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El had already sensed his crew members on the enemy ship using Observation Haki earlier—so identifying who stood there was only natural.
"Captain… perhaps the two of us should hold him off first," Crocodile suggested.
"You move faster—you should be able to reach their ship and rescue them quickly."
Even as a Logia‑type user, he did not dare claim he would win easily against Jack the Drought. He was not even confident he could hold the man back alone.
Doflamingo nodded frantically.
"Exactly! That makes perfect sense! Your station is far too high to risk yourself here! After all, they are nothing more than officers of the Beasts Pirates—let us finish what needs to be done and spare you the trouble!"
Deep down, they were simply terrified of Jack's overwhelming strength.
Zoan‑type users—especially rare Ancient Zoans—possessed terrifying regenerative abilities in battle.
Unless you could destroy them in a single, decisive strike, they would weather every blow and drag the fight into a grueling war of attrition.
Even a Logia user would struggle to gain the upper hand against such endurance.
There was no doubt that Jack, holding such a lofty position in the Beasts Pirates, had almost certainly awakened his Devil Fruit powers.
At that level, his recovery was nothing short of supernatural.
Even if he stood still and let them strike, neither Doflamingo nor Crocodile could have defeated him quickly.
El glanced at his two "elite officers" and fell silent for a moment.
Seeing them so shaken, he wondered if he should keep bringing them along on such encounters.
He shook his head slightly—thankfully, Issho had joined them recently.
Issho was stronger than both of them, and likely even surpassed Jack the Drought.
He would need more true powerhouses in his crew.
Men like Doflamingo and Crocodile were beginning to fall behind.
"Panic is premature," El said calmly.
"Captain—have you learned something else?"
Doflamingo clung to hope, desperate for El to change course and stop charging straight into danger.
"On that ship ahead…" El pointed toward the Beasts Pirates' vessel.
"There is someone stronger than the Jack you fear."
"What?!" Now even Crocodile was stunned.
"Could Kaido himself be here?!"
"Impossible—his Haki is unmistakable; we would have felt it long before now!"
"It is not Kaido," El said, shaking his head.
He did not recognize the stout figure, but he knew for certain this was not one of the Four Emperors.
If Kaido's power were this mild, his title would mean nothing.
"A large, round man… with one prosthetic arm," El described.
Doflamingo and Crocodile exchanged a look and spoke in unison: "Queen the Plague!"
In some ways, Queen was even more dangerous than Kaido.
Kaido's brute strength and overwhelming presence were every pirate's nightmare—but Queen possessed methods so cruel they made one's skin crawl.
He had not earned the name "Plague" lightly.
Beyond his combat prowess, Queen was also a brilliant inventor—one of the few masters of advanced science in the world.
While he could not rival Dr. Vegapunk, whose knowledge was five centuries ahead of his time, he was on par with Judge of Germa 66.
But his research was dark and focused entirely on plagues and lethal toxins.
Even his smallest attack could wipe out towns or whole nations.
Often he need not fight at all—he could simply unleash a disease or poison and let it do the killing.
Tangible strength was frightening enough, but invisible plagues and poisons that struck without warning were far more terrifying—and that was exactly why Queen bore his title.
He had poured all his intellect and skill into developing sickness and venom, rarely bothering to craft antidotes.
But anyone who mistook him for merely a scientist and dismissed his fighting ability would be gravely mistaken.
Queen was also a fearsome Devil Fruit user, and like the rest of the All‑Stars, his was a rare Ancient Zoan: the Dragon‑Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Brachiosaurus.
Ancient Zoans surpassed ordinary Zoans in sheer durability and raw physical power.
Any foolhardy enough to close in would find themselves crushed beneath his massive frame.
That stout, harmless‑looking man with his strange braids and thin mustache could transform into a towering prehistoric beast that would shatter all who dared underestimate him.
It was chilling to think Kaido had dispatched both of his top commanders to waters near Dressrosa.
What were they planning?
Doflamingo dared not guess further.
Something was very wrong—what was the Beasts Pirates' true aim?
"So… what do we do?" Doflamingo's resolve faltered again.
One All‑Star was trouble enough—now there were two.
Crocodile swallowed hard.
He usually bowed to no one, and had never lacked courage facing the Beasts Pirates—but standing before two of their strongest, even he could not help but feel a flicker of doubt.
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