Strike While the Iron is Hot

"Hey, Mahavise!"

Dellinger looked at Mahavise with displeasure and said, "This opponent is mine."

If Mahavise takes him down, what's the point of him fighting anymore?

"I know, but we can't complete the mission given to us by the young master without taking them out," Mahavise said. "So let's work together."

Mahavise understood that Merry's abilities somewhat countered Dellinger's, which is why he chose to help her.

As for the young master's request?

While that's part of the reason, he was mostly just being considerate of his family's feelings.

Dellinger scratched his head in exasperation upon hearing this, but didn't utter a rebuttal, since what the other person said was true.

Just then, Perona's Negative Ghost appeared beside Mahavise and passed right through his body.

"Negative Ghost!"

"Weng~"

The next moment, a dejected Mahavise knelt on the ground and said, "I actually attacked a little girl... I'm such a scumbag."

Dellinger:...

Senor Pink:...

Seeing their partner kneeling on the ground in repentance, the two men were immediately rendered silent.

Then, Dellinger quickly moved to Mahavise's side to guard against a possible sneak attack from Merry.

At the same time, he said, "What a terrifying ability."

It's terrifying that Mahavise was transformed into this state in an instant.

"We can't defeat that guy without Haki," Vice Admiral shouted from afar. "Only Haki can counter her abilities."

"Is it Haki?"

Dellinger frowned; this wasn't something he was good at.

He then turned his attention to the Vice Admiral, wondering if he should switch opponents.

Just then, a gust of wind rushed in from the front and slammed into Mahavise and Dellinger, sending them flying into the air and crashing into the wall behind them.

"Boom!!"

"Hara hara hara~" Perona exclaimed with a loud laugh upon seeing this, "Well done, Merry!"

We should strike while the iron is hot and kill him!

Hehe~

Merry chuckled. That guy was just standing there, letting her hit him, so she wasn't going to hold back!

I just don't know if this attack will be enough to kill those two.

The next moment...

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, the distant ship was blasted apart by Dellinger and Mahavise.

"You wretched little thing, you've angered me!" Dellinger roared.

"Hehehe~"

In response, Merry simply made a face at Dellinger and said nothing.

But this action caused Dellinger's blood pressure to spike.

Mahavise glared angrily at Perona. That bastard had made him do something so shameful... That guy deserves to die!

"You wretched Ghost Princess, where is your true form?!"

"Hmph, I'm not telling you." Perona snorted. She wasn't stupid; why would she reveal the location of her true form?

Besides, even if he found out, what could he do?

Without immense Haki, it's impossible to even touch her, okay?

"Then kill this little girl first, and then go find her true form," Mahavise roared.

Having said that, Mahavise took to the air again, searching for an opportunity to attack.

Meanwhile, Dellinger kicked away the rubble in front of him, intending to find an opportunity to kill Merry.

Seeing this, Merry and Perona also composed themselves.

Now, let's begin the next round.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

While Franky and his crew were engaged in a fierce battle, Usopp and his group had already made their way to the vicinity of the Executive Tower.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Seeing Usopp salute him, the Donquixote Family members beside him smiled and nodded, then turned around and went back to their own business.

Usopp breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed they hadn't been exposed.

Usopp then turned his attention to the toys and said, "A lot of toys have been coming out of there since just now."

"This means that Sugar is right there," Leo, who was hiding nearby, said. "These toys must have been created by Sugar."

They had seen this scene before, so it was easy for them to predict the outcome.

Usopp nodded upon hearing this, then looked up and pointed to the strange building high up, saying, "And what is that tentacle-like thing?"

"The one right in the middle is the elevator for officials only," Leo explained. "Those tentacle-like pipes leading in all directions are the passageways for adult humans or broken toys that have fallen down."

"In Dressrosa, there are entrances to the Scrapyard everywhere."

"Once thrown in, you'll be taken straight to the Scrapyard directly beneath the Executive Tower."

The toys that fell in had no chance of escaping and could only wait to die in despair.

"This..."

Usopp's expression changed. "How many broken toys fall into Dressrosa every year?"

The thought that those toys were actually living, breathing people sent chills down Usopp's spine.

Just then, screams of agony came from afar.

"Ah!"

"Help!"

"No! I don't want to be thrown into the Scrapyard!"

"I can still work, I can still..."

"Ah!"

"That sound really sends chills down your spine," Usopp said.

Hopefully, this operation will go smoothly, so that these pitiful toys can be turned back into humans.

"This happens almost every day here," Leo said.

Nico Robin sighed upon hearing this, then said, "Alright, let's get started."

Lamenting here won't save anyone, so it's better to deal with the enemy as soon as possible.

Seeing that Nicole Robin had said so, the others nodded and said nothing more.

Usopp and Nico Robin then led Leo and the others towards the main entrance of the Executive Tower, and soon arrived inside.

"Is that Sugar?" Nico Robin, who had created a pair of eyes using her Devil Fruit ability to observe the situation, said, "That should be Trebol over there."

"It really is a little girl," Usopp remarked, having been secretly observing her.

"Yes."

Holding Special Chili Pill, Leo said, "She really loves grapes; she's always eating them."

"So what?" Usopp asked, puzzled.

Does what the other person likes to eat have anything to do with what they're doing?

Perona, who had flown down, looked at the object in Leo's hand with some curiosity and said, "You're not planning to feed her that thing, are you?"

This looks no different from the grapes in Sugar's hand.

"That's right!"

Leo raised his head and said, "This is our operation for this time."

Look at this!

