A little girl's appearance, coupled with her pure and untainted natural acting skills, had always been Sugar's ultimate weapon.
In the original story, had it not been for Usopp's crucial intervention in a desperate situation, Luffy and Law—deceived by Sugar's innocent exterior—would most likely have fallen victim to her ability, ending up as just another pair of toy slaves under her control.
This perfectly illustrates the importance of information secrecy.
Especially when dealing with unreasonable, rule-based abilities like the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, ignorance of its true nature makes it all too easy to fall into its trap.
Conversely, once the ability's mechanics are exposed, it essentially becomes useless.
After all, in a certain sense, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit's side effect is that it freezes the user's physical growth at the exact moment they consume it.
Nestled securely in Koala's embrace, Sugar feigned the look of a child finding solace in a newfound protector.
From trembling with fear to now appearing calm and composed, her entire act was flawless—her performance impeccable.
Through just a few simple questions, even the most perceptive among them, including the Revolutionaries' top Observation Haki user, Morley, had been entirely fooled, dismissing Sugar as nothing more than an ordinary little girl who had wandered into the Toys House by mistake.
"Koala, stay here and keep little Candy company for now. We'll take care of the 'business.'"
"Alright."
Koala nodded toward her companions.
With that, the rest of the Revolutionary Army members turned and made their way toward the anchored cargo ship.
At that location, rows of cargo crates were neatly stacked—some seemingly freshly unloaded from the ship, others awaiting transport. One of these crates likely contained the very objective of their mission.
Koala crouched beside Sugar, watching her comrades' departing figures.
Then, she turned her head to Sugar with a gentle smile, about to speak—
"Huh?"
In Koala's widened eyes, the reflection of Sugar's cold and sinister expression suddenly appeared.
Before Koala could react, Sugar effortlessly extended her hand and touched Koala's arm.
Sliiip—
The Hobby-Hobby Fruit's power activated, and in an instant, Koala transformed into a clown doll, plummeting from mid-air.
The moment Koala turned into a toy, Sugar sprang up with practiced efficiency.
Before the clown doll even hit the ground, she sprinted forward, weaving seamlessly through the ranks of the unsuspecting Revolutionary Army members who still had their backs turned to her.
As she moved, her hands lightly brushed against them like a dragonfly skimming water—swift, precise, and effortless.
Sliiip…!
One after another, the remaining Revolutionary Army members shared Koala's fate, instantly transformed into various toy figures and dropping to the floor like discarded dolls.
"Candy, you…!!"
"What… What happened to me?!"
"What kind of ability is this?!"
The newly transformed toys scrambled to their feet in panic, their stiff, unbalanced bodies struggling to maintain stability.
Once they steadied themselves, they looked at Sugar in utter disbelief.
This was the same little girl who had just been crying her heart out, looking pitiful and vulnerable…
Expressionless, Sugar coldly regarded the toyified Revolutionary Army members.
There was no reason for her to answer their questions.
"Now then, let's establish the contract."
"Wha—?!"
Shock rippled through the group, though their emotionless toy faces showed no sign of it.
Sugar's tone was ice-cold as she declared, "First rule: Obey the orders of the Donquixote Family."
"What did you just—"
Before Sugar could even finish her sentence, Hack, the Fish-Man Karate master, demanded an explanation.
"Shut up."
Sugar shot a sharp look at the talkative Hack and immediately issued her first command.
The ability took effect in an instant—Hack, mid-sentence, suddenly found himself unable to utter another word.
After silencing Hack, Sugar continued with the second rule.
"Second rule: You are forbidden to speak."
"..."
A chilling silence settled over the room.
The toyified Revolutionaries clutched at their mouths, waving their arms frantically, desperate but unable to protest.
With two rules firmly in place, a faint, eerie smile crept onto Sugar's otherwise frosty face.
There was originally a third rule—"No harming humans"—but given the current situation, Sugar chose to temporarily omit it.
Stretching her arms wide, she beamed at her new collection of toy slaves.
"Welcome to my Toy Slave Army. Oh, and by the way, from the moment you became toys, your families, lovers, and friends have completely forgotten about your existence. From now on, you'll work for the Donquixote Family… until the day you die."
"!!!"
The transformed Revolutionary Army members stared at Sugar in horror.
If what she said was true, then no one outside the Toys House, including Tatamu, would remember them—or come to their rescue.
A truly nightmarish scenario.
Koala clenched her fists in silent frustration: Damn it… we fell right into her trap…
Morley, feeling wronged, mentally cried: Why did I have to turn into a gorilla?! This sucks!!!
Sunny self-reflected: Lesson learned. Next time, always knock them out first.
Hack: We all underestimated her…
Revolutionary A: What a terrifying ability…
Revolutionary B: If no one rescues us… are we really doomed to be toys forever?!
Though their hearts screamed in protest, their rigid, expressionless toy faces remained utterly blank.
Satisfied, Sugar scanned her newest recruits. Then, she casually pointed to Koala, now a clown doll.
"You. Go fetch me a basket of grapes."
"..."
Koala fought with all her might against the command, but her body moved against her will.
...
Inside a building on the nearby street—
As the final heartbeat ceased, the Devil Fruit extraction was complete.
Law retrieved the newly materialized Tremor-Tremor Fruit from its translucent membrane.
The fruit's surface bore its signature fractured patterns—a powerful and unmistakable symbol of one of the strongest Paramecia-class Devil Fruits.
"Here."
Law casually handed the Tremor-Tremor Fruit to Maude.
Catching it with ease, Maude tossed it lightly in his hand a few times before murmuring thoughtfully, "Finally… the Devil Fruit that so many have coveted…"
"A double-edged sword," Law remarked flatly.
Maude chuckled, nodding. "You're right. Thanks to Whitebeard's legacy, the Gura Gura no Mi is a ticking time bomb. If the world learns I have it, who knows how many lunatics will come after me."
"As long as you don't spread the news, only I…"
Law's eyes flicked to Maude's White Weasel katana and then to Bailey before adding, "…and Bailey would know."
"Hiding it?"
A smirk played on Maude's lips as he shook his head.
"Not a chance. The whole reason I wanted this fruit… was to let the entire world know that it's in my hands."
"..."
Law had nothing to say.
He knew that Maude wanted to create a grand pirate festival that would capture the attention of the entire world. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit, along with other precious items, had been specially prepared to build momentum for this event.
However…
The pirates drawn to such an event wouldn't exactly be known for their manners or etiquette.
Whether the festival could proceed smoothly remained uncertain. It was more likely that waves of troublemaking pirates would arrive one after another.
Fully aware that persuading Maude was pointless, Law, despite his concerns about the future, chose to stay silent.
Maude glanced at the quiet Law, understanding what he was worried about, but he had no way of explaining his reasons to him.
Saying nothing more, Maude turned his hand, storing the precious Tremor-Tremor Fruit into his Shadow Casket before shifting his gaze to the table in front of him.
On it lay the six Devil Fruits he had just taken out, each distinct: the Sticky-Sticky Fruit, the Ripple-Ripple Fruit, the Swim-Swim Fruit, the Art-Art Fruit, the Pop-Pop Fruit, and the Ton-Ton Fruit.
Including the Tremor-Tremor Fruit he had just stored, he now had a total of seven Devil Fruits.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit needed no further explanation—it was the primary target of this operation.
Among the remaining six, the ones Maude found most intriguing were the Swim-Swim Fruit, which allowed the user to swim freely through the ground and walls, and the Art-Art Fruit, which could turn its targets into art pieces through emitted smoke.
If the Swim-Swim Fruit were to awaken, it might grant the ability to allow objects other than the user to swim through surfaces as well.
If that were the case, a ship's mast could literally sail across land…
The Art-Art Fruit, on the other hand, was a power that functioned almost like a rule-based ability. As long as it hit the target, it could forcibly transform them into a fragile artwork.
If used well, this power could become a formidable weapon.
Maude opened the Shadow Casket and stored the six Devil Fruits on the table inside.
Had he not already placed Whitebeard's and Smoothie's corpses inside the massive freezer within the Thriller Bark castle, along with Jack's tusks, he might not have had the extra space to store these Devil Fruits.
"That brings the total to twelve Devil Fruits."
Maude counted the fruits inside the Shadow Casket and murmured, "At the port, there's still Drought Jack, Tobiroppo members Ulti and Drake—three Ancient Zoan types. And then there's…"
He lifted his gaze, looking toward the King's Plateau through the window.
He recalled that aside from the officers dealt with at the port, the Donquixote Family still had two officers with unique abilities remaining.
"Let's go. Time to find the last of the Donquixote officers."
Maude stepped toward the window.
Law was taken aback. "Weren't they all taken care of?"
"A few slipped through."
