The Lost Ones
Yang Ning's desperate screams echoed across the beach—answered only by the rustling forest and churning shadows in the water.
Meanwhile, on a larger floating island, inside a vast palace under light gray snowfall, Sylvester and Willie sat in a luxuriously furnished room—more guest suite than prison. Tables, chairs, beds—all pristine. Only the two shadowy guards at the door hinted at captivity.
Sylvester, bandaged, sat at the table devouring food.
"Hey, big brother—aren't we gonna break out? Won't the boss be worried sick if he can't find us?"
Willie looked at Sylvester in surprise, as if shocked by his sudden intelligence. He touched the bandage on his own head.
"No need. Didn't that old man say he'd help us contact the boss? Besides… we can't beat that old man."
"That makes sense!"
Willie, deeply impressed by Sylvester's wisdom, returned to his meal with renewed vigor.
---
At the palace's center, in a huge artificial indoor pool surrounded by tropical trees, Nami sat at a beachside table. Across from her, a blond, long-haired old man with a golden beard grinned, revealing large teeth.
Half a ship's wheel was embedded vertically in his head. He wore a yellow-striped coat, burly above the waist—but completely naked below the knees, with two extraordinary longswords strapped to his shins, serving as calves.
Behind him stood two bizarre figures: an upright gorilla dressed in a wolf-in-sheep's-clothing outfit, and a blue-and-white pot-bellied man in clown makeup.
"Hahahaha, baby-chan!" the old man boomed. "With your abilities, you shouldn't have died so pointlessly in that pirate crew! Join mine—let's shock the world!"
Nami trembled—but sat up straight.
"I refuse. I love my current crew."
"Hahahaha!"
Shiki the Golden Lion laughed as if she'd told a joke, tears streaming down his face.
"Don't rush, baby-chan. It's not certain your crew will even exist much longer."
Nami frowned, turned away, and stayed silent.
Shiki wiped his eyes, tone turning serious.
"A few reckless brats—they didn't even know what pirates were before setting sail. They had the guts to cause trouble… but no skill to fix it. If you stay with them, you'll die without ever knowing why."
Nami didn't flinch. Her gaze remained firm.
Shiki seemed genuinely impressed. He didn't press further. He simply stood.
"Shiki, hahaha—stay in this pool until you've thought things through!"
He turned to the gorilla.
"Scaledo!"
The gorilla's eyes widened in exaggerated shock.
"Grandma?!"
Dr. Indigo—the clown-faced man—delivered a karate chop to Shiki's head.
"That looks like a gorilla!"
"Hey!"
The trio instantly struck a ridiculous pose—clown, gorilla, senile old man—looking utterly absurd.
Nami squinted, a cold sweat beading on her forehead. She couldn't fathom how such a lunatic was so strong—Sylvester had been powerless against him.
As their "ding ding ding" footsteps faded, she remembered being carried here from the sky—and worry bloomed in her chest.
"How are the others? Will the captain find us?"
---
Compared to the others, Arthur suffered terribly.
He was bound in a dark, high-tech laboratory—surrounded by flashing consoles and transparent tanks filled with grotesque creatures. Just looking at them sent chills down his spine.
"These things… definitely didn't form naturally!"
He forced himself to scan the room—but saw only more horrors.
After what felt like forever, a strange sound approached.
Pfft~ Pfft~ Pfft~
It sounded like constant flatulence. Only when it stopped did Arthur realize: it was the man's footsteps making that noise.
The man had a pale, clown-like face, wore a white doctor's coat over a deep-V blue bodysuit, and sported a wild blue afro.
He approached Arthur, gesturing wildly with his hands.
Arthur, eyes closed, frowned—confused by the silent pantomime.
The man suddenly froze. He'd forgotten: his subject was blind.
Embarrassed, he cleared his throat twice, then spoke:
"A pirate with strange life force—you're a Devil Fruit user, aren't you? Your ability is vital to my research. If you want to leave alive… cooperate."
Arthur ignored him. Who knew what twisted experiments this madman planned?
Sensing resistance, Dr. Indigo pulled two vials of green liquid from his coat and held them up—then awkwardly stuffed them back, remembering Arthur couldn't see.
He coughed again, pretending nothing happened.
"Don't worry—I'm not using you as a guinea pig! I have plenty of test subjects. I need your power to complete the greatest invention in history—SIQ (Bio-Evolution Agent)!"
His voice rose with manic passion.
"No—no! With you, I can go further! SIQ's side effects are too wild, too crude! I'll create RSIQ (Super Bio-Evolution Agent)—zero side effects, full control, perfect human super-evolution!"
He gestured wildly, lost in his obsession.
Arthur seemed to ponder. Then, calmly, he "looked" at Indigo and said:
"Okay. Let me go. I'll help you."
"Huh?!"
Dr. Indigo froze mid-gesture, pale face stunned.
"So readily?!"
---
Back in Sylvester and Willie's room, metallic clanging echoed outside. A broad figure approached the door.
Bang!
The door flew open. Shiki the Golden Lion, cigar in mouth, stood in the frame, bellowing:
"Johnny! Cacus! How long are you two gonna rest?!"
Inside, Sylvester stopped chewing mid-bite, face frozen in shock. He and Willie exchanged glances—utterly bewildered that their brother had secretly changed his name behind their backs.
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