It was a bizarre and terrifying sight. A massive shadow, growing larger by the second, fell over the entire kingdom of Dressrosa. From the clouds, four colossal islands slowly descended.
The citizens who saw them—Fish-Man Island, Daughter Island, Noah and the Skypiea —were paralyzed with fear. They trembled, their faces pale, convinced that these behemoths would crash down and obliterate everything.
Along the coastline, members of the Donquixote Family, caught completely off guard, stared in disbelief. After a moment of stunned silence, they quickly raised their weapons, firing wildly at the distant, sky-borne islands, though their bullets fell far short of their targets.
Boom! Boom! An uncoordinated burst of cannon fire erupted from the outer coast of Dressrosa.
"Bullet, try to be as restrained as you can this time," Adrian cautioned, a hint of concern in his voice. "Once we've dealt with the Donquixote Family, this place will become our territory. If we cause too much damage, it'll be my money we're wasting in the end."
Even though this was the country Doflamingo had ruled for eight years, Adrian's current strength meant the threat from Doflamingo was virtually zero. This was a completely one-sided fight with no suspense. If he weren't worried about rebuilding, He could simply send Bullet, Shiryu of the Rain, and Death Song to wipe out all the Donquixote Family's cadres, including Doflamingo himself. Even with his awakened Devil Fruit abilities, Doflamingo would stand no chance against Bullet or Death Song.
However, Adrian decided to handle the battle personally. He was interested in a secret Doflamingo held—the National Treasure of Mariejois, a secret so significant it instilled fear in the Five Elders. This secret was the reason the World Government had turned a blind eye to Doflamingo's heinous acts, whether it was stealing Celestial Gold, overthrowing King Riku, or secretly selling weapons to fuel wars. He wasn't sure if he would ever use this secret to threaten the Celestial Dragons, but he was fascinated by it.
"Understood, Captain, you really don't have to do this yourself," Bullet grumbled, sounding bored. "I've already used my Observation Haki. There's not a single decent fighter in this entire country. This is going to be so anticlimactic!"
"Don't underestimate them," Adrian warned. "Doflamingo still has some powerful people on his side, especially the cadre named Sugar."
"Don't let her appearance as a ten-year-old child fool you. She ate the Hobby-Hobby Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows her to turn anyone she touches into a toy. She can then bind them with a pact, forcing them to work or fight for the Donquixote Family until they die."
Adrian's expression grew serious. "And anyone who has a relationship with the person turned into a toy will automatically lose all memory of them. This is practically a fatal attack!"
It was this very ability that had allowed Doflamingo to rule Dressrosa so smoothly for so long.
A sudden gasp of understanding swept through the crew. The contempt in Bullet's eyes vanished, replaced with a newfound respect for the danger. If Adrian hadn't warned them, they, too, might have been fooled by Sugar's innocent appearance.
"What a vicious ability," Boa Hancock muttered, her eyes reddening. In her mind, she had already concocted an sad love story about her potential separation from Adrian due to Sugar's power. "My Lord, allow me to deal with this vicious woman personally. I'll turn her to stone and then tear her to pieces!"
"You can't!" Adrian immediately shook his head. "Hancock, you must not kill her. I have a reason for keeping her alive."
He knew that with her incredible physical strength and Armament Haki, Hancock could easily defeat Sugar. But for him, a living Sugar was far more useful. Her ability was a key to Doflamingo's secret business, and he wasn't about to waste such a valuable asset. While he wasn't a peacenik who cared about the world, he saw the utility in Sugar's power. With her, he could have countless tireless laborers who wouldn't resist. Unlike Doflamingo, he would never use this power on his own crew. But for pirates who dared to spy on Dressrosa or those who rebelled against him, they wouldn't be so lucky.
"Heh heh heh... so my Lord is so protective of a vicious woman who would try to separate us," the Empress giggled, her expression suddenly morphing into one of dejection, as if she had been struck by lightning. "Could it be that you prefer people of that age?"
"What should I do?" she fretted. "I can't go back to that age and body. Maybe I should just cosplay one for my Lord?"
She suddenly remembered a Devil Fruit that could reverse age and decided that as soon as this battle was over, she would send someone to find it. With her mind racing, the empress replied with a docility that surprised everyone.
"I understand!"
Adrian nodded, completely unaware of the absurd train of thought running through her mind.
"One more thing," he continued, frowning slightly. "Doflamingo also has an ability user who can assimilate rocks, named Pica. No matter which of you fights him, do not destroy his body."
A malicious smirk crossed his face. "His devil fruit… I'll be very satisfied with it."
"Ha! The guy whose devil fruit, even the captain fancies is truly pitiful," Shiryu said with a sinister grin.
Then, in a flash, he put on a pitiful face, leaned toward Adrian, and pointed to an almost imperceptible crack on his sword, the Raiu.
"My Lord, this sword is my lifeline! You must take responsibility for this!" he wailed. "I'm the only swordsman in the crew. Without a sword... how will I live?"
A look of embarrassment appeared on Adrian's face. The crack on the sword was from his duel with Shanks. While the sword was a grade sword, it couldn't withstand the immense power Adrian unleashed. He truly did owe Shiryu for that.
"Alright," he said, "once things are settled here in Dressrosa, I'll take you to find a new sword. How about one of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords?"
A sly smirk played on his lips. "If that's not enough, we can add the Black Blade Shusui, the national treasure of Wano Country, and Wadō Ichimonji, which is also a Great Grade Sword!"
He thought to himself, Sorry, Zoro. We were destined to be enemies so I'll be taking those famous blades of yours.
As for Enma and Ame no Habakiri… of course, I'll keep those for myself.
"Oh… yes... Captain," Shiryu stammered, his eyes shining like light bulbs as he wiped drool from his chin.
Damn it, he thought, my flattery really paid off! I'm going to be rich!
"Alright everyone," Adrian announced, a chilling smile spreading across his face. "The hunt... has begun!"