Former Angel Island Region.
The laborers numbly fled behind the statue, doing their best to avoid the rapidly expanding field of golden earth in the center.
Central Battlefield.
"Hahahaha~ Tesoro! Watch me melt you down completely!"
Enel looked down at the spreading molten gold below, laughing with smug satisfaction.
With his naturally high temperatures, he was the perfect counter to Tesoro's Gold-Gold Fruit.
A blinding bolt of high-voltage lightning tore through the air, transforming into overwhelming heat and searing light.
Like a beam of condensed sunlight, it shot downward.
"That's not enough to stop me!"
Tesoro raised his head to stare into the lightning-enshrouded sky. Though calm, a rare spark of excitement flickered in his eyes.
Gold surged over his reddening right fist like flowing water, forming a radiant gauntlet of gleaming metal.
At the same time, his innate Armament Haki activated, surging into his arm and pouring into the golden armor.
He swung it hard to intercept the blazing light beam streaking down from above.
"Golden Bomb!"
Boom!
A massive shockwave exploded outward. The nearby laborers, unable to flee far enough, were flung into the distance, screaming in pain.
To Enel's surprise, the moment their attacks collided, Tesoro's fist burst forth with intense heat radiation—an advanced fusion of Armament Haki and his Gold-Gold Fruit.
But the attack hadn't landed cleanly.
"Your Armament Haki has come a long way, Tesoro! But it's still not enough."
Before Tesoro could reply, Enel vanished in a flash of lightning.
He remembered how Tesoro used to be completely unable to withstand his attacks.
But thanks to the grind under Bullet, he hadn't been standing still either.
In the next instant—
Enel reappeared behind Tesoro, crackling with electricity. His long, muscular right leg was already raised high, wrapped in crackling lightning and overlaid with a thick coat of black Armament Haki.
He swung it down like a massive axe, aiming for the back of Tesoro's neck.
Tesoro had no time to dodge.
All he could do was harden his body with Tekkai and reinforce the golden armor with a second layer of Armament Haki.
Thunk!!
Crack!
A heavy thud rang out as Tesoro's shoulder visibly dropped, his body driven straight into the golden ground like a nail.
"Hahahahaha!"
Enel roared with laughter, but before he could enjoy his triumph—
His Observation Haki, infused with electromagnetic senses, flared like a radar alarm. Danger surged in his heart.
His upper arm instantly elementalized, and a lightning bolt shot downward.
"Judgment of the Gods!"
A deep voice boomed from below.
The golden terrain suddenly began to bubble like boiling water and collapsed downward.
A massive laser cannon erupted from beneath, slamming directly into the lightning beam.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The blast cleared away the obscuring golden mist and clouds, revealing Tesoro's current state.
His original form had disappeared within the golden bell. What now stood there was a golden war machine, a towering armor nearly the size of a giant.
A strange mechanical device had formed over his eyes, while heat continued to build inside his body through his Armament Haki, converting into concentrated energy that surged outward.
"That's enough!"
Watching from the sidelines, Doflamingo finally spoke up to end the clash.
There was no point in continuing. The gap between them was clear.
Enel had gained huge improvements in physique and Haki through his training beatdowns from Bullet and himself.
His fruit's stored electricity now surpassed even what he had in the original timeline twenty years later.
Tesoro, on the other hand, though possessing exceptional Armament Haki talent...
Was still just a hardworking employee. He didn't spend enough time on combat training.
His physical foundation was indeed lacking, though his fruit mastery wasn't bad.
His fusion of Haki and Devil Fruit had some polish.
Tesoro and Enel exchanged a glance and retreated simultaneously.
The unstable energies around them burst outward uncontrollably.
...
"BOSS, if there's nothing else, I'm heading out."
Enel lounged on a cloud, speaking lazily to his boss below.
Getting yanked into a fight with Tesoro was fun, sure—but he hadn't even started today's real match with Bullet.
He wanted growth. Progress.
"Get ready to leave for the New World. You're coming with me."
Doflamingo said it lightly.
Most of his subordinates were busy with other projects.
As for those left on Sky Island...
Bullet, that beast, even with a few reins on him, was still not the kind to sit quietly. If he brought him to Big Mom's tea party, who knew what kind of disaster he might stir up?
Right now, his focus was on Stussy. He had no interest in cleaning up Bullet's messes.
Same with Issho—rubbing shoulders with pirates was never his thing.
And Tesoro? A golden employee if there ever was one. He was simply too useful to waste.
As for Enel, the guy who got beaten up daily? Perfect for letting off steam in the outside world.
"Sure, whatever."
Enel nodded without concern.
Going out to bash some heads and vent wasn't bad. Maybe after beating a few others, he'd finally be able to beat Bullet.
"Tesoro, are preparations for departure ready?"
Doflamingo asked the pale-faced, collapsed-shouldered Tesoro nearby, completely ignoring his injuries.
A fractured shoulder? Not even close to a fatal wound.
He'd be insulting the pirate physique if he worried over something like that.
Crack!
With a crisp sound, Tesoro popped his dislocated shoulder back into place.
He fixed it with a layer of gold, then swung his arm a few times to test it out.
"Ready to leave anytime, BOSS!"
"Then today it is. No sense waiting any longer."
Big Mom had been calling more frequently lately. Better to keep the mother-in-law happy.
...
Evening.
Sky Island, Central Port.
One by one, massive iron cages—each about 20 meters tall, wide, and long—were hoisted onto the ship by over twenty clone soldiers.
The deep footprints they left on the ground revealed the terrifying weight inside each gift.
Once the final cage was loaded, Doflamingo stood at the bow and looked down at the two men below.
"Sky Island is yours now, Tesoro. And make sure to pay extra attention to the construction of the New Fishman District."
As for Nico Robin, who had previously managed the Fishman District...
She'd be joining the journey to the New World for possible scientific archaeology. Naturally, she had to come along.
"I understand! Don't worry, BOSS. Everything on Sky Island will be handled according to your will!"
Tesoro answered with excitement.
The BOSS had entrusted everything to him once again.
Such immense trust!
...
The ship slowly ascended, leaving the White Sea behind.
"Bye, old man!!" *2
Watching the ship lift off, Ace and Zoffy—each with one hand cupped to their mouths—shouted in unison while being held back by Rouge.
Their faces were lit up with uncontrollable smiles.
In that moment, these two half-brothers shared a brainwave and thought the exact same thing:
"Finally! The old man's gone!"
Feeling the shared thought of his two idiotic sons, Doflamingo turned and gave them a wicked grin.
"Fufufufufu~ When I get back, I better see real progress. If not, I'll take you bungee jumping to the Blue Sea."
"B-Bungee jumping to the Blue Sea?!"
Ace and Zoffy's smiles froze. Their faces collapsed in horror.
Jumping from Sky Island to the Blue Sea—what did the old man think they were?
They were human beings, not monsters like him!
And there was no standard for this so-called "progress." What counted? It was entirely up to the old man's whim!
Thinking of this, their expressions grew even worse.
They chased after the departing ship in a panic, shouting frantically.
"Old man! What do you mean by progress?!"
"Set a standard! Give us a goal, old man!!"
"You just focus on working hard. Whether you've improved or not... I'll be the one to decide!"
The worst-case scenario had come true.
Ace and Zoffy went completely pale. With a thud, they collapsed to their knees and screamed in despair.
"NOOOOO! OLD MAAAAN!!" *2
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg