Inside the alternate space.
The seven girls of the Dream Exploration Group watched as Doflamingo laughed smugly, feeling speechless.
"Is he... digging his own grave?" Lia pointed at Doflamingo, who was laughing wildly outside.
"He definitely is. And... it's a pretty deep hole too," Robin said after thinking for a moment.
"Daisy, the drug you used earlier should be kicking in soon, right?" Nojiko turned to look at Daisy.
Daisy nodded while watching the little girl outside, who was happily munching on blueberries. "Yeah, soon she'll feel incredibly hungry. That's when we'll make our move."
"I'll handle delivering the note," Robin added.
The others agreed since Robin's Devil Fruit ability made it easy to send the note to Viola without anyone noticing.
About ten minutes later, Doflamingo left, but his officers remained.
They sat in various spots, and Trebol stood close to Sugar, all of them staying alert to their surroundings.
At that moment, a slight change appeared on Sugar's face.
Trebol, who had been watching her closely, noticed right away and asked, "Sugar, what's wrong?"
Hearing his voice, the other officers immediately turned their attention to Sugar.
Sugar was second only to Doflamingo in importance within their group, so everyone was highly concerned.
Viola, however, was startled. Her expression changed slightly, but her years of experience in espionage helped her stay calm.
She glanced at the note in her hand and quickly understood its contents.
"I'm fine... I just suddenly feel really, really hungry," Sugar said as her stomach started growling.
The officers looked at her in confusion.
She had been eating non-stop, yet she was starving again?
"Trebol, I need food! Lots and lots of food!" Sugar urged.
"It's almost mealtime anyway, and the young master won't be back anytime soon. We might as well have food brought in so we can eat together," Viola suggested.
Trebol thought for a moment and agreed.
Normally, this wouldn't be allowed, but Sugar kept complaining about hunger, and her stomach wouldn't stop growling. If she passed out from hunger, that would be a big problem.
He immediately ordered the auction house manager to prepare food.
Before long, the manager brought in a large spread of dishes.
Everyone started eating without hesitation, but they couldn't help worrying as they watched Sugar devour food like crazy.
"Daisy, Sugar ate the food too. She's not going to pass out, is she? It's not time for her to collapse yet," Nojiko asked inside Nami's alternate space.
"Relax, she won't pass out. The food she's eating now will actually counteract the drug that made her hungry," Daisy reassured them.
Hearing that, the group finally felt at ease.
~~~~~~
"No... something's wrong! This food is poisoned!"
"Sugar, stop eating!" Trebol suddenly felt dizzy and shouted out a warning.
The other officers also realized something was wrong.
"Ah!!!" Sugar gasped.
Terrified, she dropped her food. But strangely, her hunger had vanished, and she showed no signs of being poisoned.
*Thud... Thud... Thud...*
One by one, the officers collapsed, unable to say a word.
Trebol was the last to fall.
Seeing Sugar's confused and panicked expression, he realized she wasn't poisoned—but everyone else was.
With that thought, he too lost consciousness.
Sugar froze.
She needed to find Doflamingo right away—only he could ensure her safety.
*Creak...*
The sound of a door opening echoed in the room.
Sugar, who had just lifted her foot to run, stopped.
Out of habit, she turned to look back.
Seven women stepped out from a portal in the wall.
"Waaahhh..."
"Don't hit me, I'm just a kid..." Sugar glanced around, realizing she wasn't a match for them, and immediately started crying pitifully.
Nami and the others didn't get close right away because they knew how fast Sugar's hands were.
Sugar, the master of the "Eighteen Touches."
"How cute..."
"It's just a shame we know your real age. But since your ability is special, we can give you a chance—to join our crew." Nojiko looked at Sugar seriously.
Hearing this, Sugar's expression instantly turned cold as she glared at Nojiko. "No way. I'll never betray the Young Master."
"If your sister Monet was in our hands too..." Robin said with a smile.
"Sister..." Sugar froze.
She was about to refute when Nami pulled out a Den Den Mushi, and a familiar voice came through.
"Sugar, are you okay? Did they do anything to you...?"
*Click!*
Before Monet could finish, Nami hung up.
"It's really my sister..." Sugar couldn't believe it.
Her sister had a Logia-type Devil Fruit, and she was in Punk Hazard, where another Logia user was also present!
"You don't have to worry. Your sister is fine, just... she's lost some freedom, and her life is in your hands now." Nojiko said calmly, without a hint of sympathy.
"You... you're bullying me... Waaaah..." Sugar pointed at Nami and the others, crying in frustration.
Even her nose started running...
Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed, and this time, it wasn't an act—she was really crying.
"Uhehehe~~~"
"What an adorable little lady. So, what's your decision?" Daisy chuckled and asked.
Sugar looked at Daisy, then at the others, who remained expressionless.
She had no idea what to do. In her heart, both her sister and the Young Master were most important. But now, she had to choose between them. She was completely lost.
"You don't have much time. We can't wait forever." Nojiko said flatly.
"I... I'll go with you. But can you let Trebol and the others go...?" Sugar struggled to make her decision.
Between her sister and the Young Master, her sister's life was in immediate danger, while the Young Master was still safe. She had to save her sister first.
But Trebol had always treated her well, and she didn't want him to die either.
"Fine, we promise. They're not dead, just knocked out. We never planned to take them away anyway." Nojiko agreed to her request.
"Whew..."
"As long as they're not dead, that's good..." Sugar let out a sigh of relief.
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