Acacia, somewhere in the middle of nowhere.
A woman in a crimson dress stood atop a rooftop. She raised her hands to her eyes, formed a peculiar gesture, and peered into the distance. A strange light flickered in her pupils—mysterious and focused.
"There's no mistake... Those three—'Rebel' Kaelen, the Devil's Child Nico Robin, and the former admiral Aokiji."
Her voice was low, tinged with surprise and a faint tremble.
Lowering her hands, she stepped into the light. Her features were exquisite—strikingly beautiful. Her deep, expressive eyes and full vermillion lips radiated allure. The long dress hugged her curves perfectly, accentuating her tall, elegant frame.
She was the kind of woman that could captivate any man's gaze.
But in Dressrosa, very few men dared approach her.
Because she wasn't just anyone—she was the assassin of the Donquixote Family, named Violet. And beyond that, she was also the former princess of the Kingdom of Dressrosa.
"Rebel Kaelen just killed Blackbeard not long ago… and now he shows up here? What's his goal?" Violet murmured, her brows knitting in concern.
Dressrosa was Doflamingo's territory. The sudden appearance of someone like Kaelen could never be without reason.
"Could he be here to form an alliance with Doflamingo? If that's the case..."
Her expression darkened, despair creeping in.
Such a partnership would only make it harder for her to rescue her family, let alone liberate her homeland.
"Should I inform Doflamingo about this?"
She hesitated.
With her Glare-Glare Fruit powers, Violet had the ability to observe a 4-kilometer radius like a living satellite. That was why she'd been posted to monitor the harbor.
And now that Kaelen had appeared—an extremely high-risk individual—reporting it was the logical step.
Just as she was about to move, a voice, smooth and laced with amusement, spoke from behind.
"Spying on someone without their consent? That's a crime, you know."
"Who's there?!"
Violet's body tensed. She spun around into a combat stance, cursing herself for letting someone sneak up on her so easily. If they had wanted to kill her, she wouldn't have even had time to react.
Her gaze landed on the figure behind her—and her face froze.
"You… it's you…"
"Oh? Why couldn't it be me?" the man said, smirking.
"I saw you enter the bookstore… How…?"
Violet's wariness deepened as she glanced behind him, eyes narrowing in confusion. Standing before her, without a doubt, was Kaelen.
He chuckled softly. "There are a lot of unbelievable powers in this world, aren't there?"
The answer was simple: this was his doppelgänger.
After defeating Blackbeard, Kaelen had absorbed the powers of the Dark-Dark Fruit. Combined with the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, it had evolved into a new ability—one that allowed him to create autonomous shadow clones capable of operating freely under sunlight.
These [Dark Shadow Doppelgängers] could wield the powers of both Devil Fruits without affecting his main body.
Kaelen was still at the bookstore with Robin—this clone had been dispatched to find Violet.
He'd sensed her spying easily. Her gaze had felt like searing ultraviolet rays against his skin.
"Any idea where Doflamingo is hiding these days?" Kaelen asked, casually.
From her abilities and expression, it hadn't taken much to confirm who she was.
"What business do you have with the young master?" Violet replied cautiously, regaining her composure. She was doing her best not to let anything slip.
"There's no need to put on a show, Princess Violet," Kaelen said with a faint smile. "Trust me, what I'm about to do next is exactly what you've been waiting for."
Violet's mind went blank. Her face turned pale with shock.
What she wanted most… was to reunite with her family, drive Doflamingo out of Dressrosa, and restore peace to her kingdom.
She stared at Kaelen in disbelief, searching his expression.
"Kaelen… Mr. Kaelen… are you serious?"
There was no point pretending now. He had seen through her. If there was even the slightest chance he was telling the truth—she was willing to believe.
She had waited so long for someone like him.
Kaelen met her gaze and smiled. "Of course. I never lie to a woman."
Whether that was true or not… only he knew.
"..."
Any man who claims he never lies to women… is rarely a good man.
Violet forced herself to calm down. After a long pause, she spoke again, slowly and seriously.
"Doflamingo is in the palace right now."
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