Chapter 14: A wild Crocodile Appears!

"It's so beautiful... It's like a fairy tale world," Edie whispered in awe as the azure dragon pierced through the white sea 10,000 meters above the ground. The sight that greeted him was nothing short of breathtaking. Exotic buildings floated among the clouds, their silhouettes softly veiled by the mist. The occasional splash of green from treetops and vegetation added a vibrant touch to the ethereal landscape.

On Angel Beach, Sky Islanders were busy beating coconut trees with long sticks, their laughter mingling with the gentle breeze. The entire scene seemed like something out of a dream.

"It's amazing," Chenlong murmured, equally captivated by the surreal beauty of the place. As a clone, he had no memories of Kaido's past adventures. While the original Kaido might have visited a Sky Island before, this was Chenlong's first time experiencing such a sight.

"The houses here are built on the clouds... Won't they fall?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Edie smiled, taking a moment to explain. "There are two types of magical clouds on Sky Island—sea clouds and island clouds. When a volcano erupts, it releases certain horny particles into the atmosphere. These special condensation nuclei react with water vapor, altering the density of the clouds. The less dense ones are sea clouds, resembling an ocean in the sky. The denser ones are island clouds, akin to soft soil. Both types have strong buoyancy, allowing Sky Islanders to build entire civilizations on them without fear of falling."

Edie's gaze shifted from the picturesque scene. "Alright, enjoy the view while you can. We're not here for a vacation." His tone grew more serious as he pointed in another direction, away from the friendly Sky Islanders. "Head over there."

Chenlong obediently followed Edie's command, steering towards a large, mysterious landmass that loomed near Sky Island. Known to the Sky Islanders as the Island of God, it was an island of soil—a rarity in the sky. The island had once been part of Jaya Island in the Blue Sea below, but around four hundred years ago, it was thrust into the heavens by a powerful ocean current, becoming a sacred place for the Sky Islanders who had never seen soil before.

Soon after, they arrived at the Island of Gods, nestled within the interlayer of the sea of clouds.

"This is the ancient city... Shandora," Edie murmured, leaping down from Chenlong's head, his expression filled with awe. The place was known as the Golden City, and the sight that met his eyes was nothing short of astonishing. Everywhere he looked, golden light shimmered, casting a warm glow across the ancient ruins. Every structure, every fallen pillar, was adorned with gold, giving the impression that the entire city was forged from the precious metal.

Chenlong reverted to his human form and approached one of the fallen golden pillars. With a grunt, he heaved it upright, revealing its massive size—it stood over ten meters high, its golden surface gleaming in the dim light. "Heavenly Father, should we take all the gold here? I can easily transport it with my power," he suggested.

Edie reached out, touching the golden pillar as his mind raced with calculations. He estimated the volume and density, quickly arriving at a staggering conclusion. One cubic meter of pure gold weighs about 20 tons, and this pillar, with its impressive height and diameter, must weigh around 20,000 tons. But something felt off.

"Wait... something's not right," Edie muttered. Pressing the ring on his index finger, he activated the Ability Ring: Blue Dragon. In an instant, cyan dragon scales appeared on his right hand, and his nails grew into sharp claws. He struck the golden pillar, piercing through its surface with ease.

As he had suspected, beneath the glittering surface was not pure gold, but a stone pillar coated in a thin layer of gold.

"Just as I thought, it's not solid gold—just gold-plated," Edie sighed, his excitement dampened. Still, there was value in the gold that coated the ruins. He deactivated the ring and turned to Chenlong. "Melt the gold from the surface. We only want the gold, but be careful not to damage the ruins themselves. They hold historical value."

"Yes, Heavenly Father," Chenlong replied. He opened his mouth and unleashed a stream of flames, carefully heating the golden pillar to melt away the precious metal without harming the stone beneath.

Edie left him to his work and wandered around the ruins, taking in the ancient city's grandeur. Hours passed, and when he returned, a massive golden lump lay before him, glistening in the sunlight. Despite its rough appearance, Edie estimated it weighed four to five hundred tons—an impressive haul by any measure.

"That's enough," Edie commanded, signaling Chenlong to stop the smelting. At the same time, he accessed the system to calculate the value of their find. In this world, gold was a precious metal, with a market value of around 500 to 600 million Baileys per ton. The chunk of gold before him was worth over 200 billion Baileys—a sum more than sufficient to cover the research funds he owed the system.

Satisfied, Edie couldn't help but smile. This treasure trove of gold was a windfall that would allow him to continue his ambitious plans without worry. The ruins of Shandora had more than paid for their journey to the sky.

[Whether to pay...]

Yes!

