CHAPTER 173: CHAPTER 173 : TARGET SUGAR

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Dressrosa Sea Area

Aboard the Thousand Sunny, Law watched with growing exasperation as the Straw Hat Pirates began outlining their strategy.

"Alright, everyone," Usopp declared, "our first priority is to destroy the SAD Factory before Doflamingo returns! This is crucial. Until then, we need to keep our identities under wraps..."

Before Law could even finish his thought, Ikki, shaking his head, gently patted Law’s shoulder. "Law, just give up on that plan!" Ikki sighed, pointing towards the shore. Luffy and the others had already disembarked and were sprinting straight towards the capital of Dressrosa.

In truth, Ikki had initially considered revealing a major spoiler right then and there: the secret to defeating the Hobby-Hobby Fruit user and freeing Dressrosa’s citizens by knocking out Sugar. But on second thought, it seemed unnecessary.

With the Straw Hats now on the island, chaos was an inevitable certainty. Besides, with Ikki’s current strength, taking on the Donquixote Family wouldn’t be much of a challenge.

Realizing the Straw Hats weren’t listening to a word he said, Law covered his face with his hand. "Fine, whatever!" he muttered, letting out a frustrated sigh as he disembarked the ship.

He decided to head straight for the Donquixote Family’s headquarters. His aim was to cause as much damage as possible before Doflamingo’s return, intent on destroying everything Doflamingo held dear.

Dressrosa Capital

Meanwhile, after disembarking, Luffy and his group made their way into the bustling town. They attempted some simple disguises—mostly just sticking on fake beards. Ace’s disguise was particularly minimal: he simply put on a Landy’s Torture mask.

Upon entering the city, everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to a massive arena. The grand prize? A Flame-Flame Fruit!

"The Flame-Flame Fruit!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes fixed on the fruit displayed on the screen. "Ikki said Ace’s soul might be in the Flame-Flame Fruit! I’m going to get Ace’s Devil Fruit!"

Hearing Luffy, Franky rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "A Logia-type Devil Fruit... That’s gonna be highly sought after! We’re probably looking at a lot of strong opponents."

"I’ll participate too!" Ace declared, stepping forward. "I’ll revive this world’s Ace!" Rouge, standing nearby, nodded in agreement. Through their journey together, she had come to understand the bond between Ace and Luffy and was equally determined to save this world’s version of her son.

Ultimately, both Luffy and Ace decided to enter the tournament. While others in the Straw Hat crew considered participating, they figured Luffy and Ace were the strongest; if those two couldn’t win the Flame-Flame Fruit, it would be too difficult for anyone else.

Donquixote Family’s Underground Port

At the same time, Ikki led Captain America and Kakashi into the Donquixote Family’s hidden underground port.

This port was the true heart of the family’s operations, where they conducted all their illicit dealings with the World Government, the Four Emperors, and various nations. It was also where Sugar, protected by the entire Donquixote Family, was kept.

Ikki pulled out a shrinking flashlight, reducing the three of them in size, allowing them to easily infiltrate the deeper sections of the port. Here, they found countless individuals—Dressrosa citizens, animals, World Government agents, pirates, and Marines—all forcibly transformed into toys by Sugar, their very existence erased from the memories of others.

"Are these toys... truly human?" Captain America asked, his voice grave. "To be turned into a toy and have your memory erased... The thought alone is horrifying."

"That’s the power of a Devil Fruit," Ikki explained, glancing at Captain America with a mischievous grin. "What do you think, Captain America? Fancy eating a Devil Fruit yourself? I think the Flame-Flame Fruit would suit you perfectly!" Ikki remembered that the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four shared an actor with Captain America. It would be amusing to see Captain America wielding fire like the Human Torch.

"Huh? Didn’t you say that even dogs wouldn’t eat the Flame-Flame Fruit?" Captain America questioned.

Ikki chuckled, patting him on the shoulder. "You’re different!"

Captain America just stared.

Suddenly, Kakashi, who was leading the way, spoke up. "Ikki, is that the Sugar you mentioned?"

Ikki looked ahead and saw a little girl, no older than five or six, dressed in an adorable bear costume, sleeping soundly amidst a pile of toys. Seeing her, Ikki stroked his chin, muttering, "It seems falling asleep doesn’t mean losing consciousness!"

Captain America also saw Sugar. Ikki had told him she was a "Lolita," but he hadn’t expected such a cute little girl. "So... how exactly are we going to scare her unconscious?"

Ikki grinned, handing two eerie demon masks to Captain America and Kakashi. "When she wakes up, just put on these masks and appear in front of her!"

After taking the masks, the two used the shrinking flashlight to hide among the toys. Ikki, meanwhile, directly used the Sheep Talisman to leave his body and enter Sugar’s dream. Ikki’s plan was simple: scare Sugar within her dream, and then, while she was still disoriented, have Captain America and Kakashi deliver the final fright to knock her out.

Sugar’s dreamscape was quite fascinating, filled with cosmetics, clothes, handbags, and high heels. In her dream, Sugar wasn’t a little girl at all, but a beautiful, sexy woman, somewhat resembling the Monet Ikki had seen before. Upon witnessing Sugar’s dream, Ikki immediately understood her deepest desire.

Sugar possesses the power of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit. After eating it, the user stops aging and remains a child for the rest of their life, forever a "legal Lolita."

Thinking of "legal Lolita," Ikki quickly shook his head. "Ahem... I’m not a pervert... I’m still a man of culture!"

Next, Ikki began to manipulate Sugar’s dream. Having watched countless horror movies and played numerous horror games—like Halloween, The Grudge, The Shining, Resident Evil, Dead Silence, Silent Hill, Night of the Living Dead, and The Old Corpse in the Village—Ikki transformed Sugar’s dream into a terrifying film, with Sugar herself as the unwilling protagonist.

For the next ten days, Sugar endured a relentless cycle of despair and terror. She desperately wanted to faint, but for some inexplicable reason, the more frightened she became, the more awake she felt.

In Halloween, she was constantly chased by the murderous Michael Myers, the chilling background music forever etched into her mind. On the Triangle, she experienced infinite, recurring deaths. And while The Shining wasn’t overtly scary, its eerie and oppressive atmosphere truly left her breathless.

As for Ikki? He was comfortably seated in a cinema with a few girls, thoroughly enjoying Sugar’s "performance," though he felt a little uncomfortable.