King's Heights, standing at the highest point of the Kingdom of Dressrosa, served as the private villa of the Donquixote Family. Only members ranked as executives or above were qualified to live here. From the outside, the estate looked more like a luxurious resort than the residence of pirates.
Within one of the independent annexes lay a room that was exquisitely decorated, elegant, and comfortably furnished.
Outside the room was a small garden. Flowers were in full bloom, filling the air with a sweet fragrance, while a grape trellis stood not far away, heavy with ripe fruit.
Inside a leisure pavilion within the garden, a small girl sat happily eating grapes. She wore a polka dotted dress, a monocle over her left eye, and had a neat green bob haircut. Her expression was carefree and innocent.
Numerous armed guards stood stationed outside the small garden, their presence clearly meant to protect this seemingly harmless little girl.
"Gladius, sir."
Several guards straightened instantly and saluted respectfully as a man approached them. He wore a dark blue trench coat, had spiked hair, and a mask fitted with round lenses.
This was Gladius, a Paramecia type Pop Pop Fruit user capable of making his body swell and explode, as well as causing inorganic objects he touched to detonate. It was an extremely dangerous ability.
"Is Sugar inside?" Gladius asked calmly.
"Yes, sir. Sugar is inside," the guards replied with confidence.
Gladius said nothing further and walked directly into the small garden. None of the guards dared to stop him.
After his figure disappeared from sight, one of the guards scratched his head in confusion.
"Isn't Gladius, sir, supposed to be out on a mission? When did he come back?"
"There must be something important," another guard replied.
They did not dwell on it. Matters involving high ranking executives were not for ordinary guards to question.
Inside the small garden, Gladius stepped into the pavilion. When he saw the little girl leisurely eating grapes, the amethyst, diamond patterned eyes beneath his mask narrowed slightly.
"Gladius?" Sugar tilted her head, her cheeks puffed as she chewed. "Weren't you out on a mission? You came back really fast."
"Something urgent came up," Gladius replied casually. "I need your ability."
Sugar showed no suspicion at all, despite the subtle difference in his voice.
"Oh," she responded simply.
In the next instant, four black thorns wrapped in Armament Haki shot out at point blank range.
Two bound Sugar's wrists tightly. Another coiled around her mouth, sealing it shut. The final thorn pierced directly into her fragile body.
Demonic blood poured in.
Sugar's eyes widened in shock as her body struggled violently. Her expression was filled with disbelief and confusion. She could not understand why Gladius would attack her, nor did she recognize this strange and terrifying power.
As the blood spread through her body, Sugar began to convulse uncontrollably. Her limbs twitched, her body stiffened, and her eyes rolled back as if she were suffering a violent seizure.
Lucien did not inject too much ghost blood. He knew Sugar's body could not endure excess strain.
Yes, this Gladius was a fake.
He was Lucien.
Among the entire Donquixote Family, Sugar was the one Lucien desired most.
Her Hobby Hobby Fruit was simply too valuable. If used properly, it was nothing less than an unbeatable trump card.
The Hobby Hobby Fruit allowed its user to turn anyone they touched into a toy according to their will. Once transformed, all memories and records of that person's existence would be erased from the world.
If such a Devil Fruit were wielded by a powerful individual, it would be terrifying beyond measure.
Sugar's true age was actually twenty two. However, the moment she ate the Hobby Hobby Fruit, her age, height, and appearance were frozen permanently. Her only weakness was her inability to withstand strong shocks. If she fainted, all those she had turned into toys would revert back to humans.
Normal sleep did not trigger this reversal.
The fruit did not grant immortality either. Despite her appearance, Sugar would still die when her natural lifespan ended.
After about a minute, Sugar's body slowly stabilized.
Grape like patterns spread across her skin as her body completed its transformation into a demonic state.
"Master," Sugar said weakly.
Her face was pale. From the moment she became a demon, vast amounts of information flooded her mind. Her life, her death, her memories, even her thoughts were now under the absolute control of the man before her. She could not even choose death for herself.
"Very good," Lucien said, a satisfied smile forming on his lips.
Ten minutes later, Sugar walked out of the small garden, followed by what appeared to be an ordinary subordinate.
"Sugar-sama."
The guards immediately straightened, their expressions respectful as they saw her emerge.
Sugar ignored them completely and continued walking along the path toward one of the weapon factories.
Lucien followed behind her at an unhurried pace.
"Why did only Sugar, sir, come out? Where is Gladius?" one guard muttered in confusion.
"He probably left through another passage," another replied.
Under Sugar's lead, Lucien soon began meeting other Donquixote Family executives one by one.
Senor Pink, the Swim Swim Fruit user, a heavily built man wearing a pink baby bonnet, sucking on a pacifier, dressed in star patterned yellow diapers, a walking embodiment of perversion.
Machvise, the Ton Ton Fruit user.
Dellinger, the vicious Fighting Fish Fishman.
Lao G.
Jora, the Art Art Fruit user.
As for the highest ranking executives, Diamante, Pica, and Trebol, they were all currently within the castle. Gladius, Buffalo, Baby 5, and several others were not in Dressrosa at the moment.
As dusk fell, crimson clouds swirled across the sky.
"Sugar, what do you want from me?"
A sharp, high pitched voice echoed as a tall figure walked into the small garden. He wore heavy armor, a helmet with a cross shaped face guard, and had a spade symbol tattooed on his shoulder.
Pica, the Stone Stone Fruit user, one of the Donquixote Family's highest executives.
Despite his imposing physique and immense strength, his voice was unnaturally shrill, almost comical.
Pica appeared relaxed. He sensed nothing unusual from Sugar.
Sugar said nothing. She simply picked up a grape and handed it to him.
Pica reached out casually.
The moment their hands touched, Sugar activated her ability.
With a soft pop, Pica's massive body vanished, leaving behind a small bear shaped toy.
At the same instant, all memories of Pica were erased from the world.
The bear toy froze for a moment. When its vision adjusted to its new, low perspective, it raised its tiny arms and understood immediately what had happened.
"Sugar…"
Unable to express emotion as a toy, Pica was nevertheless filled with fury.
"Don't speak," Sugar commanded calmly.
Pica's mouth snapped shut, only muffled sounds escaping.
As the creator of the toys, Sugar held absolute authority over their actions and fate.
"This ability really is frightening," Lucien said as he stepped out from the nearby building, his amethyst eyes studying the toy with interest.
Just moments earlier, he had felt a force attempting to erase his memory of Pica. However, under the protection of the Soul based power he possessed, it failed.
This confirmed that the memory erasure effect of the Hobby Hobby Fruit was not absolute against individuals with abilities tied to the soul, mind, or spirit.
Without shedding a single drop of blood, Lucien had already neutralized the backbone of Doflamingo's forces.
"Continue with the plan," Lucien said calmly. "Arrange meetings with the remaining executives."
He glanced at the bear toy glaring up at him and found the situation oddly amusing.
"Yes," Sugar replied obediently.
Lucien's will was absolute to her.
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