'Whoosh… whoosh…'
Three days later.
In a certain part of the sea, on a massive floating island drifting slowly through the sky—
Colorful bubbles floated around, bright and beautiful.
Ily, a young mermaid, sat on a large bubble, her graceful tail swaying gently as she blew bubbles excitedly with her newly crafted bubble wand and solution. "Bubble Bomb!"
'Boom… boom…'
One by one, seemingly harmless bubbles floated out, only to trigger powerful explosions moments later. The training area was soon left in ruins, blasted to pieces.
"Hehe, this is amazing…"
Watching the scene, Ily couldn't contain her joy. She shouted excitedly to El, whose tall figure stood nearby, "El-sama, I really did it!"
These bubbles were crafted with sap from the Yarukiman Mangrove and enhanced by her Bubble-Bubble Fruit powers, making them extremely durable. Not only could they support her weight to float in the air, but even outside this unique environment, they wouldn't pop easily. She could control them perfectly and even detonate them at will.
"Not bad, it's looking pretty impressive!"
Sitting nearby, El looked up from his newspaper. Smiling, he nodded encouragingly, "Keep it up, Ily!"
It was worth noting that—
The battle on Franca Island had been kept quiet these past few days. Though the World Government was furious and had ordered CP agents to search everywhere for the Fallen Angel Pirates, the general public remained unaware of what had truly happened. For now, El and Linlin had yet to make any public moves following their recent promotion. It all appeared as if the World Government was simply enraged by the Fallen Angel Pirates' attack on the Celestial Dragons, resulting in a widespread bounty hunt.
"Yes, I will!"
Clenching her small fists, the mermaid girl nodded enthusiastically, filled with determination. She didn't want to just be a mascot; she wanted to fight and contribute her strength.
Not far away—
Baka, the Black Mamba user, along with Rena and Luna, the Black Cat and Ocelot users, were training hard with Nef, the ship's doctor, as sweat poured down. Meanwhile, Tom of the Mink Tribe, with his Speed-Speed Fruit powers, and Mad of the Longleg Tribe, who wielded the Egg-Egg Fruit, were training in the Six Powers alongside their respective comrades, "Griffin" Moss and "Flea Man" Rock.
With the boost from their Devil Fruit abilities, everyone was making rapid progress. Especially the female members, who benefited from Lily's extraordinary "Pile-Pile Fruit" ability, which allowed them to merge skills and share techniques, making their training even more efficient. Baka, the "Black Mamba," and the Neko Neko sisters, Rena and Luna, had made impressive gains. Even Ily, whose aptitude was somewhat lacking, was progressing steadily. Her development in both her Fruit abilities and physical training was advancing well. She was already showing signs of becoming a capable fighter.
Meanwhile—
'Whew… whew…'
"Hey, Sak…"
On the other side, Gerd stood with her hands on her hips, looking displeased as she towered over a young man of at least three meters tall, who was sweating profusely and panting heavily. "You're already out of stamina again?"
In front of them, a wide field was dotted with over three hundred wax statues—armored soldiers about two meters tall, each holding a spear and shield. They stood lifelike, glinting in the sunlight.
"I really don't have any strength left, Gerd-sama…" Sak, pale-faced and exhausted, said weakly. "Please, let me rest a bit!"
Sak was a newcomer given the Paramecia Wax-Wax Fruit by El. Once a pirate captain, he'd started his journey with high hopes of completing the "Grand Line circuit." But soon after setting out, he and his crew had been drugged and captured by a slave-trading group, who sold him off after eliminating his crew.
Rescued by the Fallen Angel Pirates, Sak had realized the dangers of the world and, humbled, decided he wasn't cut out to be a captain. Not wanting to live an ordinary life, he joined the Fallen Angel Pirates.
Joining the crew, he finally met the legendary captain, Fallen Angel El, whose imposing figure deeply impressed him. Here was a man who fearlessly attacked the Navy's fortresses and even the World Nobles, defying admirals and slaying a top Navy figure in battle.
Two days prior, El had bestowed upon him the powerful Wax-Wax Fruit. Though its name sounded ordinary, Sak quickly realized its strength. The fruit allowed him to produce vast amounts of sticky wax, which he could shape into various forms, from weapons to structures. When hardened, this wax was as strong as steel, allowing him to trap enemies or even craft armor and other objects.
Yet, before he could celebrate, El summoned him again to begin a grueling task.
El had ordered him to produce a large number of wax sculptures—armored soldiers, knights, lions, tigers, and eagles.
Creating a few or even ten was manageable for him. But producing hundreds of these wax sculptures at once exhausted even his considerable stamina, which rivaled that of a Navy headquarters captain.
Every time he rested and regained some strength, he was pushed to produce even more wax creations. He was so exhausted he just wanted to collapse.
But what truly amazed Sak was that Gerd-sama could infuse captured souls into the wax creations, granting them a form of life and animating them. With ease, she had created an immense army of wax soldiers, a formidable Homies army. It was simply beyond belief.
"All right, Gerd…"
Lily ran over, hugging Gerd and saying cheerfully, "No need to push him too hard. He did make a lot of Homies already!"
"And El-oniichan did say that we don't need too many wax Homies. While wax can be lighter and stronger than steel, it also has weaknesses like fire, which brings certain limitations!"
"It's still pretty incredible though…"
A tall figure, riding a large Bubble Homie, floated over.
Linlin soon joined them, gesturing to the drastically transformed Atlantis with a smile. "We've amassed such a powerful force so quickly!"
"Wow… just look…"
At some point, a vast number of animated soldiers had appeared across the floating fortress, each wielding swords or spears, with knights riding tall horses scattered throughout every corner.
Without exception, they were all wax creations animated by Gerd's soul infusion, becoming "living" Homies soldiers. These soldiers had significant combat capabilities, with some leaders even housing the souls of former Navy officers, making them especially formidable.
Teams of ten wax soldiers marched in sync across the fortress, patrolling tirelessly. Altogether, their numbers exceeded ten thousand.
Alongside them, numerous wax lions, tigers, panthers, and even giant snakes roamed the forests, each filled with life and adding to the fortress's defenses.
Aerial scouts included wax-crafted falcons, moths, swallows, and seagulls—Homies who served as watchful eyes from the sky.
And in the air, knights on pterodactyls and griffins soared above, patrolling the skies.
It was an awe-inspiring sight.