"El-sama!"
"Boss El!"
"Gerd!"
Soon, the massive homie cloud drifted close to the deserted island, settling gently on the water's surface. Rock, Moss, and Nef looked on with calm interest, while Linlin, Lily, and the Three-Eyed Tribe girl, Lillian, eagerly ran up to greet them.
"Tsuru the Strategist."
El acknowledged Linlin and the others with a nod as he approached Tsuru, who stood tensely. His unwavering gaze bore down on the aged former "Navy's Flower."
"Fallen Angel… El."
El's towering presence was intimidating; even for someone of Tsuru's caliber, it invoked a sense of undeniable pressure.
"Though we had our differences, resulting in some unpleasant events, it seems you've managed to hold onto your life. I suggest you treasure it."
El's tone was surprisingly cordial, almost dismissive. "If the Navy and the World Government knew you were still alive, they'd come after you without hesitation. So why not stay with us for now? You might even find a new perspective."
Without waiting for her response, he turned and motioned to Linlin, who was energetically bouncing across the cloud, gleefully hopping alongside Lily and Lillian.
"Linlin, return her youth to her."
"Got it!"
Linlin transformed into a giant bat and flew over to Tsuru, who looked on with barely concealed excitement.
"Consider yourself lucky!"
Linlin reverted to human form, placed her hand on Tsuru, and without needing to fully transform, activated her Bat-Bat Fruit powers to restore Tsuru's stolen years.
In a flash, Tsuru's white hair regained its deep blue luster. Her aged appearance vanished, replaced by the vitality of her youth. Her once-wrinkled skin became smooth and radiant again, restoring her former aura as the fierce and dignified "Navy's Flower."
"I'm… back to normal."
Tsuru inspected her restored body in amazement, overwhelmed by a mix of relief and disbelief. Yet her feelings toward Linlin remained unyielding; she had no gratitude to offer.
"Don't expect me to thank you."
Her words were sharp, laced with lingering resentment. If not for Linlin, she would never have ended up in such a state—her career and life as a Navy officer destroyed beyond recovery.
"Mamamama, I don't need your thanks. I only did it because El-onichan told me to."
Linlin smirked, her tone dismissive as she towered over Tsuru. Her eyes narrowed menacingly. "Whether or not you join us, just know that if you try anything against us, you won't just lose your youth next time."
Her voice held a chilling threat, her expression dark, exuding a demonic glee that left little room for doubt.
Without waiting for a response, Linlin's demeanor transformed back to her usual cheerful self. She clung to El's arm, excitedly pointing to the giant homie cloud. "El-onichan! Let's turn this place into a paradise, like the Sabaody Archipelago. Sally already had Moss bring back seeds for Yarukiman Mangroves and other trees!"
Tsuru's eyes widened at the mention of the famed mangroves.
"Absolutely. Whatever you want." El smiled, nodding in agreement. The seeds were something he had arranged with Sally, his intelligence officer, to be ready for Atlantis's transformation.
"Here are the seeds!" Lily bounded over, holding a tiny pouch in her giant hands.
"Oars," El turned to the massive figure perched on Fish-man Jien's head. "I'll need your help moving this forest to the cloud."
"No problem!" Little Oars jumped onto the open ground, much to Tsuru's shock.
As the others looked on in amazement, Oars's body expanded, rapidly growing until he stood over 30 meters tall—a hulking, monstrous figure. His powerful presence sent chills down Tsuru's spine, even as the crew looked on with awe.
"So that's… Oars's true form?"
"He's even bigger than a Giant!"
"An Ancient Giant… Incredible!"
Tsuru felt a chill as she realized, "So, he's an Ancient Giant… no wonder he's powerful enough to stand against Garp!"
"That's right. Little Oars Jr. here is the descendant of Devil Oars, a notorious villain from the North Blue," El explained, his tone casual but proud. "He's not even fully grown yet. Someday, he'll be bigger and stronger than even his infamous ancestor."
The tale of the original Oars, a giant capable of moving entire islands, was infamous throughout the seas, striking fear even into the World Government.
"Devil Oars…?" Tsuru felt a shiver of recognition; the legendary Devil Oars, the "Continent-Puller," was the stuff of legend. Her jaw clenched as El's words sank in.
