Xi Yan Says: A Mad Scientist Is Capable of Anything!

"There's quite a commotion here."

Staring at the ship wreckage falling from the sky in the distance, Brook said, "Could it be that Sanji and the others are fighting with someone?"

"How is this possible?"

Usopp shook his head and said, "Sanji and the others don't have the ability to throw the ship overboard."

Kicking someone away and losing a spaceship are two completely different things.

Not necessarily.

Xi Yan, who was also staring into the distance, squinted and said, "If Nami develops her abilities well enough, she can also lift the ship."

If enough clouds are used, and their quality is good enough, the ship can be lifted!

"You said it yourself, it's been developed well enough," Usopp said. "But I don't think Nami can do it right now."

"That must be the enemy."

After he finished speaking, Xi Yan seemed to have discovered something and was immediately stunned.

That flag is... from the navy?

Upon hearing Xi Yan's words, Zoro's expression immediately turned serious.

He could split a ship in two, but he couldn't lift one.

So... this time the enemy might be a bit tricky.

Thinking of this, Zoro was about to say something, but before he could speak, Xi Yan said, "Something's not right. Those wreckages in the distance are Navy warships!"

"Warship?"

Usopp paused for a moment, then said with a grim expression, "Why are the Marines here?"

Wasn't that guy named Caesar not a member of the World Government? Why is the Navy here?

Did the giraffe-centaur from before lie?

But that doesn't make sense either...

He knew how powerful Xi Yan's Sharinggan was, so what the other party said must be true.

So the question is, what's the situation with these naval forces?

The others shared similar thoughts with Usopp, all wondering why the Marines were there.

"Damn it, why are the Navy here?" the Tea Beard man said with a grim expression. "Could something have happened to Master?"

If those damned marines dare to lay a hand on his master, he'll kill them all!

Nico Robin, observing the Tea Beard's reaction, remarked, "These marines are probably not with the people here."

"Then why would the Navy...?"

"Maybe these marines are here to arrest them," Nicole Robin said.

Of course, this is just speculation.

As for whether it is true or not, we'll have to go and see for ourselves.

"It's also possible that these naval personnel made some kind of deal with the people here," Xi Yan said calmly.

Nicole Robin nodded in agreement; that was also a possibility.

Upon hearing this, Tea Beard immediately retorted, "Impossible! How could Master possibly collude with the Navy?"

The evil navy is the most despicable people!

How could a great master possibly want to cooperate with that kind of person?

Stop joking, okay?!

Xi Yan merely chuckled and ignored the Tea Beard.

Ultimately, this guy was just someone else's subordinate; how could he possibly know Caesar's thoughts?

In his eyes, a mad scientist is capable of anything!

"Never mind, let's go check it out first," Luffy said.

He didn't care about the navy; he only cared about his comrades.

"Profound!"

Just then, Luo emerged from behind a distant boulder and walked step by step toward the laboratory behind it.

"Huh?"

"That guy is...?"

As if recognizing Law, Luffy immediately stood up, waving his arm and shouting, "Hey!"

"It's you!"

"Um?"

Law was startled by the noise, then turned to look in Luffy's direction.

After he understood what was going on, he frowned.

"Is this... Straw Hat?"

Following Black Leg and the others, is it Straw Hat himself again?

This is really troublesome...

"If I remember correctly, this guy is the one we met in Sabaody Archipelago," Zoro said.

This man happened to be present when they killed the Celestial Dragons at Auction House No. 1.

"Yes, that's him," Usopp nodded and said.

He remembered that incident too.

"Trafalgar Law..."

Xi Yan stared intently at Luo, then stroked his chin and said, "So, the Shichibukai that the lower half of him was talking about is this guy, right?"

As he spoke, Xi Yan recalled the information he had previously obtained from Shakky-jie.

There is indeed such a guy among the new Shichibukai.

"It should be him," Nicole Robin nodded.

She had also researched the other party's information and clearly knew that this person was the new Shichibukai.

"I'll go ask him then," Luffy said, jumping off Tea Beard's back. "Let's see if he knows anything."

After saying that, Luffy rushed towards Law without giving Xi Yan and the others a chance to speak.

Xi Yan:...

Seeing Luffy run past without any warning, Xi Yan's lips twitched as he said, "This Luffy guy probably doesn't think of him as a good friend from the same class, does he...?"

The Supernovas of the same generation aren't friends, they're rivals on their path to becoming the Pirate King!

"It seems so," Usopp said, a twitch at the corner of his mouth.

Given Luffy's personality, he certainly seems like the kind of person who would do something like that.

"Should we stop it?" Merry asked.

As she spoke, she slowly raised her hand.

As long as her crewmates speak up, she will take action to bring Luffy back.

"There's no need for that," Xi Yan said calmly. "With Luffy's strength, even if that guy wanted to do something, he'd have to think twice."

So... let him go.

They are now a hundred times stronger than they were two years ago, so there's no need to worry about Luffy's safety.

