Coby stood over Vergo, flicking the blood from Shusui's blade before sheathing it. He glanced toward Smoker and Law, both staring in silence.
Law and Smoker looked conflicted, their gazes shifting between Vergo's fallen form and Coby, who stood calm.
"Guess that settles it," Coby said, turning toward them with a grin. "You're welcome, by the way."
Law stepped forward, kicking Vergo's collapsed body to ensure he was out cold. "You didn't have to kill my target," he muttered, though his expression betrayed no real disappointment.
Coby shrugged and walked over to Caesar, who was frozen in place, his face pale. "I need him for a while longer," Coby said casually, pulling out Sea Stone cuffs. With a quick motion, he snapped them around Caesar's wrists. The scientist squirmed, his protests dying in his throat as the cuffs drained his strength.
By the time they finished, the crew came back together. Sanji got rid off the legs Coby had attached to his body earlier and reconnected them to their rightful owner—Kin'emon, now fully restored and standing beside them. The crew had also saved the children, bringing them along safely. Luffy arrived shortly after with a small pink dragon draped around his neck and Monet's lifeless body cradled in his arms. His expression was heavy.
"She died suddenly," Luffy said, his tone somber.
Coby nodded without hesitation. "Caesar killed her. Don't worry," he replied, glancing at the bound scientist.
Chopper and Law immediately started tending to the children, setting up a makeshift treatment area with the help of Robin and Nami. Usopp stood guard nearby.
Coby turned back to Caesar, crouching in front of him. "Here's what's going to happen, Clown. You're going to call Joker and tell him what happened here." He leaned in closer, his tone sharp. "And you're going to tell him I'm demanding ten billion Beli for your head."
Caesar froze, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. "T-ten billion? Are you insane?! Joker will never—"
Coby grabbed the front of Caesar's coat and pulled him closer. "You think I'm joking?" he said, his grin sharp. "Make the call, or I'll drag you to Big Mom instead. Think she'll pay less?"
Caesar's face paled, his eyes darting to the others for help. None came. He nodded quickly, fumbling for his Den Den Mushi. His fingers trembled as he dialed, holding the receiver to his ear as it connected. "J-Joker, it's me."
Coby stood, his arms crossed as he waited. Luffy had joined the others, standing next to Robin, who was keeping the children calm while Chopper worked. Law walked to Luffy to talk about something.
The Den Den Mushi's receiver crackled, and Doflamingo's voice came through, low and dangerous. "Caesar. What do you want?"
Caesar stammered, the words tumbling out in a rush. "Joker, the Straw Hats—they came here. They—they destroyed everything. Vergo's down, the experiment is ruined—"
The Den Den Mushi's face twisted into an exaggerated scowl. "What did you say?" Doflamingo's voice was icy.
Coby ended the call before Caesar could talk any further. "Well, now that's done." He drew Shusui and, in a clean motion, ended Caesar's life. The scientist collapsed, lifeless.
Law glanced over but didn't react. Luffy walked toward Coby, pausing to look down at Caesar's body. His brows furrowed briefly before he shrugged and said, "We're an alliance now!"
Robin, standing nearby with the children, gave Luffy a sharp look. "Almost all pirate alliances end in betrayal, Luffy. You need to think this through."
Luffy tilted his head, grinning as he turned to Law. "Will you betray me?"
Law's expression didn't change. "No."
"See!" Luffy said, pointing at Law. He flashed Robin his wide grin, then turned back to Coby. "We're taking down Kaido!"
Law stepped closer to Luffy and Coby. "If we're doing this, we focus on taking down Doflamingo first. He's the key to Kaido's operations."
"And then Kaido!" Luffy added enthusiastically, punching his palm.
Law nodded. "Exactly. But first, we need to deal with Joker. That means Dressrosa."
Zoro walked over, his swords at his waist. "What's the plan for Dressrosa? I'm guessing it's not a straight fight."
Law gave a faint smirk. "That would be suicide. Doflamingo runs the island, and his control is absolute. We'll need a way to dismantle his hold before we can even think about taking him down."
Sanji lit a cigarette and exhaled. "Sounds messy. Any ideas, or are we winging it like usual?"
"First step is to separate him from his Smile production," Law explained. "We destroy the factory in Dressrosa, and Kaido won't get his supply of artificial Devil Fruits. That'll weaken their alliance."
Coby raised a hand like he was in class. "And then we kick his ass?"
Law gave him a flat look. "Something like that."
Coby shook his head. "That won't be necessary."
Law frowned. "What do you mean?"
Coby pointed toward Caesar, who was slumped on the ground, still bound in the Sea Stone cuffs. "I just had him call Joker. Doflamingo will be here soon."
Luffy grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Let's beat him then!"
Law's irritation was clear as he stepped forward. "That is not the plan."
Coby snorted, crossing his arms. "Why should we care about your plan? You want to fight him at his headquarters, where he's surrounded by all his goons? No thanks. I'll deal with him here, while he's alone. After that, we can clean up Dressrosa."
Law's jaw tightened, but Luffy clapped him on the shoulder. "Sounds easier to me!" Luffy said.
Coby turned to Smoker, smirking. "What's your plan? Don't think we're buddies now just because I helped you clean your ranks."
Smoker's face reddened. "That's my line, pirate scum!"
Coby chuckled. "We'll let you take the kids, but you better hurry. Doflamingo's on his way."
Smoker growled but gave a sharp nod, motioning to his men. "Tashigi, get the children to the ship. Move it!"
Tashigi saluted, rallying the Marines as they hurried to escort the rescued children toward their ship. Robin and Chopper joined them to ensure the kids were stable, working alongside the Marines without exchanging more than a few quick words.
Smoker shot him a glare but didn't respond as he barked more orders to his subordinates. The children were loaded onto the Marine ship quickly, their wide eyes darting between their rescuers and the imposing presence of the Straw Hats.
Law stood a short distance away, arms crossed, watching the commotion. "You realize this will only make him angrier," he said, glancing at Coby.
Coby shrugged. "He'll be angry no matter what. At least here, we've got an advantage."
Luffy wandered over, picking at his nose. "Who cares if he's mad? We're gonna beat him up anyway."
Law sighed. "You make it sound simple."
"It usually is," Luffy replied with a grin.
Sanji lit a cigarette and leaned against a rock. "How long before he gets here, you think?"
Coby glanced at horizon. "Not long. He's probably already on his way."
Usopp peeked out from behind a boulder. "Do we even know how strong this guy is? Like, he's a Warlord, right? Shouldn't we have a plan?"
"We already have one," Coby said, unsheathing Shusui slightly and letting the black blade glint in the light. "We fight."
Usopp groaned, hiding his face. "That's not a plan!"
Franky walked up, flexing his arms. "It's the best plan! SUUUUUPER!"
"Yeah, we'll wing it," Luffy added, punching his fist into his palm. "It's more fun that way."
Law pinched the bridge of his nose but didn't argue further. "Fine. Just don't get in my way."
Coby shrugged. "Seriously though, Doffy is strong. Except for me and Luffy, I don't recommend any of you stick around."
Law growled. "He's my target!"
Luffy chuckled. "It's fine. After I beat his ass, you can fight him too."
Zoro smirked at Coby. "Luffy's turn?"
Coby nodded. "With Gear 4, Luffy can beat him easy."
Sanji raised an eyebrow. "Gear 4? A new form?"
Luffy laughed, scratching his head. "Yeah."
Usopp leaned forward, looking between them. "Wait, how do you know about it, Coby?"
Coby sighed. "Over the past two years, I visited Luffy a few times. We sparred."
Brook tapped his chin, intrigued. "Oh? And how strong is Gear 4, Coby-san?"
Coby smirked faintly. "Too strong."
Sanji exhaled through his cigarette, watching Luffy with curiosity. "I'm guessing it's some ridiculous transformation. What does it do?"
Luffy started to stretch his arms absently. "You'll see soon enough."
--
From the last free chapter to the last Patreon chapter, there are currently 68 chapters available. Patreon now offers 68 advance chapters, and that number will go down by one each day as I steadily release them to the public.
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