Pirate Alliance

On Punk Hazard, among the remains of the first and second research facilities, Law's proposal lands like a shock. Someone blurts, "AN ALLIANCE?!!" Around him the snow and ruins stretch out under the label "PUNK HAZARD, REMAINS OF THE FIRST AND SECOND RESEARCH FACILITIES." Usopp cannot accept it: "YOU THINK YOU CAN DEFEAT ONE OF THE YONKOU IF YOU WORK TOGETHER WITH US?!" Then suspicion follows at once: "HOW RIDICULOUS...!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS GUY'S PLOTTING, LUFFY..." and "...BUT YOU MUSTN'T LISTEN!" Brownbeard is just as alarmed: "GOING ALONG WITH WHAT THIS GUY SAYS IS THE LAST THING WE SHOULD DO!!" Law, calm in the snow, clarifies that he is not promising a simple victory: "I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO DEFEAT ONE OF THE YONKOU JUST LIKE THAT...!! BUT IF WE CAREFULLY FOLLOW THE PLAN I'VE PREPARED... WE MIGHT JUST BE ABLE TO GRASP AN OPPORTUNITY...!!" He asks Luffy directly, "...WHAT DO YOU SAY? MR. STRAW HAT."

Luffy's answer begins with the only detail he cares about: "THIS YONKOU YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT... WHO IS IT?" The name is not shown on the page, but Luffy's reaction is. While Usopp and the others stare in panic, Usopp shouts, "HOLD ON, LUFFY! WHY ARE YOU ACTING ALL INTERESTED?!!" and "YOU KNOW WE CAN'T TRUST THIS GUY, RIGHT?!!" Luffy processes the answer in silence, then grins and says, "I SEE. ALL RIGHT, THEN!" Without hesitation he declares, "LET'S DO IT!" The others explode in horror: "WHAAA AAAAAAA AAAT?!!" Luffy has accepted Law's pirate alliance.

Luffy's scream of decision echoes through the ruins while the narration marks the place as the Straw Hat pirates' refuge spot. Robin, Chopper, and Usopp react together: "WE'RE FORMING AN ALLIANCE..." Then the realization hits: "...WITH THE HEART PIRATES?!!" Usopp tries to drag Luffy back toward caution: "I THOUGHT YOU JUST WENT TO RESCUE NAMI! HOW DID THAT LEAD TO SUCH A PREPOSTEROUS TURN OF EVENTS?!!" He also points out what everyone knows about Luffy's judgment: "YOU SEE, LUFFY?! I TOLD YOU NOBODY WOULD AGREE!" and "IF WE END UP WORKING TOGETHER WITH THIS SUPER-SUSPICIOUS, OUTLANDISH GUY, I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO SLEEP AT NIGHT!!!" For Usopp, the answer is simple: "WE SHOULD GIVE UP THIS RIDICULOUS IDEA! IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! WE OUGHT TO TAKE OUR OWN JOURNEY AT OUR OWN PACE...!"

Chopper trembles and insists, "THEY'RE RIGHT, LUFFY!! IT'S FAR TOO SOON FOR US TO BE TRYING TO TAKE DOWN THE YONKOU!! WE'RE STILL NO MATCH FOR THEM!!!" Robin offers a calmer warning: "LUFFY... IF THIS IS THE DECISION YOU'VE MADE, I WON'T OBJECT... BUT DO BE AWARE THAT PIRATE ALLIANCES GO HAND IN HAND WITH BETRAYAL." Luffy asks, "HUH? ARE YOU GONNA BETRAY US?" Law answers flatly, "NO," and Usopp collapses in frustration: "OH, FOR THE LOVE OF...!!!" Luffy smiles anyway. "ANYWAY, A PIRATE ALLIANCE SOUNDS LIKE FUN, DON'T YOU THINK?!" he says, adding, "PERSONALLY, I THINK TRA-DUDE IS A GOOD GUY, BUT EVEN IF HE ISN'T... ...THERE'S NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!!! AFTER ALL... I HAVE YOU GUYS WHO'VE BEEN TRAINING HARD FOR TWO YEARS ON MY SIDE!!!" Sanji, in Nami's body, is embarrassed by the trust, while the others reluctantly accept that once Luffy decides, they can only follow.