If that guy named Luo really doesn't know what's good for him, they wouldn't mind taking care of him!

"Yes, Xi Yan is right."

Zoro crossed his arms and calmly looked at Law in the distance, saying, "So let's wait and see. Maybe Luffy can actually find out something."

The others nodded in agreement, which was considered as a form of agreement with Zoro's statement.

Then Usopp said, "By the way... what kind of ability does this guy have?"

"Why would someone cut a person's body into such a way?"

As he spoke, Usopp glanced at Kin'emon behind Luffy, his expression gradually becoming somewhat strange.

What kind of capability did this take?

How can someone be hacked to death like that?

That's really terrifying...

"I know."

Nico Robin spoke up, "Trafalgar Law, Devil Fruit User."

After recalling the newspaper article she had seen earlier, Nicole Robin nodded again, confirming her statement.

"Op-Op Fruit?"

Usopp wondered, "What ability is that?"

Skills related to surgery?

Could it be... that this guy is a doctor?

"Then I don't know." Nico Robin shook her head and said, "I only know the name of his Devil Fruit, but I don't know the effects of his power."

"But judging from the current situation... they should have the ability to cut a person in half without killing them."

As she spoke, Nico Robin pointed in the direction of the warship wreckage, where many missing limbs of the marines were struggling to find their bodies, a truly vivid scene.

Usopp:...

"This scene is really quite bizarre," Usopp remarked.

A headless body is searching for its head, while the head is cursing its body on the ground.

This feels so weird...

If he hadn't seen this halfling, he probably would have been terrified by these guys.

"That's true."

The others nodded in agreement; the scene was indeed very strange.

"It's been a long time, Tra-man," Luffy said with a smile, looking at Law. "What are you doing here?"

Looking at Luffy, who seemed to be making friends with him so easily, Law subconsciously frowned. Was this guy being a little too...?

"This doesn't seem to concern you, Straw Hat Leader."

"Don't be so formal, we did meet in the Sabaody Archipelago, after all."

"It was just a coincidence," Law said calmly. "Don't forget we're all pirates, the Straw Hat Leader."

As pirates, they'll inevitably clash over the Great Secret Treasure sooner or later, so there's no need to try and get on their good side.

Luffy clearly understood what Law said, but he wasn't angry, since he had been prepared for this from the beginning.

"Ah, I know."

Luffy nodded, then continued, "Let's not talk about that now, Tra-man. There's something I want to ask you."

Luo:...

So, what exactly is this "Tra-man" thing?

Forget it, there's no need to get angry with this guy. After all, he was just as outrageous two years ago.

After sighing inwardly, Law pointed to the path behind Luffy and said, "I roughly know what you're looking for. Go around to the back of the research institute; the person you're looking for is there."

"Whoosh~"

"Thanks!" Luffy grinned, showing his teeth.

"It's nothing," Luo said calmly.

As long as it doesn't interfere with his plans, that's fine.

This time, Luffy didn't say anything more, but turned and ran towards his crew.

After watching the other person leave, Luo slowly narrowed his eyes.

"The Straw Hat Crew, huh...?"

At this moment, Luo's thoughts began to stir.

After chuckling softly, Luo turned and walked towards the research institute.

After returning to his crew, Luffy laughed and said, "I didn't expect this guy to be such a nice person."

He actually told him their location directly; he definitely didn't misjudge him!

"What did you talk about with him?" Usopp asked curiously.

"He told me Nami and the others are behind the research institute." Luffy pointed in the direction of the institute and said, "We should be able to meet up with Nami and the others there."

"I see..."

Usopp nodded; this information came quite easily.

Xi Yan looked thoughtfully at the spot where Luo had disappeared, sensing that something was off about the guy.

A Shichibukai showing up in a place like this... what's his motive?

Could it be that the guy who conducted human experiments is in cahoots with this Shichibukai?

Thinking of this, Xi Yan frowned.

"Looks like this guy doesn't really want us to get close to this building," Nico Robin chuckled.

Why is Trafalgar Law so eager to send them away to find Nami and the others elsewhere...? What exactly is he plotting?

"Let them hide whatever they want, it's none of our business," Zoro said calmly. "Our priority is finding Nami and the others."

"Yohohohoho~"

"That's right," Brook said with a chuckle, "Finding our companions is the most important thing."

As for the secret of the Shichibukai?

There's no need to delve into it; after all, it's not good for anyone.

Luffy chuckled upon hearing this, then patted Tea Beard's body and said, "Hey, Crocodile Centaur, speed up!"

"I'm already going full speed ahead!" the Tea Beard said speechlessly.

How fast do you want him to run?

Then, Tea Beard glanced in the direction of the laboratory out of the corner of his eye, thinking to himself: 'Luo, I understand that last look in your eyes... you wanted to save me, right!'

He understands!

He understands everything!

He will obediently follow these guys' orders until his master and Law come to rescue him!

Meanwhile, on the other side...

In the area behind the research institute, Nami and the others were huddled together for warmth.

