Some parts of this chapter simply refused to be written, but I hope you all enjoy the first hard-right turn of the Dressrosa Arc, even if it is a bit late.

Thank you for your patience: Andrew Bohl, Animephilosopher1, Ankhseram123, anony, Ant Franklin, Cam Bliss, Clark Kent, Claude Walker, Cordell Sanders, Cory Johnston, Darko129, David, David Bowling, David Reynolds, Emi Stafford, Eugene Malone Jr., EvilJelly, Fenrir ragnarok, FlakeTrain, Garvin Lee Nelson-Mathlin, GLADIUS315, GODA98, Immagenius, Inucbus, Jacob McCarthy, JEP1010, Jkat, John Mekjian, Jonathan Moh, Joseph Baty, Joseph Cheung, Joseph Morrison, Joseph Vargas, Joshua, Joshua Groves, Karen Carrillo, Kcx1, Kevin Calderon, Korakas, Lamont Hale, MAEGHT Maxime, Marielle Orff, Matt Walther, Matthew Burley, McBanjo, Mcgin28, Milagros Peres Davila, Milla, Neridian, Pedro Wernik, Rafael Cardenas, ReactedLyric, Richard Barkley, Riley Bolerjack, Ryuu, Sasha, TheWolfThatExist, Thomas Sanders, Tom Peissig, and ViewtifulSoul!

Chapter 61:

Of Hearts and Toys

"Captain, congratulations!"

"Yeah, Daddy! That was awesome!"

Luffy looked up from his haunch of Fighting Bull, the attendant in the booth having recognized his outfit as the winner of Block A and offered him a free piece of the fallen beast for his victory. Luffy had wanted more than he had gotten but knew making a scene had the chance to expose his true identity, thus cutting off all chances of winning the competition and getting the Flame-Flame Fruit.

"Mitchd waths nmdgiggd," he said, mouth full, as Ace run over and grabbed his leg. "Idsssie a cfuffk."

"You know its rude to talk with your mouth full," Merry chastised, the bits of Nami and Sanji's influence over her creation taking hold, though she refrained from attacking her captain. Unlike the violence-prone navigator and chef, she also had the patience of Robin and Coby.

Luffy swallowed. "Oh, yeah. Shishishi! I said it was nothing, easy as cake." His eyes unfocused slightly. "Mmm, cake. Now I'm hungry again."

"Oh, I'm hungry, too!" Ace said. "Daddy, I want some of the bull!"

Luffy hesitated as Ace gave him the big, pouty eyes that regularly worked on his crew. His eyes turned to the food booth only to see the owner nailing a SOLD OUT sign over the Fighting Bull prices. He turned back to his hopeful son.

"…huugh," he sighed, deflating a little. He took one more bite from the haunch before handing the boy what little remained, his mind remembering all the times that Shanks and his brothers had given him parts of their food.

"I must say," a voice commented, the trio turning to see a pair of women whose spirits felt similar. "You're a lot stronger than we expected. I'm glad Rum didn't push us to take that bet."

"We should trust any more feelings he says he has in the coming rounds," the other sister nodded. "I'm Angel and this is my sister Custard. You don't happen to be looking for a wife, are you?"

"I ahfbe dhen a medif!" Ace protested before realizing his mistake. He swallowed. "I've already got a mama!"

"You should have looked at his hands, Angel," Custard said. "He's already wearing a ring."

"Poo," Angel sighed, scuffing the sole of her shoe on the tile. "We're not going to find strong husbands at this rate. And I was so hopeful the Colosseum would have been the perfect venue."

"Cracker could probably beat everyone here, so it's not like they'd survive until the wedding anyway."

"Was there a point to all this…?" Merry prompted.

"We wanted to congratulate the first winner," Custard answered. "After all, I may be fighting Lucy here in the semi-finals after I win Block C."

"Good luck," Luffy offered. "Some of the fighters are actually really strong."

"But clearly not something someone of your caliber needs to worry about."

Luffy shrugged, not really having anything to say on the matter.

"Daddy, watch this!" He turned his attention to Ace where the boy was turning purple, strain on his face as he tried to break the now-clean leg bone of the Fighting Bull in half. He huffed, holding the ends with his hands while pushing on the middle with his foot. Luffy grinned, highly doubting Ace would be able to break such a fresh bone.

It took him until he was seven, after all.

"I suppose we are intruding," Angel muttered. "We will be on our way."

Luffy didn't react to their exit, only silently cheering on his progeny. The sisters stepped around a corner, almost immediately turning to each other.

"Lucy isn't his real name, is it?" Angel asked.

"Undoubtably no," Custard agreed. "That boy was the Heir of Chaos. Him calling the man father would make that Monkey D. Luffy."