El raised his sword, looking up at the forest. "Oars, I'll cut the forest into sections. It's your job to move them."
"Got it, El!"
With his instructions given, El shot into the air. In an instant, his sword began slicing through the air, sending waves of massive, gleaming strikes toward the forest below.
Each blow from El created perfectly carved sections within the forest, as if dividing it into puzzle pieces. Oars's towering form approached with determination, gripping the earth in his massive fingers and lifting it with a mighty roar, the ground beneath him splitting under the sheer weight of his strength.
As his comrades looked on, awe etched on their faces, Tsuru felt an odd sense of disbelief. El and his crew had resurrected the legendary power to carry entire islands—a feat beyond even the Navy's might.
~~~
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'Boom… Boom…'
After some time—
On the enormous cloud island, the Fallen Angel Pirate crew members—including Tsuru—watched in awe as Little Oars steadily moved enormous pieces of forest. His immense strength, a testament to his "Devil" lineage, allowed him to haul massive sections of land onto the floating island cloud.
Soon, he had pieced the sections together seamlessly, filling any gaps with rich soil. Before long, a stunning, lush forest spread across one part of the island.
'Woosh... Woosh...'
Hovering above Atlantis, El looked down, satisfied with the forest now adorning the island.
"Go, El!" Linlin, Lily, Gerd, and the others cheered.
"Alright, here goes," El replied, smiling as he scattered seeds across the cloud island.
'Rumble—'
To Tsuru's astonishment, a grand Quetzalcoatl with majestic golden horns appeared, descending onto the island.
'Roar!'
In his Feathered Serpent form, El released a powerful aura that spanned several kilometers, activating the seeds. As if under a spell, they began to take root and sprout rapidly. The Yarukiman Mangrove seeds grew into towering trees in moments, with massive roots intertwining deep into the cloud itself.
'Drip… Drip…'
Thick sap began oozing from the trees, forming large, shimmering bubbles that floated up and burst in midair under the sun's rays, filling the sky with vibrant colors. Some roots protruded like giant funnels, releasing sap that created massive bubbles.
Meanwhile—
Large vines intertwined and grew into structures, forming giant treehouses, swings, seesaws, Ferris wheels, roller coasters, carousels, and towering windmills. Vibrant flowers bloomed all around, creating colorful, mesmerizing gardens and turning the area into a dream-like wonderland.
"Hehehe, now it's my turn!"
Gerd, smiling broadly, descended on her thundercloud, Zeus. With a wave of her hand, she activated her Soul-Soul Fruit powers, imbuing the structures with life.
'Poof… Poof… Poof…'
"I'm a flower!~"
"Ferris wheel, spinning round and round!"
"Roller coaster—full speed ahead!"
"Carousel—spin with me!"
"Flowers, flowers, blooming everywhere~"
Suddenly, all the trees and vines came alive. The Ferris wheel, carousel, roller coaster—even the massive flowers—were animated, with cheerful faces, dancing and twirling.
'Gasp!'
"Incredible!"
"Am I dreaming?"
"It's like a miracle!"
"This looks like a fairy tale come true!"
"Amazing work, El-sama! And Gerd's powers are incredible!"
In mere moments, the island had transformed into a paradise that looked straight out of a fantasy. Tsuru, a former Navy officer, and the other new recruits of the Fallen Angel Pirates were left speechless, captivated by the enchanting scene before them.
"That should be enough. Don't use too much of your soul energy here," El said to Gerd with a smile as he took in the dream-like world of floating bubbles. "We'll need to save enough energy to create an army of Homies soon."
"Don't worry about it…" Gerd laughed, grabbing some of the giant bubbles and imbuing them with soul energy to create floating bubble Homies. With her soul energy still abundant, she drifted up on a large bubble, grinning. "These ones don't require fighting abilities, so I didn't use too much soul power. I'm all set!"
"Perfect!"
"Wow! They're exactly like the bubbles in Sabaody Archipelago!"
Linlin and Lily rushed over, hopping onto a bubble Homie big enough to support their smaller giant-sized forms, bouncing with excitement.
Meanwhile, the other crew members, including Lillian the Three-Eye girl, Ily the mermaid, and Baka the dancer, watched the dream-like scene with wide, eager eyes, delighted by the floating wonderland around them, ready to jump into the fun.
