The four present didn't speak, each maintaining silent vigilance. Katakuri alone was on guard against all three of them. It seemed that Weiss still had a decent relationship with the Navy—if they asked him to join forces against Katakuri, he might just agree.
Katakuri had only returned for one reason: to retrieve the box. What if it really was the real deal? He couldn't let the Navy get their hands on it!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A thunderous rumbling came from the side as massive stones tumbled. Doflamingo stepped out from the rubble, the stitches on his arm glaringly obvious—threads holding flesh together.
His face darkened as he glared at Weiss, completely ignoring the Navy and Katakuri. It had been years since he suffered this much damage. Ever since becoming a Warlord of the Sea, he'd rarely been hurt at all.
But now…
"Sword Demon, where's the box?" Chaton asked suddenly, clearly relieved to see Doflamingo alive.
Weiss shot him a lazy glance and didn't bother replying. Who the hell are you? Just 'cause you ask, I'm supposed to answer? Funny.
The air was tense—too quiet. Especially with so many powerful figures gathered, silence meant one thing: the next battle was about to erupt.
Suddenly, a faint sound drew everyone's attention. All eyes turned toward a pile of rubble nearby. The stones there seemed to… soften, melting like water.
...
...
A hand emerged from the rubble.
In it was the box.
A young man, head bleeding but beaming with joy, climbed out from the collapsed debris. The moment he realized all five of them were staring directly at him, his expression twisted in horror—visibly paling with each passing second.
He looked like he was about to cry.
This youth was the one who had consumed the Soft-Soft Fruit. He'd passed out under Doflamingo's Haki pressure and had been buried beneath the rubble. After regaining consciousness, he'd used his Devil Fruit powers to stay hidden and unharmed.
By chance, he'd found the box and decided to wait it out below. With his powers, he didn't fear being crushed again. After a long time, he assumed the coast was clear—figuring the monsters had left. But to his horror…
They were still here. Not a single one had left. Not one had even died!
What the hell have they been fighting for this whole time?!
Playing house?!
Do they have any idea how traumatizing this is for someone like me?!
"Uhh, you guys carry on. I, uh… I gotta go—my mom's calling me for dinner," the young man said, placing the box on a nearby rock and turning to leave as casually as possible.
To be able to walk away from five powerhouses with the box in plain sight—how lucky was that? Even Lodas still hadn't woken up!
But behind that calm exterior, he was full of regret. Why didn't I check before coming out?!
The five didn't stop him. Once he placed the box down, no one bothered with him further.
After all, who would waste their time stepping on an ant on the side of the road?
Despite the box being just a short distance away, no one dared to move recklessly. Weiss was locking down Doflamingo, preventing any sudden action. But the Navy…
"I'll go hold Katakuri. Gion, you grab the box and destroy it immediately after inspecting it!" Chaton barked. He was confident he could handle Katakuri alone.
With the Navy outnumbering the others, they now held the upper hand.
Chaton's greasy expression turned sharp as his gaze locked onto Katakuri. If Katakuri so much as twitched, he'd be met with a devastating blow. Forget the box—he wouldn't even survive the attempt.
Weiss kept his eyes fixed on Doflamingo, and Doflamingo stared right back. Though he was itching to use his awakened fruit powers to swallow the box whole, he didn't dare—too many monsters were watching.
Gion (Momousagi) stepped forward. The situation was now clear: the box would fall into the Navy's hands.
Just as she bent down to retrieve it, a hand darted out faster than hers.
Even if she sped up now, it was already too late.
As the box vanished, Gion caught a glimpse of a glinting mirror shard buried in the rubble—then, in a fury, she smashed half the ruins beneath her heel. The shard shattered into dust.
"Fufufufufu. What a shocking twist," Doflamingo chuckled. "Just when you think you've got it within reach, someone else snatches it. Now then, as one of the Big Mom Pirates' Three Sweet Commanders… how do you plan to survive, Katakuri, surrounded by an angry Navy?"
He was the least concerned here. After all, for the sake of face, the World Government wouldn't let a Warlord be taken down in front of them so easily.
In the original canon, Fujitora had just watched as Luffy defeated Doflamingo—partly due to personal conviction, but also because the fall of Warlords brought disgrace to the Government.
"Is that so, Heavenly Demon? You really think I'll die here?" Katakuri replied coolly. He was no ordinary pirate. He'd reigned in the New World for years—he had backup plans.
Now that he had the box, he just needed an opportunity to slip away. The only problem was—everyone was too close together. The odds weren't great.
Buru-buru!
Suddenly, a Den Den Mushi rang in Chaton's pocket. His expression grim, he answered the call.
"Moshi moshi, this is Chaton."
"We're handling it! There's no need for that kind of order!!" he snapped, seemingly frustrated.
"…Understood. Got it."
He hung up and turned to Doflamingo.
"By order of the World Government: Heavenly Demon Doflamingo is to assist Vice Admirals Momousagi and Chaton in capturing Katakuri—one of Big Mom's Three Sweet Commanders."
"…What?" Weiss blurted out. That was his first reaction. The World Government issued an order like that?
Weren't they always trying to maintain balance across the seas?
"Fufufufufu. Looks like you really are going to die here," Doflamingo said with a glint of malice in his eyes—his thoughts unreadable.
The three surrounded Katakuri. Weiss stayed back, like a spectator, clearly unwilling to get involved.
Attacking Doflamingo now would be going against the World Government. That would be a poor choice at this stage.
"Flowing Mochi!"
"Nine-Headed Mochi!"
Katakuri didn't wait for the trio to strike. He launched a preemptive assault, activating two of his awakened techniques. He poured all his strength into the attacks.
The ground transformed into mochi, turning sticky and thick. Massive streams of mochi surged up, trying to entangle all three opponents.
Simultaneously, nine donut-shaped mochi constructs rose from the ground, each coated in Armament Haki. From each one, nine mochi fists extended—aimed at the three attackers in a coordinated onslaught.
Katakuri didn't waste time on Doflamingo. His Observation Haki told him Doflamingo wasn't putting in any real effort.
As the fierce clash raged on, the skies suddenly darkened. The full moon above was eclipsed by a massive shadow.
The wind howled. Lightning flickered madly. Bolts of thunder tore through the sky.
A massive figure plunged from the clouds, crashing into the center of the battlefield—creating a crater so deep it seemed bottomless.
Weiss stared at the smoking pit and couldn't help but curse in his heart.
"What the hell?!"
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(COMPLETED)