Seeing Brownbeard's expression clearly, Meiser inwardly sneered.
No matter how well this guy spoke, he didn't believe that the person Brownbeard called "master" was any good.
After all... that person captured passersby for experiments!
However, Meiser had no intention of exposing him and continued, "You think your master is a good person, but wasn't it him who released the poison gas here?"
"That's not it at all!"
Brownbeard interrupted Meiser excitedly, saying, "It was the evil Vegapunk who did it!"
"Because of Vegapunk's selfish desires, a terrifying poison gas leak occurred on this island, turning it into a dead land!"
As if remembering something, anger flashed in Brownbeard's eyes.
Although he hadn't experienced the poison gas leak himself, some of his companions had!
So... he deeply hated Vegapunk!
"Vegapunk?"
A trace of surprise appeared in Nico Robin's eyes. Why did the Vegapunk she knew not seem like someone who would do such a thing?
Was he just a great actor, or was he being framed?
"That's right, it was Vegapunk," Brownbeard said through gritted teeth. "Because of him, many people died on this island!"
"It seems some rumors aren't necessarily true," Nico Robin remarked.
"Of course," Brownbeard snorted. "What kind of good person would willingly be the World Government's lapdog like Vegapunk?"
"But my master, Caesar, is different!"
"He is a truly great scientist. If not for him, this island would still be filled with poison gas!!"
By the end, Brownbeard's expression grew excited again.
How great his master was!
Meiser and Nico Robin, who had observed Brownbeard's expressions closely, smiled. This guy was even easier to trick than they had imagined.
They had extracted so much information without even using the Sharingan. What a... fool!
"It seems the situation here is pretty much what you thought," Usopp glanced at Meiser and said.
There really had been a poison gas leak here!
Meiser just smiled in response, saying nothing more.
"So, this island became like this because of that poison gas incident?" Luffy asked.
"Not at all."
Brownbeard shook his head. "The state of this island has nothing to do with the poison gas leak."
Luffy was taken aback.
It wasn't?
Then what was the reason?
As if reading Luffy's confusion, Brownbeard continued, "This was caused by human actions."
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked.
Human actions?
Was it done by a Devil Fruit Ability User?
Meiser, as if realizing something, brightened up and said, "Could this be the place where Akainu and Aokiji fought?"
Only a Logia Awakening Ability User could permanently alter the climate!
And since Akainu and Aokiji possess the attributes of magma and ice respectively... he had reason to suspect this was the very place where those two fought!
"You're right," Brownbeard nodded. "This is indeed where Akainu and Aokiji battled."
"The river you crossed earlier was created during their fight."
Upon hearing this, Meiser wore an expression of confirmation—it seemed his guess was pretty much on point.
Zoro, however, was somewhat astonished. "Permanently alter the climate?"
"Is that really something an Ability User can do?"
This wasn't just a simple effect on an area; it was a permanent change to an entire island!
"Though it sounds astonishing, that's the truth," Brownbeard said.
As for how those two managed such a feat, he had no idea. It had simply happened.
"Such a thing is indeed possible," Meiser spoke up. "Logia-type Devil Fruit Ability Users, upon reaching Awakening, have the potential to permanently alter the environment."
This was something Uncle Rayleigh had specifically mentioned before.
And this island was the perfect example!
"Devil Fruit Ability Awakening is truly outrageous!" Usopp gulped.
What kind of effect would he have if he awakened?
"It really is that outrageous," Meiser shrugged.
After all, the evidence was right before their eyes.
Usopp fell silent upon hearing this, then a peculiar light flickered in his eyes.
At that moment, he felt an immense desire to awaken his Devil Fruit Ability!
Brook tilted his head. "Only Logia types can awaken?"
"Not at all."
Meiser shook his head. "Any Devil Fruit Ability User has the chance to awaken."
At least, that's what Uncle Rayleigh had said.
"I see, yo ho ho ho ho~"
Brook chuckled, then looked up at the sky, pondering what effect his own awakening might have.
Summoning the souls of the dead?
Meanwhile, Nico Robin fell into deep thought. Devil Fruit Ability Awakening...
Could she achieve it?
Brownbeard, who had been listening to their conversation, blinked. He felt he had just overheard something extraordinary.
"You're not too bad," Luffy laughed, patting Brownbeard on the shoulder. "You just told us exactly what we wanted to know."
