Usopp and the others moved with incredible speed. They tore through the factory depths, leaving the low-ranking soldiers scattered in their wake. Only a few guards stood in their path, but they were no match for the crew's momentum. Soon, they reached the heart of the facility.
In the center of the room sat a young girl with green hair named Sugar. She wore a red cloak with bear ears and looked bored as she ate grapes from a basket. She was supposed to be supervising the toy slaves, but she seemed more interested in her snack. Standing behind her was a tall, disgusting man leaning on crutches. This was Trebol. He looked like he was wrapped in a thick, wet quilt, and mucus constantly dripped from his nose.
"Hey, hey, Sugar, are you unhappy?" Trebol asked in his usual nasally voice.
"I am not unhappy," Sugar replied weakly. "It is just boring. I have been in this factory all day and I cannot see the sun. Trebol, can I leave this place and go play in the palace?"
"Maybe before, but not now," Trebol answered, waving his snotty hands. "The Straw Hats have arrived in Dressrosa. Doflamingo ordered us to protect you. We cannot have any accidents."
"The Straw Hats?" Sugar huffed. "They sound annoying. I will just turn them all into toys if they show up."
Trebol felt a bit uneasy. If the Straw Hats were that easy to deal with, Doflamingo would not be so worried. Suddenly, Trebol's instincts flared. He sensed a presence and swung his arm. A ball of sticky mucus flew through the air and wrapped around a piece of incoming ammunition.
"Who is there?" Trebol screamed. "Come out!"
He was furious that someone had dared to attack while he was on guard. Usopp and the others stopped hiding and stepped out from behind the heavy machinery. However, Kyros and Rebecca stayed in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to strike a sneak attack. They knew the mission: if they could knock out Sugar, the curse on the toys would be broken.
"Tengu Sniper King Usopp! Psychic Painter Marianne! Lion King Richie!" Trebol shouted as he recognized them. "I did not expect you to make it inside the factory! What were Senor Pink and Jora doing?"
Trebol's face turned pale. Seeing Marianne and Richie made him feel very uncertain about the situation. He reached for a snail-shaped phone bug to call for reinforcements.
"You are not calling anyone!" Usopp shouted.
Usopp fired a rapid-fire shot. Trebol moved quickly to block the bullets aimed at Sugar, but he failed to see the second shot. The bullet struck the phone bug right out of Trebol's hand, shattering the communication device.
"You brat!" Trebol roared. "I will kill you, Usopp!"
"Sticky Chain!" Trebol yelled. He shot a thick chain made of mucus from his palm toward Usopp.
Usopp dodged the disgusting attack, feeling a wave of nausea. Trebol kept attacking, forcing Usopp to scramble back.
"Marianne! Help me out!" Usopp cried.
"Wait until I finish my cookie," Marianne replied calmly.
As soon as she swallowed her bite, she moved. She launched a sharp air blade, a Tempest Kick, aimed directly at Sugar. Trebol gasped and jumped in front of the girl, using his thick mucus to catch the attack. He was not hurt, but he was badly shaken. Marianne's strike had been nearly too fast to block.
Richie the lion suddenly charged forward. Instead of attacking Trebol directly, he began running in circles around the two enemies. Marianne pulled out her palette and colored pencils.
"What is this girl doing?" Sugar asked, looking confused. "Is she just drawing on the floor?"
"Sugar, do not underestimate those patterns!" Trebol warned. "The Straw Hats are dangerous. Doflamingo warned us about her colors. Each color has a different power. The black paint makes people betray their friends, and the green paint can force people to become her friends. Do not touch them!"
The Doflamingo family had studied the crew's abilities carefully. They knew Marianne and Richie had once stood their ground against a powerful Marine. Trebol was starting to feel truly afraid.
"Nice work, Marianne!" Usopp laughed.
He stayed at a safe distance and began firing a barrage of explosive stars at Sugar. Trebol had no choice but to use his own body and mucus as a shield. However, when his slime touched a red pattern Marianne had drawn on the ground, his defense failed to stop Usopp's bullets.
"Damn this paint!" Trebol cursed.
An explosion rocked the room as Usopp's Firebird Star hit Trebol directly. Smoke filled the air, and Trebol let out a loud scream.
"Get out of the way, you gross old man!" Usopp yelled.
"Hey, hey, it is not that easy to kill me!" Trebol shouted back. Even though he had been hit, he seemed perfectly fine, which frustrated Usopp.
Marianne reached for another cookie but stopped. Looking at Trebol's dripping mucus made her lose her appetite.
"Usopp, this is useless," Marianne said, putting her snacks away. "I will take down the snot man. You focus on Sugar."
She seemed annoyed that Trebol had ruined her snack time. Richie charged forward again, but this time he used Moonwalk to leap into the air. He soared over the patterns and straight toward Trebol's head. Marianne sat on the lion's back, swinging her legs to launch a series of Tempest Kicks.
Trebol tried to block the air blades with his slime, but this time, blood began to seep through his thick coat. His expression turned from anger to shock.
Trebol's secret was that his actual body was very thin. He hid inside a massive suit of mucus so that normal attacks would only hit the slime and miss his flesh. But Marianne's kicks had landed perfectly on his chest and stomach.
"How did you hit me?" Trebol gasped.
"I am a painter," Marianne explained simply. "I learn how to draw the human body before I draw the clothes. Your shape did not match your movements, so I guessed where your real body was. Also, I can use Observation Haki. You should not underestimate me."
Trebol stared at her, unable to believe that a little girl had seen right through his trick. The pressure in the factory was rising, and the Straw Hats were closing in on their goal.
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