Law restores the swapped bodies with "SHAMBLES." Sanji returns to his own body first and cries, "OHHHHHHHH YEAHHHHHHH!!! I'M BACK IN MY OWN BEAUTIFUL BODY!!!" He celebrates, "THIS IS THE ONLY BODY THAT'S RIGHT FOR ME!!! MMMMNN!!! SIIIIIIPEEE EERRR!!!" Franky, restored to his own body too, gushes, "THAT'S SO LOVELY FOR YOU, FRANKY! I HOPE YOU NEVER END UP BACK IN CHOPPER'S BODY!" Robin laughs and says, "...EVER AGAIN." The reunion is not painless. Chopper, back in his tiny body, is injured and furious: "I'M BACK TOO... I AM, BUT...!! WHAT'D YOU CALL ALL THESE INJURIES?!!" Nami answers, "...WE'RE VERY SORRY." Chopper protests, "WHAT KIND OF WAY IS THIS TO TREAT ANOTHER PERSON'S BODY?!!" Luffy says, "IT WAS ALL HIS FAULT," but Chopper snaps back, "YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WENT ON A MAD RAMPAGE IN CHOPPER'S BODY!! WHAT ELSE WAS I MEANT TO DO?!!" The blame circles into "YOU'RE BOTH AS BAD AS EACH OTHER!!"

Sanji at least is relieved to be himself again and tells Chopper, "AT LEAST YOU'RE BACK IN YOUR OWN BODY NOW, CHOPPER!!" but then demands, "WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THE ONLY ONE LEFT OUT?! FIRST I HAVE TO BE FRANKY, AND NOW SANJI-KUN?!!" Usopp laughs until Sanji shouts, "STOP LAUGHING LIKE IT'S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!!!" A quick body chart shows the swaps repaired: Nami, Franky, and Chopper are back to normal, while Sanji is marked "NOT HERE." Usopp explains with a grin, "WELL, IT CAN'T REALLY BE HELPED, CAN IT? SANJI TOOK YOUR BODY OFF TO LOOK FOR THAT SAMURAI!" The group then turns to the unconscious giant children. Law asks, "SO THESE ARE THE KIDS, HUH...?" Sanji demands action: "DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS ALREADY!!" but Law answers, "CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT YOUR BODY." Chopper focuses on the children and says, "YEAH!! WE'VE GOT TO HELP THEM OUT SOMEHOW!!"

Chopper explains why the children cannot simply be dragged away. "DEALING WITH THEM IS MORE TROUBLE THAN IT'S WORTH... YOU SHOULD FORGET ABOUT IT. FROM WHAT I HEAR, THEY'VE BEEN HEAVILY DRUGGED..." he says, and then, "WE KNOW THAT ALREADY!! ANALYSED THEM!!" He adds that they must return the children safely to their homes, but the work will take time: "...BUT IT'LL TAKE TIME TO GET THE DRUG OUT OF THEIR SYSTEMS... AND THEY'VE GROWN TO SUCH MASSIVE SIZES, TOO...!!" Law identifies the reason for that size: "THE CREATION OF GIANT HUMANS... ...IS SOMETHING THE WORLD GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN RESEARCHING FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS." Chopper asks, "THE GOVERNMENT? WHY WOULD THEY WANT TO..." Law answers, "FOR MILITARY PURPOSES, NO DOUBT. IF THEY COULD CREATE WHOLE ARMIES OF GIANT SOLDIERS, NOBODY WOULD BE ABLE TO STAND UP TO THEM..." Caesar's work is part of that ambition. Law says Caesar is "TRYING TO ONE-UP THE GOVERNMENT AND VEGAPUNK," and asks Luffy directly, "...SO TELL ME. ARE YOU SERIOUS ABOUT THIS? YOU WANT TO SAVE THESE KIDS WHO YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT?"

The memory of the children's pleas settles the matter. One child had cried, "WE JUST WANT TO GO HOME!!" and another begged, "PLEASE, HELP US!!!" Sanji says, "ABSOLUTELY. THESE CHILDREN MIGHT BE STRANGERS TO US, BUT THEY ASKED US FOR HELP. WITH TEARS IN THEIR EYES, NO LESS." He understands Caesar's deception: "IT SEEMS LIKE THIS 'MASTER' TRICKED THEM INTO COMING HERE UNDER FALSE PRETENCES... ...BUT THOSE CHILDREN HAVE LONG SINCE REALISED THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT FACILITY." Sanji refuses to leave until their safety is guaranteed: "I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE THIS ISLAND!!" Law asks, "...YOU MEAN YOU'LL STAY HERE ON YOUR OWN?" Luffy answers, "I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE A CREWMATE BEHIND. IF THIS IS WHAT NAMI AND CHOPPER WANT TO DO... ...THEN I'M GOING TO HELP THEM." He adds another condition for Law: "OH, AND SANJI WANTED TO PUT THAT SAMURAI BACK TOGETHER. IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE OUR ALLY, THEN YOU'D BETTER HELP OUT TOO!"