Thinking Luffy was referring to the matter of Akainu and Aokiji, Brownbeard waved his hand. "That's no secret to some people, so there's no harm in mentioning it."
Luffy grinned and nodded, then waved his hand grandly. "Speed up, crocodile centaur!"
"My name is Brownbeard, you idiot!"
"Hahahaha."
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Not long after Nami and the others broke out of the prison cell, they arrived at a place filled with many children.
"Children?"
Looking over the group of kids of varying sizes, Perona exclaimed in surprise, "Why are there so many children here?"
"Maybe... this is the island's nursery?" Nami guessed.
Otherwise, there's no way to explain why there are so many children here.
"That's possible," Franky nodded first, then looked at the few children with enormous builds and said, "But aren't their bodies a bit too big?"
"Are they from the Giant Race?"
"If that's the case, we've arrived at the Giant Kingdom!" Chopper's eyes lit up.
Have they reached the legendary Elbaf?!
"Probably not."
Nami shook her head, then pointed at the children hiding behind the toys and said, "Look, there are also children of normal size over there."
"Oh, really..."
"Then this must be a nursery that doesn't discriminate by race," Sanji said, stroking his chin.
It's just unclear who set this place up.
"Nursery?"
Nami looked around in confusion and said, "Then why are there no adults?"
Normally, a place like this should have adults around, right?
Hearing Nami's words, a hint of complexity immediately appeared in Perona's eyes. Could it be that these kids are also unwanted children?
"I don't know about that," Sanji shook his head.
Maybe the adults went out to take care of something.
"Um..." the little boy Raid cautiously looked at Nami and the others and said, "Who are you?"
He's never seen these people before.
Meanwhile, the little girl Mocha seemed to have thought of something, her eyes lighting up as she said, "Are you the frozen people?"
"You escaped!"
Nami: ??
"Frozen people?"
"What's that?"
Could someone have been frozen on this island?
Thinking this, Nami and Perona exchanged a glance, both seeing the same thought in each other's eyes.
This island... something's off!
"I'm getting more and more curious about this island," Franky said.
Hearing Franky's words, all the children froze for a moment.
Then, they shouted excitedly, "It's... it's a robot!"
"So cool!"
"Hahaha, I love robots the most!"
With that, some of the children immediately ran over to Franky, excitedly surrounding him.
"So cool!!"
"Hahahaha~"
Feeling the children's enthusiasm, Franky burst into laughter, then struck his signature pose and said, "You all like this armor of mine so much~"
"6 super~"
"Wow!"
"So cool!"
"Hahahaha."
Watching Franky happily interacting with the children, Nami rubbed her temples helplessly and said, "This guy really is popular with boys..."
Why do guys all like this stuff?
Even little kids are like this...
"Well, he is a robot after all~"
Chopper grinned as he watched the scene, clearly understanding the little boys' thoughts.
After all... he's the same way!
"Ah, there's a stuffed animal here!"
"It's a tanuki stuffed animal!"
Chopper: ??
Hearing the little girls' voices, Chopper immediately sprouted a few question marks above his head, then retorted, "I'm not a tanuki, I'm a reindeer!"
"Ah, so it's a reindeer stuffed animal~"
"So cute!"
A little girl several meters tall finished speaking and scooped him up, laughing as she and her companions teased Chopper.
Chopper: "Wah!"
"Save me!"
Upon hearing this, Perona instinctively glanced in Chopper's direction, but seeing that the children meant no harm, she withdrew her gaze.
"Each one is more popular than the last," Sanji remarked with a sigh.
Just then, a little boy approached Sanji, pointed at his eyebrows, and said, "Your curly brows are all swirly-swirly~"
Sanji: ??
"Shut up, you little brat!"
What did he mean by "swirly-swirly"? These were handsome curly brows!
Sanji then tried to make his way out from among the children, but there were simply too many of them. Unwilling to hurt the kids, he had no choice but to reluctantly play along.
"What a bunch of troublesome little brats," Perona said.
A few children who heard Perona's voice instinctively looked her way, their eyes lighting up as they exclaimed, "Princess sister, you're so pretty~"
"Yeah, yeah! Princess sister looks just like a princess from a picture book!"
"?"
Perona was momentarily taken aback by their words before bursting into laughter.
"Hara hara hara~"
"You kids sure know how to talk~" Perona said with a smirk. "That's right, I am a princess!"
Indeed, she liked these sweet-talking children~
Perona then took a step forward and said, "Since you're so good with words, Princess sister will show you something fun."