"Then the Straw Hats are on the island. We need to call Mama. She's been raring for that wedding the Weightless Woman promised her. Do you think the island's Warlord knows they're here?"

"It's possible, but it is not our problem if he does not. We will simply use the chaos that is bound to happen eventually. Let us find somewhere to make our call quickly."

"Indeed, sister."

Rebecca and Amy stopped before a large statue of a shirtless man, the gladiator —for the plaque underneath explained that he was such— wielding a greatsword. Rebecca studied the room before pulling her fellow female fighter around to the backside of the statue, hiding them from view of the doorway.

"Is this private enough for you?" the rosette questioned, keeping her accented voice low. "I find that leaning against the statue of Kyros helps to calm my nerves when life and the other gladiators irritate me."

"I can see how they'd get on your nerves," Amy agreed. She leaned on the statue next to the pink-haired woman. "Based on what you said, can I assume Doflamingo is the reason you're in this place at all?"

"Do you think I'm wearing this sorry excuse for armor because I want to?" Rebecca replied with venom and embarrassment warring for dominance in her voice, her hands tugging her cape a little closer. "I'm one of the Convict Gladiators. We were arrested and are forced to fight because we tried to stand up to Doflamingo."

"So you weren't given a choice to not compete?" Amy clarified, earning a shake of her helmeted head from Rebecca. "He's probably hoping you all die in the tournament. All the better if you kill each other for his entertainment." The blonde sighed. "Let me guess, no actual charges?"

"I have… ties to the former government," the younger woman replied after a moment's hesitation. "Everything here has been a sham for most of my life, ever since he showed up and his men killed my mother." She glared toward the wall, but Amy suspected it wasn't the wall that she saw. "My guardian is preparing a raid as we speak in an attempt to undermine Doflamingo's power, but he wouldn't let me know the details. Won't let me join out of fear I'll get hurt." She gave a sardonic laugh and rolled her eyes. "As if the life of a gladiator hated by the fans and other fighters isn't dangerous already. I hope that when I get the Flame or Quake Fruit, I'll be able to finally break free of this prison and have enough power that he'll have no choice but to let me help."

"Which one do you want? Which Fruit, I mean."

"I don't care. In fact, Maybe I'll take them both, eat the Quake-Quake Fruit, and give the second one to Thunder Soldier." She grinned. "I'd love to see their faces when a wooden toy bursts into flame without burning."

"Sorry, but my friends and I are after the Flame Fruit," Amy told her, unsure of who Thunder Soldier was but assuming it was the guardian she'd mentioned before. "Personal connection and reasons."

"Aren't nearly all reasons personal?"

"Maybe you have a point," Amy conceded. "Thing is, you're not the only one with plans against Doflamingo. My crew and I are here to tear his reign down. This tournament and getting the Devil Fruit is just a surprise side objective for us."

"Who are your companions?"

"We've got two others in the tournament and another two in the stands. The rest are spread across the island at the moment. Some of them should be inside Doflamingo's castle by now, so calling anyone right now could be a risky endeavor."

Rebecca slid to a sitting position, her face tilting upward to stare at the ceiling. She sighed.

"I'm feeling a true ray of hope for the first time since I got captured and thrown in here. Is it…? I can feel it, but at the same time it feels hollow. Do we actually stand any chance against Doflamingo, or is this just a suicide mission dressed as una bailaona Flaminca? Will we dance to his tune until we die?"

"I don't know what that is, but I do know this isn't the first Warlord my crew's dealt with. We've got a lot of cakes to bake on this island and Doflamingo's about half of them. He probably knows we're here but that's not going to save him, his men, or his operation."

Rebecca gave a small smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Well, let's get those Devil Fruits, then. Better than leaving them in his hands, yes?"

"You've got that right." Amy reached out a hand, Rebecca accepting the assistance to her feet. "We'll see each other in the later rounds."

"It's a plan."

"That illusion stuff is amazing," Nami marveled, glancing down the stairs at the guards and citizens that were just standing there, their eyes slightly crossed. They'd had to wait until there were no living toys around —Grace couldn't guarantee her mental chemicals would work on them— but after a quick deployment, the quartet of pirates had walked right past and up the stairs.

"It's been useful in the past," Grace agreed. "Almost too useful. After my first steal turned into 'Pico's All Blue Lost in Museum Shuffle' I knew I had to develop a calling card so they couldn't cover it up."

"Was that really necessary?" Coby questioned.

"They weren't appreciating it!" Grace argued. "All those plebs thinking art is just a few stokes of paint on a canvas! Leaving a top-tier Pico among that riffraff would have been an insult to the man!"

"It doesn't matter," Law insisted. "You can have your little spat the morality of stealing paintings when we're sailing away from this island after dethroning Doflamingo."