Usopp warns Law about what alliance with Luffy really means. "SO, UH... I SHOULD PROBABLY WARN YOU, BUT I DON'T THINK LUFFY'S IDEA OF AN 'ALLIANCE' IS QUITE THE SAME AS YOURS. IF YOU WERE PLANNING ON ORDERING HIM ABOUT, YOU SHOULD JUST GIVE UP ON THAT." Luffy, cheerful and completely unbothered, asks, "IT'S LIKE BEING FRIENDS, RIGHT?" Usopp continues, "ONCE THIS GUY GETS AN IDEA INTO HIS HEAD, THERE'S NO POINT EVEN TRYING TO STOP HIM!! AS FAR AS HEADSTRONG SELFISHNESS GOES, HE'S ALREADY ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THE YONKOU! ISN'T THAT SOMETHING!" Law mutters, "...ERM, I DON'T THINK YOUR CREWMATES' REQUESTS REALLY ...HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH OUR ALLIANCE..." but he accepts the immediate reality. "...OH, ALL RIGHT, THEN. WE DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME... YOU PEOPLE CAN TAKE CARE OF THE SAMURAI BY YOURSELVES!! I'LL GO AND SEE WHAT I CAN FIND OUT ABOUT THE DRUG THESE KIDS HAVE BEEN GIVEN. WHO'S YOUR SHIP'S DOCTOR? I'LL TAKE HIM WITH ME. WE'LL HAVE TO DO A BIT OF SNEAKING AROUND BEHIND CAESAR'S BACK." Chopper, still injured, sits on Law's hat and says, "SORRY ABOUT THIS. I CAN'T MOVE ABOUT ON MY OWN RIGHT NOW, SO... I'M IN YOUR HANDS!!"

Law sets the danger clearly. "AS I'M SURE YOU CAN SURMISE FROM THAT PAIR OF ASSASSINS JUST NOW... ...MISTER CAESAR MEANS TO COMPLETELY ELIMINATE ALL OF YOU, AS WELL AS MISTER WHITE HUNTER AND HIS G-5 COMPANIONS... ...AND TAKE THE KIDS BACK FOR HIMSELF." He says Caesar will not stop attacking until he achieves that goal. Caesar is a former Government scientist who was reduced to a criminal after the major incident four years ago, and if word spreads that someone is living on the sealed-off island, then to him "that means losing the perfect hideout." Law promises, "HE'LL STOP AT NOTHING TO SEE YOU DEAD." He also explains why Caesar is more than a researcher: "HIS BOUNTY IS 300 MILLION BELI. HE USES LARGE-SCALE SLAUGHTER WEAPONS. HE USES THE GAS GAS NO MI, A LOGIA-TYPE FRUIT." Sanji reacts, "THREE HUNDRED MILLION...?!" Law concludes, "IF YOU CAN'T USE HAKI, DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GOING NEAR HIM. HE'S A LOT MORE THAN JUST A MERE SCIENTIST."

Luffy answers Law's warning with a simple assessment: "THE ONLY PEOPLE ON OUR SIDE WHO CAN USE HAKI ARE ME... ...ZORO AND SANJI AND YOU, RIGHT?" Law decides that is enough for now. "WELL, THAT'LL DO. I'LL HEAD BACK TO THE FACILITY FIRST. THE REST OF YOU CAN CATCH UP WITH ME." Luffy smiles and understands the first target: "AND ONCE WE GET THERE, WE WORK TOGETHER ...TO KIDNAP THIS 'MASTER' GUY, RIGHT?" Law confirms, "THAT'S RIGHT." Luffy asks whether kidnapping Caesar means ransom: "IF WE'RE KIDNAPPING HIM, DOES THAT MEAN WE'RE AFTER HOSTAGE MONEY? FROM WHO?" Law shuts down the question: "OUR GOAL ISN'T MONEY, IT'S TO CAUSE A LITTLE TURMOIL. THERE'S NOT MUCH POINT TALKING ABOUT THE REST OF THE PLAN UNTIL WE'VE CARRIED OUT THIS PART. FOR THE MOMENT, JUST FOCUS ON SUCCESSFULLY CAPTURING CAESAR CLOWN. IT'S NOT GOING TO BE EASY."

