The scorching heat of flames and the crackling roar of lightning filled the entire room.
To avoid harming bystanders, Dier concentrated both powers into his fists.
With one foot, he crushed the sunglasses underfoot and dashed forward, wielding a flaming fist and a lightning-charged fist. In an instant, he closed the distance to Vergo.
As he threw his punches, his eyes gleamed, locking onto Vergo. Activating his Mind Communication ability, he transmitted a single sentence:
"Do you believe in me?"
"I believe in your mother!!"
Boom! Boom!!
Vergo roared, enduring the Fire Fist and Lightning Fist with his body, forced back two steps. He wiped his face, flicking away the water droplets that had somehow coated his skin, his expression grim.
The situation was bad.
There wasn't just one enemy.
Aside from Dier in front of him, there were also the Negative Hollows lurking nearby.
A single hit from them would spell disaster.
His eyes hardened as he activated Armament Haki, coating his entire body, turning himself into a black-gold statue.
This all-around defense not only countered the Negative Hollows but also drastically enhanced his durability and offensive power.
Yet, the hamburger patty still clung stubbornly to his left cheek, as if bound by some unshakable rule.
Bang!
A bullet fired by Baby-5 struck his forehead but failed to leave even a scratch.
Seeing Vergo in this state, Dier made his decision.
He could fight. He could win. But it would take time—and it wasn't necessary.
If they dragged this out, there was no telling when the Birdcage might descend from the sky.
Hina and Perona could protect themselves, but the others would be sitting ducks.
Glancing back, he saw that under the combined efforts of Hina, Robin, and Perona, Rosinante had already been restrained by Iron Rings, immobilized.
With a flick of telekinesis, Dier yanked Rosinante over and hurled him at Vergo, who was still shrouded in Armament Haki.
"Take your people and get the hell out!" he said coldly.
Rosinante couldn't stay. As Doflamingo's younger brother, keeping him hostage would only force Vergo to fight to the death, buying time.
Vergo snapped the black Iron Rings binding Rosinante without hesitation and turned to leave immediately.
Doflamingo's orders had been to negotiate—if conflict arose, self-preservation took priority.
To Doflamingo, Dier was just a disposable tool, nothing like Caesar, who held the key to SAD production.
SAD was the crucial ingredient for manufacturing Artificial Devil Fruits—Smiles—which in turn were the linchpin of his deal with Emperor Kaido.
That was why, in the future, he would sacrifice even family like Vergo and Monet to protect Caesar.
Dier's Hypnosis was impressive, sure, but in Doflamingo's eyes, it was just a nice bonus.
If he had it, great. If not, he could still execute his plans with Parasite Thread.
Click.
The door shut, and the tension in the room instantly dissipated.
Especially for Madson.
Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he felt an inexplicable surge of guilt.
What a failure!!
Aside from medicine, he needed to train his body—at least enough to protect Leia and the others.
This was the first time intruders had breached the Storm Petrel, and it was also Madson's first time witnessing Dier and the others fight up close.
The entire battle hadn't even lasted a full minute.
Madson mentally calculated how long he would last in such a fight.
The answer?
...Ten seconds?
Apart from him, Hina was also shocked by Vergo's full-body Armament Haki.
"Can Armament Haki really be trained to that extent? Hina is stunned."
"Indeed, but this full-body coverage method is rarely used in actual combat."
More commonly, it's combined with Observation Haki to preemptively apply Armament Haki defense on areas about to be attacked.
With that said, Dier walked onto the deck and called Deno and the others back.
They had been holding a banquet on the shore, which was why they failed to notice Vergo and the other intruder.
Dier didn't reprimand them, simply ordering them to return to the Storm Petrel and prepare for the dive.
For these pirates who had been under his control and by his side for over a year, it was difficult for him to feel any strong emotions anymore.
Whether they made mistakes or achieved merits, he couldn't be bothered to comment.
Just like the Old King, he simply issued commands for whatever was needed, with no need for rewards or punishments.
This was precisely why he had always been wary of using Hypnosis on those close to him. If everyone around him became mere tools, he would surely go mad one day.
"Flame Devourer-sama, I'm going to study with Aunt Leia now."
"No need to call me Flame Devourer, just Dier is fine."
"Understood, Flame Devourer Dier-sama."
"Screech—"
The ship descended amidst the cries of the storm petrels, diving deep into the ocean depths.
In these sunless waters, darkness reigned supreme.
The Energy Chamber burned charcoal, providing electricity for the entire vessel.
They would now sail underwater for some time, evading potential Marine pursuit.
After all, Rosinante was a Marine spy—one who could directly contact Sengoku, no less.
Meanwhile, Vergo once again dialed Doflamingo's Den Den Mushi.
"Young Master, the mission failed. The Hypnotist proved more troublesome than anticipated."
Vergo glanced at Rosinante,
"Rosinante and I are safe for now and will return shortly."
"Is that so? As long as you're unharmed. You are my most cherished family, after all."
Doflamingo on the other end didn't reprimand them, instead issuing another command,
"Vergo, there's a covert mission next. Take the Den Den Mushi and leave first. Let Rosinante lead the team back."
With the frequency of Marine pursuits increasing recently, he planned to have Vergo infiltrate the Marines as a mole.
Not by joining from the North Blue, nor immediately.
They needed time to clean Vergo's identity and have him join from a different sea.
This mission would be the family's highest classified secret, not to be disclosed to anyone.
Not even to his younger brother who had only recently returned.
Beside them, Rosinante remained silent, merely tapping the receiver twice in acknowledgment.
The Marine pursuit was naturally his doing, though being newly recruited, he hadn't been too bold in passing information yet.
This operation was one he had deliberately joined, having already relayed the intel to Sengoku.
Earlier that morning, they received reports from subordinates about spotting the Hypnotist's traces.
More precisely, it was Madson—out searching for medicinal herbs with a 5 million Belly bounty.
Madson and the Hypnotist were practically inseparable at the time.
Doflamingo, then being pursued by Vice Admiral Tsuru's fleet with no means of escape, decided to send Vergo to make contact with the Hypnotist.
Rosinante volunteered to accompany them, ostensibly to contribute to the family's efforts while actually intending to cooperate with the Marines in capturing the Hypnotist.
Although unsuccessful, at least the minimum objective was achieved.
Disrupting any potential cooper
ation between the Hypnotist and the Donquixote family.
While secretly pleased with himself, he couldn't help but feel a trace of doubt.
Were those people truly villains?
They didn't seem like it at all.
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