"Easier said than done," Nami replied. "Plus, that 'we' is assuming you survive the whole ordeal."

"I notice you don't seem too concerned," the rival pirate deadpanned.

"At the moment, you're the one mostly at risk," Grace pointed out.

"Oh, thank you," Law groused. "I didn't notice."

"You're welcome," the artist smirked.

"The castle doesn't have nearly as many people as I was expecting," Coby commented, his Observation giving him a clearer picture the closer they got. "I hesitate to even call it barebones. There's practically no one there, even including toys."

"And of those who are, does one feel stronger than the rest?" Law asked.

Coby took a moment to focus on the spirits he could feel only to quickly turn pale, the young man gasping as he held a hand to his heart and fell to a knee. Bile burned the back of his throat.

"Coby!" Grace fretted, quickly placing a Calming Green on the back of his neck. The roset's breathing eased as the chemicals in the paint did their work. "Coby, what is it?"

"The guy I felt…" he coughed. "None of us stand a chance and his soul is twisted. It's darker than anything I've felt before. And just feeling it is oppressive, like he's standing on my lungs and laughing at my tombstone."

"That would be Doflamingo's Conqueror's Haki," Law noted. "He possesses all three, but he specializes in Conqueror's and Armament. His Observation is more a happenstance of living and fighting in the New World and less of a focus, at least last I am aware. It's also more battle-oriented than for tracking like yours."

"Now hold on," Grace said, one of her hands rubbing soothing circles on Coby's back as he tried to get his wits back after that exposure to the false king's spirit. "Why do you know so much about him? I highly doubt it's just because you were Warlords together."

"That's…" Law scowled, his eyes gaining that look that said he was seeing the past. "It's a long and bloody story from a long time ago."

"Then give us the highlights."

Law sighed, rubbing his head with one hand. "When I was a kid, the Donquixote Familia took me in," he admitted. "I had an incurable disease and they were the only ones who wouldn't treat me like I carried a plague. Doflamingo's brother Rosinante stole the Op-Op Fruit so I could cure myself against his brother's orders and died for it. Doflamingo killed him personally."

The others picked up most of the rest of the story from the inflection in his voice, how his positive feelings for whomever Rosinante had been twisted into hatred for Doflamingo with his death.

"Right, well then," Nami announced. "We won't get anywhere by just standing around here. Let's get going."

The castle loomed larger the closer they got, hanging back so the guards at the front didn't react to their presence if they were seen at all. Law led them around the right side, taking them to the back corner of the building. There, he scanned the stonework until finding what he was looking for, a small crest depicting a lion raiment wearing a crown and standing on four stars. Law held out his fingers, pressing against all four stars so they spun clockwise. There was a click and he stepped back, the wall sliding down to reveal a spiral staircase.

"We should have Franky install something like this on Sunny," Grace muttered as they entered.

"Uh, where?" Coby asked. Travel through the bowels of the Thousand Sunny was already pretty streamlined and, knowing the mischievousness of their second Klabautermann, Sunny would just open and close the hidden passages for fun and to mess with them.

"Yeah, I guess that's fair," Grace admitted. Law turned back as Nami brought up the rear, the former Warlord pressing a similar crest on the left wall that closed the hidden entrance once more.

"Tri-Horn, where did you feel Doflamingo's spirit and does my heart give off a similar aura that I do?"

"Doflamingo is somewhere in the upper levels," Coby answered as they started climbing the stairs. "It was hard to get a read on anything around him since his spirit was so dense, but I don't think he has your heart at the moment."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because your heart does feel like a small version of you, and it's wandering the halls with someone who's a lot weaker than Doflamingo."

"That could be any number of his officers," Law muttered. "Pica, Tebol, Diamante, Giolla, Baby 5 or Buffalo, Gladius, Machvise, Señor Pink, Lao G, Dillinger, Monet, Violet, or anyone else who could have joined after I left. Thankfully, I'd much rather deal with any of them than Doflamingo at this time, even the elites."

"And those elites are…?" Nami prompted.

"Pica, Trebol, Diamante, and Vergo," he answered. "Vergo's currently a Vice-Admiral and spy in the Marines, but he still holds the Heart seat. The rest hold the Spade, Club, and Dimond seats respectively, and each control their own army of subordinates. I think Diamante runs the Colosseum, so it wouldn't make sense for him to be in the castle, but the others could be anywhere."

"What about Arts?" Grace questioned.

"Arts? Who's that?"

Grace slumped a little. "I guess you don't know him. He's a thief in Doflamingo's employ. I ran into him several times while acting as the Magpie of Color. If he's not here, that's one less problem we'll have to deal with."

"Let's hope we don't," Coby agreed. He stopped and turned toward one wall, inset into it a fireplace. "It's on this floor, on the other side of the castle."

