their parents must be worried sick, looking for them, and no matter what you say, we're going to get them off this godforsaken hellhole!"

"Master!" the kids shouted. "Master, we want our candy! The usual kind!"

"Shulolololo!" Caesar laughed. "Fools…do they SOUND like they want to go home to you?!"

Usopp then ran in front of the kids, blocking their path.

"Hold it!" he shouted. "Don't go! You don't really wanna go back to the lab, do you?!"

One of the little boys, who is about Usopp's height, growled viciously.

"Get outta my way!" he shouted. "I SAID MOVE!"

WHAM! He slugged Usopp right across the jaw, sending him to the ground in seconds! Once he was down, the children began to run passed him!

"Oh, no!" Nami cried as she ran to the sniper's aid. "Usopp!"

Aika whimpered as she and Kumi continued to hide. She wanted to help, but she was too afraid of Caesar to come out.

"Shulolololo!" Caesar cackled. "That's right, kiddies…come back to your Master."

"No! Stop!" Nami cried as she stopped one of them. "Please, you can't go with him! Don't you kids wanna go home and see your families?!"

"AAAAH! SCARY!" the little boy Nami was trying to hold back screamed. "GET OFF ME, YOU STUPID COCKROACH!"

BAP! He punched Nami across the face, forcing her to let go!

"That's it!" Usopp shouted. "I've had enough of your acting out, you bunch of little brats!"

"NO!" Nami shouted as she grabbed Usopp. "Usopp, stop it! Leave them alone!"

"Let go of me, Nami!" Usopp shouted. "I know they're kids, but we have no choice but to stop them by force! They're hallucinating! That one called you a cockroach!"

"It's not their fault, Usopp!" Nami shouted. "These children…they're victims in all this! They've done NOTHING to deserve this!"

"AAAAAGH!" Synd screamed. "MY HEAD~!"

"GET THESE STUPID CHAINS OFF~!" shouted Dolan.

"B-but Nami!" Usopp cried. "If we don't do anything, they'll clobber us!"

"Then focus that rage…on him," Nami said, pointing at the laughing Caesar.

"Urrgh…!" Mocha cried. "Get these chains off me!"

"Get 'em off!" Synd shouted. "RIGHT NOW!"

SNAP! The chains came undone, freeing the giant children!

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!" they all roared.

"DAAAAAAH!" Usopp screamed. "Oh, that's just GREAT! They broke the chains! Are you kidding me?!"

"Shulololololo!" Caesar laughed. "What incredible strength they've developed!"

Aika whimpered and covered her eyes.

"Aika! We can't just hide here!" Kumi said. "We gotta do something!"

"Like what?!" Aika questioned. "We're just a little girl and a puppy! What can we do?!"

"I-I dunno! But we can't just sit here!" Kumi answered. "They need help!"

"Hang on, you gas-bag!" Usopp shouted. "I've got just the thing for you! Special Attack! FIREBIRD STAR!"

BWOOM! Usopp shot a huge firebird from his Black Kabuto!

"Stay back, kids!" Nami shouted. "This isn't gonna be pretty!"

But then, Caesar just let the attack pass through him…causing the firebird to be reduced to a tiny bird-shaped clump of ash.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Usopp questioned in shock.

"Shulolololo!" Caesar laughed. "Foolish long-nosed boy…did you think you would ignite an explosion? You know my Devil Fruit powers are gas-based? Unfortunately for you, I extinguished the fire before it could touch me! Poison gas is not the only 'gas' there is! All about the air about us is a gas! And I can control all of the air within a certain diameter around me! Fire cannot burn without oxygen to feed on! And you cannot survive without oxygen to breathe!"

As he said this…Usopp began to gag and grab at his throat.

"Just like this…!" Caesar smirked…as he made a squeezing motion with his hand, causing Usopp to choke!

"Huh?!" Nami muttered. "Since when did he get right in front of him?! USOPP~!"