"Hara hara hara~"
"Princess sister, what fun thing are you going to show us?" the little girl Mocha asked curiously.
"Of course, something interesting~"
With that, Perona summoned several white Ghosts, lining them up to float in mid-air.
Seeing this, Mocha's eyes filled with confusion as she asked, "What... what are these?"
Why could these things that looked like stick figures fly in the sky?
"Of course, they're Ghos..."
Perona suddenly stopped mid-sentence, clearly worried that the word "Ghost" might scare the children. Instead, she changed her phrasing: "They're Cute Boos~"
"Cute Boos?"
"That's right, Cute Boos!" Perona declared proudly, hands on her hips. "This is my special ability—I can summon fun Cute Boos~"
"Look, they can even dance~"
As she spoke, Perona made the Ghosts perform a lively dance in mid-air, captivating the little girls and making their eyes sparkle.
"Princess sister is so amazing!"
"Hara hara hara~"
"That's right, this princess is just that amazing~" Perona said with a laugh.
"Hara hara hara~"
Watching everyone's reactions, Nami smiled softly. It seemed these guys really did like children.
Well~
Come to think of it, she was the same.
With that in mind, Nami stepped forward and said, "Sister will show you something fun too~"
"?"
"Does Orange sister have magic too?"
"Orange sister?"
Nami was momentarily stunned before a smile spread uncontrollably across her face.
Good, she really liked that nickname.
She then raised a finger and said, "That's right, sister has magic too~"
After saying that, Nami activated her Devil Fruit ability, creating clouds one after another in mid-air.
Then, using her ability, Nami shaped these clouds into the forms of small animals, and the children watching immediately had stars in their eyes.
"Wow!"
"Big Sister Tangerine is so amazing~"
"Look, it's an elephant! It looks just like the one in the picture book!"
"This is a giraffe!"
"This... this is a rabbit!"
Watching the children circle around the animal-shaped clouds, Nami smiled happily, her gaze much gentler than before.
The feeling of having adults to play with during childhood... it's wonderful...
Bellemere... I miss you a little.
"Big Sister Tangerine, why are you crying?"
A girl as tall as Nami approached her side, gently raising her hand to wipe away the tears at the corner of Nami's eyes. "Big Sister Tangerine, don't cry~"
Hearing this, Nami was taken aback. Had she been crying just now?
Then, Nami noticed the moisture on the girl's hand.
It seemed she really had shed tears...
After a moment of silence, Nami smiled and reached out to pat the little one's head. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
"That's good~"
The little girl sighed in relief upon hearing this, then turned and ran back to where the clouds were, happily interacting with the little animals alongside her friends.
Seeing this scene, a gentle expression reappeared on Nami's face. This feeling... was actually quite nice.
Just then, Kin'emon interjected, "Hey, you guys!"
"Does anyone know a child named Momonosuke?!"
"?"
"!!"
The children who had been interacting with Sanji froze for a moment upon hearing this, then backed away from Sanji in horror, shouting, "The head is talking!"
"It's so scary!"
"Run away!"
The frightened children immediately ran off into the distance, each looking more terrified than the last.
Sanji: ...
What kind of situation is this?
"Hey, don't run away, you guys!" Kin'emon shouted. "Does anyone know Momonosuke?"
But unfortunately, no one paid him any attention.
"Do you have any idea how scary it is to talk like that?!" Nami glared at Kin'emon angrily. "Look how scared the children are!"
Now they don't even feel like playing with the clouds here anymore!
"I just want to find my son. What's wrong with that?"
Kin'emon glared back at Nami just as fiercely, not backing down at all.
Nami: ??
That may be true, but that's not the way to go about it!
Thinking this, Nami decided to have a proper talk with Kin'emon.
Just then, heavy footsteps could be heard from the door behind them, clearly indicating someone was rushing toward them.
"Someone's coming."
Chopper glanced back at the door and said, "Is it those pursuers?"
"Let's leave this place first," Sanji said.
"But what about these children?" Perona asked worriedly.
If possible, she didn't want these sweet-talking little ones to get hurt.
"They should be fine," Sanji said, scanning the surrounding facilities. "Don't forget what kind of place this is."
Since a nursery like this exists here, it means the island's master won't harm these children, so there's no need for them to take the children along.
Perona pursed her lips upon hearing this. That was true, but...
"Let's go first," Sanji said.