As he spoke, Leo held up the Tabasco Star in his hand above his head, gesturing for the three of them to look at what he was holding.

He then continued, "This is solidified Tatabasasco Chili Sauce, the world's spiciest condiment!"

"We shaped it like a grape, and that way we can complete the operation."

"Hot?"

Perona looked puzzled and said, "You're planning to use this to deal with Sugar?"

Will this work?

While spiciness is a taste, it shouldn't be enough to cause a little girl to lose consciousness.

If they make a mistake, they will lose the opportunity to take the initiative.

"It's useful," Leo said seriously. "After 50 members of our Tontatta Tribe tasted it, we already know its power."

"After eating it, there's a 100% chance of losing consciousness, and 18 people almost died!"

"That's amazing?"

Perona looked surprised. Was this little thing really that powerful?

How could such a powerful race lose consciousness?

This...

"They even tried it..." Usopp's lips twitched, and he said, "You guys are really brave."

Aren't you afraid of dying?

"After all, we need to know if it will work or not," Leo, scratching his head a little embarrassedly.

If it doesn't work, then their operation will have failed.

So in order to figure out the power of this stuff, they had to taste it.

Usopp sighed upon hearing this; this was really pushing himself too hard.

"Anyway... as long as Sugar can swallow this, there won't be any problems," Leo said.

"Then how can we get her to eat it?"

"I'll just sneak over and put the things in the basket," Leo said.

At his speed, he could definitely put this thing in the basket before Sugar could even react.

Is that so?

Usopp thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he said, "How about this, to avoid the plan failing this time, I'll add something extra to this thing."

"What's the meaning?"

Leo looked at Usopp with a puzzled expression. What did he mean by "adding something to this thing"?

Nico Robin looked at Usopp with a surprised expression and said, "You wouldn't be planning to...?"

Clearly, Nico Robin had guessed Usopp's thoughts.

"That's right!"

Usopp smirked and said, "In the end, you guys are still too young. What can make you lose consciousness might not be able to make Sugar lose consciousness."

"So... I'm going to double it!"

"Come on, Leo, give me the stuff."

As he spoke, Usopp revealed an incredibly wicked smile, making Nico Robin and Perona's eyelids twitch.

That guy is so mean.

"All right."

Although Leo didn't know exactly what the other party wanted to do, he still obediently handed over the only item to Usopp.

Usopp took it and held it in his hand, feeling it carefully.

'I can't increase the size of this thing, or the enemy will notice something's wrong,' Usopp thought. 'The only way to avoid problems is to simply increase the spiciness.'

Usopp pondered this carefully. Since his Devil Fruit ability increased things like strength and speed—things that are intangible and vague—it should also enhance the feeling of this independent individuality.

With that in mind, Usopp began to try.

"Hmm, it can't be too high, or the smell will waft out," Usopp muttered. "So let's go for three times the normal amount."

Perona:...

Three times?

She initially thought Usopp's power level was only doubled, but it turned out to be tripled?

This guy is really cruel to little girls.

Then, Perona thought of herself two years ago, and her expression gradually became strange.

Is Usopp really good at dealing with little girls?

"Alright!"

Usopp smirked and said, "I've tripled the spiciness of this stuff now. I guarantee you'll be breathing fire after eating it."

"As expected of Uso Landu!"

Leo and the other Tontatta looked at Usopp with shining eyes; the hero's abilities were truly amazing!

Feeling the gazes of these little guys, Usopp subconsciously raised his head, looking very proud, which made Perona's lips twitch.

No, what are you so proud of?

"Alright, Leo!"

Usopp handed the Tabasco Star to Leo, then turned and pointed towards Sugar, saying, "Let's go!"

"I'll cover you."

"That's so reliable!" Leo laughed. "Then I'll go for it."

At his speed, he could definitely put the item inside before the other person could react.

"Go for it, Leo!"

"Be careful of Trebol!"

"Profound!"

"Keep your voices down!" Usopp stared dumbfounded at the kids. What are you all shouting for at a time like this?

If they are discovered by the enemy, all their efforts will be in vain!

"Just wait." Leo, who had arrived at the door, stared intently at the fruit basket in Sugar's hands and said, "The moment Sugar lets out a scream will be the moment when all the toys in the country turn back into adults, and the moment when all forgotten memories are restored."

"At that time, all his evil deeds will be exposed, and the true nature of the pirate Doflamingo will be completely revealed!"

"When that time comes, it will be time for us to fight each other. You all need to be prepared."

"Profound!"

"I told you to keep your voice down!" Usopp opened his shark mouth and growled in a low voice, "If we get caught, we're done for!"

Seriously, do these kids even realize what they're doing?

This is no joke!

Leo smiled somewhat embarrassedly upon hearing this, then said seriously, "I'll go."

After saying that, Leo began to move towards the door.

Just then, Trebol looked up at the sky, his eyes fixed on the fly buzzing around him.

The next moment...

"Whoosh~"

"Boom!!"

The horrible slime slammed into the fly, blasting a large hole in the wall!

"Scare!!!"

Upon witnessing this, Usopp's eyes bulged out in terror. He exclaimed, "What was that?!"

Why was a huge hole suddenly punched in the wall?

Nicole Robin frowned; she sensed something was amiss.

To verify her hypothesis, Nico Robin activated her Devil Fruit ability, creating a Hana Hana Clone not far from the fly's corpse to observe the fly's condition.

Nicole Robin's face darkened after she got a clear look at the fly.

"It actually hit the forehead...?"

To be able to hit a fly on the forehead in that situation, this guy is more troublesome than she imagined.