"Let's go," Law nodded. He pushed on the side of the fireplace wall, the brick giving way as it swung on central hinges. The former Warlord beckoned them through before closing it behind them.

The room was some sort of meeting chamber or living room, the floor carpeted a soft fuchsia. Plush chairs and a loveseat sat around a low table while a make-up table and vanity were set up in one corner. Altogether, it fit their idea of the sort of room one would expect to see in a castle this size.

Coby led them to the door and, after glancing out and visually confirming what his Observation had told him, stepped forward into the hallway. They hurried, following Coby as he twisted and turned through the maze-like interiors, stopping them whenever a servant or toy wandered their direction. Twice, Grace used a spritz of her Illusion Indigo so they could slip past a maid or roaming guards before Coby held up his hand and indicated the room in which he felt Law's heart.

Said pirate went first, finding the door was locked. He made a tiny Room to manipulate the bolts before opening the door carefully. Inside was a man completely covered in a long, black coat with golden gear accents working at a desk, his silver-blue hair sticking up in spikes. A black top hat sat on the table to his right side beside Law's beating heart. His back was to the door.

The rest of the room was decorated in what some would consider a steampunk style, turning gears all interlocked as they ticked together. All these gears connected to a clock that took up almost the entirety of the wall he faced. On the left side of his desk, opposite the hat and heart, was a framed photograph of the Donquixote Familia. Law closed the door.

"That," he whispered, "is Gladius. He taught me how to use firearms when I was little. He has the powers of the Rupture-Rupture Fruit, allowing him to make parts of himself and any inorganic matter he touches explode."

"Sounds like an upgrade to the Bomb-Bomb Fruit," Grace commented, remembering her sister's late number partner in Baroque Works: Mr. 5. "What's he like."

"Highly intelligent but ruthless," Law answered. "He'll kill anyone that doesn't live up to his or Doflamingo's standards. He almost killed me as a kid when I showed up late to one of his lessons."

"Can we take him?" Nami questioned.

"Not without alerting everyone to our presence. He—" Law bent over, clutching at his chest. Coby cracked the door open to see Gladius slamming a fist on Law's heart repeatedly, as if it were a stress doll.

"Hmm," the man hummed. "The Young Master was right. That is therapeutic."

Nami glanced at Grace, the pair of thieves sharing a silent conversation. The chemist reached over, her fingers tracing an Adrenaline Amber on the young mother's arm before she caused her body to secrete the same internally. They slunk into the room together, soundless as a summer breeze but much faster than they normally moved.

Using this speed, Grace circled slightly to get a glimpse of Gladius' face. His mouth and nose were covered in a white mask that matched his pants, but the tan of his upper face was exposed, a pair of goggles raised to rest on his forehead. She grinned.

Like a pair of cats, the women moved forward toward Gladius' chair. Silently counting down, both reached forward, Grace for the man and Nami for the heart. The man's hands jerked upward, a cry of "What—‽" passing through his mask as Grace's hand covered his eyes, her other summoning Argon Chains to hold his arms down. The hand on his face secreted her Drowsy Dark Blue as both a liquid and aerosol, putting him to sleep within moments. Nami grabbed the heart at the same time, the pair pulling back to where Coby and Law watched the whole process.

"Heart acquired," Grace grinned as the navigator handed the beating organ to its owner. Law felt his own smile appear as he returned it into his chest, sighing in relief. "Let's get out of here."

"Not yet," Law said, drawing Kukoku and stepping into the room. Coby's eyes widened slightly as the captain of the Heart Pirates pulled Gladius from his chair, throwing the man to the ground. "We need to reduce Doflamingo's minions whenever we get the chance, especially officers."

"Won't killing him alert Doflamingo to our presence?" Coby tried, not wanting to see a man —even a criminal— murdered in cold blood, but he had no control over the actions of this rival pirate.

"I have my heart back, so I don't really care." Law stabbed downward, his sword piercing Gladius' heart. The man's eyes shot open, but he was unable to do or say anything through his sudden weakness. "This is for all the shit you and your precious 'Young Master' put me through."

Gladius wheezed out a final, weak breath.

The pirates wobbled as a powerful blast of Conqueror's Haki ripped through the building.

"I think he knows we're here!" Nami yelled. "Run!"

Robin adjusted the sunglasses and stupid mask she had procured from their last owner with the clothing she now wore, her other hand holding a rifle so its barrel rested easily against her shoulder. It was not fashionable by any stretch of the imagination and she would not have been caught dead wearing it in any other circumstance, but this was the quickest and most effective way into the Toy House.

