After receiving Hancock's message, Rosinante glanced at the towering Bullet, then decisively used Moon Walk to ascend into the air.
There, he saw the four Logia users concentrating their firepower on a single point.
"Stella! Everyone, retreat!" Rosinante said bluntly. "Defend Wano Country's mainland first and deal with the others. We'll handle this giant last!"
"Are you serious?"
Under the enhancement of her energy-storing Cloud exoskeleton, Stella unleashed another massive Fist Bone Impact...
But the combined robot, nearly pierced through by the attack, instantly shifted other materials to the wound, replenishing it.
"Tch, what a stubborn guy," Stella looked at her hand and said resentfully. "Seems we have no choice."
"How... frustrating."
Crocodile smoothed her blue hair—identical to Vivi's—the scar running across her mature face looking particularly gloomy.
"Frustrating as it is, we have to stop here," Smoker lit another cigar and clenched it between his teeth.
"Haven't you noticed Bullet isn't even paying attention to us anymore?"
"For a human, there's no need to care about insects," Enel crackled with electricity all over his body.
"But it's incredibly annoying when you're the one being treated as the insect."
"Let's leave it at that. Since we're no longer useful here, let's do something meaningful."
As the commander, Rosinante still made the decision.
But this retreat was equally helpless...
They had considered Bullet's Merge-Merge Fruit, but never expected that the awakened More more Fruit could actually multiply something already enormous by a hundredfold...
Either of these awakened Paramecia-type Devil Fruits alone would have been an earth-shattering existence.
Yet they could... synergize?
The current effect wasn't simply one plus one equals two!
Not just them—even the three monsters stationed at Marine Headquarters probably wouldn't have any particularly good way to deal with Bullet right now.
"Sigh."
Rosinante sighed and said:
"On my command..."
"Smoker, take Hawkeye with you!"
"Retreat!"
...
"Come on! Who's next?" Yamato sat atop Queen's unconscious body, boldly eyeing the other Beast Pirates crew members.
"I think you'll need to try harder!"
Looking at the people lying haphazardly across the deck, cold sweat gradually seeped from beneath King's mask.
Current Yamato—whether in terms of physical strength, Devil Fruit abilities, or all three types of Haki—was in a state of being completely surrounded by Kaido...
Though there was still potential to be tapped, surpassing Kaido entirely was nearly impossible.
As Kaido's only "brother" and Yamato's once-close "uncle," King saw all this clearly.
But now, standing as Yamato's enemy, King knew they couldn't let this go...
Yamato being completely surrounded was only in comparison to Kaido!
In another sense, who they were facing now wasn't Yamato...
Mythical Zoan, demon horns, kanabo, all three types of Haki, Thunder Bagua...
This was practically a mini-Kaido!
King took a long breath and raised his massive broken sword.
"Everyone..."
"Attack together!"
Hearing this, flames blazed in Yamato's eyes.
Then they untied the gourd marked with the character for "rice" from their waist...
Tilted their head back, and drank it all in one go.
As Kaido's child, Yamato had not only inherited Kaido's physical prowess and all three types of Haki...
But had also mastered the Drunken Dragon's Rampage to perfection—growing stronger when drunk, yet becoming unpredictable.
"...Hic!"
"Hehehe, hahahaha!"
"Let's play..."
This was a demeanor King had seen on Kaido more than once...
'Drunken Dragon's Rampage: Drunken Dependence!'
Seemingly careless, yet... Would lash out violently at any unpredictable moment.
...
"Finally, Doffy has made up his mind to shake off the reins Michael has on him."
"I can't let him down either!"
Dashing between the houses in the Flower Capital, Diamante—one of the Donquixote Family's four top executives, leader of the family's combat division, codenamed "Diamond"—excitedly searched for his target.
Walking beside him was a man in a Marine officer's uniform...
"Bamboo Vine" Vergo.
Having officially joined the Marines through the World Military Draft.
And through formidable Armament Haki, had smoothly risen to the rank of rear admiral.
This also revealed Doflamingo's determination to succeed this time...
Even at the risk of exposing the mole planted within the Marines, he was willing to ensure a single decisive strike!
"Diamante, you'd better keep a low profile. Don't forget our mission isn't to cause chaos, but to quietly seize Kozuki Oden's family while the frontline battles rage."
"Ah, of course I know that, Vergo," Diamante snorted coldly. "I didn't even use my ability to fly directly to Kozuki Oden's shogunate residence. I've been extremely careful."
As the Flag Human who ate the Ripple-Ripple Fruit, he could transform any ordinary object into a lightweight, silky form.
However, only the form changed—the material itself remained unaltered.
Under the guidance of Doflamingo's String-String Fruit abilities, the two descended from the skies into Wano Country.
"The shogunate residence is right ahead!"
The two exchanged glances and nodded in silent understanding.
As Doflamingo's earliest companions, their years of cooperation had forged seamless teamwork.
In the back alley of the shogunate residence, Diamante pressed his hand against the wall, instantly softening it like silk.
With a single step, they entered the residence.
The shogunate wasn't particularly large, and with the aid of Observation Haki, they quickly located the rear garden.
There sat Kozuki Toki, Kozuki Momonosuke, and Kozuki Hiyori, their faces etched with worry.
"Dear Lady Shogun, take your children and come with us. Our king, Doflamingo of Dressrosa, wishes to meet you."
Seeing no guards nearby, Vergo and Diamante revealed themselves.
Momonosuke and Hiyori gasped, instinctively standing up...
Only to retreat far away.
"It's too late to run now."
Just as Diamante moved to grab them, Kozuki Toki rose gracefully to her feet... Revealing the twin swords Oto and Kogarashi at her waist.
"They're not running—they're just avoiding the crossfire." Kozuki Toki sighed.
"You two..."
"Didn't you wonder why there are no guards in the shogunate?"
"Under my father's tutelage, I've trained my body quite diligently."
With that, she drew both swords in a fluid motion...
Her pale green hair fluttering in the wind.
Like... a lion.
"Slashing Wave!"
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