Law says that if they succeed, he will explain the full plan later. Luffy understands the scale at once: "IN OTHER WORDS... ...THERE'LL BE NO TURNING BACK...!!!" Law confirms that once Caesar is kidnapped, "THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE IMMEDIATE. THE WHEELS WILL BE SET IN MOTION." He gives Luffy a final chance to reconsider: "IF YOU WANT TO RETHINK, THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE." Luffy laughs off the warning: "DON'T WORRY! I'LL WORK WITH YOU!!" Law agrees to the Straw Hats' side requests too: "...THEN I'LL AGREE TO YOUR REQUESTS AS WELL. DON'T FORGET TO MAKE SURE YOU CONVINCE THE REST OF YOUR CREWMATES." Luffy, smiling, answers, "ALL RIGHT, GOT IT!"

At Caesar Clown's research facility, the battle continues in the snow. G-5 Marines fight the former prisoners around the lab while the mountain roars. One of the prisoners swings a huge weapon and yells, "TAAAAKE THIS!!" and "YA FILTHY MONSTERS!!!" His attack is named "IRON BAR SMOOGE." Another technique flashes through the clash: "FEN BOCK OF THE GOURD" and "POPE TUGGER CHAPPE...!" The scene is chaotic, with Marines and transformed-looking former prisoners attacking one another outside Caesar's stronghold.

The Marines realize who they are fighting. One says, "THERE'S NO DOUBTING IT, SMOKER-SAN THESE ARE THE FORMER PRISONERS ALL RIGHT!!" Another adds, "THOUGH THEY'VE TAKEN ON SOMEWHAT UNUSUAL APPEARANCES!!" The old official report is contradicted in front of them: "THE REPORT FROM THE ACCIDENT FOUR YEARS AGO STATED THAT NONE OF THE PRISONERS SURVIVED!!!" Someone asks, "...WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" Tashigi understands the danger of the situation: "LIKE HELL I KNOW!! FOR THE MOMENT, JUST FOCUS ON LURING THEM UP ONTO SOLID GROUND!!" and "WE NEED TO SEND THAT SHIP TO REPORT WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE!!!" A Den Den Mushi rings, "BRRRR RING!!" Caesar receives the report but refuses rescue. The message says, "IT GOT MY COMPANIONS!! 'YOU HAVE TO HELP ME!!' I CAN'T BE BOTHERED TO LISTEN TO ANY OF THAT." Caesar grins and says, "I DON'T OFTEN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENTERTAIN SO MANY GUESTS... I'VE DECIDED NOT TO WORRY ABOUT CAPTURING NEW SAMPLES! I'LL JUST INTRODUCE THEM TO MY PET. SHURORORORO!! NOT ONE OF THOSE INTRUDERS WILL BE LEAVING THIS ISLAND!!"

On the burning side of Punk Hazard, a terrified subordinate calls Caesar again: "H-HELLO?! MASTER?! HELLO?!" and "PLEASE RESPOND, MASTER!!! *PANT* *PANT*..." The report becomes desperate: "WE'RE CALLING FROM THE BURNING SIDE OF THE ISLAND!! WE OPENED THE DOOR JUST LIKE YOU ORDERED!!" But Caesar does not answer. The man panics, "IT'S NO USE!! THE MASTER ISN'T ANSWERING MY CALLS!!" Behind him something has emerged from the opened door: "YOU SAW WHAT IT DID TO THE OTHERS!! JUST KEEP RUNNING!!!" Another screams, "IT'S COMING FOR US!! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT STUFF THAT CAME OUT OF THE DOOR?!!" A huge dark mass lurches through the flames and smoke after them.

The black, sticky creature surges forward through the burning side. Someone shouts, "SLIME," while another screams, "IT'S HERE!!" A man cries, "SOMEBODY HEEEEE-EEELP!!!" The creature is so huge that another victim yells, "WHOA AAAAA A...!! WHAT THE HELL IS IT?! IT'S BIGGER THAN A MOUNTAIN!!" One of the fleeing men calls, "MASTEE EEEEE EER!!" but the creature slams down with a massive sound effect and swallows the scene in black sludge. The screams continue: "AAAAAG HHHH!!" and "URGH HH...!!"

The creature is revealed in full: a gigantic, bubbling mass of poisonous-looking sludge rolling across Punk Hazard's burning side. The title card names it "CREATURE OF PUNK HAZARD Slime." It splashes and oozes forward with "SPLASH SPLASH" beneath it, and drops of black liquid shoot off its body with "SHOOO" sounds. The page gives the threat scale without dialogue: Caesar's pet is not a single soldier or animal, but a mountain-sized living slime released onto the island.

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