"I feel disgusting," she announced, a couple fingers tugging at the uncomfortable parachute pants (tan with black spots rising partway up the legs) that did not properly mesh with the tight black turtleneck. It likely did not help that there had been no women in the group that they defeated and robbed, leaving her garbed in male clothing. Kin'emon had offered to attempt to replicate the outfit with his powers, but she hadn't wanted to risk it after he tried to give Nami a beard on the Sunny.

"I think you can look stunning in anything, Robin-chwan!" Sanji offered, dressed in the same outfit as her and the others in their group. Luckily, Sanji, Zoro, and Kin'emon still had their fake beards to hide their identities, even if they now wore the masks, too. Only Chopper had been spared the embarrassment of the affront to style, only having to wear the mask. Zoro scowled at the sword he'd taken, throwing the low-grade weapon away without a care.

"Well, let's get this over with," he grunted, turning the wrong away down the street. Robin grabbed the back of his shirt and dragged him the right direction, ignoring his grumbles about the ever-changing city layout.

The group approached the Toy House with confidence, unconcerned when the guard at the door stopped them.

"State your business."

"We have official documents to be delivered," Robin answered easily.

"Documents?" the guard blinked. "Everyone knows Miss Sugar doesn't care for those."

"Even so, everything must be kept in order," the woman argued. "How else are we to keep the toys in line?"

"What are you taking about? They're just toys."

"Ah," Robin feigned surprise, a hand covering her mouth. "I thought you were aware. Best not to ask, you might disappear like the others."

"O-Oh," the man stuttered, swallowing audibly. "R-Right."

"Now then, the documents?"

"Yes, right," he nodded, stepping to the side. "The documents. Of course."

Robin nodded to him as she opened the door, her companions following her in until Sanji, taking up the rear, closed the door behind them.

"How did you do that?" Kin'emon questioned. "You were so convincing that I almost questioned where our documents were."

"Confidence will get you everywhere," the archeologist replied, leading them into the main hallway of the Toy House. "If one acts like they belong and that everyone else is simply misinformed or ignorant, no one will question them. After that, it is the simple matter of a plausible story."

"Ok, but what do we do now?" Chopper asked. "We're in, but where do we go?"

"We could always let Zoro lead—"

"No!" Chopper and Sanji instantly denied, drawing a huff from the swordsman in question and a confused look from the samurai.

"—or we can pretend we know where we are going until we discover something important."

"That seems like the optimal plan," Kin'emon nodded. "Let us hurry and pray that Kanjuro is somewhere in the vicinity."

Again, Robin led the way, the woman blooming eyes in the shadows on the walls above to get a clear layout of the building and a forewarning of what was to come. They passed a couple similarly-dressed groups who didn't give them a second glance before entering an atrium that proved that at least part of the Toy House was carved from the plateau since the base building was much too small for such a thing. In the center of this atrium stood a massive toy nutcracker nearly 20 feet tall, one hand raised as if in a wave while the other rested on a sword at its hip. It was still, surrounded by a circle of velvet ropes. Other nutcrackers of similar design, though only half the height, patrolled the edge of the room. With them moved small swarms of regular-sized teddy bears, stuffed rabbits, and plush cats and dogs, these smaller guards moving in and out of the connecting hallways.

At the back of the atrium was an open staircase that spanned nearly the entire length of the room, said stairs leading down into the bowels of what was sure to be a labyrinth of rooms and passageways. If the toys were required to be here all night, that would be the most likely place to keep them. Sanji studied a map of the first floor, the depiction naming the location the stairs went to as The Workshop.

"What now?" Chopper whispered.

"Pardon," Robin said, stopping a nutcracker as it passed. The toy guard paused, turning its blank face to the disguised woman. "We have items to deliver to Miss Sugar. Could you please direct us?"

The nutcracker was still, not a one of its limbs nor painted features so much as twitching, before it stood straight and used an arm to gesture them to follow. Robin glanced back and lowered her sunglasses to offer her fellow pirates a sly wink.

Their new guide led them to the stairway, the tall toy taking a larger set of stairs that ran beside those for peoples and toys of small and normal sizes. They did not speak, not wanting to risk how intelligent or how much agency this toy leading them might have if they revealed anything in its vicinity. The nutcracker stopped at the base of the stairs, another set leading even deeper down ahead, but these were not labeled. Their guide turned left and strode forward, clearly expecting them to follow.

The Workshop, as it had been named on the map, was as colorful and intricate as the other buildings in Dressrosa, the walls and pillars decorated with carved swirls and swaths of paint. Different toys were depicted playing with other toys and children, games like Tag, Hide and Seek, and Catch clearly identifiable while others were much harder to guess. Fewer toys roamed these halls, these mostly bipedal and carrying material from one place to another.

"We love to work here," a pair of green robots incanted as they walked by carrying several planks of wood. "We love to work here."

