49 Apex the Crocogator

(AN: I'MMM BACK!! There's a long and boring story behind my many months absent including COVID, getting into Med school, family emergencies and the like, but I won't bore you with all that drivel. Instead, take three chapters.)

"I'll never tell you a word about where my people's settlement is you featherless monkey!" Ares roared, spitting in Rex's face as he comes down to the prison. "You had better just crucify me with dignity after torturing for days."

Rex looked at Ares with an odd expression. Who said anything about torture and crucifixion? Was this guy some kind of masochist?

"Well, first things first Mr. Ares. I already know where your camp is as well as the location of your beautiful wife Shahalia and your daughter Trixia, so let's get that out of the way." Rex said, trying to establish an exchange.

"YOU BASTARD!" Ares roared, struggling against his restraints. "If you or that bastard Apex rape and humiliate my family, I'll slaughter you all!"

Rape and humiliation? Where was this guy getting all this insanity? Rex was just trying to tell him that his family was safe.

Rex beamed as a plan comes to mind.

"That's where you're wrong. I have no interest in your families and I am not working with Apex. Instead, I am… an independent contractor of sorts." Rex said. "You do something for me, I do something for you."

"What kind of 'something'?"

(The Next Day)

"Captain Apex, the Aetherians are attacking our left stronghold again!" A panting soldier said, rushing to an immense and regal throne room.

At the head of the throne room, there were three thrones, two on the floor and one on a higher platform. On each throne, an enormously fat pirate lounges, winged slaves attending to their every need.

"So?" The left-hand pirate, a large bald man with a missing eye cried out, stroking a captive slave like she was a doll. "Just slaughter the men and bring the women to me!"

"Hem hem." The red-headed woman to the right protested. "The men go to me, and the women to you, that's our deal. Granted of course that the boss doesn't want any of them."

"No, you can have them." Apex said with a grin, happy with the slaves he already has. "Just leave Ares and his family to me. I want to watch the proud man break as I take his wife before his eyes. Crogagagaga!"

Then, the pirates left, having received their orders.

Meanwhile, Rex and his officers were perched on the ground not far from the castle. The Aetherian 'attack' was orchestrated by them to distract the majority of the Apex pirates.

Rex had mixed in a few of his crew in the Aetherian crowd and with the heavy explosives and Dial weaponry they were packing, Rex was confident it would be a quick wash. But that didn't mean anything if he didn't cut the head off the snake. Or the gator in this case.

"Let's move in." Rex said, rushing towards the palace.

Past the gates, Rex immediately ran into his first roadblock. Namely a legion of mutant animal guards.

Rex shook his head. It seemed it would not be so easy to confront the head honchos directly.

"Go on ahead captain." Monet said with a grin, the air getting colder around her.

"Yeah, don't worry about these weaklings." Thatch chuckled as he draws his blades.

"We'll make them poop their pants!" Sugar shouted out.

Then, the three moved into combat immediately, taking on the animals.

Rex smiled, seeing the confidence in his crewmates' eyes, it was reassuring. He had built up a strong crew.

Soon after Rex and his remaining officers stormed into the palace. Rex told all the slaves to flee as quickly as they could, while making his way to the center.

Kicking down the door, Rex saw his opponents.

"Well, well, well…" A fat woman said with a chuckle. "It seems that some little monkeys got mixed up with our flock of birds. I wonder, how did you lot get up this high?"

Rex was astonished. Was this the famed 'Heartstopper' Rolette? And that bald pig on the other side was the 'Indestructible' Franzy?

Rex shook his head. Maybe he shouldn't go on vacation after becoming a Yonko. Best to stay in shape. He had no idea how embarrassed he would be if in ten years, Ace and Luffy come busting into his castle only to see a fat pig rolling around on a throne.

"We've come here to take your lives." Killer said simply, drawing his blades.

"Yeah, old piggies like you should just hand all your treasure over to the real pirates." Kid said arrogantly, forming his two massive Mecha fists over his arms.

The two lackies whistled loudly, causing tremors to be sent through the earth. Two massive forms leap out of the earth, joining their masters' sides. They were mutant animals, a wild boar for Franzy and a monarch butterfly for Rolette.

"Crogagagaga!" Apex laughed, gripping the sides of his throne ferociously. CRACK! "It's been too long since I killed myself an arrogant brat. I'm going to enjoy this."

They then prepared for their battles, with Rolette drawing a large rifle, with a blade down it's barrel. Franzy wields an immense axe, the size of three men. Apex just grins, beating his chest.

"Well, let the battle begin." Rex said.

Then, in a flash of pink light, Rex rushes past Bonney and barrels into Apex, knocking him through the back wall in his transformed state. Kid does the same with his own opponent, Franzy, slamming him a side wall before leaping after him.

The rest stayed in the large throne room to fight their own fights.

"Crogagaga! I've been a pirate a long time, but I've never seen a Zoan quite like that." Apex roared, staring Rex up and down.

Rex was in his full Chimera Print form, being nearly seven meters tall and 15 meters long. Rex's lower half was that of a tiger with four legs and the typical feline features. However, two large scaly wings sprouted out of his back with a mixed face of a tiger and pterosaur.

Rex grins, feeling his body rippling with power as he uses his Chimera form for the first time. The concept behind the technique was rather simple, and Rex had been inspired by the gag where three kids stand on each other's heads in a trench coat.

After all, Rex could alter his size to fit any being in the world from a giant to a dwarf. It made sense that he could stretch his body to fit two animals at once.

Rex was used to using Rouge and Chicky, but the pterosaur would do well as a substitute for Chicky.

"Well, I guess since you showed me yours, I should show you mine!" Apex grins before his own body morphs. Only he was much bigger than Rex is, turning into an immense, 50-meter long, prehistoric Crocodile.

Rex smiled. This would be fun.

Rex leapt towards the massive crocodile, claws springing out in attack mode. In midair, the claws quickly start glowing white-hot as he attacked.

Apex just stood there, watching with a grin as the claws banged harmlessly off of his sleek, black, hardened hide.

"Crogagagaga! Do you think that someone as weak as you can break my hide? Even the Dark King Rayleigh could never harm me!"

Rex sniggered at that, knowing that this armament haki was common at best. Even if he had survived a strike from Rayleigh, it was probably an absentminded strike and it may have been the one to scar his chest.

Apex then flipped his massive, tail in Rex's direction, but he was able to easily leap above the swing. He then used this as an opportunity to mount Apex's scaly back and try to lift him off the ground and drop him.

Rex gripped the massive crocodile with his claws and pumps his wings, trying to take to the skies. Unfortunately for him, Apex's fat served to aid him as he is simply much too heavy for Rex to carry.

"Damnable fat ass!" Rex roared, pumping his wings harder but still failing to pull him up.

A spiked tail pierced towards him and Rex barrel rolled out of the way.

"AAAH!" Apex shrieked out in pain, his tail kept going, puncturing into his back, deep red blood dripping from the wound.

Rex looked at him like he was an idiot. Was he that out of practice that he accidentally hit himself?

"I'll make you pay for that you bastard!" Apex said, opening his mouth wide and jumping at Rex. "10,000 TON BITE!!"

Rex resisted the urge to laugh, throwing a dial into the stupid crocodile's mouth at high speeds. When it made contact with the back of Apex's throat, it suddenly glowed blue.

"AAAAHHH!" Apex squealed out in pain, but Rex isn't stopping yet.

Using the mouth that had been stunned ajar, Rex went in for a claw attack. Apex mobilizes his Haki to dodge, but between the pain Apex was in and the fact that the natural defense of his mouth was much lower than his scales, it was a futile attempt.

A loud sizzle could be heard as Rex ripped a massive piece of the Crocodile's tongue out.

"U pupid basta! Hw cud u do dis!" Apex cried out, knowing that he would never be able to enjoy food again. "I'w kiw u!

Apex's body then condensed into his half hybrid form as it was his strongest transformation. His back was covered with rugged scales and his rotund stomach is a lustrous black with armament Haki, giving him a full body defense.

In this form, Apex and Rex are roughly the same size, taking away Rex's maneuverability advantage. However, his smaller size also gave Rex an opportunity.

Rex jumped up on his hind paws, grappling Apex tightly. Then, Rex mobilized his Tekkai to the max and stood still.

Apex flailed around, trying to wound Rex but barely gets any scratches off.

"Crogege." Apex chuckled. "Do you think a mere Tekkai can match my bite strength!? 100,000 TON BITE!"

Rex gritted his teeth, knowing this was going to hurt. Still, it was the most efficient way of taking out his opponent.

Focusing all the defensive strength he could muster, Rex strengthened his shoulder and takes in a deep breath.

Clang!

Apex's crocodilian teeth clattered against Rex's body. The match between defense and offense is close, but Apex's offense was just a bit stronger with him slowly closing in on the attack.

'Now!' Rex thought.

"TOXIC FLAME TIGER!" Rex roars, igniting a blue sulfur fire on his shoulder.

Apex's crocodilian eyes widened, giving Rex the opportunity to shove a flash dial in his eyes.

"AHHHH!" Apex was both blinded and poisoned at the same time, feeling himself growing weaker. Still, out of pure fear of death, Apex kept his Haki Defenses up, preventing Rex from injuring him further.

Rex grined. "Time to take a ride on the Rexjet. I hope you packed your aviator jacket!"

Rex then started beating his wings vigorously, taking to the skies. The pain in his shoulder acts up with each wing beat, but Rex knows that he needed to stay focused.

Apex's vision returns as he realizes he is flying high above the ground. Widening his eyes in fear, Apex goes full Zoan to use his weight to go back down.

"So, you want to go down?" Rex said with a kind smile. "Sure."

Rex then drops the massive crocodile allowing it to fall to its doom. Then, he takes in a deep breath before plummeting down after Apex. He held his immense Smoothie sword at his head like a unicorn horn.

"WOOOH!" Rex shouted out, feeling the intense G-forces rushing on him as he speeds straight down.

"FASTER!" Rex cried, activating Rocket Thrust combined with Jet and Flame dials on his feet.

Then, in a flash, Rex pierced straight through Apex's heart, causing the two massive animals to shoot down towards the ground like meteors.

Meanwhile, Kid and the others have finished up with their battles.

"So, are we all good to go?" Kid asked, seeing that apart from some light injuries, everyone is fine.

"Eh, where is the captain?" Rose asked, realizing that Rex isn't outside where he should be.

"Knowing him, he is probably doing something crazy." Hawkins muttered, recalling Rex's wild side.

Then, Killer's eyes widened as he gets a dangerous premonition. "WE NEED TO RUN NOW!"

The crew didn't need to be told twice, everybody speeding out of the throne room. The slaves had already run away in fear, leading the throne room to be completely clear.

BANG!

An immense body is smashed through all four floors of the castle, before slamming to the ground of the throne room. Rex grins as he looks down at the pierced crocodile, only for spiderweb-like cracks to start spreading through the floor.

Then, Apex's body crashed through the floor of the throne room, revealing a secret room beneath.

Seeing the contents of the secret room. Rex just grinned.