I've Got It!

Caesar Clown was in a foul mood.

A very foul mood!

There were two main reasons.

First, the existence of Aiven Lindsey was a discovery that could shake the entire sea.

But Crocodile had swooped in and taken Lindsey away.

The trouble was, researching ancient stone tablets violated World Government law, so Caesar couldn't call on the Marines for help.

He didn't dare make a scene, but he couldn't beat Sand Crocodile either.

So all Caesar could do was watch helplessly as Crocodile took his "major discovery" away.

That made him furious!

And then there was Vegapunk, who had always held him down. Caesar couldn't stand him either.

What kind of "World's Greatest Scientist" was he? Caesar was the real genius!

The two kinds of frustration came together and gave Caesar an idea that would make him feel a whole lot better.

He would activate one of Vegapunk's defensive measures on Punk Hazard—the Punk Dragon!

The "Punk Dragon" was a gigantic, dragon-shaped Biological Weapon invented and created by Vegapunk.

Some Celestial Dragon apparently liked it so much that he'd even given it a name.

That kind of favor naturally made Caesar unbearably jealous!

So Caesar decided to use "an unknown pirate invading Punk Hazard" as his excuse to activate the Punk Dragon and attack Crocodile.

There were only two possible outcomes:

If the Punk Dragon defeated Crocodile, Caesar could take the opportunity to reclaim Aiven Lindsey.

And if Crocodile killed the Punk Dragon, Caesar would report the incident as a misunderstanding and take the chance to cast serious doubt on Vegapunk's technical abilities!

It was a win-win. Absolutely perfect!

Crocodile could see where this was going, of course.

His expression immediately darkened.

He didn't want to make an enemy of the World's Greatest Scientist.

But what he wanted even less was to be used as someone else's weapon!

So... should he run?

That was what Crocodile thought as he prepared to take Lindsey and force his way out.

But then he glanced over and saw Lindsey staring at the onrushing dragon, eyes sparkling.

This "person," who had only just awakened, seemed intensely curious about everything around him.

Crocodile's gaze turned thoughtful as he came up with a plan to turn the situation to his advantage.

He elementalized his body and flashed over to Caesar.

"Heh heh heh. You like experiments?"

After murmuring a few words, he turned to Caesar beside him and said coldly, "Then I'll use something of yours to test him."

Caesar immediately understood.

Crocodile wanted to use the Punk Dragon to test Aiven Lindsey's limits!

Both Crocodile and Caesar knew the other wouldn't dare actually start a fight.

So for the two of them, taking advantage of each other was only natural.

Crocodile and Caesar stepped aside.

That left Aiven Lindsey alone, looking up to meet the descending Punk Dragon's gaze!

The dragon's roar rang out.

The thunderous rumble that filled his ears felt so real, nothing like the hazy sounds from before.

Lindsey especially loved that feeling.

The sheer force of an enemy closing in made him feel his heart beating, as if he'd gotten hold of life itself.

"Hey!"

Lindsey turned toward the two men watching and shouted.

Pointing at the Punk Dragon in the air, he asked excitedly, "Do I have to pay if I break it?"

His personality was almost absurdly straightforward.

Some people on the sea might have liked that, but Crocodile and Caesar were both rather gloomy sorts, and neither felt like answering.

"Got it!"

When neither man replied, Lindsey didn't press them. He brought his fist down into his palm with a hard smack and grinned. "Then I'll go all out!"

He had so many ideas he wanted to put into practice.

And there was so much he wanted to learn.

If he had a chance to fight a dragon, of course he'd jump at it!

"Come on!"

Lindsey growled and activated his Devil Fruit Ability once more.

Earth Demon Form!

Two horns grew from his forehead, and his body bulked up several sizes.

He spread his arms, bent toward the ground, and looked up at the enormous fire dragon diving toward him.

"Roar!"

The fire dragon opened its huge jaws, and blazing flames poured between its sharp teeth.

Whoosh!

The dragon hadn't arrived, but its fire had.

Just as the flames were about to engulf Lindsey, he heaved both hands upward.

The surrounding earth surged up from the ground, forming an "earth shield" that blocked the flames!

The Earth Demon was a demon of the earth, with the power to control land.

Lindsey had simulated countless ways to use that power in his mind, but there was still something missing.

A high wall stood between "theory" and "practice"!

That was why Lindsey, now possessing "freedom," was so deeply fascinated by this precious "reality."

"Okay, I've got it!"

Lindsey exclaimed, "So that's how you block fire!"

Using the power of Earth Demon Form, he could raise a hard earth-and-stone shield to withstand flames and heat.

Lindsey was immersed in the joy of turning theory into practice.

He glanced over and saw that Caesar and Crocodile looked rather strange.

Stunned, even.

"What—"

Lindsey started to ask, but before he could finish, he realized the answer.

The Punk Dragon was still diving!

After the flames came the violent impact of a body nearly a hundred meters long!

Boom!

Under the force of its weight and acceleration, the earth-and-stone shield was instantly smashed apart, and the enormous Punk Dragon swallowed up Lindsey's figure.

Rumble...

Dust billowed as the Punk Dragon raised its enormous head and roared into the sky...

"Roar—!"

It had crushed the intruder and was declaring its victory.

"Huh!? What the hell is he doing?"

Crocodile stared at the scene in shock.

A Zoan Mythical Beast Type user had really been taken out by an artificial dragon?

And from Lindsey's performance, Crocodile had spotted an obvious problem.

This man named Aiven Lindsey had almost no combat experience!

What kind of person was he?

Who blocked the other guy's first attack and then got so excited that he completely forgot to defend against the follow-up?

"Disappointing..."

Crocodile snorted and started toward the Punk Dragon to finish it off.

But in the very next instant, a figure leapt out of the swirling dust, soaring high above the Punk Dragon.

It was Aiven Lindsey!

In Earth Demon Form, his body remained as free as ever. He gripped an enormous, long-handled Earthstone Heavy Hammer in one hand.

The earth had been compressed until it was as hard as steel!

He aimed at the Punk Dragon's head and brought the hammer crashing down.

"Ha!"

Thud!

The muffled impact rang out. The Punk Dragon had no chance to dodge and took the blow head-on.

The monstrous strength of Earth Demon Form, channeled through the hammer, poured straight into the Punk Dragon's skull.

Its eyes rolled back, and foam spilled from its mouth.

A dent appeared in its head. Its gigantic body crashed to the ground, dead as could be.

Clack!

Lindsey landed steadily, his feet planted on the dragon's enormous body.

Earth Demon Form gradually faded.

In his normal state, his perfectly sculpted body was completely unscathed.

Then he swung the two-handed hammer in a circle with one arm and rested it on his shoulder.

After brushing the dust from his hair, Lindsey's pupils glimmered dark red. A few fangs in his mouth had yet to retract.

His face should have looked hideous and terrifying, but his simple, joyful expression gave him an air of "purity" that only made him seem more bizarre.

He laughed excitedly.

"Hahaha, so that's how you kill a dragon!"

He looked down at Crocodile and Caesar, who stood a short distance away.

Spitting out a little blood, he looked sunny and radiant.

"Okay, I've got that too!"

"..."

At those words, the same question rose in both Crocodile's and Caesar's minds—

Just what had they let loose?

The second update's here! Please vote!