At this moment, on Polka Street in the royal capital, an empty road echoed with eerie shrieks and angry curses.
"Behold my Okama Kenpō: Explosive Swan Waltz!"
"Why the hell are swan heads attached to your feet, you damn pervert!?"
BAM! BAM!
"How's that? Kicks with the destructive force of a rifle shot—that's the true charm of an Okama!"
Mr. 2 Bon Clay wore a striped blue puff-skirt, a pink cape draped across his back, and his painted face contorted with a mocking grin.
He had removed the swan decorations from his back and attached them to his feet. The combination of their flexible necks and iron-hard beaks concentrated all destructive force into a single piercing point.
Sanji thought it was nonsense, but when he saw the clean circular hole punched through the wall—smoke still curling from the edges—he couldn't help but be a little shaken.
"Tch. You've got some tricks after all."
The two had already been fighting for some time. Bon Clay was proving more troublesome than Sanji expected.
Sanji grew serious, grinding his cigarette butt under the heel of his black shoe. Then he charged forward.
"But if you think this is enough to take my life, you're a hundred years too early!"
His leg whipped out. Bon Clay blocked with a mirrored kick, but Sanji twisted midair, chaining into a spinning roundhouse.
Bon Clay crossed his arms just in time to block, but Sanji hooked his foot onto them, using the leverage to vault himself up. His other leg snapped forward—black shoe flashing toward Bon Clay's face.
"Concassé!"
BAM! BAM!
His sole smashed into Bon Clay's cheek, warping his face before blasting him into the wall. Bon Clay slid down like a rag doll.
"Kh…!"
Coughing blood, Bon Clay pushed himself up, eyes locked on the incoming Sanji. He leapt gracefully into the air with ballet steps, swan heads poised.
With a sudden flurry, his legs lashed out like bullets raining down.
"Explosive Swan Ballet!"
"Flamboyant Swan Feast!!"
Sanji planted his palms on the ground, spinning like a top. Both legs blurred as they met the assault head-on, black shoes colliding against the swan beaks.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
The rapid, heavy impacts shook the air as their legs clashed in a furious storm of blows.
Then—CRACK!
One swan head split under the strain, fragments scattering as Bon Clay's eyes went wide in shock.
And in that instant, a black shoe filled his vision.
"Grilled Swan Head!"
Sanji roared as his whip kick smashed into Bon Clay's face, sending him crashing down. He bounced up again—only to be struck by a storm of relentless kicks.
"Spiced Swan Wings!"
"Braised Swan Body!"
"Steamed Swan Drumsticks!"
Each kick landed with crushing force, hammering Bon Clay's limbs and torso. His body swelled with bruises, purple and swollen from the merciless onslaught.
"And finally—Stir-Fried Swan Ass!!"
Sanji spun upside down, hands planted on the ground. His legs bent, then unleashed their full force upward into Bon Clay's rear.
"Wait, wait—that's not allowed!!"
Bon Clay screamed in panic as the kick rocketed toward his backside, his gaudy makeup twisting into terror.
"My beautiful butt!!"
With one last shriek, he shot into the sky like an arrow, vanishing into the heavens as a sparkling star.
Click.
Sanji flicked his lighter, the flame dancing in the dark as he lit a new cigarette. Smoke curled from his lips as he muttered:
"Damn pervert… No way in hell an okama could ever compare to a real woman."
Dusting himself off, he turned toward the grand palace in the distance and began to run.
Meanwhile, beneath the palace, inside the crypt below the Hall of the Dead—
Beams of sunlight pierced the broken ceiling, illuminating the ancient murals on the stone walls, casting light into the dark tomb.
Luffy gritted his teeth, dodging the endless crocodile-shaped sand constructs, fists swinging furiously as smoke rose from his strikes.
Blue Oni and Red Oni fought more steadily, their massive swords and shields cutting down the sand beasts with ease. Every swing shattered enemies, but Crocodile's relentless abilities gave them no breathing room.
Laina hadn't let them unleash their full power yet—he had planned to rely on their Zoan-enhanced stamina and grind Crocodile down in a battle of attrition.
At first, it seemed safer that way. But now, Crocodile showed no sign of tiring. Laina frowned.
If this dragged on, his stamina might not last. With Blue and Red Oni both using Haki, his own reserves drained quickly. And he still had to hold enough power in reserve for Hakoku.
Decision made, Laina willed it. The Oni bent low, then launched forward with explosive force, cracking the ground beneath their feet.
They shattered Crocodile's sand attacks with shield strikes and charged in from both sides. Black Armament coated their blades, glinting darkly.
"So fast!"
Crocodile's eyes widened. His sand wall was only half-formed before the Oni leapt over it, blades descending.
He dissolved into sand at the last instant, creating gaps in his body to evade. At the same time, small whirlwinds spun from his hands.
"Mini Sables!"
Logias couldn't withstand Haki, but evasion was still an option.
But the Oni weren't just using Armament—they had Observation Haki too.
They ignored the slicing whirlwinds cutting into their bodies, twisting their wrists to redirect their strikes—
SLASH! SLASH!
Crocodile was thrown back, crashing hard into the ground with two bloody gashes carved across his form.
"Kh…!"
He spat blood, glaring furiously. With a sweep of his hand—
"Desert Spada!!"
From beneath the Oni, a massive sand blade erupted upward, slashing across their waists.
The strike left deep gashes—
That's the same move he used to scar Akainu at Marineford! Is he about to turn this fight around!?!
Laina's heart leapt to his throat. He hurriedly channeled his power to repair the Oni's damaged bodies.
"I'll use it, Laina!"
A sudden shout from the battlefield made him whip his head around.
Luffy had planted his feet wide, crouched low. One hand pressed to his knee, the other braced against the ground, fist clenched.
"Wait, Luffy! Gear Second is too risky—!"
"Don't say it, Laina!!"
Luffy roared, cutting him off. His body trembled with determination, eyes blazing at Crocodile.
"This crocodile is strong! Even you can't guarantee victory, right!?
"If we lose here, then everything's over!!"
Gear Second still carried terrible side effects. It drained stamina to exhaustion, leaving the user helpless afterward. Repeated use can even shorten lifespan.
"I know."
Laina stopped. He couldn't deny it. Even with his strongest undead fighters, Crocodile had already forced them to the brink.
Crocodile's true strength was far beyond his expectations. In the original story, Luffy only barely managed to win after two defeats. This time, there would be no second chance.
The One Piece power scale is insane—the difference between early and late game is absurd.
For this story, Crocodile's strength is set higher—stronger than a top Vice Admiral at least. Otherwise, the title of Shichibukai would mean nothing. But he's definitely not on the 1.9 billion bounty level—otherwise, no one here would stand a chance.