Law swept a calm gaze over the two of them and said flatly, "We're not changing it."
"Not changing it?"
The two stared at Law, dumbfounded. After everything that had happened, he still wasn't going to change the trade location?
Was this guy serious?
"We've already come this far. There's no reason to change locations now," Law said calmly.
Green Bit was the only place in all of Dressrosa that met the necessary criteria.
As for going into Dressrosa proper?
How would he be able to buy time for Straw Hat-ya and the others there?
So, changing the location was out of the question.
"Uh..."
Usopp and Caesar were left speechless, unsure of what to say for a moment.
Nico Robin simply smiled. She didn't particularly care about those Fighting Fish.
After all, with their strength, they wouldn't be frightened by mere fish. Even if they were Sea Kings, they had nothing to fear!
"So you're saying we still have to cross this bridge?" Usopp asked with a grimace.
"Yes."
Law nodded, then turned his gaze toward their surroundings, continuing, "However... I can't help but feel something isn't right."
"What's not right?"
"Don't you think these people are too strange?"
Law stared closely at the crowds of people accompanied by children or robots. "The king of this country only announced his abdication a short while ago, yet everything here is so peaceful..."
This was clearly abnormal.
"Maybe the Marines came forward and said something?" Nico Robin guessed.
"The Marines..."
Recalling the Marine Admiral that Sunglasses-ya had mentioned earlier, Law's brow gradually furrowed.
That was likely the only possibility.
Just then, Nico Robin seemed to spot something, and her expression changed instantly.
"What's wrong, Robin?"
Usopp looked at Nico Robin in confusion as she instinctively pulled her hat lower. He hadn't realized what was happening.
"Shh..."
Nico Robin didn't explain; she simply gestured for Usopp to be quiet.
Out of trust for his comrade, Usopp shut his mouth.
Soon, the members of CP0 appearing near them left the street and headed into the distance.
"That was..."
Caesar stared at their retreating backs with a pale face, his hands trembling slightly.
As a wanted man, he was terrified of anyone from the World Government.
"What was it?" Usopp asked, confused.
"CP0," Law said, his face grim.
"CP..."
Usopp tilted his head and thought for a moment. Why did that sound so familiar?
Seeing this, Nico Robin explained, "The world's strongest intelligence organization—Cipher Pol Aigis Zero!"
Usopp: !!
No wonder it sounded familiar! The CP9 they had encountered before had a similar designation!
"What's their relationship with CP9?" Usopp asked quickly.
"They are the highest-level agents of that organization."
"What?"
Usopp's face went pale. "CP9 was already that hard to deal with. Aren't these guys even more dangerous?"
It was lucky they hadn't been exposed just now, or those guys would have definitely finished them off!
As if imagining the scene, Usopp's expression grew even worse.
"These guys are indeed very dangerous," Nico Robin said, staring in the direction they had left. "Nothing good ever comes from them being deployed."
"True enough."
Law fully agreed with Nico Robin. It was never a good sign when the World Government mobilized these people!
Then, as if a thought had occurred to him, he turned to Nico Robin and said, "Nico-ya, do you think it's possible these guys are here to assist the Marines?"
He knew how much of an attraction the Diamond-Diamond Fruit was; after all, even people from the Four Emperors' crews had come here to snatch it.
So, it was reasonable for the World Government to send reinforcements.
"Probably so," Nico Robin said. "But... they aren't in Dressrosa, after all, so these guys should be leaving here soon."
She just didn't know if Ace and the others could successfully escape from them.
If they couldn't, the Straw Hat Pirates would have to trade blows with the Marines.
"I hope so."
Having said that, Law took a sip of the coffee on the table, his eyes narrowing.
"When do we set out?"
"No rush," Law said. "We'll wait until CP0 is further away."
Though he didn't know if those CP0 agents would suddenly double back, it was better to be cautious.
After all... they couldn't afford to lose.
Since Law had said as much, Nico Robin didn't press further. She picked up her coffee and began to drink.
She would treat this as... a post-meal break.
"This is the place, right?"
Looking at the massive coliseum before him, Luffy's face lit up with excitement. "I'm so looking forward to this~"
He wondered if the contestants inside were strong.
Franky laughed. "I can hear the roaring cheers from all the way out here. It makes even me want to join the fray."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Meiser raised an eyebrow. "How about you enter the competition and I go find the factory?"
"Forget it."
Franky shook his head. "Since I've already taken on this job, naturally, I should be the one to go."
He had declared in front of everyone that he would destroy the factory with a single blast, so he certainly wouldn't let Meiser handle it for him.
Since Franky insisted, Meiser didn't try to persuade him further.
Then, he looked with a smile at Merry, whose eyes were sparkling. "What is it, little one? Are you interested in the duel tournament too?"
At those words, Merry's eyes sparkled even more.
"Can I participate too?"
"That won't do."
Meiser rubbed the little girl's head. "This sort of thing isn't suitable for a pretty young lady like you. You should follow Franky on the other mission."
"Oh... alright."
Since Meiser didn't agree, she wouldn't join.
Franky chuckled. Had this little one forgotten she was a child?
Under these circumstances, even if she wanted to enter, no one would let her participate. After all... it was against the rules.
Just then, two guards rushed over from a distance and fired several shots at the Toy Soldier, Kyros.
"Stop right there, you!"
"Damn it, making us go through all this trouble..."
"Stop, you wanted Toy Soldier!"
"I'm not stopping for you two!"
As he spoke, Kyros slid rapidly across the ground, dodging the bullets fired from behind with extreme speed.
Then, as he approached the coliseum, he leaped into the air and landed inside the Sea Stone railing.
