Straight to the Heart of the Enemy

"I don't know either," Perona said. "Luffy wasn't around when I was talking to that guy in Sunglasses about it."

To be honest, she didn't know whether Xi Yan had shared this information with Luffy later.

Galette:...

What's going on with the Straw Hat Pirates?

Don't they share intelligence?!

"If Sugar uses her powers again, the Dressrosa Citizens will likely be turned into toys once more," King Riku said with a grim expression.

By then, Dressrosa had completely lost hope.

"How could this happen?"

Usopp was getting a little frustrated. He thought the most troublesome little girl had been dealt with, but she woke up so quickly... What was going on?

"Lord Usopp, is the situation really that serious?" Kin'emon asked doubtfully.

"Of course!"

Usopp said grimly, "Just recently, Perona and Robin were turned into toys by Sugar, and I forgot about them because of that."

"The thought of this makes me break out in a cold sweat; I didn't even realize I'd forgotten about them!"

How terrifying is it to be unable to realize that you've forgotten your companions?

That's true.

Perona, as the person involved, was well aware of just how terrifying Sugar's abilities were.

Not only can it make others forget about the victim without them even realizing it, but it can also turn someone into a toy through indirect contact!

This is absolutely terrifying!

Even though Xi Yan had warned her beforehand, she still fell for it.

This is enough to illustrate how terrible Sugar is.

"It doesn't feel good to be turned into a toy," Galette said.

"Of course!"

Perona gritted her teeth and said, "I don't want to experience that feeling of being forgotten by everyone again."

The thought of no one remembering her sent a chill down Perona's spine.

If they had known this little girl would wake up so quickly, they should have tried to kill the other girl back then.

"If Luffy into that guy, we're doomed," Usopp said with a grim expression. "We'll forget about Luffy too."

"I never want to experience something like this again, where I can't even notice when my companions disappear!"

"I must stop her!"

"Let's use Den Den Mushi Straw Hat Luffy," Galette suggested.

That guy is a pirate with a bounty of 500 million Beli, and the captain of Xi Yan. Given that he knows Sugar's information, he most likely won't fall for it.

"I've been trying to dial Straw Hat's Den Den Mushi since just now, but I just can't get through," Violet said helplessly.

As she spoke, Violet used her ability to check on the Straw Hat's side again, but she didn't see any sign of him connecting to Den Den Mushi, as if he didn't have Den Den Mushi at all.

This puzzled Violet greatly. Had the Straw Hat lost his Den Den Den Mushi during the battle?

"Since that's the case, we have no choice but to take a gamble."

Usopp leaned his enormous slingshot against the wall, his eyes sharply fixed on the distant Royal Palace, and said, "I'm going to snipe her from here."

"Sniping?"

A look of surprise flashed across Kin'emon's eyes as he said, "Lord Usopp, I can only vaguely see the Royal Palace with the naked eye, and the enemy is behind the wall; it's impossible to see them at all."

"Under these circumstances, long-range sniping... is simply a pipe dream."

Even the most skilled sniper wouldn't be able to accurately hit the enemy under such circumstances.

If we fail, the enemy will become alert, and it won't be easy to take them down again.

"I have to do it no matter what the conditions are," Usopp said without turning his head. "I can't just stand by and watch Luffy into danger."

As he spoke, Usopp began adjusting his enormous slingshot, searching for a more suitable angle to fire.

"Then let us help you," Violet said in a deep voice.

"Um."

Usopp nodded, then said seriously, "If we fail Sugar will become alert, so we only have one chance... We must take her down in one fell swoop!"

"Princess Viola, please use your Clairvoyance to tell me the exact location of Sugar."

"Okay, leave it to me."

Although she didn't know if this man named Usopp was actually capable of doing such a thing, all she could do now was cooperate with him.

"Sniping at extremely long range, huh...?"

Galette, who had climbed to the top of the wall, gazed at the distant Royal Palace.

If this guy can really do that, then it means the other person is a truly terrifying sniper.

Thinking this, Galette turned and glanced at Usopp. Could this guy really do it?

Meanwhile, on the other side...

While Usopp was searching for an angle to snipe Sugar, Luffy was still battling those giant toys.

But as the fight went on, Luo realized something was wrong: why were there more and more of these hard-to-kill toys?

"Damn it," Luo gritted his teeth and said, "If we had the handcuffs and keys, these guys wouldn't stand a chance."

With his abilities, he could definitely shred them all in a very short time. Even if they were immortal, it wouldn't matter!

Just then, a man's shout came from the sky, which immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Um?"

Luffy looked up at the sky and said in surprise, "Something is falling from up there."

The next moment...

"Boom!"

Gladius, who was being crushed by Bartolomeo's barrier, was slammed directly into the ground.

"Phew~"

After removing the barrier, Bartolomeo stood up, wiped the sweat from his face, and said, "We should have taken care of him by now."

Being pinned down from that height by him, this guy would be half-crippled if not dead.

"Cockscomb Head?"

Luffy looked at Bartolomeo in surprise, clearly not expecting this guy to come to him in such a way.

"That voice belongs to Luffy- senpai!"

Upon hearing that the speaker was Luffy, Bartolomeo became incredibly excited.

After he realized it was Luffy, he became even more excited.

"As expected of Luffy- senpai!"

How did you get here?

"Ah, that's a long story."

Bartolomeo scratched his head, unsure how to explain the situation.

Just then, Nico Robin flew down from the sky and landed steadily in front of Luffy.

When she saw Luffy there, she was immediately stunned.

"Luffy?"

"Tra-man?"

Nicole Robin looked at the two of them in surprise and said, "You're here?"

Weren't they supposed to go to the Flower Field? Why haven't they arrived yet?

"Leader Nico," Luo quickly approached and said, "Give me the key right away."

