The Ark Maxim cut through the waves, its destination the island of Puerco. There, the Marines were already lying in wait, their forces poised for battle. The island's inhabitants, however, remained blissfully unaware of the Navy's sudden arrival, going about their quiet daily lives without a hint of panic.
Four days later, the Donquixote Pirates entered the waters surrounding Puerco Island. A tempest of violence was waiting to greet them.
With his sword, Gryphon, secured at his waist, Doflamingo stood at the ship's prow, his gaze deep and inscrutable as he stared into the distance.
"Doffy, we're almost at Puerco Island," Diamante said, coming to stand beside him.
"Then it's time to begin," Doflamingo instructed.
"I hope the Marines enjoy the big gift we have for them," Diamante added, his voice laced with excitement.
At Marine Headquarters in Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku paced his office, nervously awaiting news from the front. These past few days had been hell; he hadn't eaten, drunk, or slept well. The stress of dealing with Doflamingo had nearly driven him into a depression.
Purupurupuru...
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Donquixote Pirates have entered the Puerco sea region. They will arrive at the island tomorrow," the intelligence agent on the other end of the line reported, dutifully relaying the crew's movements.
"Excellent!" Sengoku exclaimed. He tossed the receiver aside and began pacing around the room, unable to contain his excitement.
In a hidden room on Puerco Island, two of the Navy's most esteemed admirals looked rather out of place, crammed into a small house with a squad of ordinary soldiers.
"Report to Admiral Kizaru and Admiral Aokiji! The Donquixote Pirates have entered our visual range," a Marine announced, saluting his two supreme commanders respectfully.
"Ara, ara... So, Doflamingo is finally coming, is he?"
Aokiji, who had been enjoying a nap on the sofa, lazily reached up and removed the sleep mask covering his eyes.
Kizaru, on the other hand, remained perfectly calm. He sat in his chair, meticulously trimming his nails. After all, how could one fire a perfectly dazzling and flawless laser without a pair of perfect hands?
The atmosphere in the room was strange, but no one seemed to find it so.
"Have the Seven Warlords arrived yet?"
With the two men in charge showing no interest in managing things, Vice Admiral Doberman had no choice but to overstep his authority and question the marine.
"Vice Admiral Doberman, the Warlords have not yet arrived."
"I knew it. You can't rely on the Warlords for anything," Doberman cursed angrily.
"Doberman, they will certainly come," Vice Admiral Onigumo said, trying to placate his fuming colleague. "But don't rely on them too heavily. In the end, this will come down to our own strength."
"I know," Doberman said, his anger receding into a flat tone.
He glanced over at the two admirals, and his heart settled considerably. With two admirals present, what was there for him to worry about? Couldn't he see that they were both the picture of confidence, practically radiating an aura of guaranteed victory?
The thought instantly improved his mood.
If Kizaru knew what Doberman was thinking, he would simply say, Ooooh, how scary, Doberman. To think you could read my mind so perfectly!
The next day, the morning sun rose in the east, its light scattering across the sea in shimmering, brilliant waves.
"This is terrible, Admiral Kizaru, Admiral Aokiji! The Donquixote Pirates... they've vanished!" a Marine reported in a panicked rush.
"Ara, ara... How could they have disappeared?" Aokiji's expression was lazy, but his words were serious. "That's not a very funny joke."
"The Donquixote Pirates have given us quite the surprise, haven't they?" Kizaru said, taking a slow sip of his tea before spitting the leaves back into the cup. He spoke without the slightest hint of urgency.
"What do we do, Admirals?" Doberman asked, his voice fraught with anxiety. "If the Donquixote Pirates escape, we'll have a hard time explaining this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"Calm down, Doberman," Aokiji said, his steady tone reining in Doberman's panic. "Let's assess the situation first. No matter what, they have to pass through Puerco Island. I refuse to believe they simply vanished into thin air."
He turned his gaze to the scout. "Tell me, did you notice anything unusual?"
"Well..." the Marine hesitated, then said uncertainly, "It looked like a very thick fog had rolled in over the sea?"
"Fog?" Aokiji and Kizaru both had the same thought.
