"It's really troublesome."
Reddy stood at the gap on the third floor of the palace with a clear view. He saw Senor Pink sinking into the ground as if it were water and couldn't help but shake his head.
The executives of the Donquixote Family weren't particularly strong, but their Devil Fruits had extremely high functionality.
Take Senor Pink, for example.
The Sui Sui no Mi allowed this man wearing a baby hat and sucking on a pacifier to escape almost unimpeded.
In comparison, Monet, the Yuki Yuki no Mi user, though a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, was far less capable when it came to escaping.
The moment Monet whipped up a blizzard to reduce visibility and create an opportunity for herself and others to flee, Pyo descended from the sky and punched her back into her original form.
"The Donquixote Family... is it really over just like that?"
Viola stood behind Reddy. Even though she hadn't seen the entire process, she was still terrified by the monstrous strength of the people under Reddy's command.
The Donquixote Family, which had once been her nightmare, couldn't even withstand a single round against them?
"Not exactly."
Reddy stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged.
To be fair, the Donquixote Family executives had suffered a loss, but they shouldn't be underestimated.
"Doffy!"
A sharp voice suddenly rang out.
Amid the swirling dust, a figure was sent flying backward.
A thick stone pillar pressed against Invis's chest, forcefully pushing him out.
As the dust settled, Doflamingo panted heavily. He looked up at Invis, who had been pushed back by the stone pillar, and then at Reddy and Viola standing at the gap on the third floor of the palace. A vein bulged on his forehead.
Pica had used his Devil Fruit ability to rescue him, and Doflamingo understood the hope hidden within that act.
Only he had a chance to turn the tables.
Even if that chance was slim.
The next moment, the stone pillar shattered.
Invis broke the pillar with a stomp in mid-air and suddenly dove downward.
"Omoshiroi!"
Doflamingo grinned ferociously, sensing an opportunity to turn the tide.
The angle was just too perfect!
The ground beneath his feet suddenly transformed, spreading out like threads.
"16 Holy Bullets: God Thread!"
Doflamingo swung his hands upward, and 16 strands of white threads coated in high-level Armament Haki shot up from the ground.
In an instant, the 16 strands closed in on Invis, attacking from all directions.
Viola, witnessing Doflamingo's counterattack, instinctively screamed, her eyes filled with worry.
Having worked under Doflamingo for four years, she knew full well that he had awakened his Devil Fruit ability and understood the power of an awakened ability.
At that moment, her mind went blank.
Soon, overwhelming resentment surged in her heart, and she abruptly turned to Reddy.
However, the calm smile on Reddy's face made her freeze. An inexplicable sense of security washed over her, soothing her anxiety.
"This man..."
Viola was momentarily dazed, staring at Reddy's composed expression with mixed emotions.
Reddy didn't notice Viola's reaction. Watching Invis dance through the air like a leaf in the wind, using Geppo to constantly change positions and evade the incoming threads, he found it quite pleasing to the eye.
Doflamingo's awakened ability had indeed elevated his threat level, but that was all.
Invis relied on his fully mastered Observation Haki to achieve flawless evasion.
The 16 strands of threads were soon left behind.
"Got you!"
Doflamingo grinned fiercely, crossing his hands and swinging them downward.
The 16 strands instantly reversed direction in mid-air, rushing toward Invis from behind with the same speed.
"It's not like I only have Invis."
Reddy shook his head, losing interest in the spectacle.
Before his words even faded, a door suddenly opened in the air behind Doflamingo.
Mon delivered a punch to Doflamingo's back with an expressionless face, sending him flying.
"Guh!"
Doflamingo spat out a mouthful of blood.
Before he could hit the ground, Pyo appeared in front of him and punched downward with the same blank expression.
A deafening crash echoed as Pyo's punch slammed Doflamingo into the ground.
The ground shattered.
The sheer force of the blow nearly knocked Doflamingo unconscious.
Another figure appeared beside Doflamingo, holding a pair of Seastone handcuffs and restraining him.
Pyo and Ray 1 exchanged nods before Pyo flew off to search the island for Senor Pink, the only surviving executive of the Donquixote Family.
Ray 1, a non-Devil Fruit user, was left in charge of guarding Doflamingo.
"It's... over?"
Viola covered her mouth, staring down in shock.
"How hard could it be?"
Reddy shrugged, then frowned. "The real problem is what comes next."
Viola was confused.
Reddy smiled without answering, lost in thought.
Dealing with the Donquixote Family wasn't difficult. The hard part was undoing Sugar's Devil Fruit ability and restoring King Riku's supporters.
Long before meeting Doflamingo, Reddy had already marked Sugar, the Hobi Hobi no Mi user, as his first target.
That part wasn't too difficult.
Due to the Hobi Hobi no Mi, Sugar's body had stopped growing. She was adept at disguising herself as a little girl to deceive others, then using her ability to turn them into toys.
Reddy played along, pretending not to know about Sugar's ability, easily getting close to her, restraining her with Seastone handcuffs, and calling it a day.
At this point, Reddy had achieved one of his main goals in coming to Dressrosa.
But now, with Viola's request added to the mix, things weren't so simple.
The problem was that after collecting Sugar's genetic sample, Reddy discovered an unfortunate truth.
Sugar's genetic rating wasn't exactly low—it was LV.11—but among the Devil Fruit users he had sampled so far, it was near the bottom, comparable only to Foxy the Silver Fox.
But here was the issue.
Because of the Hobi Hobi no Mi, Sugar's body had stopped developing. Her genes were locked at the age of nine, so weak that even Reddy, whose genetic rating had once been LV.1, regained his confidence.
Aside from the Hobi Hobi no Mi's boost to her genetic rating, Sugar was no different from a nine-year-old girl.
To undo the Hobi Hobi no Mi's effects, Sugar needed to lose consciousness.
In the original story, the only solution was Usopp the "Loli Killer."
Reddy didn't have a "Loli Killer" on his team. The only alternative he could think of was knocking her out.
But how much force should he use?
Would he accidentally kill her?
These complicated questions left him at a loss.
"Do I really have to go find Usopp?"
Reddy sighed, dismissing the idea of copying the original solution. He turned his attention back to the present. "King Riku should be at the Corrida Colosseum. I've fulfilled my promise to you."
"Are... are you leaving now?"
Viola looked at Reddy nervously.
She knew where her father and niece were, but she couldn't bring herself to face them.
Moreover, she hoped Reddy could undo Sugar's ability and restore the former rebel army.
But she couldn't bring herself to ask.
After all, Reddy had already taken down the Donquixote Family. Making another request would be too much.
"I won't leave for now."
Reddy smiled, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
Aside from the Donquixote Family, Dressrosa had another target on his list. He had to get his hands on it.
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