"""An Alliance with the Heart Pirates!?"""
A whole lot had happened. Truly, a whole lot had happened, and the situation surrounding Luffy and the others had descended into utter chaos. Then, on top of all that, a report (or rather, a decision) that threw things into even further confusion was delivered by Luffy and Law, who had come along with him.
On top of resolving the crisis unfolding on this island, they would form a Pirate Alliance with the ultimate goal of taking down one of the Four Emperors: Kaido of the Beasts. As part of this, Law, whom they had just come face-to-face with earlier, would temporarily become an ally.
Naturally, all manner of opinions arose from within the Crew.
'It's way too soon to be putting a member of the Four Emperors in our sights.' 'Pirate alliances always come with betrayal.' Every single objection was perfectly reasonable, the kind of concern that absolutely needed to be taken into account.
And yet, as was par for the course, once Luffy made up his mind about something, nothing short of extraordinary circumstances would change it. So even as part of the group descended into wailing and gnashing of teeth, the Alliance was accepted, albeit in a state of half-resignation.
That said, there were still several things that needed to be confirmed or pointed out regardless.
"Setting the Alliance itself aside for now, there are still a few things we need to confirm. If you don't mind, Torao?"
"That name... no, never mind. What is it?"
"It's about your affiliation. If I recall correctly, your crew is currently under the umbrella of the Golden Lion Pirates, and you personally hold a position especially close to their current Admiral, Sue. Is that right?"
"Huh!? So Torao's one of Sue's people?"
"More or less. What you want to know is whether Sue is involved in what's happening on this island, and whether she's aware of what I'm doing here. Am I right?"
Robin gave a small nod.
"We've had some dealings with Sue ourselves, so we know her. If your assignment was to defend that Laboratory, then that Laboratory belongs to the Golden Lion Pirates, making the mastermind either Sue or her father, Shiki the Golden Lion. But I can't imagine that she, or anyone around her, would be involved in the kind of inhuman research being conducted here."
Beside Robin as she laid out her reasoning, Chopper (in Sanji's body) and Nami (in Franky's body) nodded along earnestly.
Given how the visuals looked, letting your guard down for even a second risked bursting out laughing, but their expressions themselves were completely serious.
Children who had been kidnapped from their parents, drugged so they couldn't escape, and then used as subjects for human experimentation. No one wanted to believe that Sue, or anyone in her orbit, was responsible for such atrocities. Not just those two. No one did.
"It's as you imagine, Nico-ya. The Laboratory and Sue have nothing to do with each other. My being here is entirely my own decision. I have my own objective, and that's why I've been stationed here."
Nami and the others breathed sighs of relief at hearing this, but Robin continued without a change in expression.
"That's good to hear. But then, does Sue not know you're here either?"
"That's right."
"In that case, couldn't your current situation amount to an act of insubordination against Sue and the Golden Lion Pirates? You're acting contrary to your superiors' wishes as a member of a Pirate Crew, and on top of that, Sue also holds the position of Shichibukai. The research being conducted at that Laboratory shouldn't be tolerable even from the perspective of the Government or the Marines. If this comes to light, in the worst case, it won't just end with you being denounced as a subordinate. We, as your allies, could end up making enemies of Sue and the entire Golden Lion Pirates."
"Wait, what!? Sue... or rather, the Golden Lion Pirates!?"
"Hey, hey, give us a break! They're Quasi-Four Emperors! We can't afford to make enemies like that!"
Just when they thought they could relax, despair came crashing in from an entirely different direction, leaving everyone reeling.
"Your concern is valid, but I intend to make sure it doesn't come to that. I've always held a position of deep trust among her subordinates, second only to the Retainers, and I'm afforded a considerable degree of independent judgment and action. As long as the end result doesn't cause damage to Sue or the Golden Lion Pirates, it won't be a problem."
"Is that really possible? From what I can see, you've already committed several actions that would be considered problematic from the standpoint of being Sue's subordinate."
Luffy was tilting his head, looking like he wanted to ask 'Hina-dan?', but both Robin and Law ignored him and continued.
"There are two issues. First, your master Sue's position as a Shichibukai. Second, the ultimate target of this Alliance: Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Four Emperors."
"..."
"As I mentioned earlier, the mastermind of that Laboratory, a man apparently called Caesar Clown, would clearly qualify as 'prey' from Sue's perspective as a Shichibukai. You not only knew of his existence but were in a position to take him down at any time, yet you didn't report it to Sue and left him alone. As for the other issue, I haven't heard the details yet, but once your 'plan' succeeds, this Alliance will be going up against Kaido of the Beasts. As long as you're Sue's subordinate, it's unavoidable that she and the Golden Lion Pirates will be dragged in. That's tantamount to inviting a foreign enemy to your door. Even with your standing, would that truly not be a problem?"