"I love to work here," a magenta brontosaurus muttered through the handle of a basket of stuffing. "I love to work here."

"We love to work here!" a trio of small, fluffy… creatures of some sort in different colors cheered, dragging a pallet of stone with clear difficulty between the weight of the stone and their little mitten hands. "We love to work here!"

"I love to work here," hissed a soprano-voiced fish on two wheels, a basket affixed to its head with rope holding what looked like glue. "I love to work here."

"Something tells me they don't love working here," Sanji muttered to Kin'emon as the fish passed. Said toy paused for a half-second before returning to its previous route.

"The shrimp was right," Zoro commented in a low voice. "These things are creepy."

"I think they're cute," Robin offered.

"Of course you do."

The nutcracker guiding them turned another corner before ducking through a doorway barely big enough for it to fit. The disguised pirates followed into another large room, this one more of a bland grey in contrast to the colorful hallway. Toys moved about, organizing shelves of parts for intake and export. The nutcracker ignored them, making its way to a door on the far side. It was the lone splash of color in the area, decorated with numerous toys. Letter-block stickers named the entranceway SUGAR'S ROOM.

"Thank you," Robin said as the nutcracker raised a hand, stopping the toy guard before it could knock to give them away. "We will take it from here."

The toy seemed to study her for longer than necessary before it lowered its hand and bowed slightly. The nutcracker turned and meandered away.

"Now then," Robin said as soon as the guard ducked through the doorway. "Let us begin unraveling this mystery." She approached the door carefully, turning the handle as slowly as she could. When the latch had moved enough to no longer hold the door closed, she pushed, opening the portal only enough to glimpse inside the room. Muffled voices came from within, Robin closing one eye as she bloomed another within, ignoring the way her fellow pirates (and Kin'emon) crowded around for a chance at hearing what there was to hear.

Through her remote eye, Robin saw another colorful room, though it looked more like the playroom of a millionaire's little girl. A circular rug was spread over most of the floor, a desk sized for a child and a bookshelf with a latter shoved into one corner. In the other was something like a hot tub, opposite a small table set with the tools necessary for one to have a pretend tea party.

It was the water area that seemed to be in use, though not for any game. Alongside a small number of living toys of the stuffed animal variety were three women, one strapped to a board with Sea Prism Stone chains over the hot tub so her head was lower than her feet.

"Come now, Velo," Monet said, her wings resting on the shoulders of the little girl beside the restrained scientist. She looked to be somewhere in the range of five to eight with hair the same green as Monet's. She was dressed in a dress of teal poke-dots on white under a red cloak with bear ears on the hood. Upon her hooded head sat a small crown and in her hands was a teapot, presumably from the table. "Simply give us what we want and this can all be over."

"You must think my intellect dreadful," the prisoner hissed. "As soon as I give you what you want, you would toss me aside. It would also make me a traitor to my captain and my master. I would never do something so dreadful to—"

"To your darling Queen, yeah yeah," Monet waved off, clearly having heard that spiel multiple times. "Sugar?"

The little girl climbed onto a stepstool and raised the teapot, pouring scalding water onto Velo's face. She screamed, writhing against the binds as the liquid turned to steam or dripped off her periwinkle hair into the hot tub below. Sugar stopped, the scientist coughing and sputtering in at attempt to clear her airways of what liquid had invaded her respiratory system.

"I hope you're enjoying this, you dreadful bird-legged cow," the blunette snarled.

"A lot, actually," Monet grinned as Sugar poured more boiling water on the woman. "Thank you for noticing."

"Mark my words," Velo hissed as soon as she could. "When word of this—"

"I'm getting bored, Monet," Sugar whined, interrupting Velo without a care. "I know you want to keep teasing her, but we aren't getting anywhere."

"Alright, fine," the harpy sighed. "Bring us the contract."

One of the toys —a yellow bunny with cymbals for hands— hopped up and bounced to the desk where it clamped a piece of paper between its instrument hands before returning. Another, some mix between a feline and a bee, retrieved a wide pad of ink.

"Now Velo," Monet said. "I so did enjoy our verbal spars, so it'll be sad to see them come to an end, except it won't be, because no one will remember you. Have fun as a toy."

"What are you—?"

Sugar reached forward, placing a hand on the scientist. All at once, she was gone. In her place was a blue robotic raptor only slightly more sophisticated than the brontosauri the pirates had seen in the hallway. Immediately, since the new toy was smaller than the restraints on the board, the other toys leapt into action, holding the raptor down before it could get its bearings. Too quickly for it to react, the other toys dipped its palm in the ink before pressing said palm onto the contract.

"The pact is sealed," Sugar announced as the toy's eyes glowed slightly, the others letting it go. "I shall name you… Rapaz."

