Having set Doflamingo loose to stir up trouble, Vladimir turned his attention elsewhere for the moment.
Doflamingo was a very useful pawn—intelligent and possessing considerable combat power. Otherwise, Vladimir wouldn't have gone out of his way to help him evolve and achieve Resurrección.
"Come to think of it... despite undergoing Resurrección, Doflamingo doesn't have a Hollow hole in his chest... He isn't a true Hollow."
Vladimir mused softly to himself. "He seems to be something between a human and a Hollow... a hybrid, perhaps."
Either way, it didn't matter. Broadly speaking, the experiment was a success. Doflamingo, his test subject, showed no obvious flaws for the time being, and his power had increased significantly.
It appeared the Hōgyoku's abilities remained unchanged even in this world, making it safe to use.
With that thought, Vladimir put the gem away and strode back toward the auction venue.
However, just as he took his first step, a brilliant golden beam of light shot down from the horizon.
Whoosh!
Radiating dazzling light, it descended to the ground and swiftly materialized into the form of Kizaru.
As soon as he appeared, he saw the hundreds of Marine corpses littering the ground. An entire Vice Admiral's unit, nearly wiped out completely.
"Emperor Vladimir!" Kizaru frowned. "Did you do this?"
"Yellow Monkey," Vladimir glanced at him. "You arrived too late."
"What?"
Kizaru's heart skipped a beat, though he made no move to attack.
He had rushed here immediately after receiving Vice Admiral Momo's report. It had barely been ten minutes, yet the unit was annihilated.
Upon seeing Emperor Vladimir, Kizaru had instinctively assumed he was responsible.
But upon reflection... considering Vladimir's immense power, why would he bother attacking a mere Vice Admiral's unit?
And if he had, it would have been over in an instant, leaving Momo no time to call for help at all.
"I received reports of a monster here," Kizaru stated gravely.
"Indeed. But it's already run off. Heh heh heh..." Vladimir chuckled softly.
"You'd better hope for the best. That 'monster' is no weakling."
With that, he stepped forward and vanished instantly.
Kizaru's expression darkened. He strongly suspected this monster was connected to Phantom—otherwise, why would Vladimir be present here?
However, knowing Phantom's current dominance, he dared not provoke or openly question them.
The Ten Supreme Rulers loomed like a shadow cast over the entire Marine Headquarters.
"I must find Vice Admiral Momo first!"
Making up his mind, Kizaru moved swiftly.
Leaving him to his work, Vladimir soon returned to the auction venue.
He tossed the Hōgyoku to Aizen, then transformed into a stream of light and merged directly into Aizen's body.
"The experiment was a success. Next, I can try this on others... Robin, perhaps?"
He played with the concept for a moment, but ultimately absorbed the Hōgyoku into his own body.
"Not yet. Let's save that for later. But the Marines are being far too quiet; they must be plotting something. We cannot let the blueprint fall into their hands, nor can we let them remain too comfortable. Unfortunately, all other factions avoid the Marines and refuse to engage them head-on... It seems I'll have to take action myself."
Among all the factions present, the Marines were the most special. No one dared provoke them, knowing the World Government stood behind them.
With Sengoku's intellect, he surely planned to wait patiently, allowing the chaos to spread and the factions to weaken each other before finally making his move.
They intended to act as the 'fisherman watching the fight of the tigers', but Vladimir had no intention of letting them sit idly by.
"It doesn't matter who gets the fake blueprint, as long as it isn't the Marines."
With that thought, Vladimir focused his mind. A wisp of black energy seeped out and swiftly transformed into the figure of a great demon.
The Ruler of the Abyss — The Great Demon Lord of Fear!
The demon lord bore horns upon his head, large wings upon his back, and a robust, powerful body brimming with explosive potential.
"I shall go and suppress the Marines."
The Demon Lord grinned broadly, flapped his wings, and shot into the sky at great speed.
Fake or not, the blueprint could go to anyone except the Marines.
The reason was simple: the Marines had Dr. Vegapunk.
Even with a fake design, who knew if that genius scientist could find clues within it and eventually build a warship comparable to Pluton?
"I just need to delay them. Keep them busy so they don't have the leisure to search for the real blueprint."
Just as someone was trying to hold back Whitebeard, Phantom intended to put pressure on the Marines as well.
It was all about maintaining balance.
Once the top-tier powers were occupied or removed from the board, what remained was just a chaotic scramble for dominance—where everyone had a chance to win!
...
Sabaody Archipelago — District 69
Districts 60 through 69 housed Marine garrisons and official government entry/exit points.
Currently, nearly all of the Marine Headquarters' elite forces were gathered right here in District 69.
Inside an office at the main base, Fleet Admiral Sengoku listened to reports from his subordinates.
"Admiral Kizaru has located Vice Admiral Momo, though he remains unconscious. According to what Momo said before losing consciousness, the attacker was a white-colored monster! His entire unit was wiped out!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates have been besieged by over a dozen pirate crews. Intelligence suggests these crews belong to several different alliances. United by their common hostility toward Whitebeard, they aim to drive the Whitebeard Pirates out of Sabaody to prevent them from obtaining the blueprint."
"The whereabouts of the Kaido Pirates remain unknown. It appears they are hiding, waiting to strike at the critical moment."
"Report from the waters surrounding the archipelago: A pirate ship has broken through our defensive perimeter and entered Sabaody... The individual leading them is suspected to be the former Count Red."
"Conflict has broken out between the mafia under the House of Otis — one of the Ten Great Families — and the Vinsmoke Family. The fighting continues unabated."
...
As report after report was delivered, the expressions of the high-ranking officers present turned grim.
"Count Red...?" Sengoku huffed after a long silence. "When Phantom attacked Impel Down previously, we assumed he had perished. I never imagined he managed to escape!"
"Patrick Redfield..." Lieutenant General Tsuru massaged her temples, looking pained.
"Another troublesome character. These remnants of the old era just keep popping up one after another."
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