Next Bonus, 100!!
<><><><><><>
The Golden Lion's sudden appearance—and the brutal bisection of Saint Killingham—sent a shockwave of terror through Shamrock and his allies.
The immortality granted to the God's Knights was their greatest shield, their divine crutch. But the moment they realized it could be countered, that shield crumbled into fear.
Shamrock moved to retreat immediately. Doflamingo, seeing the writing on the wall, had no intention of staying behind to die.
Though it pained him to abandon his kingdom, Doflamingo coordinated with the others. They momentarily suppressed Loki, activated a teleportation circle, and vanished from the chaotic battlefield.
Thwack!
A trident whistled through the empty air where the magic circle had just dissipated, slamming into the King's Plateau beyond.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The plateau exploded, a testament to the terrifying power behind the throw.
"A pity," Jin mused, his consciousness inhabiting the floating body of Shiki. "This puppet lacks the lightning speed of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. I couldn't catch them in time."
WHOOSH!
A massive hammer came swinging out of nowhere.
It was Loki.
He was attacking Shiki.
The Giant Prince was no stranger to this legendary figure. He had seen Shiki years ago, and seeing him now ignited his warrior's blood. He wanted a fight.
Shiki's body drifted effortlessly to the side, dodging the hammer.
"Loki... Stand down."
Jin's voice resonated directly in Loki's mind, halting the giant's rampage.
"If you want to fight, there will be plenty of time later. Don't lose your head."
"Tch!"
Loki spat, his battle lust still burning, but he lowered his weapon.
A man like Loki might have surrendered to Jin, but his nature was wild and untamable. Within the organization, he answered to no one.
Only Jin could hold his leash.
—————————
With Shamrock, the God's Knight, and Doflamingo gone, the war for Dressrosa effectively came to an end.
The Donquixote Family had fallen.
Without their leaders, Doflamingo's mercenaries and soldiers lost their will to fight. Morale collapsed. They broke rank, some fleeing into the ruins, others throwing down their weapons in surrender.
The coalition army of King Riku and the Tontatta Tribe seized the momentum, sweeping through the city to mop up the remnants.
Jin issued a new command. Rhode, Deez, and Law were ordered to join the cleanup.
There were nearly twenty thousand enemy combatants here. That was twenty thousand laborers and twenty thousand soul crystals. How could he let such a bounty slip away?
Since the start of his special training and his heavy investment in research, the Demonic Carrier's daily energy consumption had skyrocketed.
Part of the reason he had proactively attacked the Donquixote Family was to harvest a fresh wave of souls to replenish his reserves.
Of course, he wouldn't kill them all. Those whose crimes were lighter would be sent to the labor camps for "reformation."
The Winter Blossom Kingdom was in the middle of massive hydraulic and electrical infrastructure projects; they needed all the muscle they could get.
In the flower fields, a one-legged Kyros stood victorious over a defeated Diamante.
With that, aside from Doflamingo himself, the entire Donquixote Family executive cadre was in chains.
—————————
Mary Geoise.
The sudden return of Shamrock, the God's Knight, and Doflamingo sent the Five Elders into a frenzy.
Saint Garling Figarland was not present. He had taken the rest of the God's Knights to the West Blue, chasing rumors that the Revolutionary Army—dormant for over a year—had reignited its flames there.
The core of the Revolutionaries—Dragon, Kuma, and their elite cadres—were the real threat. As long as they lived, the spark of rebellion would never die.
"What? Shiki the Golden Lion has resurfaced?"
"He's formed an alliance with Loki and Trafalgar Law?"
"And Saint Killingham has been captured??"
The intelligence brought back by the retreating trio was so shocking that even the Five Elders, men who ruled the world, were left stunned.
Think about it.
Shiki, Loki, Law, plus heavy hitters like Rick Deez and Rhode...
They had formed a new pirate coalition.
Damn it. Was this another Yonko crew in the making?
And not just any crew—one with the potential to rival the strongest of them all.
The Five Elders felt a collective headache coming on. This was a catastrophe that would shake the world to its foundations. The name "Golden Lion" alone carried enough weight to terrifying the seas.
The worst part? They had received zero warning. No intelligence, no whispers.
What the hell was Cipher Pol doing?
"This is unacceptable," Shamrock raged, his face twisted with humiliation. "We must activate the Buster Call immediately! Wipe out Shiki and his lot, and rescue Saint Killingham!"
The other God's Knight was equally furious. "That Golden Lion... he slapped a Celestial Dragon in the face! In front of everyone! It is unforgivable!"
"He must die!"
"We lost... the shame is unbearable. We must reclaim our honor!"
Doflamingo, being a relatively new addition to the God's Knights, had little say in the matter. But he was anxious—his subordinates, his business, his entire legacy was in Dressrosa. He had to get it back.
"The dignity of the Celestial Dragons cannot be violated," one Elder stated coldly. " Punishment must be absolute."
The Five Elders exchanged glances. They reached a consensus quickly.
"A Celestial Dragon was attacked in Dressrosa. He is gravely wounded, his fate unknown."
"That is reason enough."
"Furthermore... King Riku conspired with pirates to attack a descendant of the Gods. He is no longer fit to rule a member nation!"
Between King Riku and Doflamingo, the Five Elders naturally favored their own dog, Doflamingo.
Saint Topman Warcury, the Warrior God of Justice, had an attendant bring a Golden Den Den Mushi. He contacted Fleet Admiral Sengoku directly.
"What?"
Sengoku's voice crackled over the line, incredulous. "Initiate a Buster Call on Dressrosa?"
"Are you questioning our decision, Sengoku?" Warcury's voice was ice.
"King Riku, in a desperate bid to regain power, allied himself with the Golden Lion, Loki, Law, and other vicious criminals. He tore up the peace treaty."
"When Saint Killingham went to mediate, they attacked him and seized control of Dressrosa."
"That land is now stained with the blood of a Celestial Dragon. The people there have declared themselves enemies of the Gods!"
"Do you understand?"
Sengoku felt a vein throb in his temple. He frowned, forcing himself to be patient. "I just want to know... why? Wait, who did you say? The Golden Lion??"
That old rival... how many years had it been? Twenty?
"Yes. He is the one who defeated Saint Killingham. Therefore, the Navy has an additional objective."
"Kill the Golden Lion. Capture Loki and Law!"
"And what about Saint Killingham?" Sengoku asked.
"The God's Knights will deploy to... retrieve him. Your responsibility is to erase Dressrosa from the map."
"Understood."
Sengoku hung up the phone and rubbed his temples, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"Shiki... The moment he comes out of retirement, he starts a war. The rookies are restless, and now the old ghosts are stirring too?"
He reached for the Golden Den Den Mushi.
The Buster Call.
A fleet of ten battleships, led by five Vice Admirals and manned by the elite forces of the Navy.
Authorized by the World Government, it was an indiscriminate, annihilating attack on a specific target.
A scorched-earth policy.
It existed to completely erase anyone or anything that posed a threat to the World Government's rule.
<><><><><><>
~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)