The sun was setting as Doflamingo and the other man continued their fierce, passionate duel.
Off to the side, freshly off duty, Tesoro stood watching intently, absorbing every move and technique from the two.
Suddenly, Enel turned around, his gaze drifting toward the distant cloud sea. His Observation Haki could reach far.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground and already dozing off, Trebol blinked at Enel's reaction, confused.
"Oi, oi, what is it, Enel?!"
"Vergo's back—with the Tontatta Tribe."
As the words left his mouth, a dark dragon pierced through the clouds, with the Numancia Flamingo soaring behind.
A cluster of tiny Tontatta stood atop the ship's deck, their eyes sparkling as they stared down at their new home.
"So this is the White-White Sea?!"
"It's beautiful!"
"No more living in fear of those nasty pirates!"
"..."
Obviously, Doflamingo was too busy to care about trivial matters right now.
Enel and Trebol turned their attention to the still-stunned Tesoro nearby.
Tch. So what if he joined earlier than me? Big deal!
Muttering silently to himself, Tesoro plastered on a perfect smile and walked up to greet them.
...
West Blue. A remote island near the Calm Belt.
A steam-powered airship slowly began lifting off the ground.
Perona clung to the deck railing, gazing down in awe at the scenery below.
"Woooah! Amazing! It's really flying!"
Next to her, Bear peeked nervously through a crack in the deck floor.
"Hahaha, you're still such a kid!"
Hogback laughed heartily, downing a few swigs of booze.
But a crewmate was quick to call him out.
"Weren't you the one screaming the loudest back then?"
"If I recall, someone was afraid of heights—could that be you, Hogback?"
"Watch your mouth! I'm a pirate! What kind of pirate is afraid of heights…"
Hogback's bluster only made everyone laugh louder, filling the airship with joy and cheer.
Twitching slightly at the mouth, Hogback looked toward the far side of the deck, quickly changing the subject.
"But that kid… he's different."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Ever since she was taken aboard, she hadn't acted like a child at all—too mature for her age.
At the center of the conversation stood Nico Robin.
Feeling the altitude steadily rise, she steadied her heart.
This time, it seemed she belonged to the mysterious Heavenly Yaksha, Doflamingo.
But… what did that man want from her now?
"Hey, when's Captain Moria coming back?"
"How long's he gonna keep bickering with that Crocodile guy?"
"Idiot. This steam airship's like the skyfish from Skypiea—poke it in the wrong place and it'll pop.
If we don't climb high enough and Crocodile hits us, what, you planning to fall to your death?"
...
Below, on a nameless deserted island...
Two figures tangled in a stalemate had just made landfall.
Crocodile stared up at the bizarre ship climbing into the sky, anxiety swelling in his chest.
His failure in front of Whitebeard haunted him—it defined his path.
This might be the closest he'd ever been to Nico Robin.
And the closest he'd come to surpassing Whitebeard.
"Out of my way, Moria!"
Crocodile swept his hand, unleashing a sandstorm that engulfed Moria—an expression of the storm raging inside his heart.
But before he could chase after the airship, Moria broke through the storm, his body flashing as he appeared before Crocodile.
A slash forced him back.
"Heh-shishishi~"
The more desperate Crocodile became, the wider Moria's grin stretched.
"I know you're in a rush, Crocodile. But maybe don't be so hasty."
The reality was undeniable—Robin had slipped through his fingers again.
And that truth made Crocodile burn with rage.
Was he really this weak now? Couldn't even defeat one of the so-called West Blue powerhouses?
Furious, his poisoned golden hook sliced the air even faster.
"Give Nico Robin to me!"
But Moria, stronger in both power and Haki, met every strike.
Forcing Crocodile back, Moria glanced at the steadily rising ship and waved.
"Heh-shishishi~ You know that's not happening. See ya."
In the next instant, Moria switched places with his shadow aboard the ship.
His fragmented silhouette scattered like bats into the sky.
Crocodile roared at the vanishing pieces.
"DAMN YOU, GECKO MORIA!!!"
His desert blade slammed into the earth, splitting the rocky wasteland in half.
...
Back on the airship's deck, Moria clutched his stomach as he landed.
"Oof—I'm starving! Alright boys, let's eat!"
Cheers erupted from the crew as their captain returned. Below, Crocodile's howls of rage only added to their delight.
"Woooah! Not even a Warlord can handle Captain Moria!"
"Correction! Even a Warlord got completely humiliated by Captain Moria!"
"..."
"Heh-shishishi~ Dig in!"
Moria grabbed a huge chunk of meat and stuffed his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a quiet girl standing off to the side.
"Oi, oi, Nico Robin! Come eat with us!"
"Okay!"
Robin walked over obediently and pointed to a small pink box they'd just hauled up from the spare ship.
"That… isn't it important?"
"Crap!"
Moria froze mid-bite. He'd nearly forgotten about the mission the BOSS gave him.
...
Below, Crocodile finally finished venting and prepared to depart.
He planned to continue searching the West Blue.
If he couldn't have Robin, then surely someone else out there could read the Poneglyphs.
Suddenly—
Moria's voice rang out again.
"Fighting you made me so hungry, I nearly forgot what the BOSS told me to do."
Crocodile's head snapped up, his face darkening again.
Far off, Moria appeared with a chunk of meat still hanging from his mouth.
"Relax! You were in Alabasta looking for Pluton, the ancient weapon, right?"
…?!
Crocodile's pupils shrank. He was too stunned to respond.
Moria… knew about Pluton?
No—Pluton was a known ancient weapon. Anyone with ambition knew of it.
But how did Moria know why Crocodile was in Alabasta?
Not even the Navy knew!
"So it's true... the BOSS really does know the future."
Seeing the shock on Crocodile's face, Moria's faith in his BOSS deepened once again.
So that was it. Crocodile had joined the Seven Warlords just to get his hands on Pluton.
Too bad—
He's already shaped like the BOSS!
Knows the future, huh?
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg