【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

Chapter 514 Heart Transplant

“Luffy, you’ve met him in Sabaody Archipelago,” Lucci reminded him.

"Thank you for saving Lucci." Ace realized what had happened and bowed politely to Trafalgar.

Law looked at Ace, then quickly looked away. "No need to thank me."

"Oh, you are...Te...Tetraman!" Luffy finally remembered and shouted excitedly, "I remember you have a talking bear!"

Law glanced at Luffy but said nothing, then whispered to Lucci, "Don't forget our promise."

"What do you mean?" Ace immediately grabbed Lucci's arm alertly, frowning as he watched Trafalgar's departing figure.

"I still have some things to take care of." Lucci patted Ace's arm reassuringly, then looked at Luffy. "Luffy, Nami and the others are behind the research institute. Why don't you go find them first, okay?"

"Aren't you coming with us?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

“I still have some things to take care of,” Lucci explained.

"Mr. Smoker, are you alright?!" Tashigi stared in disbelief at the hole in Smoker's chest. Remembering that Trafalgar had used 100 pirate hearts to obtain his Shichibukai position, she shouted angrily, "How dare you!!"

"Huh? Isn't that Smoker?!" Luffy turned around in surprise upon hearing the voice, looking at the Marine lying on the ground beside him. "Who defeated him?"

"I really hate these kinds of long-winded scenes." Law frowned as he watched Tashigi rush towards him. "ROOM!" Several straight swords were drawn, and Tashigi and Smoker's hearts were instantly switched.

Lucci looked at Law's actions with suspicion. Law had just done the same thing to Nami and the others. Lucci looked at the two Marines lying on the ground, wondering what would happen to them.

"What happened to them?" Luffy asked curiously, looking at Tashigi and Smoker, who had both fallen to the ground after Traverse's actions. "Were they defeated by Traverse?"

"Don't forget, this isn't over yet." Law glanced at Lucci, who was still arguing with the Straw Hat Pirates and Fire Fist, then turned and continued walking towards the research institute's gate.

Hearing Law's words, Ace gripped Lucci's arm even tighter, not wanting him to go over. "Lucci, come with us."

“Yes, Lucci, let’s go find Nami together.” Luffy nodded in agreement, pulling Lucci’s arm along with him.

Lucci frowned as he watched Law's departing figure, but still managed to break free from his brothers' tight grip on his hands. "Alright, Ace, Luffy, you guys go ahead first."

Seeing Lucci refuse them, Ace suppressed his anger. They had finally found him, and now this guy wanted to do something alone again, especially since... they had only known each other for a short time. Ace frowned and stared at Lucci's black clothes with dissatisfaction. It was obvious that they were the same clothes that the guy was wearing.

Lucci knew that Ace was somewhat unhappy about him acting alone, so he reassured him, "I'll come find you soon after I've finished dealing with this."

"You promise." Luffy grabbed Lucci's hand again, looking at him stubbornly.

"Why are you acting like a little kid?" Lucci chuckled and gave Luffy another hug, his eyes full of affection. He leaned down and whispered earnestly in Luffy's ear, "I promise."

Luffy's face instantly lit up with a bright smile. He tightened his grip on Lucci's arm, instinctively buried his face in Lucci's chest, and muttered, "Don't disappear again, Lucci."

Sensing Luffy's movement, Lucci gently pushed Luffy away, creating a small distance between them. "Alright, Luffy, I should go now."

"Okay!" Luffy was very relaxed this time. He knew that Lucci was alright, and Lucci had already made a promise.

Ace frowned as he looked at the door that had been closed after Lucci went inside. "What is that kid trying to do?"

"Hey, Luffy, there's a bunch of Marines lying around over there!" Usopp shouted quietly to Luffy from behind the half-man crocodile.

"Colonel's sister! Boss Yan! Are you alright?!" The naval officer who had just woken up shouted in shock as he looked at Smoker and Tashigi lying on the ground.

"That's Straw Hat Luffy!" The other Marines who woke up one after another saw Luffy and hurriedly shouted, "Shoot! That guy is Straw Hat Luffy!"

"Ace, we need to hurry!" Luffy quickly pulled Ace and ran towards the half-crocodile man. They had just sensed Lucci's presence and flown over directly. Zoro and the others were still on the half-crocodile man.

……

Back gate of the research institute mountain range

Amidst the swirling snow and howling winds, the remaining warmth they had left behind in the cozy buildings was swept away. The group of giant children stopped their escape, hugging their arms and shivering at the foot of the frozen mountains. But each child kept glancing at the older siblings who had brought them out with questioning eyes. Their behavior had suddenly become very strange when they came out.

"To hell with the biting cold! To hell with the samurai and brats!!" Nami (Sanji) crossed her arms and swooned. "Anyway, anyway, is there a camera?! We have to take a picture before we turn back!!"

"What the hell?!" Franky (Nami) shouted angrily, raising her fist. "And stop using someone's body to keep spitting nosebleeds!!"

"Never mind that, Nami! Don't button up your shirt when you use my form!" Chopper (Franky) yelled angrily at his buttoned-up shirt, which was anything but super cool!

"What happened? Did all the older brothers and sisters get their hearts transplanted?" the children asked, hugging their arms and shrinking back.

"Are you alright? You must be cold. Hang in there a little longer! Human bodies are so sensitive to the cold!" Sanji (Chopper) looked worriedly at the group of huge children wearing only short sleeves, holding the samurai's head.

"I'm going to freeze to death..."

"so cold……"

"Me too!"

"I'm freezing!"

The children cried out, trembling.

"Bringing you out before we found our way was definitely a mistake," Chopper (Franky) exclaimed. "But I don't feel cold at all."

“Seriously, there’s no way you could find a warm coat in a place like this,” Sanji (Chopper) said helplessly.

"Now that things have come to this, everyone, please pick a leaf and place it on your head!" the samurai leader shouted.

A moment later, everyone had a leaf on their head and looked at the samurai with a puzzled expression. In just a moment, they were wearing warm coats to protect themselves from the biting cold wind.

Just as the samurai was explaining that he had hesitated to use his Devil Fruit power (the "Family Fruit") because he wanted to see Nami in a bikini, which led to his beating, Luffy's voice suddenly rang out. Everyone watched as Luffy and his crew rode towards them on the half-crocodile man's back, and they excitedly shouted, "Luffy!!"

"It's so good to have found you guys, buddies!" Luffy shouted excitedly, waving to his companions from his abode on the half-crocodile man, Teabeard.

"What's going on? Why is that idiot chef so excited?" Zoro looked at Sanji, who was waving excitedly at them, puzzled. "Has his brain been frozen solid?"

"Who are those? They look like giant children!" Usopp exclaimed in shock as he looked at the enormous children behind Nami and the others.

"Huh? Hey, Franky, stop right there!" Luffy noticed Franky behind Nami raising his fist at her and was shocked. Franky actually dared to attack Nami!