The feeling of being bound by Sea Stone was unbearable; if he could, he wished he could break free right now.

"The key is with Rebecca," Nicole Robin said with a hint of helplessness.

If she had known these two were here, she would have brought Merry and the others down to look for them.

"The key is with Rebecca?"

Kyros's expression immediately changed. Could that girl have taken the key to Doflamingo's Royal Palace?

As if sensing Kyros's worry, Nicole Robin said, "Rebecca and the others went to the Sunflower Field on the Fourth Floor."

"Rebecca..."

Kyros's face darkened. Weren't the two of them walking right into a trap?

"Don't worry, Merry's here," Nico Robin said.

With Merry around, the two of them should have no problem protecting themselves.

Unfortunately, these words of comfort had little effect on Kyros, after all, he was a father.

However, he had no other choice but to accept this fact.

"Tch..."

Gladius, who had just crawled out of the crater, said with a grim expression, "Those two little brats got away."

"Forget it, they're just two little girls. Even if they manage to reach the Royal Palace, they're nothing to fear."

After all, the Top Executive of the Donquixote Family were still at the Royal Palace, so there was nothing to worry about.

With that in mind, Gladius turned his attention to Luffy and his crew.

"You can actually stand up?"

Bartolomeo looked at Gladius in surprise; he thought he had already killed him.

"I used the explosion to offset some of the impact," Gladius said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Bartolomeo immediately had a look of Satori realization. No wonder the sound from below was so loud; it wasn't from a fall after all.

"It's you, you bastard."

Upon seeing Gladius's face, Luffy immediately recognized him—wasn't this the guy who had stopped them from going to find Doflamingo at the Royal Palace?

It seems to be something like... Drumming and Bracing, number 54?

"My Gladius." Gladius coldly looked at Luffy and the others in front of him and said, "Let me take care of you first, then I'll deal with those two little girls."

Although encountering the Straw Hat here was quite unexpected, now that he's run into them, there's no way he'll let them go.

Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately assumed a fighting stance. Since the other party wanted to fight, then so be it.

With that in mind, Luffy decided to make his move.

But before he could make a move, Nico Robin stopped him.

"Leave this to us," Nico Robin said.

"We" here naturally refers to him and Bartolomeo.

"That's right!"

"Leave it to us!"

Bartolomeo strode up to Nico Robin, his expression exceptionally resolute.

This kind of opportunity to fight alongside the Straw Hat Pirates' seniors is rare, so he must make the most of it!

"You..."

"Luffy, Tra-man, and Soldier," Nico Robin said without turning her head, "You guys hurry up and go find Merry and the others in the Sunflower Field on the Fourth Floor."

"Robin."

"Merry and the others are waiting for you." Nico Robin turned to Luffy and said, "Go quickly."

As for calling Merry to turn back?

Rather than letting them come down here and get bogged down by the local officials, it's better to send Luffy and his Luffy up to find Merry. That way, they can strike at the heart of the enemy without any mishaps.

"I see."

Seeing the unwavering determination in Nicole Bean's eyes, Luffy knew it wasn't time to back down, so he readily agreed.

"You think I'll let you succeed?!" Gladius said coldly. "Toys, charge!"

Upon hearing the giant toys that Gladius was playing with, the toys immediately set off, walking step by step toward them.

Upon seeing this, Nico Robin's eyes immediately became alert, and she prepared to attack.

"It's not over yet!"

Gladius shouted again, "Try this move!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he took out a special gun from his pocket, aimed it at Luffy, and pulled the trigger.

Then, a large number of bullets flew out, vibrating and expanding in the air, clearly imbued with Gladius's power.

Upon seeing this, Luffy immediately inhaled and transformed himself into a giant fat man.

"Rubber..."

"Leave it to me, Luffy- senpai."

Bartolomeo immediately appeared in front of Luffy and created a huge barrier, perfectly blocking Gladius's attack.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Looking at his masterpiece, Bartolomeo smiled with satisfaction, then explained, "Luffy- senpai, these are explosive balls controlled by the enemy; they'll explode before you can bounce them off."

But Luffy's attention was clearly not on that; the moment Bartolomeo's barrier appeared, his eyes were fixed on it.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Luffy exclaimed excitedly. "Is this all you've got?"

"Yes."

Upon being praised, Bartolomeo immediately blushed with excitement and said, "I am truly honored by your praise!"

As he spoke, Bartolomeo began to wiggle and twist, which infuriated Gladius on the other side.

"Damn Bartolomeo..."

"Go get him! Kill this bastard!"

The giant toys, having received their orders, immediately turned their attention to Bartolomeo, clearly intending to eliminate him first.

Unfortunately, Luffy didn't give these guys a chance to get close to Bartolomeo.

"Rubber Jet Whip!"

"Bump!"

With a single move, he sent several giant toys flying as they rushed towards him.

"Amazing!"

Bartolomeo watched Luffy's retreating figure with excitement and exclaimed, "To be able to see Luffy- senpai's Second Gear up close like this, it's a Jet Whip! So cool!"

"I'm so touched..."

As he spoke, Bartolomeo burst into tears, leaving Ronaldo speechless. What was wrong with this guy?

Forget it, now is not the time to deal with this guy.

"Hey, Straw Hat Leader!" Luo shouted, "Hurry up and take him down so we can get to the Fourth Floor! Stop dawdling!"

With Straw Hat's strength, defeating someone like Gladius would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

After all, this person was just an ordinary cadre in the Donquixote Family.

"Hello!"

Bartolomeo immediately objected, saying, "What kind of attitude do you have towards Luffy- senpai, you bastard?"

Are you looking to die, you bastard!

Unfortunately, Ronaldo ignored this mentally unstable guy, which left Bartolomeo feeling like he was punching a screen with no power.