"I…I can't…!" Usopp choked as he began to fall to the ground.

"That's it!" Nami shouted as she held her Sorcery Clima-Tact, which started to make a chain of Weather Balls with storm clouds inside. "Black Ball…RAI- ugh…!"

Caesar reached his hand over to Nami, who gagged and fell to the ground as well as he started to take away the oxygen she breathed.

"Nami! Usopp!" Aika cried.

"Shulololololo!" Caesar cackled as the children surrounded him.

"Master! I want my candy!"

"Me, too, Master!"

"They candy makes me feel happy!"

"Hurry and give it to me!"

"No, me first!"

"Did I hear you say," Caesar began, "that Straw Hat missed me going the other way? But I did meet him, as well as your other two crewmates! Straw Hat and the others…I suffocated them, just like I did to you!"

Then, he turned to look at the children.

"Listen up now, children!" he ordered. "I will only give candy to the good children who come back to the lab with me. You'll just have to wait until then."

The children nodded their heads at this.

"But before that," Caesar began as he pointed to the choking Nami and Usopp, "defeat the wicked demons who lured you out…and tried to make your pain even worse! Pummel them with that giant pipe you see there!"

"YEAH!" Synd and another giant boy roared as they grabbed a giant pipe nearby.

'My head…so woozy…!' Usopp thought as he began to black out.

'Don't…go…kids…!' Nami thought.

At that moment, Aika suddenly found her feet. She stood up and jumped out of her hiding place before she shouted at the top of her voice, "LEAVE THEM ALONE~!"

The kids and Caesar looked up at Aika…and a wicked grin appeared on the latter's face.

"Ah…there you are, Aika," Caesar said as he began to float towards the little girl. "I've been looking especially hard for you…you little pest."

Aika gulped and began to back away from Caesar. At that moment, Nami and Usopp began to regain their senses and gasped.

"Aika!" Usopp cried.

"Leave her alone!" Nami shouted.

But just when Caesar reached a hang to grab Aika…

"CAESAAAAAAARR!"

Caesar turned to see…the now fully conscious Brownbeard, holding a large metal pipe, himself as he pushed passed the children and knocked them down!

"RAAAAAAAARRGH!" Brownbeard roared as he swung his pipe at Caesar, only for the pipe to go right through!

"Brownie?!" Nami questioned.

"Brownbeard!" Usopp shouted. "We're saved!"

Brownbeard growled as he tried to keep hitting Caesar with his makeshift weapon, but no matter how many times he tried, he just couldn't land a hit!

"You…YOU TREACHEROUS BASTARD!" Brownbeard shouted at Caesar.

"Who are you again?" Caesar asked mockingly as he began to transform into a gas cloud. "Hmm…oh, that's right! My most talented henchman, Brownbeard! But what happened to you?! I can barely stand the sight of you!"

"That was YOUR doing!" Brownbeard shouted as he swung his pipe down on Caesar's head, only for it go right through. "I TRUSTED YOU!"

"Shulolololo!" Caesar laughed. "The Yeti Cool Brothers gave you a licking, but you kept on ticking, eh?!" Then, he put on a worried expression as he faced the children.

"Children! Quickly!" he shouted. "We're all in danger! Hop onto my flying gas balloon outside! Let's go!"

On that order, the children quickly ran outside.

"AAAAAAH! There's a giant snake on me!"

"There are zombies all around us!"

"Wait! Children!" Nami shouted. "YOU CAN'T GO WITH THAT MAN! HE'S THE REAL REASON YOU'RE LIKE THIS!"

Brownbeard panted and said, "I don't care…that I was deceived! My pride…will survive! But…I WANT MY MEN BACK, CAESAR! I WON'T LET THEM SUFFER THE SAME FATE THAT I DID!"

"…Ehhhhh?!" Caesar muttered. "What are you talking about, you clod?! You don't have any men anymore!"

"What was that?!" Brownbeard questioned.

