Just as Luffy and the others were riding the Knock Up Stream toward Sky Island...
At the distant Marineford, Lafitte, who had just left Marine Headquarters, was trying to contact his captain using a Den Den Mushi.
Buru buru, buru buru... Click.
The call connected, but what came from the other end wasn't Blackbeard's signature raucous laughter. Instead, it was a panicked voice—the ship's doctor, Doc Q. He sounded like he was gasping and coughing violently.
"L-Lafitte! It's over! We were almost wiped out!"
The elegant smile on Lafitte's face instantly froze.
What kind of joke was this?
Hadn't he told Teach and the others to wait for him in Mock Town?
Mock Town was at the very beginning of the Grand Line, not in the New World!
"Calm down, Doc Q. Explain clearly what happened. Where is Captain Teach?"
"Th-the Captain... he's seriously injured and unconscious!"
Doc Q's voice was full of fear and disbelief. "It was that Straw Hat kid, Monkey D. Luffy! With just one punch, he nearly blasted our ship to pieces! The Captain used his Yami Yami no Mi power to block it, but he was still gravely wounded! He hasn't woken up yet!"
"Straw Hat Luffy?"
Lafitte felt his mind was having trouble processing this. But a man in the intelligence business thinks fast. He recalled the rookie pirate whose bounty had recently skyrocketed.
The kid whose bounty supposedly shot up to 200 million because he'd kidnapped a princess.
He nearly wiped out Captain Teach, who possessed the Yami Yami no Mi?
Lafitte even had the subconscious urge to ask 'Who is Straw Hat?' to confirm he hadn't misheard.
The Yami Yami no Mi! The fruit hailed as the natural enemy of all other Devil Fruits, capable of nullifying the powers of any Devil Fruit user.
Of course, the condition was getting close to the target.
So, did that mean his Captain couldn't even get close to the guy?
A sense of absurdity and deep powerlessness washed over Lafitte.
Their goal, the Blackbeard Pirates' ambition, was to replace Crocodile, become a new Warlord of the Sea, and then implement an even grander scheme.
But now, before the plan could even begin, their Captain had been knocked flat by a no-name rookie pirate?
For the first time, Lafitte felt a flicker of doubt about his decision to follow Teach.
You bided your time for twenty years... just to come out and take this punch?
Things were going from bad to worse.
"There's more bad news."
Doc Q's voice carried despair. "It seems our trail has been discovered by 'Fire Fist' Ace. Lafitte, think of something! At this rate, we're really going to be wiped out here by the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division! Right now, I'm dragging the unconscious Captain, along with the injured Van Augur and Burgess. We can't get far!"
"Think of something? What can I possibly do?!"
Even Lafitte, renowned for his cold, scheming nature, couldn't help but feel his composure cracking, nearly cursing into the Den Den Mushi.
The Captain was critically wounded, powerful enemies were closing in, and he, a navigator, was all the way at Marine Headquarters. What miraculous, game-changing strategy could he possibly conjure up instantly?
Just as Lafitte was feeling utterly overwhelmed, a laugh with a unique cadence sounded behind him.
"Fuffuffuffu. The navigator of the Blackbeard Pirates, 'Demon Sheriff' Lafitte, correct?"
Lafitte's heart skipped a beat. He whirled around.
There, standing in the shadows not far away, hands in the pockets of his pink feathered coat, was Donquixote Doflamingo, wearing his trademark smile that seemed to see through and toy with everything.
Lafitte swiftly suppressed the storm of emotions within him, restoring his surface calm. He turned gracefully and bowed. "The 'Heavenly Yaksha,' Donquixote Doflamingo-sama. I did not expect to encounter you here."
Doflamingo stepped closer, the light behind his sunglasses inscrutable. "In the conference room earlier, you mentioned a certain Marshall D. Teach, 'Blackbeard.' I'm quite interested in him. A man who can attract a follower like you and dares to scheme for a Warlord's seat... must be no ordinary fellow. However, it sounds like you've run into a bit of a... snag?"
Lafitte's eyes flickered rapidly, his mind racing.
Doflamingo was one of the underworld's kings, with a vast, intricate network and unfathomable power.
Their team's current situation was dire. In other words, they desperately needed an external... infusion of capital.
Perhaps this was a golden opportunity.
That persuasive smile reappeared on his face as he proactively extended an invitation. "You are quite right, Doflamingo-sama. We have indeed encountered some... challenges. But doesn't that just speak to the grand, turbulent nature of these seas? Perhaps... we could find a place to discuss this in more detail? To deliberate on a matter significant enough to... alter the existing balance of power across these very seas!"
The curve of Doflamingo's smile widened.
Interesting. So very interesting.
Alter the existing balance of power across the seas?
Only a complete fool or a true overlord would dare utter such words.
Now that was truly fascinating.
Scene cut back to Sky Island.
The White Sea.
The Going Merry shot up like a fish leaping from the water, crashing violently into the soft, pure white sea of clouds. The ship shuddered violently, sending up great plumes of cloud-spray. The Knock Up Stream that had carried them up continued to fountain upward for a moment after breaking through the cloud layer before finally exhausting itself and dissipating into the higher Knock Up Stream clouds above.
The Going Merry had suffered not a single scratch from that incredible impact, all thanks to Luffy's ability to temporarily turn the ship into rubber.
It was Luffy's first time using this particular application of his power. Back when he'd heard from Ace that awakened Devil Fruit abilities could affect the surroundings, he'd had some ideas. He hadn't expected things to progress so smoothly.
All around them stretched an endless expanse of white clouds.
"We made it up!" Luffy stood at the bow, raising his arms excitedly.
He looked back at his crew. They all looked about the same—hair plastered to their cheeks and foreheads with seawater and sweat, appearing rather disheveled.
"We're saved..."
Chopper and Usopp lay sprawled on the deck, limbs splayed out, the very picture of post-catastrophe exhaustion and near-death collapse.
Usopp never wanted to experience anything like that again. It felt like his heart had been about to leap out of his chest.
"Usopp-sama feels like his soul almost left his body," Usopp groaned weakly, reaching a hand out toward Luffy. "Dr. Luffy, give me a check-up. I think I might have caught some fatal disease."
Chopper wanted to struggle up and say that was his job, but he himself felt utterly limp, unable to muster any strength. He could only weakly add, "Me too, Luffy. I feel like I'm dying."
Luffy crouched down, examined their faces and tongues, and came to the same conclusion as Chopper would have. "It seems like altitude sickness. The air is thinner up here."
Don't underestimate my medical skills.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!