After speaking, he picked up Kin'emon from the ground and looked at the children around them. "By the way, kids, what kind of facility is this place we're in right now?"
"This..."
Before Sanji could finish, he was interrupted by Kin'emon's voice.
"I'm looking for a child named Momonosuke. Has anyone seen him?!"
"Ah, a head monster!"
Seeing the children fleeing in terror from Kin'emon, Nami instantly became furious.
Slap!
After slapping Kin'emon across the face, Nami bared her shark mouth and scolded, "Shut your mouth and stop talking!"
Did this idiot even realize the situation he was in?!
"I... I was actually hit by a woman..."
Tears welled up in Kin'emon's eyes as he said, "This is a samurai's disgrace. I must commit seppuku!"
"Then hurry up and go commit seppuku, you bastard!"
As she spoke, Nami punched him again.
Thud!
"Ah!!"
"These damn pirates."
The pursuers who had chased them inside said with grim expressions, "They actually managed to run here."
"Alright, I'll shoot them down with my gun!"
As he spoke, a man raised his flintlock and took aim, completely disregarding whether children were running through his line of sight.
"Wait."
A man beside him grabbed his flintlock and said, "Don't forget what kind of place this is. Calm down."
"If you hit a child, the master will be furious!"
If they used guns or bombs here, they might harm these children.
Then... the enraged master would tear them apart!
As if understanding his meaning, the man holding the gun slowly lowered the muzzle.
"Did you bring the Kairoseki net?"
"Yes."
"Then let's go. Drive them out of the nursery."
"Once they're outside, we'll use our weapons to capture them all!"
"Yes!"
With that, these men charged toward Nami and the others in the distance.
Seeing this, Franky said, "They're catching up."
"Really persistent, aren't they?" Perona frowned.
If she had known these guys were so fearless, she would have used Explosive Ghosts earlier.
"By the way, why are we afraid of these guys?" Chopper, perched on Franky's shoulder, asked in confusion.
Given their strength, defeating these pursuers shouldn't be difficult, right?
"Because we're not sure what this place is," Sanji said. "Starting a fight recklessly would put us at a disadvantage, so let's regroup with Luffy and the others first."
No one knew if there were stronger individuals here, like those on the level of the Four Emperors, so it was better to regroup with Luffy and the others before considering anything else.
This time, Chopper just nodded without saying anything more.
Just then, Mocha and the others exchanged glances before taking large strides to catch up with Nami and the group.
"Mr. Robot," Raid looked at Franky and asked, "Are you from outside the island?"
"Yes."
Franky nodded first, then raised his thumb and said, "But kid, I'm not a robot. I'm a cyborg."
"A cyborg?"
Raid was taken aback for a moment—wasn't Sen still a robot?
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Raid continued, "Do you have a ship?"
"Of course!"
Franky laughed. "We definitely have a ship!"
"I'm telling you, our Sunny School is the best in the world..."
"Save us!"
"Huh?"
Franky, interrupted mid-sentence, was taken aback and looked at Raid in surprise. "What did you say?"
Save them?
What did he mean by "save them"?
The other members of the Straw Hat Pirates also looked at Raid with astonishment, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing.
"Save us, please?"
"What do you mean by 'save'?" A hint of confusion appeared in Sanji's eyes as he said, "Isn't this a daycare center?"
Why use the word "save"?
"Big sister, please save us," Mocha said, looking at Nami. "I beg you."
Hearing this, Nami stopped in her tracks and looked at the other with a puzzled gaze. She didn't understand why they were asking for help.
"Miss Nami, don't stop!" Sanji shouted. "Hurry up and go!"
No one knew exactly what this place was or who these people were, so...
It was better to leave quickly.
As for these children?
Judging from the reactions of those pursuers earlier, they wouldn't harm the children, so there was no need to complicate matters.
"But..."
"Miss Nami, hurry!"
Nami gritted her teeth upon hearing this, forcing herself to take a step and run forward.
"Why is it like this..."
"Our illness is already cured, we can leave this place now..."
"Why can't you take us away..."
Chopper, hearing the voices of the children behind him, paused in confusion before turning to look back. "Illness? What illness?"
Are these children sick?
But they don't look sick at all—each one seems livelier than the last.
"Not sure," Sanji shook his head and said, "Let's go, we should regroup with Luffy and the others first."
"Okay..."
