"Oooooh! As expected of Golden Lion!"
"Get 'em, boys!!!"
The battle between the two leaders was heating up. At the same time, the Golden Lion's grand fleet clashed with the Marine forces.
For a moment, the battlefield was a chaotic storm of cannon fire, magma, ice shards, and blazing light spheres, all tearing through the air...
"So this is what true strength looks like?!" Moria gazed up with fiery admiration in his eyes.
Even Enel, a wielder of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, looked uneasy—he was struggling to keep up with their speed.
Tesoro felt a surge of longing, his golden rings dancing around his fingers as he clenched his fists.
"Let's go!" Doflamingo snapped his crew out of their trance.
As the chaos of battle raged on, the Numancia Flamingo maneuvered skillfully through the disarray of the Marine fleet, heading toward Loguetown. Doflamingo had no interest in the outcome of this battle.
If the Marines suffered heavy losses, Loguetown would be even safer for him. If the Golden Lion took a hit, it would only make his future plans to claim the Float-Float Fruit easier.
For him, it was a win-win.
...
By dusk, in a seaside restaurant in Loguetown—
"Moria, Tesoro, are they done fighting?"
Enel, crouched by the window with a bowl of apple salad in hand, turned to the others, watching as both sides seemed to wind down.
"No idea, but one day, I'll be just as strong!" Moria declared, gripping his large sword.
"They probably have their own concerns," Tesoro speculated as he observed the battlefield. He noticed that both sides were holding back considerably.
"This isn't as good as what Giolla makes." Doflamingo swallowed the last piece of shrimp on his plate before finally glancing at the battlefield.
Neither of the main combatants seemed injured, and the fleet engagements had been kept at a distance—no boarding battles, minimal losses.
Doflamingo started explaining.
"If Golden Lion were to fight recklessly in close combat, he might break through the Marine lines, but for what? A dying Roger isn't worth that kind of effort.
On the other hand, the three Marine 'monsters' and Garp might be able to take down Golden Lion, but this island is still crawling with Roger's crew and opportunists. They can't afford to go all out.
Their main objective is to execute the Pirate King before the world's eyes."
"A self-surrendered Pirate King—how much of a deterrent can that really be?" A cold, hoarse, yet arrogant voice cut in.
"Fufufufufu... Well said. If anything, Roger might just ignite an even more chaotic era."
Doflamingo turned toward the entrance, intrigued. He always enjoyed a good counterpoint.
There stood a towering, familiar figure—a gold hook, a sharp scar splitting a finely sculpted face, and a cigar perched at the corner of their lips, adding to their imposing presence.
Doflamingo's smirk twitched slightly as he took in the sight before him.
Oda, are you serious?
Crocodile… actually got gender-swapped?!
You've really outdone yourself this time.
"Huff." Taking a deep drag from the cigar, Crocodile exhaled a thick plume of smoke. "What do you think this era of chaos will look like?"
Doflamingo pushed up his sunglasses and responded with a question of his own.
"What do you think?"
"A paradise for the strong and a hell for the weak. And I… am the strongest of the strong!" Crocodile declared firmly.
"Fufufufufu... I like that answer. As expected of the infamous Sir Crocodile, who fought against the Devil's Heir two years ago. So, how about it? Want to join forces?"
Doflamingo made sure to steer clear of mentioning Crocodile's humiliating defeat at Whitebeard's hands—no need to reopen old wounds.
"You want to partner with me?"
"That's right. Once Roger dies, the remnants of the old era will start falling, one after another.
Then, in the age of upheaval that follows, strength will reign supreme. And as it so happens, we have plenty of that.
What do you say? You have the qualifications to claim a piece of the pie."
Doflamingo gestured as if slicing a cake.
Crocodile narrowed their eyes. "Strength, huh? Tell me, Doflamingo, are you counting on the so-called 'West Blue Hero' Moria as your trump card?"
To Crocodile, the so-called 'heroes' of West Blue were nothing more than corpses waiting to happen—especially those who relied on brute force.
"Young Master/Boss?"
Lightning crackled around Enel.
Moria gripped his sword with a scowl. What the hell did he ever do to Crocodile?
Tesoro, meanwhile, quietly reached for a Den Den Mushi to contact his family—just in case.
Doflamingo's expression darkened as he raised a hand to halt his subordinates.
He suddenly realized a problem—his most notable fights had either gone unnoticed or had been erased from the record. To the outside world, he was nothing more than a drug dealer.
Standing up to his full height, he loomed over Crocodile. "Then why don't you measure my strength for yourself, Crocodile?!"
Crocodile glanced past Doflamingo at his crew, then smirked as a storm began to swirl around them.
"Guhahahaha! Fine! Desert Spada!"
A powerful sandstorm erupted from Crocodile's hands, tearing through the restaurant, ripping walls and flooring apart. The surrounding pirates quickly scattered, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
A massive twister, over twenty meters high, roared toward Doflamingo.
"Is that all? Show me what you've really got, Crocodile!"
Thick strings surged out from Doflamingo's hand, piercing straight into the eye of the storm, dismantling its momentum instantly.
"Boom!"
The shockwave sent debris flying in every direction.
"As you wish! Desert La Spada!"
Crocodile roared, their arm transforming into a massive sand blade that cut through the smoke, slashing toward Doflamingo.
With an explosive clash, the sand blade was shattered by a string-infused meteor hammer coated in Armament Haki.
In a flash, Doflamingo closed the distance, his iron fist colliding with Crocodile's golden hook.
"BOOM!"
"You think I only have one hand?!"
A wicked grin spread across Doflamingo's face as strings surged from the ground, aiming straight for Crocodile.
"Tch!" Crocodile's body burst into sand, dispersing just before impact.
Doflamingo frowned. "Of course, Logia types are always a pain..."
Crocodile reformed at a distance, leisurely taking another drag of their cigar.
"Still relying on brute force?"
"Hmph. Then let's see you use your Armament Haki, Crocodile—or did Whitebeard completely crush your spirit?"
Crocodile's expression twisted in fury. "You're dead! Erosion Cycle!"
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+220 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg