"I understand."
"Tsuru, take the team and return to Marineford immediately."
"The New World has changed. We can't remain here any longer."
After a long ten-second silence, Sengoku finally gave the order.
His tone was not only firm and commanding but also carried a trace of panic and unease rarely seen in the former Fleet Admiral.
"Understood!"
On the other end, Vice Admiral Tsuru didn't question the urgency. She promptly ordered the fleet to reverse course and head back to Marineford.
As a veteran strategist of the Marines—
and a firsthand witness to the civil war between the Five Emperors—
she understood better than anyone that the New World was no longer safe.
As long as Ragnar had his sights on her,
even with Admiral Kizaru and several elite Vice Admirals at her side, the danger of death still loomed large.
"Notify Garp—his visiting time is over. Tell him to return to HQ immediately."
After ending the call, Sengoku turned to Vice Admiral Onigumo with new instructions.
But this time, his tone had changed.
Earlier, he had said "as soon as possible"—but now, it had become "immediately."
"Yes, sir!"
Ghost Spider saluted swiftly and walked out of the ward, picking up the Den Den Mushi to contact Garp.
"You two don't need to worry for now."
"The situation hasn't completely collapsed yet."
"Rest up. Your most urgent task is to recover from your injuries."
Sengoku took a deep breath, regaining the composure that once made him the steadiest mind in the Navy, before speaking words of reassurance to Aokiji and Akainu, both gravely injured.
"...Rag... nar..."
After Sengoku left, the two admirals sat quietly in their beds, eyes fixed on the ceiling with blank stares.
In that moment,
Ragnar's face—like a bone-deep curse—lingered in their minds.
What came with it was an oppressive sense of dread that neither had ever experienced.
🌍 Dressrosa
"Fufufu... he stepped over the heads of two Yonko and the Navy to ascend the throne."
"What a terrifying man."
"Sure enough, everyone born of Kaido's bloodline is a monster."
Seated on his throne, Donquixote Doflamingo put down the Den Den Mushi. Although he still wore his trademark grin, his facial muscles were taut, and the hand that held the receiver trembled faintly.
"Doffy..."
Trebol's eyes reflected deep apprehension.
As one of Doflamingo's top executives,
he understood the complicated emotions brewing in his captain's heart.
Kaido—
Though a business partner of the Donquixote Family in public,
was in truth their nightmare.
Every transaction was like walking a tightrope.
If anything went wrong, Trebol had no doubt their entire organization would be crushed without mercy.
That kind of partnership wasn't cooperation—it was servitude.
So on the surface, the fall of Kaido and the rise of a new emperor should be good news.
But after receiving intel from Vergo, their spy embedded in the Marines,
neither Trebol nor Doflamingo could feel even an ounce of relief.
Because the new emperor was not just powerful.
He was stronger, younger, and less predictable than Kaido.
A wild card—and one who now ruled the Beasts Pirates.
There was no telling how Ragnar would treat former business associates.
"Donquixote Family may no longer be necessary."
"Or worse... we may be a liability."
Tension hung thick in the air.
"Doffy, what now?" Trebol finally asked after a long silence.
"Fufufufufu... What else can we do?"
Doflamingo rose from his throne and picked up a new bounty poster from the table.
Jet-black hair. Three eyes. A fearsome three-pronged halberd.
His gaze locked onto Ragnar's bounty, his eyes unreadable.
Then he exhaled deeply, as if trying to expel all the pressure clouding his mind.
"Bring it. We're going to greet the new emperor."
Donquixote Doflamingo was, after all, a king who had weathered countless storms and carved his name into the annals of the New World.
After a brief silence, he regained his usual composure.
Even if he was about to meet a man who held the fate of his entire family in his hands, the smirk on his lips and the swagger in his steps remained as wild and arrogant as ever.
"I'll get ready."
Trebol was stunned at first, but then understood what Doflamingo meant. Silently, he turned and left the room.
Bang.
As Trebol departed, the door slammed shut.
In the vast chamber, Doflamingo stood alone before the window.
Had any member of the Donquixote Family entered at that moment, they would have been startled to see their young master's back—subtly hunched, shrouded in a rare, dim silence.
"Ragnar."
"Kaido."
"Must Doflamingo always be a pawn to your monstrous bloodline?"
Kuraigana Island
Dracule "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk swung the black blade Yoru, shaking off the crimson blood clinging to its edge. With practiced ease, he slid the sword back into its sheath.
From the forest, several humandrills emerged.
Two of them carried away the lifeless body of a fallen swordsman, blood still pooling beneath him.
He may have once been a renowned warrior, but now—he was just another nameless corpse beneath the throne of the world's strongest swordsman.
His final purpose: a fleeting monument to Mihawk's unrivaled strength.
Another humandrill stepped forward, handing Mihawk a newspaper.
"...Huh?"
Mihawk took the paper and glanced over the headline.
A man known for his cold detachment, Mihawk's eyes narrowed, pupils contracting.
His impassive face stirred—for once—by genuine emotion.
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