"This can't go on," Chopper said anxiously, glancing at the children huddled together. "The children are nearing their limit."

"Then take off this fur coat."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Chopper roared, his shark mouth agape. "How can this be taken off?!"

This is part of his body, you bastard!

"There's really no need for that," Sanji said. "After all, all we have is a fur coat."

Chopper:???

Damn it, is that the point?!

"If only we could find some warm clothes," Perona said, looking around. "Or a room sheltered from the wind would be fine too."

It's better than freezing here.

"Where am I supposed to find clothes in a place like this?" Nami said, exasperated.

There's nowhere to be found... having money is useless!

"If only Merry were here..." Chopper said, head down. "She'd definitely have a ton of clothes in her pockets."

If the other party were here, they would definitely be able to get the children to wear cotton-padded clothes!

"That's true, but we can't get in touch with them right now," Nami said.

After she finished speaking, she considered whether she could use the power of the clouds to block the wind.

But she immediately killed the thought, after all... she wasn't using her own body right now.

"Now that things have come to this... only I can do it."

"Um?"

The group was taken aback by Kin'emon's words, then looked at Kin'emon with a puzzled expression and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Do you have a way of getting cotton-padded clothes?" Perona asked curiously.

"That's right."

Kin'emon instinctively wanted to nod, but gave up when he thought about how he would only have one head left.

Then he continued, "Everyone, find a rock and put it on your head, and leave the rest to me."

What exactly do you want to do?

"Trust me," Kin'emon said earnestly.

Franky and the others exchanged glances upon hearing this, and then decided to trust each other this once.

Soon, as Kin'emon had instructed, everyone placed a small stone on their heads.

Then Nami said, "Okay, we've done it according to your instructions. You can begin."

Franky glared at him and said, "If you dare to recite any of those ridiculous cold-keeping spells, I'll beat you to death!"

"Of course not, I possess Demon Technique!"

Having said that, Kin'emon said no more and immediately closed his eyes to activate his Devil Fruit ability.

The next moment...

"Bump!"

As the white smoke drifted by, thick cotton-padded coats immediately appeared on everyone's bodies!

"Padded coat?"

Nami stared in surprise at the cotton-padded coat she was wearing and asked, "How did you do that?"

"Because I ate an incredible fruit back then, I can freely change other people's appearances," Kin'emon said.

Perona:???

"Isn't that just Devil Fruit?!" Perona retorted. "You've eaten this kind of fruit before, so why did you say you didn't know?"

Is this a scam?

Or does this guy have some other ulterior motive?

Thinking of this, Perona's gaze towards Kin'emon became more scrutinizing.

If this guy really dares to come up with any bad ideas, she wouldn't mind teaching him a lesson.

"I have no idea what Devil Fruit is; I've only ever eaten one magical fruit," Kin'emon said.

Perona:...

What's this?

Is there a serious lack of knowledge?

"Oh, right."

Kin'emon seemed to remember something and said, "Because these clothes are created through Demon Technique, you must not take them off, or they will disappear."

The others nodded in agreement.

"So, you're Devil Fruit User..." Franky glared at Kin'emon and said, "Then why didn't you show it from the start, you bastard!"

"Didn't you see the children are so cold they're about to cry!"

"Bump!"

In the end, Franky jumped up and kicked Kin'emon in the head, giving him a big bump!

"Huh?"

Chopper stared at Franky in disbelief and said, "Franky, what are you doing?"

"Of course it's because this guy deserves a beating," Franky said irritably. "Why didn't he use this skill sooner? What was he thinking?"

What if the children get sick from the cold?

Chopper pursed his lips upon hearing this. The logic was sound, but...

Um?

Why is this guy blushing?

Seeing Kin'emon, Chopper was immediately filled with question marks.

Would you blush if you got punched?

"Tell me, what are you thinking?" Franky glared at Kin'emon.

"Of course, it's because of the swimsuits..."

Kin'emon coughed lightly and said, "It's such a rare and beautiful sight; it would be a real shame to block it out..."

Nami:???

Upon hearing Kin'emon's words, Nami's head was immediately filled with question marks, and then she angrily retorted:

"Are you an idiot, you bastard?!"

"Bump!"

"Bump!"

"Bump!"

"Ah!!!"

After being beaten up, Kin'emon immediately let out a shrill scream that sent chills down anyone's spine.

Upon seeing this, the children immediately showed expressions of fear.

"Princess Sister is so scary..."

Listening to the children's words, Perona sighed helplessly, then looked at Nami and said, "Nami, that's my body..."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

Nami lowered her fist and said, "But don't you want to beat this guy up?"

Perona blinked upon hearing this, then smiled and said, "Yes!"

Nami immediately burst out laughing; that would be incredible.

We should beat this guy up!

"Hey~"

"Everyone~"

"So you're here."

The group was stunned for a moment upon hearing Luffy's voice, then looked back in surprise and shouted, "It's Luffy's voice!"

"Great, they're here!!"