High above the frozen wasteland, obscured entirely by the swirling, relentless blizzard, a figure soared through the biting wind.

Monet banked gracefully, her feathered wings catching the turbulent updrafts. Her cold, calculating eyes tracked the movement on the ground far below. Reaching into the folds of her clothing, she pulled out a small, portable Den Den Mushi.

"Master," Monet spoke into the receiver, her voice barely audible over the howling storm. "We have a situation. Five intruders have crossed the thermal divide. And... a duck. They are highly mobile and approaching the central lake. I will continue to monitor their progress."

Down in the scorched ruins near the thermal border, Usopp was tapping frantically at the sleek, metallic device strapped to his wrist. A small holographic projection flickered to life, projecting Ben's voice through the heavy static.

"...already handled it," Ben's voice crackled through the comms. "We were attacked on the ship. Hazmat suits, sleeping gas. Nothing we couldn't handle. We've captured the attackers and we're currently using them to infiltrate the main facility. We'll meet you inside."

"Wait, infiltrated? How are you getting inside?!" Usopp yelled into his wrist. "Ben? Ben! Answer me!"

The holographic projection fizzled out, replaced by nothing but the steady hiss of dead air.

"Damn it," Usopp groaned, dropping his arm. "They're already breaking into an enemy base. We need to hurry up and find the rest of this samurai so we can regroup."

"Hey! Over here, brother!" a new voice yelled.

The crew stopped, turning their attention toward a ruined, melted courtyard.

Trotting out from behind a pile of slag was a man with a wild mane of hair. But from the waist down, he possessed the body of a massive, spotted leopard.

"A centaur?!" Usopp screamed, grabbing the sides of his head. "First a dragon, now a centaur?! This island is a mythological nightmare!"

The leopard-centaur didn't seem hostile. In fact, he was smiling widely, waving a hand toward Luffy. Luffy, who was currently still wearing the disembodied samurai legs fused to his waist, waved back cheerfully.

"Good to see another centaur out here in the ruins!" the leopard-man laughed, trotting closer. "You must be a new recruit! I haven't seen you around the master's compound before. I love the striped pants!"

"Thanks! I just found them!" Luffy grinned, prancing in a circle. "Being a centaur is fun!"

The leopard-centaur paused. He blinked, looking closer at Luffy's waistline. He saw the distinct gap where Luffy's upper body met the disembodied legs, and Luffy's actual legs dangling uselessly behind him.

The centaur's friendly demeanor vanished instantly. He drew a heavy, curved scimitar from his back.

"You're not a centaur!" he roared, pointing the blade at Luffy. "You're an intruder! You're mocking our proud anatomy! Die!"

The centaur charged, his leopard legs propelling him forward at blinding speed. He leaped into the air, bringing the heavy sword down toward Luffy's head.

Luffy didn't even drop his smile. He casually sidestepped the heavy downward slash, raising his right hand. With a simple, effortless flick of his wrist, Luffy backhanded the charging centaur.

The force of the casual strike sent the centaur rocketing backward. He crashed through three ruined stone pillars before collapsing into a pile of rubble, completely unconscious.

"He was so nice a second ago," Luffy pouted.

"Look out, Captain," Robin said smoothly.

Directly behind Luffy, a second centaur—this one possessing the towering lower half of a giraffe—had been attempting to sneak up on them with a spiked club.

Before the giraffe-centaur could swing, Robin crossed her arms. Several hands sprouted directly onto the centaur's long neck and legs. With a synchronized, graceful twist, Robin sent the giraffe-centaur tumbling face-first into the ash, knocking him out instantly.

Usopp cautiously approached the unconscious leopard-centaur, his eyes scanning the surrounding debris. He noticed a small, specialized Den Den Mushi strapped to the centaur's belt. The snail had the letters 'CC' painted boldly on its shell.

"CC?" Usopp muttered, tapping his chin. "Could that stand for Centaur Clan? Are we dealing with an entire unified tribe of mythological creatures?"

"Whatever it means, they are clearly organized and communicating," Robin deduced. "We should keep moving. The facility the others are infiltrating is likely the central hub for all of this."

"Right!" Luffy cheered, adjusting his samurai legs. "To the facility!"

Miles away, slicing through the freezing, violent waters of the New World, a G-5 Marine warship was plowing directly toward the arctic side of Punk Hazard.

The blizzard was blinding, drastically reducing visibility. Massive glaciers jutted out of the dark water, forming a treacherous labyrinth of ice.

"Vice Admiral!" Tashigi yelled, gripping the ship's railing to steady herself against the turbulent waves. "The navigational readings are failing! There's a massive wall of solid ice directly ahead! We need to bank hard to port, or we'll crash!"

Smoker stood at the bow, his heavy coat billowing in the freezing wind. He didn't even flinch as the towering wall of blue ice loomed closer. He calmly took a drag from both of his cigars, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke that momentarily parted the falling snow.

"Don't change course, Tashigi," Smoker ordered, his voice carrying over the roaring wind. "Load the forward cannons. Maximum yield."

"Sir?!"

"You heard me," Smoker growled, his hand resting on the hilt of his jutte. "If Straw Hat is on this island, no wall is going to keep me out. Fire!"

The G-5 Marines scrambled to comply. The massive forward cannons roared to life, unleashing a devastating volley of heavy artillery directly into the glacier. The ice shattered in a deafening explosion, sending massive chunks of debris crashing into the sea.

The warship didn't slow down. It violently rammed through the fractured opening, forcing its way into the frozen waters of Punk Hazard.

The transition from the burning ruins to the frozen wasteland was jarring.

Luffy's group stood at the edge of a massive, deep crater lake that severed the island in two. Behind them, the air was suffocatingly hot, filled with embers. In front of them, the wind was bone-chillingly cold, carrying razor-sharp sleet.

"It's the thermals," Robin explained, observing the violently clashing weather fronts over the lake. "The extreme temperature difference between the two halves of the island is creating a permanent, localized blizzard."

"I don't care about the weather!" Usopp shivered, wrapping his arms around himself. "How do we get across? That water looks freezing!"

"We fly!" Luffy laughed.

Luffy hopped onto his hovering cloud. Caroo engaged his thrusters, hovering effortlessly over the water. Robin sprouted her wings, taking to the sky, while Usopp deployed his own falcon wings, flapping hard to generate lift. Zoro, using Geppo to bound across the air above the lake.

They moved quickly, easily crossing the deep, freezing water. But as they neared the snowy banks of the other side, a massive chunk of solid ice rocketed through the blizzard, aimed directly at Usopp.

Usopp easily dodged the projectile, banking sharply to the right. "Hey! Who threw that?!"

Standing on the snowy ridge was another centaur, this one with the lower half of a shaggy goat.

"Intruders!" the goat-centaur yelled, picking up another rock. "You will not pass!"

Luffy leaned over the edge of his cloud, his eyes shining. "A goat-guy! Hey, goat-guy! Join my crew!"

"Stop asking the enemy to join us!" Usopp screamed, nearly falling out of the sky.

"I concur," Zoro grunted, landing heavily on the snowy shore. "They're annoying."

"I will never join a pirate!" the goat-centaur yelled, pulling out a Den Den Mushi. "Boss! Boss, they're crossing the lake! We need backup immediately!"

Usopp landed on the snow, his wings retracting. "Wait. He just said 'Boss.' That's the exact same word the guy used on the distress call we intercepted!"

The blizzard around them seemed to thicken. The ground trembled slightly under a massive, approaching weight. From the dense veil of snow, a colossal, shadowy figure emerged.

It was a man of terrifying proportions, riding on massive, reptilian legs. He had a wild, unruly beard that looked like a bird's nest and carried a heavy, spiked halberd.

"Who dares attack my subordinates?" the giant man roared, his voice echoing across the frozen lake.

"That's him!" Usopp pointed. "That's the guy the distress call was about!"

