That was not an ordinary slash.
It was Nozarashi's pressure compressed into the shape of a crescent moon, dark and heavy, with faint gold arcs crawling along its edge like sparks trapped inside a storm.
There was no thunderous roar, only a sharp, piercing scream as the air was cut open by force alone.
Diamante, still fleeing, felt every drop of blood in his body turn cold.
His Observation Haki screamed a warning at him, and he knew instantly that this was not a power he could block head-on.
Fear overwhelmed his instinct to run. He spun around, holding his ripple-shaped sword horizontally in front of him while hardening his cloak into steel to protect his body.
"BLOCK IT!"
He let out the last desperate roar of his life.
But before that dark-gold crescent, every defense was meaningless.
Shhk.
There was no earth-shaking collision, only an impossibly faint sound of cutting.
The steel-hardened cloak split open without resistance.
The famous sword that had followed him for years snapped at once, and finally, so did his body.
A thin black line stretched from Diamante's left shoulder to his right abdomen.
The terrified expression on his face froze.
He lowered his head and stared at his own body in disbelief as the line slowly widened and bright red blood spilled out.
He wanted to say something, but when his mouth opened, only thick mouthfuls of blood foam poured out.
Then his body split in two in midair and fell toward the ruins below.
The two halves of his body landed among the rubble, kicking up two small clouds of dust.
The world fell quiet.
Rebecca and the toy soldier stared blankly upward at the man who slowly sheathed his sword.
The crisp sound of Nozarashi sliding back into its scabbard announced the end of that brief and terrifying slaughter.
What was that?
What had just happened?
One slash.
With only one slash, he had killed Diamante, one of the highest officers of the Donquixote Family, the hero of the colosseum, a man with a bounty of ninety-nine million berries!
Rebecca's throat was so dry it almost burned, and she even forgot to breathe.
This man was far more terrifying than she had imagined.
Viola's whole body loosened as a tremendous wave of joy and excitement surged through her heart.
She had to hold onto the rooftop railing just to keep herself from collapsing.
She had bet correctly!
She had truly bet on the right person!
This man's strength had already surpassed her understanding.
Perhaps he really could do it. Perhaps he really could cut apart the nightmare that had ruled Dressrosa for ten whole years.
**[Killed Donquixote Family highest officer Diamante. Reward: 700 points.]**
Zaraki barely glanced at the notification.
His gaze fell instead on Rebecca and the one-legged toy soldier.
"Don't just stand there. That toy over there is your father!"
His gaze shifted to Viola.
"And your brother-in-law."
The moment those words came out, everyone's mind went blank.
"...Huh?"
Rebecca let out a confused sound. Her brain could not process the sudden information at all.
"Mr. Soldier... is my... father?"
That was too absurd.
Kyros was supposed to be a legend from the colosseum, a name carved into Dressrosa's history.
How could that name have anything to do with the toy soldier who had always protected her?
Viola's gaze snapped toward the toy as well.
That toy who had been desperately protecting Rebecca.
That toy whose voice carried a vague, familiar feeling she could never explain.
The words did not restore Viola's memories, but they gave a shape to the strange ache that had always appeared whenever she looked at that toy.
Tears once again poured from her eyes uncontrollably.
"Brother-in-law..."
Kyros, the toy soldier, froze completely in his tin body.
He wanted to argue, he wanted to deny it.
But no sound came out, because what this man said was the truth.
But why?
How did he know?
And why, after he said it, did Rebecca and Viola react like this?
Zaraki had no interest in letting a family reunion drama play out here.
"The one who turned him into a toy is close," he said, cutting through the frozen atmosphere. "She is tied to the Toy House and the factory beneath this area. If you want him to turn back, then follow me."
After saying that, he wasted no more time.
He grabbed Viola's arm while she was still lost in shock, leapt down from the rooftop, and strode toward the deeper part of the colosseum district.
Rebecca stood frozen in place.
She looked at the toy soldier on the ground, then at the man's decisive back.
Finally, she bit her lip, picked up her heavy sword, and stumbled after them.
She did not know who that man was.
...
King's Plateau, inside the palace.
In a luxurious room, Doflamingo reclined on a sofa, holding a glass of red wine in one hand, his trademark arrogant smile hanging on his face.
"Fufufufu... War Demon Zaraki? He actually brought a single warship to my doorstep. That brat doesn't know what a real monster is."
He swirled the wine glass, leaving streaks of red liquid along the inside of the cup.
"I already spread the word through the colosseum. Anyone who takes Zaraki's head earns a reward and the right to challenge me. Fufufu... The desperate scum of Dressrosa will teach him what true hell looks like."
He was very satisfied with the trap he had set.
Use the colosseum to slow down the Marines, then turn the people of Dressrosa into hostages.
That brat would either retreat in disgrace or step deeper into the cage Doflamingo had prepared for him.
Just then, the secure private Den Den Mushi on the table rang.
Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru...
Doflamingo's smile paused slightly.
Only a handful of people in the entire world knew this number.
He put down his wine glass and picked up the receiver.
"It's me."
From the other end of the Den Den Mushi came an old, calm voice.
"Saturn."
Doflamingo's tone restrained itself slightly.
"What a rare guest. Calling me at a time like this—do you have new instructions?"
"Doflamingo," Saturn said calmly, "War Demon Zaraki has already landed on your island."
"Fufufu, of course I know."
Doflamingo returned to his carefree tone.
"I'm preparing to entertain him properly."
"There is a slight deviation in our calculations."
Saturn's voice remained flat, yet Doflamingo's brows furrowed on their own.
"His purpose in coming may not be an official Marine mission."
"Oh? Then what is it?"
The other end fell silent for a moment, as if choosing its words. Finally, that voice spoke in a tone that simply stated a fact.
"There is a very high chance that he came to kill you."
The smile on Doflamingo's face froze instantly.
Kill me?
He was stunned for a moment, then burst into exaggerated laughter.
"Fufufufufu! Saturn, are you joking? A Marine special envoy, coming here to cut me down, a Warlord of the Sea? Is he trying to start an all-out war between Marine Headquarters and every Warlord? The World Government would never allow a madman like that to—"
"We are only informing you of this possibility."
Saturn coldly interrupted him.
"That man's logic cannot be calculated by common sense. Take care of yourself."
Click.
The call ended.
Doflamingo held the receiver, the smile on his face completely gone, replaced by dark suspicion.
That madman...
Would he really dare?