In an instant, the majority of the gold in front of Edie vanished, and with it, a vast amount of knowledge surged into his mind. It was as if a dam had burst, flooding him with the intricacies of cloning chamber filling fluid recipes, the methods for extracting, fusing, and transplanting two bloodline factors, and the secrets to making clones born with the abilities of the Blue Dragon Fruit. He now knew how to extend the life of clones, compile the bloodline factors of an embryo, and impose a stamp of ideological loyalty upon it. The mysteries of green blood and blue blood, once elusive, were now clear as day.

The complexities of the engineering behind the Ring of Ability unfolded before him, as if the very doors of truth had swung wide open. Far from feeling overwhelmed, Edie experienced an almost euphoric pleasure, as though his brain relished this intellectual feast. He closed his eyes tightly, focusing on assimilating the immense torrent of information.

Chenlong stood nearby, vigilantly guarding his Heavenly Father, aware that Edie was at his most vulnerable in this state. Anyone or anything disturbing him now would be catastrophic.

Half an hour passed before Edie slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp and focused. "Ah... I understand," he murmured, the clarity in his voice palpable. He had surpassed Vegapunk, becoming the foremost expert on bloodline factors in the world, miles ahead of any competition.

"Whether it's clones or the ability rings, they both have significant flaws," Edie mused aloud. "Clones require periodic maintenance, and ability rings need to be replenished with blue blood... Establishing a cloning laboratory is now a priority."

His eyes drifted to the remaining gold, which had significantly dwindled in size. What was left was still substantial, likely worth fifty to sixty billion Baileys.

"Take it with you," Edie ordered.

Chenlong hesitated for a moment. "Heavenly Father, there's still so much gold here. Why not take it all?"

Edie shook his head, a sly smile forming on his lips. "What's the rush? We'll need to build a treasury first. It'll be more convenient to retrieve the rest when we need funds later. Besides, we have plenty of time before Enel arrives. We can either move it all before then or teach him a lesson when he shows up."

Enel wouldn't reach this place for another twelve years. They had more than enough time.

"I understand!" Chenlong quickly transformed into his dragon form, scooping up the remaining gold nugget with his powerful claws. Lowering his head, he positioned himself so that Edie could step onto his back.

"Let's head down to Jaya first," Edie said, his tone light. "After flying for three days, I'm feeling a bit hungry. Let's enjoy a good meal."

Jaya Island, Mock Town.

Four years ago, in 1498, the words of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, before his execution, ignited the dawn of the Great Pirate Era. His declaration set aflame the hearts of countless dreamers who sought fortune on the seas. In the time since, the number of pirates navigating the Grand Line has surged, and with it, Mock Town on Jaya Island has transformed into a notorious hub where pirates indulge in extravagance, spending their ill-gotten gains with reckless abandon.

At this very moment, the town's tavern was alive with raucous energy. The crude and boisterous laughter of pirates echoed throughout the establishment as they drank and reveled in their own chaos.

"Heavenly Father, do you want me to kill them all?" Chenlong whispered, his voice laced with a deadly edge.

Edie, seated quietly at a table in the dimly lit corner, glanced up from the newspaper he was reading and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"It's time to eat, you idiot," he muttered, barely masking his irritation.

"My apologies. Perhaps I should wait until you've finished your meal before silencing them," Chenlong replied, the suggestion dripping with a twisted sense of duty.

"..."

Edie sighed, choosing to ignore the comment. Instead, he returned his attention to the newspaper in his hands. The headline had caught his interest, offering a glimpse into the World Government's latest move to combat the burgeoning pirate threat.

The article detailed a groundbreaking decision made at this year's World Summit. In response to the growing number of pirates, the World Government had announced the creation of a new department—The Seven Warlords of the Sea!

Fifty kings, representing their respective nations, had unanimously agreed to the proposal. The plan was simple yet bold: recruit seven of the most powerful pirates to serve as privateers under the World Government's banner. These pirates would be granted the right to legally plunder in exchange for keeping other pirates in check. Whatever they seized would legally belong to them under the title of Shichibukai.

The article went on to reveal that the first of these Seven Warlords had already been appointed.

"Crocodile... So he was the first," Edie mused, his eyes narrowing as he studied the profile in the paper.

Sir Crocodile, the first of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and a Logia-type Devil Fruit user wielding the power of the Sand-Sand Fruit. His bounty at the time of accepting the government's invitation had been... 81,000,000 Baileys!

"Logia... interesting," Edie thought to himself, considering the possibilities. "Perhaps it would be worth seeking him out—or maybe even Caesar—before returning to Wanokuni..."

As he pondered, a smirk played on his lips. The gears in his mind were already turning, plotting the next steps in his grand plan.