"It seems our operation has been discovered," Kizaru said with a small, hidden smile of excitement. "I do hope Doflamingo doesn't run away! It would be so hard for us to explain to Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Getting paid to do nothing is the best.
Everyone present was intelligent. At Kizaru's words, they instantly understood the problem, and it was a threat far greater than Doflamingo himself.
"Dammit! Who leaked our intelligence?" Vice Admiral Onigumo growled, his face dark and grim. It was no surprise he ran with Akainu; he had the exact same expression.
The lower-ranking Marines listened to their superiors' exchange in silence, daring not to make a sound. They were just grunts, far too low in rank to speak.
"Was it someone in the Marines, or the World Government?" Vice Admiral Doberman questioned.
"It wasn't necessarily one of our own," Aokiji said, shaking his head and dismissing Doberman's theory. "The World Government has been making some rather large moves lately. Even a fool would notice something was up. It's only natural that Doflamingo would be prepared."
"Then how did Doflamingo get the news?" Onigumo asked, puzzled.
"Perhaps through underworld channels? Doesn't the intel say Doflamingo has connections in the underworld?" Doberman suggested.
"Alright," Aokiji interjected, cutting off the two Vice Admirals. "Doflamingo will not run away so easily. He is a proud man. Even knowing we are here waiting to ambush him, he will certainly come."
"For now, let's just wait patiently," Kizaru added at the perfect moment. Whether Doflamingo came or not, nothing was going to disturb his relaxation time.
The Vice Admirals remained deeply worried, but seeing that their two highest-ranking officers were done speaking, they had no other choice. All they could do was wait and see what kind of trouble Doflamingo would stir up.
Back with the Donquixote Pirates, one day prior:
Taking advantage of the night and the cover of Enel's clouds, Doflamingo had quietly flown the Ark high into the sky, stealthily positioning it directly above Puerco Island.
"Doffy, we've arrived!" Enel said excitedly.
"Now it's up to Diamante and the others. Let's get started on our end as well," Doflamingo said. He looked down at Puerco Island, which appeared as small as a sesame seed from their vantage point. To avoid being detected by Kizaru and Aokiji, he had raised the Ark to an altitude of one hundred thousand meters. No ordinary person would ever spot them.
Only two people remained on the Ark: Enel and Doflamingo.
The others had already executed a secret maneuver along the way. They had discreetly hijacked a passing pirate crew and were now using their identity to enter Puerco Island.
The Greatsword Pirates were the unlucky fools who had crossed paths with the Donquixote family. Of all the people to provoke, they chose to challenge Doflamingo himself, and were dealt with in a matter of moments.
Originally, Doflamingo had planned to sail the Ark Maxim directly over Puerco and obliterate the island with a single, massive attack. However, the Marines were not idiots; they would never concentrate all their forces in one place.
The arrival of the Greatsword Pirates was an unexpected boon. Doflamingo's new plan was to have Diamante and Pica lead the others in creating a diversion on the island, drawing the Marines' attention. Meanwhile, he and Enel would secretly and swiftly eliminate the hidden Marine forces, disrupting their preparations and paving the way for a later breakout.
On Puerco Island, the Greatsword Pirates' ship docked without issue. The hidden Marines spotted them, but without seeing any familiar faces, they paid them little mind. Too many pirate crews were arriving on the island, and they didn't have the energy to investigate every single one.
On the deserted islands surrounding Puerco, hidden Marine forces lay in wait, ready to monitor Doflamingo's every move, no matter which route he took.
Not far from Puerco, a warship was rapidly approaching. Aboard were the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
They, like Fleet Admiral Sengoku, were unaware that the Donquixote Pirates had suddenly disappeared. Kizaru and Aokiji had locked down the information, confident that Doflamingo wouldn't run.
With Doflamingo's pride, he would at least put up a fight before doing anything else.
Power. That was the source of Doflamingo's confidence.
"Let's begin."
The Greatsword Pirates' ship was docked at the coast of Puerco Island. Down in the ship's hold, the members of the Donquixote family waited, their eyes gleaming with manic excitement.
"Let the destruction begin!"