Law considered the question for a moment before responding.
"The first point isn't a problem at all. A Shichibukai has no obligation to hunt pirates. The position simply means that 'the act of hunting pirates becomes legally sanctioned.' That extends to subordinates as well. Whether to hunt or not is entirely a matter of personal judgment, and even if you happen to notice a pirate you could take down and let them go on a whim, no one has any grounds to hold that against you. As for the Laboratory, I haven't been involved in the illegal 'research' itself, so from the standpoint of being 'a Shichibukai's subordinate,' I haven't done anything that would land me in trouble. The worst you could say is that I failed to report inhumane research that Miss herself would probably despise. Well, I'm prepared for a lecture at least."
"A lecture? You think you'd get off with just a lecture...?"
"What about the second point? If anything, that one's more fatal, right? Picking a fight with a member of the Four Emperors without permission... you're not our Luffy. Surely even you realize that's going too far?"
That was Nami, speaking while picturing a certain Captain who had, very recently and without anyone knowing, gone and picked a fight with Big Mom.
Law, for his part, briefly glanced at Luffy with a look that said 'what did this guy do?' before continuing.
"That's what the 'plan' is for. I'll explain the details later, but we won't be taking on Kaido directly. Before that, we'll go through multiple stages to create an 'opening.' In the process, I'll strip away any factors that could cause trouble for Miss or the Golden Lion Pirates. I've got several cards prepared for exactly that purpose."
"So we're gonna fight Kaido, but Sue and her crew won't have to fight?"
"That's right. To be precise, 'they'll no longer have a reason to fight' is a more accurate way to put it."
"I see... yeah, then it's fine!"
"Luffy! There you go making it sound so simple again..."
"Still, it doesn't seem like we'll be able to get any more information out of him at this point. And we're running out of time..."
"You're right. We need to do something about these children too. If this will help with that, then... fine, let's focus on this 'plan' for now! What do we need to do next?"
Some were going along 'reluctantly,' others 'because they had no choice,' but once Law confirmed that every last member of the Straw Hat Pirates present had agreed to cooperate for the time being, he said 'Good' and began explaining the plan.
"What we need to do is simple. We kidnap the person in charge of the Laboratory: Caesar. To do that, first..."
***
Some time later.
"Master, I have unfortunate news. It appears Law has betrayed us."
"Ah, is that so... I don't know what he's thinking, but he's finally shown his true colors."
In a certain room inside the Laboratory, Caesar Clown, known as Master, was receiving a report from his secretary, Monet.
Law had betrayed them and joined forces with Straw Hat. They hadn't been close enough to hear the details, but it appeared he had some objective and was preparing to make a move against them.
"I always thought he was an untrustworthy little punk. Shrororororo... If he wants to defy me, perfect. He can serve as a test subject for my new Weapon."
"...In that case, let me handle that guy."
Besides Caesar and Monet, there was one other person in the room. A man with black hair cropped so short it looked nearly shaved, wearing sunglasses, his face stern but expressionless. For some reason, what appeared to be a hamburger patty was stuck to his cheek.
"Oh? You'll lend a hand, Vergo? That's appreciated, but..."
"We may hold his Heart, but that brat is a capable fighter in his own right. He's been gaining Experience and power with the Golden Lion Pirates. Not someone you can afford to underestimate. Besides, I have something of a history with him. It makes sense for me to be his opponent."
"My, my... Law really is unlucky. Just when he thought he could pull off his little scheme, he's about to have the rug pulled out from under him."
Monet laughed with amusement. Vergo remained expressionless. But Monet had known him long enough to tell from the tone of his voice that he was, in some way, irritated.
"That brat seems to believe he's managed to fool not only Caesar but Joker as well. How naive. It's a nuisance, but... I suppose I'll go remind him of his place."
"Don't overdo it and kill him, alright? Master wants him taken alive, and Law also has his 'position' to consider. Even if we were to kill him, there'd be quite a bit of groundwork to lay first."
"I know. A few lead slugs should be enough to make him behave. Don't think you can escape my bullets..." He paused. "...That's odd. Where's my gun?"
"You don't even own a gun."
"...Oh, right. I'm not a gunman."
"Now then... who's the naive one here, I wonder? Nihihihihi..."
To be continued...