Doflamingo surged forward once more.
Threads beneath his feet tore through the air, propelling him forward with suffocating pressure as he closed in on the isolated Thousand Sunny.
Although the Sunny possessed the Coup de Burst jet propulsion system, activating it required time—and Doflamingo would never simply stand there and allow them to prepare it.
For a moment, despair settled over the ship.
Aside from Sanji—who was half-kneeling on the deck, breathing heavily from his severe injuries—the only people left were Nami, Chopper, and Brook.
None of them were frontline fighters.
Brook might be able to step in if forced to—but facing a furious Warlord of the Sea, it would amount to little more than a futile gesture.
"…Damn it."
Sanji clenched his teeth against the pain, gripping the railing with trembling hands as he tried to stand again.
"I'll… stop him. You guys—"
"That's enough, Black Leg-ya!"
Law cut him off sharply.
His face looked slightly pale from exhaustion, but his eyes were razor sharp.
"If you go up there now, you're just throwing your life away!"
No one understood Doflamingo's strength better than Law.
So he suddenly turned toward Nami and asked the most crucial question.
"Did Straw Hat-ya and the others destroy the underground factory in Dressrosa yet?!"
"Uh… well…"
Nami's gaze immediately darted aside.
Embarrassment and hesitation spread across her face as her hands twisted nervously together.
"N-not yet…"
"Luffy and the others… they're…"
Looking at Law's battered body and the horrific wounds covering him, Nami simply couldn't bring herself to say it.
She couldn't say that they were currently competing in the colosseum for the Mera Mera no Mi… and eating their way through the city.
Seeing Nami's awkward silence, Law understood instantly.
A surge of helpless frustration and despair welled up inside him—so intense it felt like he might grind his teeth to dust.
He had nearly died here buying time.
And meanwhile…
"What are you people doing?!"
At that moment, Momonosuke, who had been hiding behind Nami while clutching her skirt, suddenly stuck his head out and began shouting tearfully.
"Hurry up and run away!"
"That terrifying man will kill all of us!"
"Your captain promised to protect me! Hurry up and sail the ship!"
Faced with the situation, Law drew in a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging blood in his chest.
Then he made a difficult decision.
He spoke rapidly to Nami and Sanji.
"Listen carefully! The plan has changed!"
"You must immediately set sail with Caesar and this kid—and head to Zou!"
"Zou?" Nami and Sanji both froze.
"That's right," Law explained quickly.
"Momonosuke's retainer Kin'emon once said that the Mink Tribe has been allied with the Kozuki Clan of Wano for generations."
"And more importantly—Zou is currently one of the core territories under the explicit protection of 'Skyquake' Gern Reginald Sigmar. The island flies the 'Heavenly Calamity' banner!"
"Even the Beasts Pirates or the World Government wouldn't dare step foot there without absolute certainty."
"Right now, it's the safest place on the sea."
"If you bring this kid with you—he's from the Kozuki family—the Minks will allow you to land!"
After saying that, Law turned his gaze toward Momonosuke.
"That's correct… isn't it?"
Faced with the question, Momonosuke himself wasn't entirely sure.
After all, he had only heard that some of his father Kozuki Oden's retainers were Minks.
But at this moment, the only thing Momonosuke cared about was escaping with his life.
So he nodded frantically.
"Y-yes! The Mink Tribe are retainers of Wano! They only serve the Kozuki!"
"Good."
Law didn't doubt him.
And his meaning was now perfectly clear.
They would abandon the others still in Dressrosa and prioritize preserving the remaining strength they had—along with the critical "hostage," Caesar.
"You've got to be kidding!"
Nami was the first to shout in protest.
Sanji struggled to stand as well, his gaze equally firm.
Abandon their comrades?
That was impossible.
"Do you want everyone to die here?!" Law roared, his voice low and strained with suppressed fury.
He pointed toward the sky, where Doflamingo was drawing closer by the second.
"With our current condition, we cannot fight him!"
"If he captures us, every part of this plan will collapse!"
After shouting that, Law looked at the two of them again.
Their eyes showed no intention of yielding.
He also glanced at Momonosuke, who was still screaming in fear.
Left with no choice, Law took a step back and spoke urgently.
"I'm not telling you to abandon Straw Hat-ya!"
"This is a temporary measure!"
"As long as you safely reach Zou and stabilize your position…"
"I promise that once the factory in Dressrosa is destroyed, I'll immediately find a way to rendezvous with you!"
"This is the only path left for survival!"
At this moment, there was no scene like in the original story where Admiral Fujitora summoned Marine warships from the sky to form an iron wall blocking Doflamingo.
Because of that—
Doflamingo closed in completely unimpeded.
His wild laughter echoed across the ocean.
"Fufufufufu…!"
"No need to argue anymore!"
"Because none of you are leaving!"
Before his words even finished, his finger flicked.
A blazing Overheat whip lashed through the air again, roaring straight toward the Sunny's hull.
"Damn it."
Law forced himself to move, gathering the last of his strength.
His cursed blade Kikoku was coated in Armament Haki as he swung it precisely into the whip's path.
"CLANG—!!"
A deafening metallic shriek exploded through the air.
The massive impact forced Law back several steps.
The skin between his thumb and forefinger split open, blood running down the hilt of his sword.
But—
he had blocked the attack.
"There's no time to hesitate!"
Ignoring his injuries, Law shouted at Nami and the others who were still wavering.
"Remember this!"
"When you sail, choose routes with clear skies!"
"Doflamingo's String-String Fruit allows him to travel through the air by attaching threads to clouds!"
"If there are no clouds, he cannot pursue you for long!"
With that said, Law's gaze sharpened.
He prepared to activate Shambles again.
His plan was to teleport himself back to the bridge on Green Bit Island, forcing the original strategy to continue no matter the cost.
But at that critical moment—
something changed.
Suddenly.
The Doflamingo who had been charging forward with unstoppable momentum—now less than fifty meters from the Thousand Sunny—
stopped.
Completely.
The manic grin froze on his face.
What replaced it was something utterly different.
Extreme shock.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Even his lips quivered.
Then—
without hesitation.
Without the slightest pause.
Doflamingo retreated.
Almost as if fleeing for his life.
Threads shot wildly through the air as he pulled himself backward at a speed even faster than his advance.
He landed back on the coastline of Green Bit.
And then—
he stood there.
Like a stone statue.
Completely motionless.
He didn't even dare breathe loudly.
On the Thousand Sunny, everyone was stunned by the sudden reversal.
"H-huh…?"
"What happened to him?" Chopper blinked his wide eyes in disbelief as he stared at the distant figure.
"Is he… scared?"
Nami looked equally confused.
"Did you prepare some special secret move, Law…? Something that frightened him like that?"
"…No."
Law clutched his wound, breathing heavily.
Even his pale face was filled with confusion.
He shook his head slowly.
"And besides…"
"Someone who could make Doflamingo afraid like that…"
"On this sea… aside from Kaido…"
"…there's only—"
Before he could finish his sentence—
a calm voice suddenly continued it for him.
Clear.
Steady.
And heard by everyone aboard the ship.
"…And me."
The moment the words fell—
everyone on the Sunny felt their hearts jolt as if struck by lightning.
They immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
And then they saw him.
Sitting casually on the ship's side railing.
No one had noticed when he had appeared.
A white Marine coat of Justice draped over his shoulders.
A black shirt beneath it.
A sword at his waist.
And in his hand—
a completely ordinary fishing rod, its line hanging lazily into the gently rippling sea below.
It was Gern Reginald Sigmar.
At that moment, Gern turned his head slightly.
His gaze swept across the battered figures on the deck—
before finally settling on the frozen Doflamingo standing on the distant shore.
A faint smile rested on his face.
"Look at that…"
"All this fighting and commotion."
He sighed lightly.
"It scared away every fish."
"And now I haven't caught a single one."