"Thank you," the now-named Rapaz muttered, bowing. Monet took the contract, reading it.

"Says here she is to be assigned to the SMILE grove," she commented. "Apparently, Rapaz here has some secret formula that will help us not need Caesar Clown anymore. She's to have a contingent of workers to brew it."

"Didn't you leave Caesar Clown on that island with the pirates and marines?"

"I guess that's why," the harpy shrugged. "We—"

"I cannot hear," Kin'emon muttered, leaning a little too hard on Chopper. He stumbled, the pair falling inside the door as the portal was forced open. The two hitting the ground made a soft wump causing the two women in the room to turn to them and freeze.

"Get them!" Sugar ordered, the toys in the room jumping at her command without hesitation. Monet turned as well, a swing of her wing launching a blast of freezing wind and snow that blew the door off its hinges. Zoro reacted first, unsheathing Wado Ichimonji and slicing the door down the middle before it could injure anyone, but the force of the wind still blew them all backward into the grey room. The toys, riding the wind, leapt onto the swordsman, Rapaz sinking its teeth into the man's arm.

"Toys!" Sugar yelled to the stuffed workers of the room. "Get them! Don't let them escape!"

"Zoro!" Robin gasped, crossing her arms as she prepared to attack. "Cincuenta—!"

"Collier Shoot!" Sanji spun in, kicking away a teddy bear with claws that was aiming for Robin's back. "Dammit, Kin'emon! This is all your fault!"

"We need to get out of here!" Zoro grunted, cutting the yellow rabbit in half before throwing the robotic raptor away, its teeth drawing lines in his arm. Seriously, where the Hell did that girl summon these toys from? "They have us surrounded!"

"Let us be away!" Robin agreed, using her eyes to quickly count the number of toys in the area. "Cien Fluer: Clutch!"

Arms bloomed over every toy as well as the two women, their lithe muscles ready to break backs as effectively as they could. Sugar's eyes widened, her hand coming up unconsciously to grab one of the arms blooming from her back. Instantly, Robin was no longer there, in her place a doll with blonde hair and a red dress. The arms dispersed into petals. Seemingly confused, the doll raised its hand nubs to study them before reaching for Zoro in front of it.

"Poitrine!" Sanji yelled, kicking the new toy away before it could move. The doll flew across the room before smacking into the wall, its soft, stuffing-filled body cushioning the impact. "We need to leave before she summons any more toys!"

"The toys will be the least of your worries!" Monet promised, her body turning pure white as she activated her snow powers, her face distorting into a wicked, sharp-toothed snarl. She spread her wings, thick snow rising as a dome around the pirates. "Snow Hut!"

"Dragon Twister!" Zoro blew the toys away, the wind of his blades blowing a hole through the top of the dome. Monet snarled and charged, Zoro swinging his blade to her reactively. The snow of her wings shimmered, hardening to the point where Zoro's blades scraped against them without his proper focus.

"Perpetual Snow," Monet hissed, her wings expanding to surround Zoro. The cold bit into him, his limbs going numb. He grit his teeth as black vapor began to whisp around his hands. "Sugar!"

Zoro looked down as a hand touched his leg, the little girl he hadn't considered a threat looking back.

"There's a gorilla now‽" Chopper gasped, pointing at the green gorilla now standing before the sisters. "She said something about snow, right‽ Will fire work?"

"Diable Jambe!"

"Foxfire Flash!"

Working together, Sanji and Kin'emon burned a hole in the back of the dome, ripping the door on the other side apart in the process. Chopper ran through instantly. Kin'emon threw a slash of fire backward as he and Sanji followed the inhuman doctor, Monet screeching as the heat hit her. The trio fled through the door, red lights starting to flash as a siren sounded.

"I think they know we're here!" Sanji commented, taking the lead as Chopper and Kin'emon followed him. "Plus, I don't think your samurai friend is here!"

"We still don't know where the toys come from!" Chopper yelled as the pirate chef kicked several away and turned up the stairs. Shadows loomed from above, but the trio weren't aware of any other exits.

"But now we know who makes them and that there are contracts! Veau Shot!" Sanji jumped as they reached the top of the stairs, his leg launching the first guard to come for them. "Maybe there are toys that don't have contracts!"

"Arm Point: Cloven Rosario!" Chopper blasted away another nutcracker before shifting into his Guard Point, letting the abundance of fur practically absorb and tangle the smaller toys.

"You will not get away!" Monet screeched, her winged form appearing at the top of the stairs. "Snow Fence!" Ice-like snow formed on the walls, cutting off hallways without care for any toys trapped within. This included the hallway to the front door on the other side of the room. "Jumbo, finish off these intruders! Snow Storm!"