Recalling how Law was almost caught off guard by Sugar in the original story, Maude knew Law was completely unaware of Sugar's existence and abilities. He couldn't be bothered to explain, so he casually responded before leaping out the window.
Despite his confusion, Law asked no further questions and quickly followed after Maude.
The two moved swiftly through the deserted streets, soon arriving near the King's Plateau at the entrance of the Toys House.
Like the streets, this cartoonish castle-like structure was eerily quiet, devoid of any signs of life.
"This is the Toys House, or more accurately, the factory where toys are made," Law explained, looking up at the Donquixote Family emblem hanging above the entrance.
Maude glanced at Law.
Even someone as familiar with the Donquixote Family as Law had no idea about the true nature of the Toys House or Sugar's existence and abilities…
That alone was proof of how well-protected Sugar had been within the family.
"Let's take a look inside."
Maude withdrew his gaze.
Just as he stepped through the entrance, a familiar and melodious female voice called out from behind him.
"Maude."
"Hmm?"
Maude stopped in his tracks and turned toward the source of the voice.
A burly man emerged from the alleyway not far away.
"Tatamu!"
Recognizing him, Maude was both surprised and delighted. In a flash, he moved in front of Tatamu and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Mission."
Tatamu's reply was brief.
Maude glanced at Tatamu's Dressrosa-style clothing and quickly deduced that he was likely on a mission similar to the one in Mad Hat Town.
"Tatamu, I'll come find you later. I have something important to take care of right now."
"That commotion at the port… was that—"
"Yeah. I came to Dressrosa to wipe out the Donquixote Family. Maybe I can help you out, too."
Maude nodded.
Tatamu was utterly stunned.
Seeing an old friend again put Maude in a good mood. He smiled and asked, "Want to come along?"
Tatamu hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly. "Alright."
Standing to the side, Law couldn't help but stare at Tatamu's Adam's apple.
A man this rugged had such a clear and melodious voice.
Tatamu noticed Law's gaze but didn't seem to care.
The three of them entered the Toys House together.
As soon as they stepped inside, Maude's eyes flashed red as he used Observation Haki to scan the area.
Within his sensing range, there was only one very weak presence deep within the Toys House.
As for the underground port below, there wasn't a single life sign.
"Follow me."
Maude headed deeper into the Toys House.
Law and Tatamu followed closely behind.
Soon, they arrived at a well-lit, spacious room.
Strange devices with unclear purposes lined the walls.
At the center of the room, a green-haired, blue-eyed little girl was tied to a wooden rack, her body covered in injuries.
Surrounding the rack were a dozen small, oddly shaped toy figures.
They held whips, sticks, and other implements, striking the little girl mercilessly.
Snap!
A whip lashed down.
"Mmm…!"
A fresh wound appeared on the girl's face. She struggled in pain, but with her mouth sealed tightly by tape, she could only let out muffled whimpers.
Judging by her battered state, it was clear these toys were the ones who had inflicted her wounds.
Law and Tatamu's expressions darkened at the sight.
Maude, however, wore a rather peculiar look.
"Stop!" Tatamu shouted angrily.
Hearing his voice, the toys stopped and turned toward the three newcomers at the entrance.
Among them, the revolutionary soldiers trapped in toy forms were inwardly panicking.
Unaware of the truth, Law and Tatamu stepped forward, ready to take down the toys and rescue the girl.
At that moment, Maude stretched out an arm, blocking their path.
"Maude?"
They were both surprised.
A hint of amusement flickered deep within Maude's eyes, though his face remained cold with fury. "I'll handle this. These toys… are beyond saving."
Law and Tatamu nodded without hesitation.
Sugar, watching Maude's reaction, was secretly delighted.
Yet, in the next instant, Maude disappeared in a blur.
A flash of steel.
Sugar's arms were severed, and blood sprayed wildly.
"Huh? Why?"
Sugar stared in bewilderment at Maude, who had just severed both of her arms with a swing of his blade.
This… wasn't part of the plan.
A brief moment of shock passed before the pain registered, and Sugar let out a piercing scream.
"Maude… what are you doing?"
At the doorway, Law and Tatamu stood frozen, their eyes wide with disbelief at the scene before them.
Even the Revolutionaries who had been turned into toys were stunned, unable to comprehend what they had just witnessed. None of them could believe that Maude would do something like this.
But Maude didn't respond. He simply raised his sword again and, without hesitation, severed Sugar's legs.
Inside the room, only the sound of Sugar's agonized screams remained.
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