On one hand they were trustworthy, having been nurtured right from childhood; on the other hand their strength was fully guaranteed, for the ones tasked with guiding them were all top‑ranked officers of the Donquixote Family—great pirates of outstanding ability in their own right.
What is more, no crew could ever simply stand by and watch their own officers be carried off by enemies like this.
"You want to rescue those two?" Queen suddenly let out a laugh as he looked at Doflamingo.
"Aren't you worried you'll be bringing back two corpses instead of living men?!"
With that, he suddenly pulled out a small pistol. BANG! BANG! Both shots struck Baby 5 and Buffalo squarely.
"Ugh!" The tightly bound pair cried out in pain.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Doflamingo's brows furrowed as he prepared to strike—if he could not even protect his own officers right before his eyes, he would have no authority left at all.
"Hold it!" Queen scolded sharply, completely unconcerned.
"Do you want them dead or alive?!" He waved the small pistol in a show of pride.
"These are no ordinary powder rounds… You ought to know what I work on, don't you? This gun is loaded with a deadly poison I formulated myself! Without my antidote, your two subordinates won't last long at all! So—are you still planning to attack me, Doflamingo?!"
Though he directed his threat at Doflamingo, Queen's gaze actually shifted toward El.
After all, of the three enemies standing before him, El was the only one who truly posed any danger.
He wanted to see if this young pirate—captain to both Doflamingo and Crocodile—cared enough about these two hostages to hold back.
Of course this was nothing more than a bold gamble.
If the other side cared nothing for the two men in his custody, then things would truly turn difficult…
But for now, nothing was clear.
El simply stood there, seemingly indifferent to the exchange between Doflamingo and Queen.
"Well then—let's come to an arrangement," Queen proposed.
"You return to your ship, we pull Jack out of the sea, and we both go our separate ways. How does that sound?"
That was Queen's plan all along—use the hostages to drive a hard bargain and ensure at the very least his own survival.
"Captain…" Doflamingo turned to El.
This was no longer his decision to make; with his captain present, he would follow El's lead.
"Is there an antidote for this poison?"
El glanced at the two men struck by the poisoned rounds, then shifted his gaze to the bulky Queen.
"Absolutely!" Queen thrust out his chin.
"And I alone possess it!"
"Excellent," El nodded simply.
"Then hand it over right now, and save me the trouble of taking it by force!"
"Hmph… Hahaha! You truly underestimate me!" Queen scoffed.
"If I refuse, not even all three of you together will get that antidote, no matter how easily you defeat me!"
Queen sounded confident, but only he knew the truth deep down: once the fight truly began, he would be completely outmatched and powerless to resist.
That was why this was nothing more than a gamble—he was betting that El and his crew would not risk the lives of those two men.
Many pirates treated their subordinates as disposable cannon fodder, but few crews would willingly give up officers they had painstakingly raised and trained; the Beasts Pirates had already learned exactly how valuable these two were to the Donquixote Family.
"In that case there is nothing left to discuss—let's get started," El said, straightening up and waving Doflamingo and Crocodile back.
Doflamingo felt hesitation and worry gnawing at him—two of his officers were still in the fat man's clutches—but once his captain had spoken, there was no way he would dare go against the decision.
"I know what you're capable of!" Queen shouted.
"Fast as lightning and stronger than anyone—but don't you dare think I'm helpless!"
Seeing that a full‑scale battle was unavoidable, he wasted no time shifting into his Ancient Zoan form.
A towering Brachiosaurus suddenly loomed over the deck; even without moving an inch, its crushing weight forced the entire ship to sink deep into the waves.
"Foolish—do you think Devil Fruit users fight only by relying on their powers?!" El charged forward without hesitation.
Queen was far more experienced and seasoned than Jack—they were cut from completely different cloth! RAT‑A‑TAT‑TAT!
Even in his colossal dinosaur form, his prosthetic arm adapted perfectly, transforming into a heavy machine gun.
It was equipment he had designed and built himself, after all—naturally it matched every form he took.
"HAHAHA! Every last bullet is coated in concentrated poison! No matter how strong or fast you are, one single graze and you're finished, brat!!"
Queen fired wildly in every direction, paying no mind even when some rounds struck his own men.
"Lord Queen! Stop—please!!"
Countless Beasts Pirates were caught in the crossfire, though Doflamingo and Crocodile each used their own abilities to avoid being hit by the sudden volley of poisoned bullets.
Though he wielded such formidable Devil Fruit power, Queen always preferred to lean on his scientific inventions in battle.
Few knew that this seemingly unimpressive man was one of the world's greatest minds—second only to Dr. Vegapunk of the World Government.
Once transformed into his full Brachiosaurus form, his prosthetic machine gun adapted fully, firing in every direction while his massive bulk pressed down to crush anyone foolish enough to get close.
That long neck and powerful tail were far more than decoration!
Most Zoan users favored the hybrid form, which let them combine human agility with animal resilience, but Queen was equally deadly in his full beast form.
After all, he was a scientist—he did not rely solely on his Devil Fruit as El had first assumed.
Just as he had said himself…
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