...
'Bang—'
Meanwhile, in the distant Holy Land of Mary Geoise—
In an opulent, spacious conference room, a high-ranking CPO officer in a white suit and mask slammed his fist on the table. "Twenty Devil Fruits?! Ridiculous! We'll never agree to such terms!"
The officers behind him glared murderously at "Captain Merkel," who stood before them. They looked ready to tear him apart on the spot. None could have predicted that this seemingly insignificant Navy captain would walk into the heart of Mary Geoise, declare himself a member of the Fallen Angel Pirates, and boldly claim to represent the will of Fallen Angel El in negotiations with the World Government.
Though they wanted nothing more than to arrest and interrogate him to find out the whereabouts of both the Fallen Angel Pirates and the kidnapped Celestial Dragons, "Captain Merkel" was unfazed. He warned that if he did not return safely or if anything happened to his life card, their hostages would suffer. Any harm or delay, he claimed, would result in the severed limbs of the Celestial Dragons being sent directly to Mary Geoise, along with even more dire threats.
The CPO officers, both enraged and constrained by the potential harm to the Celestial Dragons, reluctantly reported the matter, resulting in a direct authorization from the Five Elders to begin negotiations.
"Enough with the hostile looks—I might get scared…" The imposter "Captain Merkel" smiled calmly. "I'm not here to negotiate. I'm here to inform you. In this game of chess, we're the ones holding the power."
Outside the door, an armored figure listened, hidden behind a metal helmet. Underneath, a mocking smile crept across her face. Sally, disguised as "Captain Merkel," knew well that for the World Government, nothing mattered more than the safety of the Celestial Dragons. Nonetheless, she hadn't come in person; she'd sent one of her carefully crafted dough replicas, controlled by her Dough-Dough Fruit powers. Not only did this ensure her safety, but it was so convincing that no one would suspect it wasn't her real body.
"Twenty Devil Fruits? Fine!" Suddenly, a cold, authoritative voice came through the Den Den Mushi on the table. "But you must guarantee that the Celestial Dragons remain unharmed, without so much as a scratch, and certainly without enduring any humiliations like those suffered by Saint Fenix."
"Elders…" the CPO agents murmured, quickly standing aside and bowing to the Den Den Mushi.
"No problem," the fake "Captain Merkel" replied with a smile after a brief pause. "Pirates have their honor too."
"State the time and location for the exchange," came the voice of one of the Five Elders. The Elders remained cool and calm, avoiding empty threats. They knew that anyone daring enough to kidnap a Celestial Dragon wouldn't be intimidated by threats. Once the hostages were safe, the World Government would make sure the perpetrators regretted their audacity.
"Ah, nothing like dealing with men of stature. Yes, that's exactly why I'm here." The "Captain Merkel" replica leaned forward with a grin. "El-sama's condition is that the Celestial Dragons be exchanged in three separate installments. You can understand that we're wary of any hidden tricks from the World Government and aim to ensure mutual goodwill."
With the World Government's vast resources and likely access to space-related Devil Fruits, El wasn't about to gamble on a single encounter that could easily be an ambush. To mitigate risks, the exchange would happen over three sessions, securing a good portion of the ransom and making it harder for the government to spring any final traps.
"What? No, we can't agree to that!" one CPO agent shouted. "The exchange must happen all at once!"
"That's El-sama's decision," 'Captain Merkel' shrugged. "I'm merely here to relay it."
There was a long pause from the other end. Finally, with a tone laced with sarcasm, one of the Five Elders replied, "Does Fallen Angel El lack the courage for a full exchange? Perhaps we've overestimated him."
"You know exactly how serious we are," the 'Captain Merkel' replied without missing a beat. "For the first exchange, you'll hand over ten Devil Fruits as ransom, including two Logia, two Mythical Zoan, and three Ancient Zoan."
"Impossible!"
"We'll never agree to that!" shouted the CPO agents. "Handing over the most valuable fruits first gives us no assurance of the Celestial Dragons' safety."
"If you're only willing to offer five fruits," the "Captain Merkel" replica retorted with a smirk, "then all five must be either Logia or Mythical Zoan."
"What?! Absolutely not!"
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