Foreknowledge of the future?
Crocodile narrowed his eyes the moment he caught that critical phrase—something didn't sit right.
"Heh heh heh~"
Moria chuckled, his grin widening as he imagined what was about to unfold. He pulled out a small box, set it on the ground, and explained with an almost cheerful tone.
"This was personally prepared by the Boss when he heard you were hunting for Pluton. All the information inside? Completely real, totally reliable!"
"Of course, you're also welcome to smash it into pieces if you like."
With that, Moria vanished again, his shadow disintegrating into a swarm of bats that flitted away into the sky.
"Pluton's information..."
Crocodile stared down at the pink little box, his expression dark and stormy. In his mind, Doflamingo's grinning face flashed vividly. His massive saber trembled slightly in his grip.
Could Doflamingo really have information on Pluton?
So focused on the box, Crocodile didn't notice the bat that silently returned above him, clutching an activated Visual Den Den Mushi in its claws.
After a moment of hesitation, Crocodile finally let the massive sand blade dissolve from his hands.
He stepped forward and opened the box—a Pandora's box he could not resist.
Pluton… he had to know.
Click!
There was no lock. The box popped open easily.
The first thing that met his eyes was a line of text printed on the inside lid:
[Please activate the two Visual Den Den Mushi below.]
"..."
A vein throbbed on Crocodile's temple. His rage simmered.
Doflamingo… was he mocking him?!
Moments later, two projections lit up before him.
Cloud seas. A floating island in the sky. And that damn smug face of Doflamingo.
"Yo, Croco-kid."
Doflamingo deliberately slipped up, then feigned a correction with exaggerated theatrics.
"Oh wait—my bad. It's Crocodile now, right? Fuffuffuffu~"
Boom!
That single sentence nearly made Crocodile snap. His forehead pulsed with fury.
"Haaah..."
He struggled to restrain the urge to crush the Visual Den Den Mushi then and there.
But for the sake of Pluton—he would endure.
"I heard you're searching for Pluton too. Since we've at least crossed paths, I thought I'd toss you a bone."
On screen, Doflamingo gestured toward the second projection, his own image slowly receding into darkness.
And then...
A breathtaking scene filled the screen.
Massive, humanoid tree-like beings tirelessly moved mountains of raw materials. Both humans and Sky Islanders bustled in and out of an enclosed factory, each carrying intricate mechanical parts.
It was difficult to see into the factory's interior clearly.
But what caught Crocodile's attention was front and center.
A colossal warship, stretching nearly a kilometer in length. Its golden keel gleamed in the sunlight, drawing awe from anyone who laid eyes on it.
"What… is this?" Crocodile murmured, though deep down, he already suspected the horrifying truth.
Almost as if he had anticipated Crocodile's reaction, Doflamingo's face reappeared on the other feed.
"Fuffuffuffu~ Surprised? Confused? That monstrosity… that's part of what you've been dying to find—Pluton."
"You bastard...!"
Crocodile growled, his words ground out through clenched teeth. His Devil Fruit power surged uncontrollably.
Beneath his feet, stone and soil disintegrated into sand, rising like a storm.
And still, the projection continued.
"Oh, by the way, I left you a few pictures inside the box. You can use them to help construct Pluton—assuming you're capable."
"One more thing. Back in the day, how did you manage to fight Bullet to a draw?"
"Or was Whitebeard's shadow so overwhelming that you turned to all this machinery for strength, letting your power deteriorate to what it is now?"
"Of course, if you'd rather work under me, I might just let you take Pluton for a spin."
"DO—FLA—MIN—GO!!!"
Crocodile roared toward the sky.
Not even when he lost to Whitebeard had he felt this kind of fury.
This was insult. This was mockery.
He lashed out at everything around him, turning the entire island into a swirling desert before finally regaining some composure.
"I swear... let's see what photos you left behind."
He tore open the lower half of the box—revealing a stack of photos.
They documented the construction of the colossal warship from its earliest stages to near-completion, always with Doflamingo in the frame, beaming with pride.
That smug smile.
"Heh... haha... guhahahahaha... HAHAHAHA!!"
Crocodile's entire body shook with fury and bitter laughter. His face twisted into something monstrous.
"Doflamingo… you really are asking for it!"
"Your Pluton... I'll take it for myself!!"
He had made up his mind.
He would go to the Sky Island.
And he would seize the Pluton warship.
If Doflamingo was building a new Pluton...
Then there was no reason for him to stay in Alabasta a second longer.
Today's humiliation would be paid for in blood.
...
Angel Island.
The Numancia Flamingo was temporarily anchored to an adjacent cloud-island.
The Tontatta were buzzing with excitement, watching the brutal battle unfold.
"So violent! So intense!"
"He's got Seastone shackles and still fights like that... Is this what real training looks like?"
"Go, Doflamingo-sama!"
"..."
"Too noisy."
Enel scratched his ear, clearly annoyed by the chattering little people.
"The moon's about to set... yawn~"
Smoothie looked up at the descending moon, stretching as she yawned.
Unlike Doflamingo, she wasn't built for this kind of marathon energy.
"It's over. Doflamingo has Bullet completely outclassed."
Vergo adjusted his rectangular sunglasses, eyes tracking the battle below as he gave his cold analysis.
The gesture made Enel glance at Trebol, Tesoro, and Doflamingo one after another.
He rubbed his bare nose, suddenly wondering—should he get himself some glasses too?
...
On the battlefield.
Boom!
Bullet used the force of a clash to create space between them.
Both men were drenched in blood.
Even the gray Seastone chains no longer showed a trace of their original color.
"Haaah... haaah..."
Bullet leaned on his knees, panting heavily.
He looked at Doflamingo, who not only wasn't slowing down—he was healing.
Faster than before.
"Doflamingo... what kind of freak are you?"
They were both Paramecia-type users.
But even for him, a drawn-out, high-stakes battle like this was reaching the limit.
How could Doflamingo be recovering even faster than last time?
Most Zoan types couldn't even do that.
Of course, Bullet had no idea—since their last clash, Doflamingo had undergone a racial ascension.
And every single day since then—he'd been evolving.
"Fuffuffuffu~"
"Bullet, if there's one thing I've learned in my short life—it's this."
"The more you rely on strategy, the more you see the limits of human ability."
"Unless you surpass being human."
Doflamingo stepped forward.
His towering, powerful frame loomed so large, it seemed to fill Bullet's entire world.
"And me?"
"I stopped being human a long time ago—Bullet!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg