Trebol usually kept his body hidden within the sticky mucus he secreted. This made others think he was a chubby old man, but what Kuro had slashed earlier was merely that outer mucus—he hadn't touched Trebol's real body at all.
[Beta-Beta Cannon Shot]
Trebol suddenly launched chunks of thick goo from his body. The mucus splattered everywhere, covering the entire room.
Kuro tried his best to dodge, but he still got hit. The goo pinned him to the wall, and more of it rained down, sticking him in place. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free.
"A bandage-wrapped freak dares challenge a top executive of the Donquixote Family?"
"We top executives are the backbone of the family! No one mocks us and lives—go to hell!"
Trebol hurled another glob of goo, piercing straight through Kuro's head.
With his head obliterated, Kuro's body disintegrated into black particles and vanished.
At that moment, on the rooftop nearby, Lance—leaning against a chimney—sensed Kuro's destruction.
"As expected… even with their abilities, Kuro and the others aren't enough to take down one of the Donquixote executives on their own… Even if Trebol is the weakest among them, he's still a Devil Fruit user."
"Looks like I'll have to take care of this myself."
"Kuro… I'll avenge you."
Lance flicked away his cigarette and looked toward the House of Toys.
"Master… revenge… Kuro… revenge…"
Behind him, Kuro's silhouette reappeared.
As long as Lance lived, no matter how many times Kuro died, he would always return.
…
"When will this misery end?!"
"Someone help us! Why are we forced to do this filthy work every day?!"
"My wife and kids don't even remember me anymore… what's the point of living?!"
In the underground factory of the House of Toys, countless toys worked tirelessly.
Their cries could only be heard in their hearts—on the outside, they were just lifeless toys, unable to show any emotion.
Only during the day could they leave and reunite with family, communicate with others. At night, they had to return to toil once more.
"Why are you standing there? Move it!"
"You useless toys! Try slacking off again and I'll break you into spare parts for the scrap yard!"
The pirates overseeing them barked arrogantly.
As they shouted, they beat the toys relentlessly. The toys couldn't feel pain, but the beatings satisfied the pirates' frustrations.
"Ha! Kicking these toys around like balls really is satisfying!"
"Hell yeah. Just think—some of these used to be infamous pirates! This one had a bounty of over 80 million… and I'm beating the crap out of him now! Hahaha!"
The guards laughed loudly.
But then—suddenly—all the toys froze.
"What the hell?! You stopped?! You want to end up as scrap?!"
The guards stomped over, ready to lay down more punishment.
But halfway there, they stopped dead in their tracks. Their eyes widened. Pupils shrank. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
"They… changed back…"
"Feeling the warmth of my skin again… it's been so long!"
"Someone's attacking the Donquixote Family? Could it be… that man-eating monster?"
"Whoever it is—they're our savior! But before thanking our hero… shouldn't we deal with these bastards who beat us day after day?"
In an instant, all the toys transformed back.
One by one, brawny pirates with fierce auras reappeared. Each was massive, with one towering over four meters tall, glaring coldly down at the stunned guards.
"Brothers who suffered alongside us—after so long under Doflamingo's torment, it's finally time to unleash our rage!"
"The first to face our wrath… are them! The ones who mocked us, beat us, even tried to break us—kill them all!"
"RAAAAHHHH!!!!"
With a roar from the four-meter giant, the freed pirates surged forward, burying the guards in a tsunami of vengeance.
"Riot! The toys turned back into humans! Alert Trebol-sama!"
"AAAH! Somebody save me!"
"Seal every exit! Don't let them escape!"
Panic spread. Everyone at the House of Toys scrambled.
The news quickly reached Trebol.
His face darkened.
"Damn it! That monster… he never meant to attack me. He came just to release them!"
"If even one of them escapes… it's all over! Seal the exits! Kill them all!"
Trebol barked out orders.
"Trebol-sama, should we inform Doflamingo-dono?"
a subordinate asked.
"Not yet… If Doffy finds out about this, he'll think I'm incompetent. I can't let him worry about my failure!"
"Also—go check on Sugar! How the hell did all the toys turn back?!"
Trebol was still shouting when—
BOOM!
The doors to the House of Toys were blasted open!
"Trebol,"
A calm, expressionless voice echoed as Lance walked in.
"One of the four executives who once supported Doflamingo's rise. A trusted pillar of the Donquixote Family. Considered 'family' by him."
"An intruder!"
Guards shouted and rushed toward Lance.
Before they could act, wounds split open across their bodies, blood gushing out. They collapsed instantly—dead on the spot.
"You… the man-eating freak!"
"You think I'm the same pushover as Diamante?!"
Trebol glared at him.
"No. To me, you're not even that."
"You're not a pushover—you're just a slightly stronger bug."
"Today, I'll take your life. Let Doflamingo feel it again—the pain of losing a limb!"
(End of Chapter)
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