Chapter 47

While the main battle had raged between Luffy, Law, and Doflamingo at the palace, the Clockwork Rose crew had fought their own brutal wars in the streets of Dressrosa.

These fights were not broadcast on the main screens. They happened in the shadows, where the Donquixote Family’s most dangerous officers lurked.

Laki vs. Gladius (The Pop-Pop Human)

Location: The Pica Statue (Shoulder)

Opponent: Gladius. An executive who could make his own body and inorganic objects explode.

Laki stood on a shifting stone platform, her white rifle smoking. Her left arm was bleeding heavily from shrapnel.

"You're annoying!" Gladius screamed, his hair inflating like a balloon. "Fashion Punc!"

He shot his hair quills at her. They were explosive needles.

Laki didn't dodge. She used Mantra (Observation Haki) to predict the trajectory of every single needle.

"Mosa Mosa: 100x Velocity – Pinpoint Defense."

She fired a single bullet. Mid-air, she multiplied its speed until it became a laser. The bullet hit the first needle, shattered it, then ricocheted to hit the second, third, and fourth. In one shot, she neutralized the entire volley.

"Impossible!" Gladius gasped. "You shot my hair out of the air?!"

"I can shoot the wings off a fly," Laki whispered, reloading a Reject Dial shell. "Your hair is a slow target."

Gladius roared, touching the stone floor. "Catapult Punc!"

The ground beneath Laki swelled and exploded.

Laki jumped, activating her Geppo. She was airborne.

"Now," Laki leveled her rifle. "You like explosions? Let me show you a real bang."

Mosa Mosa: 100x Size – Impact Shell.

She fired the Reject Dial. As it left the barrel, it grew to the size of a house. It slammed into Gladius before he could detonate himself.

BOOM.

The explosion was deafening. Gladius was blasted off the statue, crashing into the city below, unconscious.

Winner: Laki (The Sky Sniper).

New Epithet: "The Silent Calamity."

Carmen vs. Machvise (The Ton-Ton Human)

Location: The Toy House Roof

Opponent: Machvise. An executive who could increase his weight to 10,000 tons.

"Ton… Ton… TEN THOUSAND TONS!" Machvise shouted, floating above Carmen with his shield. He dropped like a meteor.

Carmen stood her ground, her red dress singed, her chef hat gone. The heat radiating from her was intense enough to melt the roof tiles.

"You think being heavy makes you strong?" Carmen scoffed, lighting a cigarette with her finger. "Fat is just flavor waiting to be rendered."

She didn't try to catch him. She placed her hands on the roof.

Atsu Atsu no Mi: Heat Haze – Mirage.

The air shimmered. Machvise slammed into the roof… but Carmen wasn't there. It was a heat refraction.

"Where?!" Machvise struggled to stand up from the crater.

"Above you," Carmen’s voice came from the smoke.

She was diving toward him, her leg glowing white-hot.

"Hell Course: 10,000 Degree Press!"

She kicked Machvise in the stomach. The heat was so intense it bypassed his shield’s defense, cooking him through his armor.

"HOT! HOT! TOO HEAVY!" Machvise screamed.

"I'm not heavy," Carmen grinned. "I'm dense. Heat has weight, fat boy."

She spun, delivering a final kick to his face.

Sizzle.

Machvise was launched into a nearby water tower, steam erupting as he hit the water.

Winner: Carmen (The Flamenco Chef).

New Epithet: " The Burning Witch."

Perona vs. Giolla (The Art-Art Human)

Location: The Art District

Opponent: Giolla. An executive who could turn people into abstract art.

"My art is beautiful!" Giolla shrieked, firing a beam that turned a group of Marines into Picasso-style paintings. "Become my masterpiece, Ghost Girl!"

Perona floated lazily, yawning. Her ghosts swirled around her.

"Your art is tacky," Perona criticized. "Too many colors. Not enough gloom."

"HOW DARE YOU!" Giolla charged. "Dying Art!"

She tried to touch Perona.

"Negative Hollow."

Whoosh.

A ghost passed through Giolla.

Giolla stopped. She dropped to her knees. "I'm a hack… I draw stick figures… I should just become a crayon…"

"Horo-horo-horo!" Perona laughed. "See? Now you're a minimalist."

She snapped her fingers.

"Special Hollow: Kamikaze Rap."

Five small, explosive ghosts surrounded the depressed Giolla.

BOOM.

Giolla was blown into a paint store, covered in rainbow colors.

"Now that's art," Perona floated away.

Winner: Perona (The Ghost Princess).

New Epithet: " The Phantom Queen."

The Aftermath: Bounties Rise

Three days after the fall of Doflamingo, the Clockwork Rose was sailing toward Zou with the Straw Hats.

A News Coo dropped a stack of wanted posters onto the deck.

"Here it comes," Law muttered, looking at the papers. "The World Government isn't happy."

Luffy’s bounty had jumped to 500 Million.

Zoro’s to 320 Million.

God Usopp to 200 Million.

But then, Law pulled out the posters for the Clockwork Rose.

1. The Captain:

Name: Kurumi Tokisaki

Epithet: "The Nightmare of Time" (formerly "Time Witch")

Bounty: 850,000,000 Berries

Reason: Defeating Vergo (Vice Admiral), Awakening a Forbidden Fruit, Surviving an Admiral, and being a key architect of Doflamingo's downfall.

2. The Sniper:

Name: Laki

Epithet: "The Silent Calamity"

Bounty: 310,000,000 Berries

Reason: Defeating Gladius, sniping Executives from 5 miles away, possession of Skypiean Tech.

3. The Chef:

Name: Carmen

Epithet: "The Burning Witch"

Bounty: 290,000,000 Berries

Reason: Defeating Machvise, destroying the Toy House, suspected Logia-class threat (mistaken due to Atsu Atsu no Mi).

4. The Scout:

Name: Perona

Epithet: "The Phantom Queen"

Bounty: 150,000,000 Berries

Reason: Defeating Giolla, psychological warfare against thousands of Marines.

"850 Million?!" Usopp’s eyes popped out. "That’s higher than Luffy!"

"She fought Fujitora to a standstill," Law reminded him. "And she awakened a power the Gorosei fear. Her bounty reflects her threat level to the history of the world, not just her strength."

Kurumi, who was sitting in a wheelchair on the deck (still recovering from the metabolic burnout), looked at her poster.

"Nightmare of Time," she mused, tracing the jagged font. "It has a nice ring to it."

She looked at her crew. Laki was polishing her rifle. Carmen was cooking a victory feast. Perona was bragging to Chopper.

"We aren't just a crew anymore," Kurumi whispered. "We are a Pantheon."

"Captain!" Laki called out. "Zou is in sight! The giant elephant!"

Kurumi looked up at the massive creature walking through the ocean.

"Zou," she nodded. "The land of minks. And the place where we find the first Road Poneglyph."

She turned to Law.

"Ready to meet your furry friends, Surgeon?"

Law sighed. "I hate bread."

"Too bad," Carmen shouted from the kitchen. "I'm baking baguettes!"

Next Arc: Zou and the Road to Wano.