Episode 601

"Shaking Up the New World - Caesar's Nightmarish Experiment" is the 601st episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
At the lab, the G-5 Marine soldiers are banging on the door, demanding entry. Meanwhile, the children are returned to the lab where Caesar orders his subordinates to make sure they do not escape again. However, Mocha begins to regain her senses, seeing Caesar's subordinates as monsters.

Within Caesar's private quarters, Vergo and Monet are waiting for Caesar's return. As soon as Caesar arrives, he reveals that he made a deal with Law in the past to give his heart to Caesar, and in exchange, Law would get to keep Monet's heart. He shows Law that Vergo is now in possession of Law's heart, while he himself has Smoker's heart, but before he could torture him, Monet informs Caesar that the broadcast is ready.

In the broadcast, it is shown that a very large candy is being offered to Smiley, which is a deadly weapon known as Shinokuni. Caesar then orders the men that brought the candy to quickly return to the lab. As Zoro's group are being chased by Smiley, the poison beast sees the candy and promptly swallows it, ignoring the false heartfelt words from Caesar. He then laughs as everyone watching the broadcast sees the creature behaving rather strangely.

Long Summary
Caesar Clown and the children are seen disembarking from the Flying Gas Balloon, surprising the nearby Marines and they question what the ship is. Entering the research laboratory through an upper entrance, Caesar reminds the children that the lab is their home and their candy is in the Biscuits Room. He then orders his subordinates to lock the doors and to make sure they do not escape again. As all of the children hurry inside eagerly, Mocha, who upon entering the room, begins to resist the addictive drug and remembers her frightening memories of the lab. Some of the satyrs attempt to calm her down, but she finally realizes that Nami and Usopp were trying to save the children from Caesar. Having realized what is exactly going on, she begins to try to escape again, crying out for Nami and Usopp to help her.

Far in the distance, back at the Straw Hat Pirates' make-shift hide out, Nami eventually regains consciousness, marveling at how strong Sanji's body is, and how it allowed her to survive Caesar's attack. Noticing Usopp beginning to awaken nearby, she moves to assist him. Confusing her with the real Sanji, Usopp lets slip his disappointment in it actually being Nami causing her to become rather abrasive.

Back in the laboratory, Caesar meets up with Monet and Vergo, the latter of the two talking about how they had just been drinking coffee with some cookies, only to quickly remember that there wasn't any cookies to be had. Asking Caesar when is he going to start the experiment, the mad scientist replies by asking Monet to collect some pictures, and tells Vergo to do a better job at keeping the Marines at bay, admitting that the arrival of Smoker and his men had caused him to become nervous.

Moving towards the cage, Caesar then reveals that he knows all of Law's plans due to Monet's tracking of Law with her abilities, and thanks Law for naively giving him his heart in exchange for Monet's heart as part of their contract. Vergo squeezes Law's heart, which results in Law screaming and trashing around in his restraints. Responding to Caesar's condescending gloat by insulting his intellectual abilities, Caesar becomes infuriated and grabs Law's heart (which was being held out by Vergo), and punches it, inflicting pain upon the Shichibukai. Law screams and trashes around some more, before laying still on the floor, breathing hard as he passes out. Luffy, impressed and shocked at how someone could still survive despite his heart no longer being inside his body, is cut off by Smoker who demands to know where his heart is currently being held. Holding it out before him, Caesar gloatingly mocks him about it.

Receiving a call from his subordinates, Caesar then resumes his broadcast to the brokers through a Den Den Mushi, explaining the nature of his pet/weapon Smiley and the history of the island. Pinpointing the one flaw of the weapon from four years ago, he then elaborates and explains that he had since eliminated said flaw, and by feeding Smiley with a special bait he prepared, the poisonous axolotl would became an improved weapon called Shinokuni; being an even stronger poisonous gas weapon than it was before.

Outside in the winter region, Smiley is shown to still be chasing after Sanji, Zoro, Brook, and Kin'emon, who marvel at its still growing size. They notice a giant candy in the distance with a big screen behind it and something underneath. Pulling the sweet across the plains, several of Caesar's subordinates and Vegapunk's dragon are then told by Caesar to escape before Smiley catches up to them. Realizing their sled is no longer usable, and the dragon having freed itself, the men quickly run away with the Straw Hats and Kin'emon trailing shortly behind. Reaching the sweet, Smiley briefly pauses after seeing Caesar on the display. Attempting to show his taming of the monster, Caesar begun issuing orders for the slime, but is ignored. Smiley then devours the large piece of candy.

Anime Notes

 * The anime adds the following:
 * In addition to having a hallucination with seeing a person with a snake head, Mocha also sees a person with a frog head and a person with a lizard head.
 * Monet serving coffee to Vergo and asking if he would accept it with milk.
 * When Caesar is feigning worry for his subordinates, he is seen holding a bottle of the acid that was used to damage the sled used by his subordinates.
 * The preview for the next episode is shortened for the first time since Episode 579.