"All of your forces, including yourself," Caesar explained, "became my servants! Don't tell me you still think of yourself as their Captain! You're just another pathetic world failure!"

Brownbeard gasped at this while Nami, Usopp, Aika, and Kumi ran off after the escaping children.

"Now's our chance!" Usopp whispered. "Let's go!"

"Right!" Nami agreed. "Aika! Kumi! Stay close!"

"Right!" Aika whispered.

"Those fools still revere me as a merciful savior!" Caesar continued. "They're so dense, they don't even realize that they're only being kept alive to serve as my guinea pigs! SHULOLOLOLOLO! SHUULOLOLOLOLO!"

"You…YOU DAMNED SWINE!" Brownbeard roared as he tried to hit Caesar…who held up one of his Gastanets.

"GASTANET!" Caesar shouted before he clicked…creating a huge explosion!

"Oh, no! Not again!" Nami cried.

"Mr. Brownbeard!" Aika shouted.

"There's no time to go back for him!" Usopp shouted. "We gotta go!"

But then, Caesar appeared before Usopp and Nami…and touched their shoulders, much to their shock and horror.

"Boo…!" the scientist whispered…before he trapped them in an explosion, too!

XXX

Later, Caesar is flying away from lab ruins in his balloon with all the kids.

"Candy!" a little boy shouted.

"We want our candy!" shouted another.

"Patience, children!" Caesar reassured. "You'll get it!"

However, the children didn't notice…that he had an unconscious Aika, who is in her wolf form, dangling by the scruff of her neck in his hand.

Then, Caesar held up a Transponder Snail and began to speak.

"Caesar speaking," he said. "I have safely retrieved the children! Monet! Is Smiley's meal ready?"

"Monet speaking. All of your requested preparations are complete, Master."

"Excellent! Then all that's left to do…is wait for Smiley to arrive. Patch me in to all transmitters."

"Yes, Master."

XXX

At the remains of Labs 1 and 2...Nami, Usopp, and Kumi are seen…lying unconscious, bloody, and beaten in the snow.

XXX

Back with Caesar…

"Ahem!" he cleared his throat as he spoke into the Transponder Snail. "To all you illicit brokers around the world. Forgive me for starting such an impromptu experiment, but consider yourselves fortunate to be the ones to bear witness to it!"

XXX

Zoro, Sanji, Brook, and Kin'emon are still running away from Smiley.

"The poison gas weapon that you are about to see…"

XXX

Blizzard and Jupiter are still fighting in the snow. However, both of them looked a little worn out, now.

"…has additional effects…"

XXX

Vergo and Monet are in the lab, the former drinking a cup of coffee (and a spoon stuck to his cheek) while Luffy, Robin, Franky (who had finally woken up), Smoker, and Tashigi still remained in the cage.

"…beyond what was employed 4 years ago that make it far more effective than anything those Government dunderheads can create!"

Nearby, Chopper, who had regained his ability to walk again, is now hiding behind a wall, holding a bag and a book in his hooves.

"As it so happens, we've had a series of uninvited visitors today, which means…I've decided to run a live test."

XXX

The G-5 Marines are still trying to get inside, but the door still wouldn't budge, and all the while…they are being watching by Video Transponder Snails, safely hidden in bubbles with masks around their mouths.

"Nation hijacking…world domination…"

XXX

Around the New World, underworld brokers are watching on monitors, some of them unfamiliar faces while others are actually once we have seen over the course of the story…such as Baron Tamago and Pekoms of the Big Mom Pirates…and two other pirates from a "certain generation".

"My weapon has many potential uses, and if you find it to your liking…then let's make a deal, shall we?! Shulolololo!"

"…Hey…Captain," said a voice, talking to a familiar, spiky-haired redhead. "I didn't know you were into weapons of mass destruction, now."

"…I'm not," the man answered…before a grin played on his lips. "But there's no harm in knowing, is there?"

TO BE CONTINUED…

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