"Doffy, save me, save me now!" Trebol had completely lost his previous arrogance. "That Smoker is serious—he wants to kill me! Stop him, quickly!"
Hearing Trebol's desperate plea, Doflamingo's expression grew even darker.
Trebol was one of his key officers. If Smoker killed him, not only would he lose a valuable asset, but his pride would also suffer a severe blow.
Unable to sit still any longer, Doflamingo abruptly stood up, gathering several colorful threads at his fingertips and hurling them toward Smoker.
"Don't you dare!"
Doflamingo's voice was venomous as the threads shot out like serpents, aiming to ensnare and restrain Smoker.
However, just as the threads were about to reach Smoker, a figure suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of him.
Ivan stood calmly, his gaze icy, Snowfall in hand. Without the slightest hesitation, he swung the blade lightly.
"One Sword Style: White Pale: Severing Void!"
As the low shout echoed, a sharp white sword aura erupted instantly, slashing toward Doflamingo.
The sword aura effortlessly severed the threads in Doflamingo's hands before striking his chest with tremendous force.
"Gah!"
In the next moment, Doflamingo spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the mast of the Donquixote Pirates' Ship.
The mast shattered instantly, splinters flying everywhere.
At the same time Ivan made his move, Smoker had already closed in on Trebol.
Trebol was still frantically calling out to Doflamingo for help, completely unaware of Smoker's presence beside him.
Smoker's eyes were cold, and without hesitation, he brought his Jitte down hard on Trebol's head.
With a dull thud, Trebol didn't even have time to grunt before darkness overtook him, and he fell unconscious.
Smoker grabbed Trebol by the collar, hoisting him up, and turned to walk toward Ivan.
"Vice Admiral Ivan, Trebol has been subdued. How should we deal with him?"
Ivan slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Trebol. He replied flatly,
"A worthless coward who only hides behind others and mocks people—better off dead."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Ivan didn't hesitate. With a light swing of Snowfall, a sharp sword aura cleanly severed Trebol's neck.
Thud!
Trebol's head was instantly severed, blood gushing out and splattering across the deck of the Donquixote Pirates' Ship.
Even in death, his eyes remained wide open, an expression of disbelief frozen on his face.
Clearly, he couldn't believe until his last moment that he would die like this, right here.
After Trebol's death, the entire sea fell into a deathly silence.
All the jeering and mockery vanished without a trace, leaving only the sound of waves crashing against the ship and the heavy breathing of those present.
Everyone stared at Ivan, dumbstruck, their eyes filled with shock and awe.
None of them had expected that Ivan would actually dare to take action—and so decisively at that, killing Trebol with such ease and even wounding Doflamingo in a single strike.
The members of the Donquixote Family aboard the Donquixote Pirates' Ship trembled in fear, their faces pale, their previous arrogance completely gone.
They retreated one after another, not daring to approach Ivan, their eyes filled with terror.
As for Doflamingo, he still leaned against the broken mast, blood continuously gushing from his chest.
He raised his head, his gaze viciously fixed on Ivan. The mockery at the corner of his mouth had long vanished, replaced by anger and resentment.
He never imagined he would suffer such a crushing defeat—not only were his subordinates killed, but he himself was injured, and all by a White Dove he had looked down upon.
After doing all this, Ivan stood on the deck of the Donquixote Pirates' Ship, his gaze sweeping over everyone present as he said calmly:
"If anyone else has any grievances with me, step forward. I don't mind sending them on their way."
After his words fell, no one dared to speak.
Everyone lowered their heads, not even daring to breathe loudly.
At this moment, they finally understood that this young Navy Admiral Candidate was not someone they could provoke.
His strength truly rivaled that of a Navy Admiral, perhaps even surpassing some Admirals.
The sea before the Gates of Justice remained windy with towering waves, but the atmosphere had become overwhelmingly oppressive.
Ivan's strike had not only killed Trebol and injured Doflamingo but had also intimidated all the Seven Warlords of the Sea and their subordinates present.
Jimbei watched Ivan's back, nodding inwardly, feeling even more respect for this young Navy Admiral Candidate.
Moria, with his arms crossed, wore a gloating smile, his eyes full of mockery as he looked at Doflamingo.
As expected, the arrogant Doflamingo had finally suffered a major setback at Ivan's hands.
Boa Hancock reclined on the seat of the Kuja Pirates' Ship, her crimson skirt fluttering gently in the wind.
She merely glanced briefly at the carnage on the Donquixote Pirates' Ship before withdrawing her gaze, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter.
In her eyes, aside from Lord Fox, nothing else was worthy of her attention.
The sea returned to calm, leaving only the soft sound of waves against the hull and the faint scent of blood lingering in the air.
Amid this oppressive and deathly silence, a faint chill suddenly spread across the distant sea.
"The Gates of Justice are opening."
Someone whispered softly.
The next moment, the massive stone gates towering over the sea slowly swung open, revealing the passageway to Marineford behind them.
Aokiji's warship appeared beyond the Gates of Justice. He scanned the ships of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, his gaze finally settling on the Orange Ship where Ivan stood, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Since everyone is here, let's depart for Marineford."
Due to Ivan's recent actions, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were no longer as arrogant and dismissive as before, becoming much more subdued.
The ships entered the Gates of Justice one by one, proceeding along the passageway.
The sea was calm and windless, the water clear and azure, but Aokiji's mood was far from peaceful.
He glanced around, sensing something strange in the atmosphere.
The usually lawless Seven Warlords of the Sea were unusually quiet today—no one was making loud noises, no one was causing trouble or provoking others, and even their subordinates had reined in their arrogance, remaining unnaturally silent.
Aokiji keenly sensed that something was amiss.
Aokiji thought for a moment, then leaped and landed on the deck of the Orange Ship in an instant.
"Ivan, kid," he spoke, his voice still lazy, "what happened on the way? These pirates are being too well-behaved."
Ivan glanced up at him and, without hiding anything, calmly summarized what had just happened:
"Doflamingo provoked us, mocking the Navy for having no one capable. His subordinate Trebol was even more insolent, insulting headquarters.
I had Smoker deal with it. Doflamingo tried to interfere but was driven back by me.
Trebol was stubborn and refused to change despite repeated warnings, so he was executed."