New Shichibukai, A Child's Request
"It's so cold,"
Although Nami's clothing style didn't become increasingly 'revealing' after joining Roman, and she still had to be mindful of her image while in the Navy, it remained largely the same as when she was in the 'East Blue' – mostly T-shirts and simple tops. Therefore:
"Chopper, take off your fur and lend it to me."
"OK,"
Honest Chopper nodded, then flew into a rage a second later!
"Can I take off this fur coat?!"
"To be strong, one must train through the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer," Roman, one of the White Knight, said as he walked. "But I'll become stronger for Nami's sake."
Snap,
As the White Knight snapped his fingers, sheets of white paper flew onto Nami, forming a lifelike fur coat.
"Although the material is 'paper,' I have applied a heat slightly higher than body temperature to it, making it perfect for such a snowy and icy place."
"Hmph, at least you have some conscience."
While Roman and Nami were 'interacting,' the scene next to them was:
"Wow, I'm so cold I've got goosebumps! — Even though I don't have any skin left."
Even my cold, steel-like body feels incredibly cold...
While Brook and Franky were complaining, Sanji calmly took a drag of his cigarette.
"It is a gentleman's duty to help ladies with their problems! But Franky, how's your 'air composition meter' showing?"
"Yes, everyone be careful, there are still trace amounts of toxins in the air."
After being reminded by Roman, Franky immediately began to handcraft a brick-like instrument in his workshop and began to diligently measure the air content.
"Of course, given our physical condition, we wouldn't even feel uncomfortable from this amount of poison gas."
In short, it's best to be cautious.
Roman, clad in his White Knight armor, voluntarily stepped upwind, ready to handle any air quality issues. Otherwise, it would be pointless to be easily defeated and trapped in the iron cage by someone using a simple trick to 'drain oxygen'.
"These buildings... are full of the style of naval laboratories."
As the group easily arrived in front of a snow-covered building, Franky frowned as he looked at the rigid architectural style and the various abbreviations that only governments like to use.
"It seems we've arrived at a secret naval research base—though it appears to be abandoned."
"Whether it is or not, we'll find out once we go in and see for ourselves."
The White Knight stepped forward, placed his gauntlet against the wall, and gently 'push' the steel shell of the laboratory.
Creak,
A door was pushed open from the solid steel wall; sometimes, technology is truly powerless when faced with something like Devil Fruit.
"Come on, the adventure in the mysterious abandoned laboratory officially begins."
Roman pointed into the dark doorway.
"For the sake of the 'fun' of the adventure, I still won't explain the upcoming enemies."
?!
"You mentioned 'enemy' again! This isn't some abandoned lab at all, is it!?"
Chopper was so angry that his antlers and hat flew off.
"We're not Luffy, Mr. Roman, explain what kind of enemies we'll encounter! And it would be best if we could take them all out beforehand!"
"Very good, no one has any objections. Let's set off then—"
?
The White Knight led the way, stepping through the steel gate, followed closely by the others with great enthusiasm. Only Chopper secretly shed tears. With Usopp gone and Nami changed, the Straw Hat trio was left with only the little reindeer all alone.
Click,
As Sanji, Franky, Brook, and Chopper filed in, the metal door in the wall closed again. Not a single crack remained. Devil Fruit something that can leave countless scientists scratching their heads!
A dozen minutes later, at the main entrance of the base,
A warship broke through the ice, its large 'G-5' markings indicating that it belonged to the infamous 'G-5' branch base in the navy.
G-5 Branch is a Marine Branch active in the New World. Due to intense combat pressure and the complex composition of its members, it's notorious as a 'rogue army.' The brutal killing of pirates is commonplace, and the naval superiors turn a blind eye, after all:
An army that deals with death every day is either extremely lenient or extremely strict!
"Vice Admiral Smoker, the abandoned laboratory is just ahead."
Smoker, having overheard Luffy's phone call, has been relentlessly pursuing the Straw Hat crew, single-mindedly focused on capturing them. However, he is about to face:
Three consecutive kneelings in one day!
Therefore, Smoker is quite talented for being able to turn Logia into 'debuffs'.
"Open your eyes and take a good look,"
Although Smoker's ability to develop his Devil Fruit is questionable, he still has experience and insight.
"Didn't you notice those Iceburg blocking the river just now? The smooth cut surfaces, the sheer number of them... they were clearly man-made!"
"Look at these again,"
As he spoke, Smoker pointed to the clean front door. Although it had been swept and concealed, traces of animal footprints could still be seen on the ground.
"People here have used animals to transport large quantities of various goods."
Clang!
Just as 'Detective Smoker' was giving his opinion, the huge laboratory door slowly opened, and a tall, slender figure carrying a long sword walked out.
"What brings you to my villa in person?"
Wearing a fluffy winter beanie with leopard spots, distinctive dark circles under his eyes, two small gold earrings on each ear, and a sexy mustache, a man in a black overcoat that extends past the knees leans against the front door.
"—The White Hunter is in charge."
Trafalgar Law!?
"The Shichibukai - Surgeon of Death -"
"Bounty of 440 Million Beli..."
In an instant, the navy was so frightened that they all took a step back! But Smoker remained unmoved.
"This is a 'restricted area' that even World Government personnel are strictly forbidden from entering. Why are you here?"
When Smoker questioned him, Law simply smiled calmly.
"Each other, each other,"
The implication is that you also broke in, didn't you?
"It's clear that this laboratory has been in use all along."