The giant boss looked down at the group. His eyes narrowed, focusing directly on Zoro, who was standing at the front, his hand resting on his swords.

"You..." the boss sneered, pointing his halberd at Zoro. "You carry a blade. You must be the samurai who cut down my men and stole their legs!"

Zoro blinked, looking incredibly unimpressed. "Samurai? You think I'm the one who cut up your men?" Zoro slowly drew a single sword, an eager smirk crossing his face. "I'll take the compliment. But if you want a fight, I'm more than happy to oblige."

While Luffy's group dealt with the centaur ambush on the ice, the infiltration team had successfully breached the central facility.

The interior of the base was massive, featuring towering, metallic corridors clearly designed to accommodate giants. This was highly convenient, considering Dorry, Brogy, Oimo, and Kashii were currently wearing enormous yellow hazmat suits, carrying the rest of the group inside.

They entered a heavy decontamination airlock. Once the thick steel doors hissed shut, Ben snapped his fingers.

The compulsion magic woven into the minds of their captured hazmat escorts flared.

"You," Ben commanded, pointing to the leader of the hazmat team. "Go to Caesar. Tell him the pirates have been captured and placed in the holding cells. Do not mention anything else."

The leader nodded blankly, completely subjugated by the spell. "Yes. Captured. Holding cells." He and his team turned around and marched perfectly in step down a side corridor, heading deeper into the facility.

"Alright, they bought us some time," Ben said, dusting off his hands. "We need to figure out what they're researching here. We'll cover more ground if we split up. I'll divide us into three groups."

"I shall protect Nami-san and Vivi-chan with my life!" Sanji immediately declared, twirling in place.

"Actually," Ben interrupted, "I'm splitting the navigators up. Group one: Sanji, Chopper, Nami, and Kashii. Group two: Dorry, Brogy, Vivi, and Merry. Group three: Myself, Sunny, Franky, Oimo, and Brook."

Sanji looked devastated at being separated from Vivi, but a sharp glare from Nami kept him from arguing.

"Stay in communication, but keep the chatter light," Ben instructed. "If you find Caesar or the central lab, let the others know before engaging."

The groups split up, taking three separate corridors branching off from the main airlock.

Group one—Nami, Sanji, Chopper, and the towering Kashii—ventured down a dimly lit, heavy-duty cell block. The doors on either side of them were thick steel, complete with heavy observation windows.

"These are holding cells," Nami muttered, looking into one of the rooms. "But they're all empty. Whatever they were keeping in here, it's either gone or... moved somewhere else."

"Who cares?" Sanji scoffed, keeping a protective stance near Nami. "Empty cells mean less trouble for us. Let's keep moving. This place gives me the creeps."

"Wait," Chopper said, his sensitive ears twitching. He transformed into his Heavy Point, standing tall. "I hear something."

They followed the sound to a cell at the very end of the block. The heavy steel door was locked tight.

"Kashii, if you would," Sanji gestured to the door.

Kashii grunted. The giant reached forward, easily wrapping his massive fingers around the reinforced steel bars of the observation window. With a sharp tug, he ripped the entire door off its hinges, tossing it casually down the hallway.

The group stepped inside the dark, cold cell. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Laying in the center of the floor, haphazardly piled into a heap, were several distinct pieces of a human head. The cuts were perfectly clean, allowing the pieces to remain alive and talking, despite being entirely disjointed.

"Woe is me!" a mouth complained from the floor, entirely disconnected from its corresponding eyes. "To be reduced to a puzzle! The shame!"

Chopper screamed, hiding behind Kashii's massive leg. "It's a chopped-up head! And it's alive!"

"Quiet, reindeer," Kashii grumbled, looking down at the mess. "It's just a Devil Fruit power or something."

Sanji sighed, kneeling down next to the pieces. "Alright, let's put Humpty Dumpty back together. Chopper, give me a hand."

"I don't want to touch it!" Chopper cried.

Ignoring him, Sanji grabbed a chunk of the face containing the nose and eyes, and shoved it onto the piece containing the mouth. He then grabbed the top of the skull and slapped it on.