"This..."
Seeing this, the two guards' faces turned green.
How did that guy get into the coliseum?
Seeing their expressions, Kyros immediately grinned.
"See that, you two slowpokes?" Kyros said. "One of my feet is already inside the coliseum!"
"You should know exactly what that means!"
Hearing Kyros's words, the two guards' expressions became even uglier.
As guards of Dressrosa, they naturally knew the rules!
According to the laws of Dressrosa, guards and Marines were forbidden from entering the coliseum. Even if a criminal was found inside, they couldn't enter to make an arrest!
If they ignored the rule and opened fire, they would become criminals themselves.
And this was a law established by the Donquixote Family!
"Damn it..."
The two guards glared at Kyros, gnashing their teeth, but there was nothing they could do.
"Since you understand, then get lost!" Kyros shouted.
"Bastard, just you wait!"
The guards cursed in frustration, then turned and left with their companions. Kyros let out a huge sigh of relief.
Though he utterly loathed the Donquixote Family, he was currently forced to use their rules to survive.
Thinking of this, Kyros sighed silently.
"I wonder when these days will ever end."
"This island really is strange," Franky said, looking up at Kyros. "There are even toy fugitives."
And a very tough toy at that.
"Toy fugitives..."
Hearing Franky's words, Meiser's brow gradually furrowed.
He was feeling more and more like the toys in this country were the product of some Devil Fruit Ability User.
"Wait... that's not right!"
Meiser suddenly realized something. If the toys were truly products of a Devil Fruit Ability, how could there be cases of rebellion?
After all, an Ability User could deactivate their power at any time.
So... these guys weren't actually products of a Devil Fruit Ability?
Or... the things the user created were special, requiring the user to physically touch the toy to destroy it, which is why rebellious toys existed?
Though it sounded a bit far-fetched, Devil Fruit powers were inherently bizarre, so... it wasn't impossible!
Looking at the Toy Soldier jumping down from the heights, Meiser slowly narrowed his eyes.
"Hello, old gentlemen. Let me carry your luggage for you," Kyros said with a smile.
"Huh?"
"Why the sudden change in politeness?" Franky said, surprised.
The way he had faced those two guards just now was quite aggressive.
"Hahaha, you're so funny," Luffy laughed.
"Haha, am I funny?"
"How about this?"
"Or this~"
Watching Kyros wiggling around on the ground, Luffy laughed even harder. This Toy Soldier really was interesting.
"Mr. Toy Soldier, could you please get out of the way?" Franky said. "We have things to do."
"Ah... I was in your way."
Kyros stood up from the ground awkwardly. "That was very improper of me. My apologies..."
As he spoke, his face actually turned red.
"Why are you blushing all of a sudden?" Franky teased. "You aren't one of those super serious types, are you?"
"H-How could that be?"
Kyros looked away. "Bringing joy to others is the purpose of a toy's existence, so there's no such thing as a super serious toy."
As he spoke, Kyros began making strange movements again, making Luffy burst out laughing.
This guy took things way too seriously.
"By the way... can toys blush?" Merry asked curiously.
Isn't his body made entirely of iron? Why can he still blush?
"Perhaps he is just special," Meiser guessed.
Merry blinked upon hearing this. Special?
Was it because he became a fugitive?
Hmm... truly a strange Mr. Toy Soldier.
Just then, the voice of a woman drifted over from the registration booth in the distance.
"Hey—!"
"Is there anyone else who wants to join today's duel tournament?" the lady called out. "Registration is about to close! 3... 2..."
"Hey, Luffy."
Franky looked toward the registration booth and said, "It looks like our entrance is over there. We need to sign up first."
"I see. Got it."
Luffy nodded, then shouted toward the registration booth, "Hey! The two of us want to sign up!"
As he spoke, Luffy pulled Meiser along with him.
Meiser looked helpless but didn't object, simply handing Merry, who was in his arms, over to Franky.
"Wait, you two aren't joking, are you?" Kyros looked at Luffy and Meiser, dumbfounded. "How old are you two? This is too reckless!"
With their old arms and legs, they wouldn't even be able to take a single punch once they got inside.
Entering the competition under these circumstances was pure suicide!
But unfortunately, Luffy only grinned, showing no intention of changing his mind.
Seeing this, Kyros could only turn his gaze to Meiser. Meiser saw this and smiled. "Our hearts aren't old~"
Kyros: ...
Is that the issue here?
You can easily be beaten to death in a competition like this!
Thinking of this, Kyros intended to persuade them further, but the two didn't look at him again, walking straight toward the registration booth.
"You... you two..."
Looking at Luffy and Meiser as they reached the booth, the lady pursed her lips and said patiently, "Old grandpas, this is the registration booth for the Corrida Coliseum. Have you two come to the wrong place?"
Out of a sense of conscience, she felt it necessary to warn these two old men, or they would surely die inside.
"No, we're here to participate in this," Luffy laughed.
"Is this old man serious??" The people nearby watched Luffy and Meiser with amusement. "They want to compete too?"
"Is this really okay?"
"Hey, hey, hey, do you know what kind of people are competing today?"
"Even if you win the regular matches, you won't get the Diamond-Diamond Fruit. There are several experts from the Donquixote Family in the finals!!"
"Old gentlemen, I advise you to reconsider. Otherwise, you really might be beaten to death."
Though they didn't know who had tricked these two old men into coming here, they felt they had to make things clear.
Otherwise... they would surely lose their lives for nothing.
"Hey, little girl, these two must be your family," the lady said, looking at Merry in Franky's arms. "Why don't you talk some sense into them?"
She firmly believed these two old men had gone mad.
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