A dense network of pipes, glaring white streetlights, all-metal passageways, and various abbreviated signs...
Led by Roman, who was wearing White Knight armor, the Straw Hat crew second division walked through the bright laboratory as if no one else was there, and soon strolled to a tall door.
"Biscuit House? This..."
Doesn't this 'kindergarten' style name seem out of place in this high-tech, secretive setting?
"Roman".
As Nami tilted her chin forward, a piece of white paper floated from the White Knight's palm, folded into the shape of a key, and then:
Click,
"Could it be a place for storing food?"
As the door opened, the sound of several people chatting drifted into the room.
"Who knows? Maybe it's a 'kindergarten'—who knows?!"
Snap,
The falling cigarette was caught mid-air by Sanji, who then put it back in his mouth. However, the expression of shock remained on his face.
"It really is a kindergarten..."
Toys, soccer balls, puzzles, and murals of green hills and rivers, cartoon characters painted on the walls, various animal models hanging from the ceiling, and a group of... big and small children in the room.
That's right, although the room was full of children aged three to seven or eight, their height was outrageous.
"What's going on with these children?"
"Could it be Giant race child—?"
"No, their height..."
The tallest are five or six meters, and the shortest are two meters, looking like a group of children magnified to different scales!
Who are you?
"A stranger—"
Despite their large size, the group of children were still startled, just like normal children, when faced with Roman and his companions. Then:
Wow! A robot!
"And armored men..."
"A raccoon dog!"
The next second, the children's attention was drawn to Franky, Roman, and Chopper in the group.
"Robots! Robots!"
"Armored Knight! Armored Knight!!"
······
"You seem to be quite popular with children,"
In response to Nami's teasing, Roman, the White Knight, narrowed his eyes, his Observation Haki sweeping over the group of children. —Very well, they all seem healthy, so...
"Whoa!! A skeleton man—"
"How terrifying, it's a skeleton!"
The child who noticed Brook was instantly terrified and screamed, causing the other children to turn and run in a panic. The enormous size of Brooke made a rumbling sound of footsteps echo in the room!
"Yo ho ho, don't panic, kids."
"Ahhh, the skeleton is talking!!"
Faced with an even more astonished, enormous child, Brook gracefully drew out her violin.
"I'm sorry for scaring you."
"Then please allow me to perform a song for you."
As a melodious and simple Melody filled the room—a carefree rhythm, a warm tinkling, a gentle a cappella singing—
The music was sometimes high-pitched and joyful, like a group of carefree children playing and chasing each other; sometimes gentle and low, like an elderly mother calling for her long-lost child; sometimes crisp and bright, like a gentle breeze blowing through a verdant bamboo grove...
Wow, that's amazing!
"It's the Skeleton who can play the piano!"
"This is a violin, it's for playing, not for strumming..."
As Brook's gentle, soulful piano music echoed in the room, the previously panicked children immediately quieted down. Their innocent eyes shone brightly as they looked at Brook; in that instant, his skeletal appearance no longer mattered. What mattered was:
"Mother,"
"I miss my mom and dad too~~"
"Waaah, I haven't seen them in so, so long..."
"Hey, hey, kids, don't cry!"
Unexpectedly, his rendition of "The Smiling Crescent Moon" made these enormous children cry. Just as Brook was frantically trying to comfort them, a group of armed men in full-body protective suits, carrying oxygen tanks and holding guns rushed in.
Who are you people?!
"How dare you trespass into the 'master's' territory! You're practically courting death!"
The Straw Hat crew generally avoid units that are clearly 'regular armed forces' whenever possible. — It's not that they can't beat them, but rather that these people usually represent 'nations,' 'governments,' 'navies,' or the like.
In short, it's about 'justice'.
"Tsk, everyone, let's get out of here!" "A fight here will affect these brats..."
"Big sister, you're from outside the island, right?"
Just as the Straw Hat crew's Second Squad was about to leave, a tall little girl mustered up her courage, stood up, and blocked Nami's way.
"Please help us!"
"We want to go home, our 'illness' is cured!"
"Many of us are almost forgetting what our parents look like—big sister, please help us!"
?!
"Huh? Isn't this a kindergarten?"
"Why won't you be allowed to meet your own parents..."
·········
"Roman, I want to help them."
Nami, who was originally preparing to leave, resolutely turned around to face the armed personnel in biohazard suits.
Nami can't stand seeing children cry, because the death of her adoptive mother, Bellemere, will always be Nami's greatest regret.
"OK,"
The White Knight stepped forward and clapped his hands.
Splash splash~~
Countless white doves flew out from the White Knight, flapping their wings and dancing in the room like white clouds. This immediately captured the children's attention.
"Pigeons, pigeons~~"
"It's so beautiful!"
Then, for those armed personnel wearing biohazard suits:
"Puppies appear out of thin air? Devil Fruit user..."
"Could this be!?"
"It's a 'white dove'! Ahhhhh!"
"Escape--"
Before they could even turn around, the pigeons swooped down! Roman, of course, wouldn't make anything too bloody in front of the children, so:
After colliding with the armed personnel, the white doves suddenly dispersed into sheets of white paper, covering them! A few white doves could cover a person completely in white.
As the white paper wriggled and changed color, it became the same color as their biohazard suits, as if nothing had happened. However:
All the armed men who were trying to escape stopped and turned to face the White Knight, like loyal soldiers.
"Paper Dance - Puppet Show!"