Jaya Island.
A group of pirates, preparing to set sail, noticed an airship hovering far above the sea. Instantly, a wave of chatter broke out.
"Hahaha! Some idiot's still heading to Skypiea?!"
"Guess he's Doflamingo's lapdog now!"
"Think we could build something like that?"
"Are you stupid? Even if you built it, where else could you go besides straight up?! What ocean can that thing even sail in?"
"Take that out to sea and tomorrow I'll be picking treasure off your corpse!"
...
Countless enormous spears of hardened wax rained down on the group that had just been laughing.
They pierced through the pirates one after another.
In the blink of an eye, the dock where pirates had gathered was reduced to carnage. Not a single soul remained standing. Everything was shattered.
Blood and mangled bodies covered the port.
Screams echoed in every direction.
"Crocodile-sama isn't someone a bunch of lowlife pirates like you can talk about!"
Galdino appeared at the center of it all.
His cold gaze glinted from behind the oval lenses perched on his nose, sweeping across the pirates still clinging to life.
No signature overalls yet—just a blue and white striped short-sleeve shirt.
"G!"
With a pose shaped like the letter G, Lao G strode closer from the distance.
His already vicious face grew even darker upon seeing the wreckage.
"Disrupting the peace on Jaya Island—come with me!"
"Tch... such a pain."
A sense of danger crept up Galdino's spine, making him frown.
Wax surged from his body, rapidly encasing him.
A towering wax figure emerged in his place.
"Wax Champion!"
"Resisting justice? That's an extra charge."
In his prime, Lao G shook his head with a sigh. These young punks never knew their place.
Taking a deep breath, his body visibly swelled with power.
Lao G channeled his years of training into raw strength.
But Galdino struck first. Each step he took sent shockwaves through the ground, cratering the terrain like hidden landmines going off.
Lao G danced between the wax giant's strikes like a willow in the wind, narrowly avoiding every blow.
"Let me show you what real combat looks like, candle brat!"
A thunderous crack came from the ground as Lao G vanished and reappeared at a distance.
Galdino's expression tensed, focusing all his attention on Lao G's next move. He hadn't even seen the man move!
Lao G now struck a pose again, arms forming the letter G.
It looked ridiculous—but it was how he gathered his strength, honed through countless battles.
His form was cloaked in glistening black Haki.
"Watch closely, candle brat!"
With a sudden crouch, the ground beneath his feet exploded as if hit by a cannonball, dirt flying in all directions.
"Damn it! I can't see anything!"
Galdino cursed inwardly. He couldn't track this guy's movements at all—it was too fast!
"Candle Wall!"
Wax gushed from his body and solidified in front of him, forming a barrier tougher than steel.
But in the very next instant—
Lao G burst past it with ease and appeared directly in front of him.
With a powerful strike, he smashed into the wax figure's chest.
Crack!
A clear shattering sound rang out.
The wax armor exploded apart, sending the real Galdino hurtling backward, his body hunched and limp.
His eyes rolled back, blood spilling from his lips. He was already unconscious.
...
Above, the airship rose higher and higher, unaffected by the chaos below.
It edged ever closer to the thick fossil clouds above.
Crocodile hadn't even noticed his subordinate had just been flattened.
His gaze was fixed on the dark clouds, as if trying to see the figure hiding beyond them—Doflamingo.
Poof!
The airship entered the clouds.
Inside the ship, the cloud layer loomed closer through the windows.
Daz Bonez, already equipped with an oxygen tank, stepped forward just in time and held it out.
"Crocodile-sama! You should put this on. The oxygen levels are about to drop sharply—it might affect your ability to fight at full strength!"
"No need."
Crocodile waved him off.
Mere hypoxia. With his body, he could adapt with ease.
Lafitte watched in silence, a mocking smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
This brat's too green. Only real strength can earn Crocodile's trust.
Daz Bonez awkwardly retracted the oxygen tank.
As for giving it to Lafitte? Even if he had a spare, he wouldn't share it—unless Lafitte begged.
Then the entire ship pierced into the fossil clouds.
"Mmph! Mmph!" x2
As soon as Crocodile's body sank into the clouds, his face twisted in shock—there was seawater in them.
His body immediately collapsed to the deck like a puddle of sludge.
Lafitte fared even worse—his consciousness was already slipping away.
In a flash, both were on the verge of collapse.
The only non-Devil Fruit user, Daz Bonez, quickly strapped the oxygen mask to Crocodile's face.
With a breath of fresh air, some color returned to Crocodile's pale face.
He had underestimated it—there was actually seawater in the clouds!
Boom!
Something massive moved within the cloud.
Daz Bonez, who had done his homework, knew exactly what it was—Sky Fish were approaching.
Without hesitation, he drew his blade and struck.
-----------
Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg