Zaraki withdrew his gaze from the distance and glanced sideways at her.
The calm on Viola's face was gone, replaced by urgency.
There was also hatred in her eyes, the hatred of someone desperate for revenge.
"On Dressrosa's southeast coast, there is an abandoned old port. It used to be one of the areas I monitored closely. After Doflamingo took control of me, he moved the surveillance forces away from there instead," Viola said quickly, yet her thoughts remained clear.
"That is the weakest point in the entire kingdom's defense. We can land from there and—"
Her voice stopped abruptly.
Viola's face went pale.
Her right hand rose again, thumb and index finger forming a circle before her eye.
Through the Giro Giro no Mi, her sight crossed the coast, the streets, and the stone walls of the city, rushing straight toward the Corrida Colosseum.
Then she saw it.
Diamante.
Rebecca.
And the one-legged toy soldier struggling beside her.
"Rebecca..."
The name slipped from Viola's lips, thin and trembling.
At almost the same moment, Zaraki's Observation Haki brushed against a sharp burst of fear and killing intent from the direction Viola was staring at.
The presence was not strong, but the anger and helplessness around it were sharp enough to catch his interest.
Someone was being hunted.
And where there was a hunt, there was usually someone worth cutting.
"Gion, Yamakaji."
Zaraki's voice was not loud, but it clearly reached the ears of the two Vice Admirals.
"Take the Marines and land through the old port. Move openly toward the King's Plateau. Make enough noise that Doflamingo knows the Marines have entered Dressrosa, but don't start the fight unless they attack first."
"What?"
Yamakaji froze, about to argue back.
Even with that restriction, this order was still reckless.
"She," Zaraki said, jerking his chin toward Viola, his tone allowing no refusal, "comes with me."
The moment his words fell, he grabbed Viola's arm.
The woman let out a short cry of surprise.
The warship had already entered the shadow of Dressrosa's southeast coast.
Zaraki kicked off from the deck, crossed the final stretch of water, and landed on the rooftops beyond the abandoned port with Viola in tow.
By the time Gion and Yamakaji reacted, only the sea wind remained by the side of the ship. The two of them had long since vanished into the city.
"That damn brat! Reckless again!"
Yamakaji was so angry he crushed the cigar in his hand.
Gion frowned tightly, staring in the direction Zaraki had disappeared, worry showing in her eyes.
He had actually landed first with only that woman?
A Giro Giro no Mi user could not do much in direct combat.
"Um... Vice Admiral Gion."
A somewhat timid voice came from beside her. It was Tashigi.
She and Carina had come over at some point, their faces carrying the same worry.
Carina crossed her arms, sighed softly, and looked at Gion, who was still angry.
"He's always like this. He looks reckless, but every time... he has his own reason."
"Reason? This is suicide!" Gion's voice was cold. "Doflamingo is a Warlord. Dressrosa is his territory. He has thousands of family officers and fighters there! He's going alone with a woman who can barely fight—"
"Miss Viola isn't a burden."
Tashigi's voice was soft, but her tone was firm.
"Her eyes are the reason we reached Dressrosa this quickly. If Zaraki-san brought her with him, then he must need what only she can do."
Gion froze and looked at Tashigi and Carina.
These two girls Zaraki had brought out from the East Blue both had an almost blind trust in him.
For a moment, Gion fell silent.
That was right. She seemed to always stand from the position of a Marine Vice Admiral, measuring everything with words like troops, strategy, and odds of victory.
But that man's way of thinking had never been the same as ordinary people's.
Could overthrowing a Warlord... really be possible?
While Gion was lost in thought, outside the gladiator dormitories of Dressrosa's Corrida Colosseum, the sun baked the stone road, and the air was mixed with the smell of sweat and cheap perfume.
A tall man wearing a gorgeous cloak and a strange smile was looking at the pink-haired girl in front of him with mocking eyes.
"Rebecca, don't be so nervous."
Diamante stretched out his ripple-shaped sword, the tip lightly lifting the girl's chin, his tone sticky and unpleasant.
"I'm only here to invite you to a tea party. Lady Viola has missed her niece very much."
Rebecca bit her lip hard, gripping the sword that did not match her build. Her arms trembled so badly that the blade buzzed.
Behind her, the one-legged toy soldier, Kyros, glared fiercely at Diamante with his tin eyes, an angry growl coming from his throat.
"Diamante! Let her go! Whatever grudge you have, don't drag a child into it!"
"Oh? Toy soldier, are you trying to teach me how to do things?"
Diamante's smile grew wider, but his gaze suddenly turned cold.
"Don't forget, you can't even protect yourself right now. I only need to move one finger to crush you into scrap."
He no longer paid any attention to the furious toy. His gaze returned to Rebecca, and the greed and malice in it almost became tangible.
"As long as you obediently come with me, I promise your aunt, your grandfather, and that pathetic toy soldier can all keep existing. Otherwise..."
"I'll fight you!"
The girl let out a furious shout.
She raised the sword with both hands, not to cut Diamante down, but to knock his hand aside and create a path of escape.
But against this all-out attempt, Diamante merely curled his lip in disdain.
He did not even move his feet, only casually flicking his hand.
Clang!
A piercing metallic sound rang out.
Rebecca felt an enormous force rush through the sword.
The webbing between her thumb and index finger split open instantly, blood splashing out.
The sword flew from her hands, spinning through the air before crashing onto the stone road in the distance with a loud clang.
The difference in strength was too great.
Rebecca's vision went dark.
Diamante gave a nasty grin and reached out with his large hand, about to grab Rebecca by the neck.
Kyros roared hoarsely and charged forward without regard for anything, only to be kicked away by Diamante.
He rolled across the ground like a tin can.
Rebecca's eyes reflected that ugly hand growing closer and closer.
Just then, a faint sound pierced the air.
Several drops of liquid appeared out of nowhere, moving faster than bullets as they shot precisely toward the hand Diamante had stretched toward Rebecca.
Diamante's Observation Haki instantly warned him of danger. His expression shifted slightly, and he pulled his hand back like lightning.
Pfft! Pfft!
The drops of liquid landed on the stone road, instantly corroding several small smoking holes into it.
What kind of attack was that?
Diamante's heart jolted, and he abruptly raised his head toward the direction the attack had come from.
On a nearby rooftop, two people had appeared without him noticing.
One of them was his target this time.
Viola.
At that moment, she was holding up her right hand, thumb and index finger forming a circle in front of her eye.
Fresh tears slowly slid from her beautiful eyes.
"Whale Tears."
Her voice was icy, filled with hatred.
"Viola..."
Diamante's face instantly darkened.
He slowly straightened, his gaze pausing on Viola before moving to the black-haired man beside her.
The Marine-issue coat made his expression tighten for a moment, but arrogance quickly buried the warning.
His eyes were cold, as if he were judging a piece of merchandise.
"You actually dare betray the Young Master... How unexpected."
Diamante let out a hissing sneer.
"But do you really think you can change anything with just yourself and some wild man who crawled out of nowhere?"
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