"Franky Laser—!"
"Fwooooosh~~~"
In the icy wastelands on the other side of Punk Hazard, a fierce battle between "scientists" was raging. Laser beams fired, explosions echoed, and Caesar Clown's eerie laughter rang out.
"You found some of Vegapunk's research notes, and all you managed to build was a single 'Pacifista'?"
"But you should be grateful for that steel body of yours. Otherwise, you would've already lost in my 'Void World.' Shurorororo~~"
After the Punk Hazard incident, Franky installed an emergency oxygen storage system inside his body. This ensured he could fight in the ocean, in toxic gas, or even in an environment without oxygen.
He originally thought it was just a precaution, but he never expected to use it so soon. And even more ironic—it was against his former "imaginary enemy," the Gas-Gas Fruit user, Caesar Clown.
"This is seriously annoying."
Since he hadn't expected a fight, Franky was in his regular form, not piloting the "Franky Shogun." While he wasn't weak, facing Caesar alone was a real struggle. After all—
"I've studied the specs of you so-called 'Pacifists' before. I'll turn you into scrap metal with ease!"
Caesar, floating in midair, tossed a pair of castanets toward Franky.
"Gas Castanets!"
BOOM!! A massive explosion engulfed Franky. He tried to dodge, but thanks to his tragic rank as the slowest Straw Hat, there was no way he could pull off a high-speed escape.
"Shurororo, turning your entire body into a 'Pacifist'? You're a real freak."
"Shut up, you gas-spewing, lying piece of trash!"
Bursting out of the smoke, Franky raised his arm and sprayed a barrage of bullets at Caesar in the sky. Burn marks covered his body, and his face was deadly serious.
"Of all people, hearing you call me a freak doesn't make me happy at all!"
…Wait, no, "freak" isn't a compliment.
"Experimenting on kids? Controlling them with poison? You're a disgrace to the scientific world!"
"Shurororo~~ A mere cyborg like you could never understand my genius." Caesar let the bullets phase through his gaseous body. As a Logia user, why would he fear a simple physical attack? So, he didn't mind taking his time to "educate" his fellow scientist.
"My research into 'Lineage Factors' is the most beautiful symphony in the world."
"It was once an instrument only 'gods' could play, and now, it's in my hands!"
With the look of a mad scientist, Caesar spread his arms, a twisted grin on his face.
"Your barbarian friends don't understand my greatness! If I keep researching, I'll crack the code behind more Devil Fruits! I could grant anyone Devil Fruit abilities! By adjusting 'Lineage Factor' transcription, I could create giants, dwarves, fish-men—"
"I could create any kind of being! I could even create entirely new life forms! I—"
"—am the god of the new era!"
"...Wow. God, huh?"
Franky adjusted his sunglasses and looked at Caesar with pity.
"But the truth is, you're nothing but a fake. The real Caesar? Roman already took care of him. Because he knew that letting a lunatic like you run free would only bring disaster."
Toxic gas designed purely for mass destruction. Unnatural human gigantification experiments… Even if someone researched these things with good intentions, they'd have to be extremely careful. But Caesar? Arrogant, selfish, and completely heartless. If every innocent person on the island died, he wouldn't even blink.
"Hmph, there's an old saying: 'I think, therefore I am.'"
Floating in the air, Caesar's face twitched as he tried to sound philosophical, even though he barely understood what he was saying.
"As long as I can still think, I exist! There's no doubt—I am Caesar Clown!"
"But you—your steel body, your cold, lifeless heart—can you really call yourself human?"
"This cold heart of mine burns way hotter than yours!"
No more talking. Neither of them could convince the other. In the end, it always came down to one thing—settling it with their fists. Even scientists had to roll up their sleeves and throw down sometimes.
"Strong Right!"
"Shurororo, that won't work—?!"
Caesar easily floated out of the way, dodging Franky's flying punch. But the moment they passed each other, Franky yanked a chain—redirecting his right hand midair and grabbing Caesar by the throat!
Caesar's face twisted in shock.
"This… this is impossible! Could it be…?"
"Get down here!"
BOOM!
With a powerful swing, Franky yanked the chain, slamming Caesar hard into the ground! At the same time, he charged forward in big strides, then suddenly leaped into the air.
"Franky Centaur Mode!"
*Crack!*
His legs split apart sideways in a terrifying motion, stretching forward before slamming down like four giant metal clamps, pinning Caesar firmly to the ground.
"Damn it! You actually put Seastone in your arms?!"
Seeing Caesar's shocked expression, Franky grinned.
"That's right. A while back, we ran into this old guy. When our captain destroyed his Seastone arm, I took the chance to grab some of the leftover material."
Zephyr: *No wonder I couldn't reattach my 'Crusher'… Good thing I can still get it fixed back at Marine Headquarters.*
"Goodbye, you arrogant, fake, self-absorbed 'scientist.'"
Sitting on top of Caesar, Franky used his Seastone weapon to keep him from turning into gas. Meanwhile, his left palm rotated, revealing the dark barrel of a cannon, which he pressed against Caesar's forehead.
"W-Wait! My knowledge is a treasure for all of humanity—!"
*Boom!!*
Franky didn't give Caesar a chance to finish. The point-blank explosion swallowed them both! As the smoke cleared, Franky stood up and casually dusted off his swim trunks.
"Don't overestimate yourself."
"Humanity isn't so weak that it can't move forward without you."
"Hehehe, found one!"
"Franky!"
Luffy, carrying a bundled-up Chopper, finally arrived at the battlefield, surrounded by ice and snow. Just as he had said—Straw Hat Crew members never drag their feet. No matter who they face, they can always be relied on.
"Luffy!"
"Where are the others?"
Before Franky could answer, a white pigeon landed on Luffy's shoulder.
"I've already found Nami and Zoro. You guys keep moving forward and find the rest. We'll meet up ahead."
—
"Tch, why aren't you a 'clone,' Roman?"
"Why do you sound disappointed about that?!"
Zoro looked genuinely let down, while Nami's clenched fist was already coated in Armament Haki.
"Do you seriously still care about fighting at a time like this?"
"I heard you guys all ran into some good opponents. Why was mine so boring?"
As the three of them walked through the massive jungle, a dead Tyrannosaurus with its eyes still open in disbelief made it clear where they were—Little Garden. And Zoro's opponents? It was obvious: the two former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, "Blue Ogre" Dorry and "Red Ogre" Brogy.
Those two giant warriors were definitely strong, but Zoro was no longer someone they could beat just by being big. In fact, his flying sword slashes were perfect for dealing with giant creatures.
"Those two giant uncles refused to fight me together and insisted on taking turns in one-on-one duels. Otherwise, I really wanted to see that move of theirs—'Hakoku.'"
Seeing Zoro brimming with fighting spirit, Roman couldn't help but think about the combined attack that 'Kaido' and 'BIG MOM' would use later. It was exactly the same as the move that the Blue Oni and Red Oni used to instantly take down the Giant Goldfish on Food Island!
And Zoro... barely lasted 0.1 seconds before almost getting crippled. There was no telling if he could handle an attack from two giants at once...
"I'll go ahead. Follow the white dove and catch up!"
"Nami, keep an eye on Zoro—don't let him get lost!"
Roman's expression turned serious as he shot into the sky, racing toward the next battlefield.
Because—
"Usopp is in danger! His opponent is..."
Donquixote Doflamingo!
"Fufufufu~~ What's wrong? Is that all a man worth 200 million can do? What a joke—"
—
In the ruins of the Dressrosa palace,
Strutting with an arrogant gait, wearing his signature pink feathered coat and red sunglasses, the former Warlord of the Sea slowly advanced toward Usopp, who was hiding behind the kingdom's walls.
"I'm done for, I'm done for... Wasn't this guy locked up in Impel Down? How is he out again...?"
"Impel Down? What a joke of a prison! And they call it 'impenetrable.'"
Usopp had never experienced the 'Impel Down' incident firsthand, and since Luffy and Roman never bragged about it, they made it sound like they just strolled in, rescued a bunch of people, and walked right out. This gave Usopp the false impression that Impel Down wasn't that secure and that escaping was easy.
But—
"Wait, why am I back in Dressrosa?!"
He was doomed. Completely doomed...
Usopp was already way weaker than Doflamingo, and on top of that, Doflamingo wasn't one of those villains who liked to play around. From the very start, he launched a fierce attack with his Shadow Knight and tried to ambush Usopp with his Parasite Strings!
If not for Usopp's decent Observation Haki, he would've been turned into a puppet the moment the fight began.
"Huff... Huff..."
Even so, he was already covered in wounds, deep cuts crisscrossing his entire body. Without Armament Haki, he had no way to properly defend against Doflamingo's String-String Fruit abilities.
Step. Step. Step.
Doflamingo's slow, deliberate footsteps echoed as he continued to close in. His words were just as cutting as his strings.
"Fufufu... A guy like you just got lucky."
"Even if you managed to tag along with Straw Hat's crew, it won't be long before your true self is exposed, right? Such a pathetic guy... You must be living in constant fear, terrified that your so-called friends will abandon you."
Step.
Heh, lost your cool already?
As Usopp stepped out from behind cover, Doflamingo smirked coldly. First, he would control this guy, then use him as a shield before—
"Take back what you just said."
"My crew knows exactly what I'm capable of!"
Usopp stood firm in front of the infamous Warlord, showing no trace of fear.
"Don't get it twisted! We didn't come together because of 'strength.' We set sail for our dreams and our friendships! Someone like you would never understand!!"
At the same time, Usopp pulled back his slingshot and fired a seed at high speed.
"Special Attack—New Cactus Star!"
The seed burst open, sending countless sharp cactus needles flying toward Doflamingo like bullets.
Doflamingo simply flicked his hand, weaving a massive web of strings in front of him.
"Spider Shield!"
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Fufufu... A pointless struggle—"
"No,"
A calm voice sounded from behind him.
In that instant, an Armament Haki-coated blade slashed clean through Doflamingo's neck!
Without Haki to protect him, even his tough body stood no chance against Roman's sneak attack.
"Usopp was distracting you to give me the perfect opening to finish you off."
As Doflamingo's body collapsed forward, his head separated from his shoulders, revealing Roman standing behind him.
"Nice work, Usopp."
"Eh? Ehh?! EHH?!"
Usopp, covered in wounds, froze for a moment before quickly flashing a smug grin and giving himself a thumbs-up.
"Y-Yeah… That was all part of my plan!"
"I was in charge of drawing that guy's attention while Roman found the perfect moment to take him down in one strike. That's what teamwork is all about!"
…Am I overthinking this?
"Forget it, let's go find Chopper first."
The others should be fine, but Usopp's injuries… Well, the fact that he survived Doflamingo's attacks is already a win.
(End of Chapter)
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