"Is that a little girl calling for help?"
Following the sound, Luffy, Zoro, and the others quickly spotted her.
A little girl with twin tails and a sunhat, her face smudged with dirt, was running for her life from a giant Spinosaurus.
Sanji's chivalry kicked in instantly.
'Even if she's just a kid, she's still a lady!' He launched himself forward.
(Ray, watching from his hilltop perch, noted that Sanji's jumping ability had definitely improved.)
Sanji covered the hundred-meter distance in a flash.
One swift kick to the dino's jaw sent the five-meter-tall beast flipping onto its back, out cold.
He scooped up the little girl and leaped back to the party.
Ray just sat under his tree, calmly observing.
Since Zoro and Sanji had already warned everyone about Devil Fruit users being on the island, he wanted to see how the crew would handle this seemingly innocent little girl popping up out of nowhere.
…
Sanji found a stump for the little girl to sit on, then went off to deal with the Spinosaurus carcass.
Before leaving, he shot Zoro a meaningful look.
Zoro just curled his lip and slowly walked over to the girl.
"Little girl," he asked gruffly, "how did you get here?"
Miss Goldenweek noticed they seemed wary.
So, she put on her best pitiful act, ran over to Vivi, hugged her arm, and started sobbing.
"I was in a shipwreck two days ago," she cried. "I drifted here with my father..."
Nami joined the conversation. "Then where is your father?"
Goldenweek had her story ready. "He... he was killed by a saber-toothed tiger while protecting me! Wuwuwu~"
She burst into loud, realistic-sounding tears.
Nami and Vivi's hearts immediately went out to her.
Vivi initially thought the girl looked familiar and was still cautious, but the moment the girl hugged her, she suddenly felt like she could trust her completely.
(She didn't notice the yellow-green paint pattern that appeared on her hand when the girl touched her – Miss Goldenweek's "Friendship Yellow-Green" trick.)
…
The group didn't find any flaws in her story.
Out of kindness, they invited her to join the feast.
After about ten minutes, the little girl spoke up again.
"Thank you all for saving me," she said sweetly. "My dad was an artist, and I've been learning to paint since I was little. Since I can't cook, maybe I can use my painting to add something to the party?"
Everyone, feeling protective, was curious to see her skills.
Goldenweek picked up her brush and painted a green, patterned circle on the ground, about five meters wide.
"Is it pretty?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. "Can we have the party here? Dad used to love having picnics on the patterns I painted."
Her pitiful look got to Luffy, and he was the first one to jump inside the circle.
Seeing Luffy acting totally normal, the others hesitated for a second, then cautiously stepped in too.
The moment they entered the green "carpet," everyone felt incredibly calm and relaxed.
All their wariness vanished. Life felt good.
Nothing else seemed to matter.
Dorry and Brogy, seeing the Straw Hats were fine, let Goldenweek paint similar patterns on their arms.
Up on the ridge, Ray felt helpless.
He couldn't really blame them.
The Straw Hats were fundamentally kind, and the girl seemed genuinely innocent.
Even though they were initially suspicious (except Luffy), seeing him be okay inside the pattern lowered their guard.
But stepping in was the trap.
Miss Goldenweek's power wasn't a Devil Fruit; it was psychological suggestion through color.
Right now, everyone was under the effect of "Relaxation Green."
They were completely chill, ambitionless, and totally detached.
Even if Mr. 3 showed up right now and tried to kill them, they wouldn't fight back.
They'd probably just be like, "Dying is fine too, whatever."
It was a ridiculously overpowered ability.
Of course, someone with a really strong mind might be able to resist... but it was too late.
Goldenweek had already set other traps.
Underneath their feet was another pattern, painted in red: "Fighting Bull Red."
Even if someone did manage to break free and attack, their blows would just hit the red pattern instead of their real target.
…
Sure enough, Mr. 3 appeared, looking smug.
"Hahahaha! The mighty Straw Hat Pirates, completely under our control!"
Luffy, Zoro, and the others just looked at him blankly, like nothing mattered.
Mr. 3 grinned triumphantly. "
Alright, Miss Goldenweek," he said, "we need to act fast. Their highest bounty member probably went to get booze. Before he gets back, we need to capture all of them. We'll use them as hostages to make that Ray guy surrender."
Goldenweek nodded and stepped aside.
Luffy just kept sipping his tea.
Nami, Vivi, and Sanji felt like something was wrong, like they should be resisting, but they just couldn't find the motivation.
Zoro, however, reacted more strongly.
With a splitting headache, he forced himself to stand up.
"You bastards... what did you do to us?" He wanted to fight, but realized the little girl had swiped his swords sometime earlier.
Unwilling to give up, he raised his fists... and weakly punched the red pattern beneath his feet.
After a few useless swings, the "Relaxation Green" effect washed over him again.
He slumped back down, grabbed his tea, and gave up.
"Do whatever you want. Nothing matters anymore."
Ray sighed. Even Zoro, the most strong-willed, had fallen.
The giants and Luffy were too simple-minded.
That left only one hope...
…
At that moment, Mr. 3 started walking towards the relaxed group, ready to slap his candle-wax handcuffs and shackles on them.
But just as he activated his Wax-Wax Fruit power—
WHOOSH!
Usopp suddenly leaped out of the green pattern, landing outside the circle.
He looked back at his entranced crewmates and sighed dramatically.
"I was waiting for one of you guys to snap out of it," he declared, striking a heroic pose.
"But nooo, not a single reliable person among you. Looks like it's all up to me..."
He flashed a confident smile, then immediately yelled at the top of his lungs.
"RAY-SAMAAAA! WHERE'D YOU RUN OFF TO?! HELP ME!"