The head blinked. "I... I can see! Thank you, strangers!"

"Sanji, you put his chin where his forehead should be," Nami pointed out, deadpan.

Sanji looked at his work. The head was completely upside down. "Eh. Close enough."

"Who are you people?!" the upside-down head demanded, his eyes squinting furiously. "You don't wear the yellow suits! "

"We're the Straw Hat Pirates," Sanji answered casually.

"Pirates?!" the head spat, its inverted mouth curling in disgust. "Scum of the sea! Villains! Rascals! I hate pirates! You make me sick! I refuse to be aided by such dishonorable filth!"

Nami crossed her arms, entirely unbothered. "Okay. Let's go, guys. Have fun on the floor."

She turned around and began to walk out of the cell, Sanji, Chopper, and Kashii following right behind her.

"Wait!" the head yelled frantically. "Please! Don't leave me! I have to find my son! I beg of you, take me with you!"

Sanji stopped, letting out an exasperated sigh. He walked back, picked up the head, quickly scrambled the pieces, and assembled them correctly.

Now fully formed, the head belonged to a stern-looking man with a traditional topknot.

"Much better," the samurai grunted, testing his jaw. "I am Kin'emon, a samurai of Wano. I was cut to pieces by a mysterious man in this facility. I must find my son, Momonosuke!"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll keep an eye out," Sanji said, picking Kin'emon up by the topknot and carrying him like a lantern. "Let's check the next sector."

They exited the cell block, pushing through a set of heavy, double doors marked 'Biscuits Room'.

The room they stepped into was brightly colored, completely contrasting the dark, industrial halls of the rest of the facility. There were massive blocks, oversized toys, and gigantic beds.

And filling the room were children.

Dozens of them. They rushed forward the moment the doors opened, crowding around the Straw Hats.

"Are you the frozen people?" a little girl asked, her eyes wide.

"Look! A tanuki!" another girl squealed, pointing at Chopper. "He's so cute!"

"I am not a tanuki! I'm a reindeer!" Chopper yelled, though he immediately started doing his happy, squiggly dance. "And calling me cute won't make me happy, you jerks!"

Nami looked around the room, her brow furrowing. "Some of these kids are normal-sized. But the rest of them... they're giants."

Sanji held Kin'emon's head up. "Hey, Samurai. Is your kid in here?"

Kin'emon looked around at the crowd. "Momonosuke! Are you here, my son?!"

The children took one look at the talking, disembodied head held by its hair, and immediately burst into terrified tears.

"It's a monster!" one of the giant children wailed, backing away.

Nami swiftly punched Sanji in the back of the head. "Hide that thing! You're scaring them!"

She knelt down, softening her expression as she looked at a giant boy who was wiping tears from his eyes. "Hey, it's okay. We aren't here to hurt you. Why are you all locked in here?"

The giant boy sniffled, looking down at Nami. "The Master brought us here to cure our sickness. He said we were very ill. But... we feel fine now. We've felt fine for a long time. We just want to go home to our families. But the men in the yellow suits won't let us leave."

The boy suddenly fell to his knees, his massive hands gripping the floor in front of Nami. "Please... you look strong. Can you take us away from here? Can you take us home?"

The other children joined in, their pleas echoing through the brightly colored, deeply sinister room.

Sanji's expression hardened, his jovial demeanor vanishing as he processed what was happening. Chopper stopped dancing, his medical instincts flaring as he looked closely at the unnaturally sized children.

Nami stood up slowly. Her eyes, usually sharp and focused on navigation or treasure, softened with a fierce, unwavering maternal protectiveness. She hated seeing children cry. She hated seeing them used.

"Sanji. Kashii. Chopper," Nami said, her voice dropping into a deadly serious register.

"Yes, Nami-san," Sanji replied, lighting a cigarette.

"We are not leaving this island," Nami declared, looking at the giant boy. "Until every single one of these kids is safely back home."

"Hai!" x3