Something moved as visibility dropped, the pirates (and Kin'emon) backing up so their backs were pressed against each other. Unlike Sanji and Kin'emon, whose experience with snow was limited, Chopper had been raised on a Winter Island and, as such, had more awareness of what to look for in the snow.

"The big toy is moving!" he warned, a bit of hysteria leaking through his voice. He pointed, indicating the darkening shadow of the 20-foot nutcracker. Smaller shadows flanked it.

"And that snow woman's everywhere," Sanji muttered. "I can't hit a woman. We need to run."

"Snow Rabbit!"

The group jumped back as snowballs with bunny ears slammed into the flooring where they'd been standing, carving divots out of the tile.

"Go!" Kin'emon ordered. "I will delay them!"

"We can't leave you!" Chopper yelled.

"Whoever said I would be staying?" Kin'emon closed his eyes and breathed deeply, drawing his swords almost slowly. He spun as if starting a dance number, fire sparking along his blades. "Foxfire Style: Flaming Wheel!"

Fire raced outward, Monet screaming on one side while the attack split and charred several wooden guards on the other. Jumbo, the big guy, managed to swing his massive sword to disperse the fire before it could do more than char his shoulder paint. Sanji and Chopper took that as their cue, the former kicking away anything that got too close —including knocking Jumbo over with a kick to his chin— as they made their way to the blocked hallway. Kin'emon arrived as Sanji melted the frozen barrier, the trio running. They blasted the door off its henges, blowing away the guard Kin'emon had tricked (and wasn't that a weird memory?) before taking to the streets and blending into the crowd.

"That," Sanji panted, "was a bad idea and a disaster."

"I concur," the samurai agreed. "We are fortunate we did not lose anyone in their counterattack."

"Coby's group in is the castle," Chopper remembered. "They're probably the closest ones to us right now and I don't want to be alone anymore!"

"Alright, then we're taking the express way up," Sanji said, grabbing Chopper and Kin'emon around their waists. "Sky Walk!"

And then the wave of Conqueror's hit.

"Welcome back, spectators!" the announcer cheered, earning whoops and hollers from the stands. "I hope you all are full and bloodthirsty, because it's time for Block B!"

The people cheered and made noise as the area below began to fill with new fighters ready to fight and die for their entertainment. The announcer basked in the sounds before deciding enough was enough and that it was time to introduce the favorites of the match.

"Like the first block, we've got some interesting fighters in the ring this round! First up, a pair of dangerous bounty-hunting brothers known for tracking down and killing only those with bounties higher than 100-million: it's the Funk Brothers Kelly and Bobby!"

Kelly and Bobby Funk looked similar with their tan skin, greasy hair, and square jaws, but one was clearly larger and more muscular than the other. Bobby, the taller one, was dressed a white shirt and had a black mustache/beard combo, his face shaded by a white hat. Kelly, in contrast, was only half his brother's height and was shirtless to show off two star tattoos on his right shoulder. He had a pair of boxing gloves over his hands.

"Coming to us from the East Blue, he now rides the waves as the Vice-Captain of a Super Rookie! He follows his religion through Hell and high water and it's earned him the moniker 'The Missionary'! It's Gambia of the Barto Club Pirates!"

Gambia was a man with gravity-defying blond hair and a grin that showed off his missing upper teeth. He wore an open, sleeveless, rose-pink vest to show off the leopard print tattoos on his left arm and the cross on his chest. A pair of nun-chucks were tucked into the waistband of his yellow shorts and his high boots were the same color as if they and the pants had come in a set. He waved to the crowd with a grin.

"Our next competitor is another bounty hunter, this one all the way from the Shishano Kingdom! His ruthless ways have earned him the title of Jean the Bandit, and I expect he won't say no to taking a few Beris and swords for his trouble! It's Jean Ango!"

Jean Ango was a bulky, shirtless man with deeply tanned skin. A metal mask colored green hid the lower half of his face while the upper was shaded by a sombrero, the upper part modeled to look like a cactus. His left arm was protected by a layer of armor running down its length to end at a four-bladed metal claw. He raised his hands, laughing. "Deededede!"

"Finally, I have been asked to make known for you a Colosseum elder! Despite his age, he's got an impressive track record of 349 wins to only one loss! It's 'The Old Muscle' Ricky!"

Ricky was all around average, dressed in standard gladiator clothing but with a helmet that completely hid his face. He raised his sword silently as few but devoted fans of his cheered.

"Now then! We've got 90 competitors in the ring, but only one can come out on top! Ready? Go!"

End of Chapter 61

Luffy doesn't know he's exposed, Amy makes a friend, Law gets his heart back, Gladius dies, three people I don't remember the names of are turned into toys, Doflamingo's pissed, and Block B is only just starting! Let the true chaos of the Dressrosa Arc begin!

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-SwordOfTheGods