Suddenly, the butterfly door of the tavern swung open, revealing a young man with an air of arrogance, a cigar clamped between his teeth. His entrance commanded immediate attention.

Speak of the Devil... Edie thought, his gaze narrowing as he recognized the figure.

The man carried a large cloth bag in his left hand, its bottom stained with blood that dripped onto the tavern floor, leaving a crimson trail in his wake. The thick, metallic scent of blood filled the room, causing many pirates to recoil and cover their noses.

"What the...? Blood!"

"It reeks! Like rotting corpses...!"

"Who the hell is this...?"

The tavern erupted with exclamations, but Edie remained calm, his eyes shifting from the man at the door to the photograph in the newspaper he held. The resemblance was unmistakable.

The same person.

Crocodile, unfazed by the stares and whispers, strode purposefully to the bar. With a casual thud, he dropped the blood-soaked cloth bag onto the counter, its contents clinking ominously.

In a gravelly voice, he demanded, "Bring out your best wine."

The tavern owner, his face drained of color, stammered, "Y-You're the Shichibukai from the news... Crocodile!" His eyes flicked nervously to the bag beside Crocodile, then back to the man's cold expression. "Could it be...?"

"Hehehe... Just the heads of a few dozen pirates," Crocodile chuckled darkly. "I've been needing some money lately."

The tavern owner's hands shook as he fumbled to retrieve the wine. "Y-Yes, right away!"

At that moment, several pirates at a nearby table stood up, their leader, a bald man with a cruel grin, stepping forward.

"Shichibukai, huh? Just a dog on the Government's leash!" he sneered, drawing a machete from his waist. Without hesitation, he lunged at Crocodile, slashing downward with all his might.

"Hahaha! If I kill you, our 'Blade Pirates' will be... will be..." His voice trailed off as his eyes widened in terror.

The bald man froze, his body trembling uncontrollably as he stared at the impossible sight before him. His blade had indeed sliced through Crocodile—but instead of blood, the man's body split into two halves, each dissolving into a cascade of sand. The grains flowed together, reassembling Crocodile's form as if the attack had never happened.

"I've heard that many pirates are gathering in Mock Town. Seems like my luck is turning out to be good," Crocodile mused, his voice low and menacing. He raised his hand, and a whirl of quicksand materialized in his palm. "As for you... your luck just ran out."

With a single gesture, a small sandstorm erupted from behind him. The vortex swept through the tavern, lifting the bald man and his crew into the air, their screams quickly drowned out by the sound of sand slicing through flesh. In mere seconds, the yellow sand turned red, soaked in their blood. Not one pirate was left standing.

The sudden silence was broken only by the clatter of a wine bottle hitting the floor. The tavern owner, paralyzed with fear, stumbled backward, crashing into the wine cabinet and sending bottles shattering to the ground.

Edie watched the scene unfold with detached interest. So, this is Crocodile... he mused, his mind already calculating how this new player could fit into his plans.

"Don't, don't kill me...!" the tavern owner pleaded, his voice trembling with fear.

Crocodile's gaze darkened as he watched the man cower before him. "I asked you to bring me the best wine," he said coldly, his tone dripping with menace. "But who told you to drop it on the ground?"

His eyes shifted slightly, catching movement in the corner of the tavern. Seated at a secluded table was a relaxed young man in a white coat, engrossed in a newspaper. Beside him stood a tall figure in a grimace mask, effortlessly holding back the swirling sandstorm that had devastated the room moments before. The area around them seemed untouched, as if the chaos in the tavern dared not encroach upon their space.

Crocodile's attention snapped back to the pair, his instincts suddenly on high alert.

"Take care of him, Chenlong," the young man said, his tone casual as he set down the newspaper.

Crocodile's pupils constricted. Before he could process the command, the masked man vanished from sight. A fraction of a second later, Crocodile's world turned upside down—quite literally. His vision spun as he realized with dawning horror that his head had been forcibly twisted around.

No, it wasn't the world turning—it was his head!

There was no time to react. Chenlong appeared behind Crocodile, gripping him with terrifying strength, and slammed his head down onto the bar with a resounding crash. The force was so immense that the bar splintered under the impact, leaving Crocodile's head buried deep in the wood, completely immobilized.

"Damn...! Haki?!" Crocodile growled, struggling futilely against the pressure. He was trapped, his body pinned with a power that far exceeded his expectations.

Amidst the destruction, Crocodile heard the soft footsteps of the young man approaching, his voice unnervingly calm and friendly.

"Anyway, let's draw some blood first," Edie said, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Looks like we've just caught ourselves a wild Shichibukai."

Crocodile's heart pounded in his chest as he realized the gravity of his situation. He wasn't dealing with ordinary opponents—these were people who operated on an entirely different level.