Watching the group leave, the children instinctively stopped in their tracks, their faces filled with disappointment. "Why can't you take us away..."
"Alright, alright, children~"
A person in a protective suit walked in, smiling as they said, "That group of people is very dangerous, so you mustn't get close to them~"
"Is that so?"
Hearing this, a hint of doubt appeared in the children's eyes.
These people willingly played with them—could they really be bad people?
It doesn't seem like it...
"That's right~" a man said with a smile. "They are a group of evil pirates who know how to disguise themselves. They're very dangerous."
"But don't worry, we'll protect all of you who are sick~"
"And then... use smoke bombs to make all these guys fall asleep!"
"Hehehehe~"
Listening to their laughter, the children instinctively felt something was off.
For some reason, they felt that these people in protective suits seemed more dangerous.
At that moment, a thought crossed the children's minds.
That is... are they really sick?
After exchanging glances with her little friends, a thought suddenly occurred to Mocha.
That is... these Straw Hat siblings might be the only ones who could take them away from this place!
If they missed this chance, they might never be able to leave here!
Though she didn't know why such a thought came to mind, nine-year-old Mocha chose to trust her intuition.
Thinking this, Mocha immediately chased after Nami and the others without hesitation.
"Please wait..." Mocha cried out, "I really want to go home."
Seeing this, the other children also followed without hesitation, because... they too wanted to go home!
"Please, wait a moment," Raid said. "Take us with you."
"Big sisters, please," Mocha pleaded with tears in her eyes. "Save us."
Hearing the children's words, Nami trembled, her heart in intense turmoil.
After a moment of silence, Nami closed her eyes and said, "I'm sorry, children."
"We are being pursued right now, so we can't take you with us. Otherwise, you'll be in danger too."
"How can this be..."
Seeing Mocha's expression gradually turn to despair, Chopper anxiously asked, "Hey, what's going on here?"
"Let's take them with us!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Franky said. "Didn't you hear Nami? Taking them is dangerous!"
"Besides, we don't even know where to escape, so..."
By the end, Franky was on the verge of tears.
Sanji sighed and then said, "After we reunite with Luffy and the others, we can come back to check on the situation."
By then, even if they encountered a Four Emperor, the Straw Hat Pirates could fight!
Hearing Sanji's words, the others fell silent for a moment before nodding. For now, that was all they could do.
Upon hearing Sanji's words, Mocha gradually slowed her steps.
Although she didn't know who this person named Luffy was, she understood what he meant.
"Then... then, big sisters, please come back to save us," Mocha cried out.
Hearing the girl's sobs, Nami found it hard to take another step.
Perona, who had been flying in mid-air, also stopped and slowly descended to the ground.
"I know... although I've never left this place, there's nothing on this island, right?" Mocha continued crying. "No towns, no other people..."
"So no one will come to save us."
"But I miss my mom and dad so much... I haven't seen them in over three years."
"So... so, big sisters, please, you must come back!"
"You must come back to save us!"
By the end, Mocha fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face.
Hearing her, the other children also began to cry, their expressions filled with sorrow.
They... missed their parents too.
Listening to the children's cries, Nami fell silent for a moment before turning to face them and saying, "Everyone... let's save these children."
Hearing Nami's words, Perona lifted her head, and a massive Ghost appeared behind her.
The Ghost swiftly moved to Mocha's side and helped her up from the ground.
This... made her stance clear.
"Hey, Miss Nami, what are you saying?" Sanji, who had stopped walking, turned to look at Nami. "Have you not grasped the situation yet?"
"They already said they're sick with something, this might be a hospital?"
"Besides, we just met these children and haven't even figured out what's going on yet. Rushing to save them could get us trapped here too!"
"So we should go meet up with Luffy and the others first!"
Even if they really wanted to save them, they needed to understand the situation here first.
Otherwise, they might put their companions in danger!
"Of course I know that..."
Nami, clutching the special tattoo on her arm, trembled slightly before suddenly looking up at her companions and saying, "But... the children are crying and begging for your help. How can you bear to abandon them?!"
"Orange Sister..."
"Nami is right."
Perona, who had used a giant Explosion Ghost to set Monet down, said, "I can't just leave these kids behind either."
"After all... they're the only ones who call me Princess Sister!"
"So... I'm staying too!"
"Princess Sister..."
Looking at the two sisters who chose to stay, Mocha's tears welled up again.
In that moment, in their eyes, Nami and Perona were shining brightly!