"You understand what I mean, don't you, Bege?"
Inside the palace of Totto Land, Capone Bege, one of the Supernovas who had recently joined the Big Mom Pirates and who had once been punished by Ozz into working on the Sabaody Archipelago, stood there awaiting orders.
"Yes, Mama. I'll find a way to bring Vinsmoke Sanji back."
Bege accepted the intelligence report.
The portrait on it was unmistakably Sanji, a member of the Straw Hat crew who had once been beaten into accepting reality alongside him on Sabaody.
But when he saw the identity written beneath it, his pupils could not help but shrink.
He was actually that man's son...
Even if he was only an adopted son, that was still shocking enough.
Bringing Sanji back would be easy. Just shamelessly threaten him with Zeff and the matter would be settled.
The only problem was whether this would involve that man.
Bege did not want to experience what happened on Sabaody ever again.
"Go. Pekoms and Baron Tamago will assist you."
Carrying intelligence powerful enough to threaten Sanji, Bege set off toward the waters around Dressrosa.
...
Meanwhile, Doflamingo had also successfully returned to Dressrosa.
Through a visual Den Den Mushi, he watched the scenes inside the colosseum.
"Fuffuffuffuffu..."
"For the Float-Float Fruit, you brats of the new era really are working hard."
After returning to Dressrosa, Doffy finally understood the full situation.
He also understood why Ozz had used his influence to drag even a Navy admiral into this national-level battle over Dressrosa.
Fire Fist Ace.
Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff Sabo.
Straw Hat Luffy.
The three brothers who had shone brilliantly during the Summit War had appeared together again after two years, and this time, they were on the road to overthrowing him in Dressrosa.
Looking at the screen, where the three brothers appeared with bright smiles and overwhelming popularity, Doflamingo clutched his forehead. Veins bulged one after another. His twisted expression was enough to show his current mood.
But the expression on his face was strangely meaningful.
Because he was laughing.
"Fuffuffuffuffuffu!"
"But do you really think the Float-Float Fruit can be obtained so easily?"
"The final gatekeeper Lord Ozz left for this colosseum game is far beyond what naïve brats like you can imagine."
Doffy's face grew vivid within the shadows. His smile blossomed as he picked up a Den Den Mushi, as if issuing some kind of order.
Law, gravely wounded and shackled, saw this and his pupils trembled. Cold sweat poured down his face.
How could such an outrageous thing be possible...
Doflamingo, however, became even more excited. Even his voice faintly trembled.
"Open your eyes and watch carefully, brats..."
"This is true fear!"
...
The finals had arrived.
Outside the enormous colosseum, the audience, whether toys or real people, were all burning with excitement.
Many famous contestants, even contestants whose names had shaken the sea, had entered the final round. Their appearance ignited the crowd's enthusiasm to an extreme degree.
"I'm so excited!"
"Yeah! The son of the Pirate King, the right-hand man and son of Revolutionary Dragon, they both made it to the finals!"
"Are we about to see a glimpse of the Summit War's glory with our own eyes?"
"I'm fired up!"
"I want to see blood flow like rivers!"
The audience was boiling with anticipation.
They all wanted to see who would ultimately claim the Float-Float Fruit as the grand prize.
After Luffy and the others had their identities exposed, they simply stopped disguising themselves.
Believing that strength would decide everything, they were not worried that Doflamingo would plot against them inside the colosseum.
Besides, according to Sabo's speculation, this whole colosseum event likely had little to do with Doflamingo.
It was more likely...
"Where is it? Where is it? The Float-Float Fruit!"
"Wait, Luffy!"
Zoro looked at the impatient Luffy and shouted helplessly.
"Sorry. My little brother must have caused you all a lot of trouble on a regular basis."
Ace watched this scene and smiled as he spoke to Zoro.
Zoro seemed used to it by now. He scratched his head.
"No need to be so polite... I'm guessing Luffy just can't wait to go beat Doflamingo flying."
Just now, Luffy had seen some of the cruel truths hidden in the colosseum, and Sabo had also told him some things about the darkness of Dressrosa.
Luffy, who always acted according to his feelings, immediately wanted to send Doffy flying.
But in the end, they discovered that until the colosseum match ended, they could not even leave the arena.
The explanation was that this was not an authority the Donquixote Family could decide.
It was a rule set by someone "higher up."
Helplessly, they could only continue participating in the battle until the owner of the Float-Float Fruit was decided.
The group remained fairly calm.
They felt no pressure at all toward the Donquixote Family officers they might have to face.
If anything, Zoro might feel a little pressure when facing Kuina.
Sabo even smiled rather casually.
"If Doflamingo himself appears in the final, that might be a bit surprising. Otherwise, the winner will most likely be one of us."
Luffy grinned too.
"I've gotten really strong now, Ace!"
The atmosphere between them was relaxed.
But in another passageway, someone stood in the shadows, watching them.
It was a man with face paint. He held a Den Den Mushi in one hand, a smile on his face.
"I understand, Doffy."
"I've always kept the thing Lord Ozz left behind safe."
It was none other than Diamante, a top officer of the Donquixote Family.
After putting away the Den Den Mushi, Diamante, carrying a somewhat nervous feeling, took out something shaped like a rolled-up scroll from behind him.
Then he slowly unfurled it.
Beside him was Kuina, who was also acting as one of the final defenders.
At that moment, her swordsman's instincts sharpened. The hair on her body stood on end as she subconsciously looked toward Diamante.
"That is..."
After a brief silence...
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
Boom!
In an instant, waves of black-red lightning spread outward, surging from the passage and striking the colosseum stage outside.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound of footsteps echoed across the arena.
For some unknown reason, an overwhelming pressure descended like dark clouds, instantly filling everyone's heart.
"What is that?"
Under that pressure, Zoro's sunglasses shattered with a loud crack. His teeth clenched tightly.
Everyone on the field was horrified.
All eyes widened as they looked toward the passageway belonging to the Donquixote Family's defending side.
Within the darkness, traces of black-red lightning spilled outward.
A proud figure with long black hair slowly walked out from the shadows.
A pair of vertical pupils, glowing with scarlet light, opened at that moment. There was a hint of confusion in them, but also a hint of interest.
"Interesting..."
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