Wano Country, the island of ghosts.
A grand, lively banquet was underway.
For Shichibukai Doflamingo, today should have been a day of celebration.
He had successfully convinced Yonko Kaido of the Beasts to go to De Reiss Rosa.
With Kaido present, he thought De Reiss Rosa would be impenetrable. Even if Fairy Tail showed up, they could come and go—they would be powerless.
However… Doflamingo had never expected the guild to move so fast.
Before he could even return Kaido to his seat in town, Fairy Tail captured De Reiss Rosa with lightning speed.
And the news of the Donquixote Family's annihilation reached him.
A tidal wave of grief, pain, and rage unlike anything he had ever known surged through Doflamingo.
Thirty years ago…
Because of his father's insistence on walking his own path, he had lost the greatest privileges in the world—the title of Celestial Dragon.
Even if he returned to Mariejois with his father's head, the high Celestial Dragons would not let him back.
It was the Donquixote Family that had lifted him from the depths of hell into the clouds, starting with the North Blue, steadily building a foothold in this era of great pirates.
Eight years ago, leveraging his Shichibukai status, he had reclaimed the Donquixote territories.
With De Reiss Rosa as the hub, he had established the largest underground trading port in the world, a hub for the dark underworld backed by Yonko Kaido.
Above ground, he was a Shichibukai.
Below, he was the greatest intermediary in the black market, able to manipulate both black and white with ease.
But… all of that was gone.
Just today, at this very moment, everything he had built over decades collapsed overnight.
"Young Lord!"
Xue Nu Mo Xi, the only surviving cadre accompanying Doflamingo to Wano, looked at her master in distress.
Fufurfur… Furfufur…
Doflamingo suddenly tilted his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha! What's the matter, Joker? You can still laugh, even now? Could it be… the shock isn't enough to break me?"
Plague Quinn, third-in-command of the Hundred Beasts, laughed derisively.
"Don't worry about your useless subordinates, Joker. You can't manage Shichibukai anyway—why not join our Hundred Beasts directly? Perfect timing. When idiot Jack was captured, we still had a spot open on the big Kanban. You qualify, barely!"
"Hahaha! Lord Quinn is right!"
"Master Doflamingo, join us!"
"Become a big Kanban, and we'll respect you!"
"Forget about De Reiss Rosa—it's all trash anyway!"
The Hundred Beasts pirates laughed in agreement, showing no sympathy for Doflamingo or his family.
"Shut up! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"
Doflamingo snapped.
Click!
Black and red lightning burst across the room.
His Conqueror's Haki swept through the hall.
The beasts and mid-tier fighters suddenly froze, their faces pale with fear.
"Yo yo… Conqueror's Haki. That's terrifying…"
Plague Quinn remained defiant.
"You passed, Joker!"
Yan Huanjin, second-in-command of the Hundred Beasts, spoke in a deep voice.
"And you, stupid Quinn… keep your mouth shut!"
"Stupid Jin, not your turn to lecture me!" Plague Quinn retorted.
"Everyone, shut up!"
Finally, Yonko Kaido of the Beasts rose from his seat.
"Why is this rare banquet so annoying? The wine has gone cold."
The towering figure approached Doflamingo, his shadow casting a dark pall over the hall.
The sheer presence of Kaido calmed Doflamingo slightly, though cold sweat dripped down his back.
"Relax, Joker," Kaido rumbled. "Your subordinates are still my younger brothers. Don't worry—the matter won't end here. New and old grudges… Fairy Tail will pay for them."
Holy Land — Mariejois
Pangu City, Five Elders Chamber
"Horse riding!"
The Five Elders, wielding near-absolute power in the world, could not contain their anger.
"Fairy Tail… again? How much trouble does that guild want to cause us?!"
Curly-haired Elder Satan gritted his teeth.
"During the G5 incident, I thought they'd finally learned their place, that they wouldn't offend the Marines or the government. I was wrong."
Blond-haired Elder snarled, trembling with rage.
"And that useless trash Doflamingo… defeated so easily!"
Bald, scarred Elder spat.
"The danger posed by Fairy Tail exceeds our expectations. You know what happened on Fishman Island—if not for accidents…"
White-haired Elder stroked his beard in worry.
"Fairy Tail now controls the key to the Ancient Weapon Nico Robin, and even the real Ancient Weapon…"
The swordsman Elder paled.
"Whether Poseidon is truly the Ancient Weapon or not, Fairy Tail is a huge threat that cannot be ignored!"
"What's worse… the Marines are arrogant, targeting that guild with the 10 billion bounty and Sabaody incident. It cannot continue!"
"It cannot go on like this. The Marines are our tools—they must remain under our control."
"Since the Marines refuse to fight Fairy Tail… then we force them!"
The corners of their mouths curled into sneers. Ideas were already forming.
New World — De Reiss Rosa
Although the tyranny of the Donquixote Family had ended, Fairy Tail had not left.
First, they used De Reiss Rosa as a stronghold, taking a short rest.
Second, the mission against the Donquixote Family was not fully completed—the mastermind, Doflamingo, was still at large.
Third, there was the matter of aftermath management. The fall of Donquixote would inevitably attract daring opportunists.
If Fairy Tail left, De Reiss Rosa would once again descend into chaos.
As expected, on the third day after the De Reiss Rosa incident, a group of bold pirates approached the island.
However…
Before they could even land:
"Fire Punch!"
A blazing, fiery giant fist swept across the waves, obliterating every pirate ship.
Mera-Mera Fruit… delivered right to your doorstep!