The moment Trebol shrieked "Doffy?", his voice shook with raw panic. Dust still hung in the air from the collapsed wall, fragments of stone scattered across the ground like broken bones.
A sharp whoosh sliced into the tension.
Virgo, dressed in his immaculate white-checkered suit, flashed into view. His expression tightened with shock the instant he saw Doflamingo pinned beneath a pile of shattered masonry, blood streaking down his chest in a jagged wound that looked disturbingly like a centipede carved across his skin. Without hesitation, Virgo darted forward, moving at a speed that left an afterimage behind.
Not far away, Rosinante appeared in a cloak of quiet urgency. His breath caught when he saw his proud, untouchable older brother wounded so brutally. The long gash across Doflamingo's chest seeped crimson, painting the rubble beneath him. Rosinante's heart clenched. He had seen his brother injured before, but never like this never defeated so decisively.
And then he saw the man responsible.
High above them, standing with casual dominance atop the broken remains of the wall, was Liam Ross, his sword Redfall resting loosely at his side. His posture was relaxed, but his presence radiated lethal confidence.
Rosinante's eyes widened. It was impossible. He had witnessed these two clash once before in the underworld city, and at that time, they were almost evenly matched. But now… Doflamingo, the man who ruled over the North Blue with iron strings and ruthless precision, had been struck down with almost insulting ease.
Liam noticed Rosinante's gaze and met it with a faint, dismissive smile. It was the kind of smile that cut deeper than any blade.
Before anyone could respond, a ghostlike blur materialized at Liam's side.
Virgo had sprung into action, bamboo stick wrapped in Armament Haki spinning in his hands. With a cold and focused expression, he aimed a crushing blow straight at Liam's skull.
"Bang!"
But Liam had already sensed the attack with his Observation Haki. Without even turning his head, he lifted Redfall and caught the strike cleanly. Sparks exploded from the impact, scattering like fireflies in the sunlight.
Liam applied a little pressure.
A shockwave of raw force surged through Virgo's weapon, rattling through his arms. Virgo staggered backward, feet digging trenches in the dirt as he fought to stay upright. His face tightened the gap in strength was obvious. At this stage of his life, Virgo simply wasn't strong enough to withstand Liam.
Before Virgo could fully recover, a flash of silver sliced across his vision.
Pain tore from his throat.
Liam stepped in and slashed his shoulder open with a clean, merciless strike. Blood sprayed across the ground, staining the blade's edge scarlet.
"Virgo!" Trebol cried, panic cracking his voice. He thrust out both hands, unleashing a thick stream of sticky brown mucus. "Sticky Chain!"
The viscous mass shot forward like a net.
Liam's lips curled in open mockery. He coated his left fist with Armament Haki and punched. The impact shattered the attack instantly, sending sticky fragments splattering harmlessly across the ground.
Virgo tried to strike again, swinging his bamboo weapon in a desperate arc. But Liam had already sensed his movement. His body twisted smoothly as he brought up his leg.
"Whoosh!"
His kick connected with Virgo's chest like a cannon blast.
Virgo shot backward, tumbling through the air as Redfall slid free from his shoulder wound, sending another burst of blood fountaining outward.
Liam vanished in a blur of motion.
In the next instant, he reappeared in front of Trebol.
The fear on Trebol's face said everything.
"Doffy !"
That was all he managed to say before a swift arc of red light separated his head from his body. It dropped to the ground with a dull thud as his body remained standing for a moment longer, swaying before collapsing.
"String Shot!"
A high-pitched sound tore through the air.
Doflamingo, shaking with fury, fired a razor-thin string from his finger. It snapped through the air like a bullet.
Liam leapt back, flipping in the air before landing lightly atop the remaining corner of the broken wall. He stared down at Doflamingo, who dragged himself from the rubble.
Doflamingo looked worse than ever sunglasses shattered, face coated in dust, chest bleeding heavily. He was gasping, rage burning in his eyes like wildfire.
He hadn't been this humiliated in years.
He fixed his furious glare on Liam, teeth grinding together. One day, he told himself, one day he would carve this humiliation away with vengeance.
But right now? Fighting would mean suicide.
"Say it," he rasped, voice cold despite his wounds. "What do you want?"
Liam's expression hardened.
"This was just a warning. Don't think that just because Emperor Tian isn't here, you can do whatever you want. Pull your people out of the West Blue immediately. And from this moment forward, your Donquixote Family will answer to the Emperor."
Doflamingo stiffened.
Losing the West Blue was already a setback. But losing his grip on the North Blue too?
He wanted to explode. But he remembered the slash he had taken the overwhelming force, the terrifying precision. He swallowed the rage.
For now.
Liam narrowed his eyes. "Try anything stupid, and you won't get another chance. When the Emperor gives you something, you take it. When he doesn't, you don't even think about it."
His voice carried a quiet but deadly authority.
Doflamingo understood it perfectly.
Liam didn't kill him because he was useful. A master of the underworld, a manipulator of networks and information he was a valuable pawn. Letting him live made more sense than ending him.
If he ever betrayed that trust?
Liam would crush him without hesitation. And if Liam didn't, Luffy would drag him straight to Impel Down.
With that business handled, Liam casually asked about Robin's disappearance.
Doflamingo revealed what he knew.
Liam frowned. It wasn't what he expected, but Robin was the child of fate she wouldn't fall so easily. He ordered Doflamingo to send men to search for her immediately.
He also contacted Capone Bege in the West Blue and commanded him to assist in the search.
What happened next would depend on fate.
The following day, Liam left the Donquixote base.
On a remote island, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
"Ding… special location detected. Reward bonus: 5 percent. Would you like to sign in?"
"Sign in," Liam replied.
"Congratulations. You have obtained: Special Growth Insoles."
Liam blinked.
A new item?
Then he scowled.
"System, what is this supposed to mean? Are you mocking me?"
Yes, he was only one meter seventy, but he was nineteen. He would still grow taller. This world's average height was ridiculous anyway two-meter giants walking around like it was normal.
He definitely wasn't insecure.
Not at all.
Muttering under his breath about how insulting this reward was, Liam crouched down, removed his boots, and happily slipped on the bright red growth insoles.
They promised five to ten centimeters after one month.
Not bad.
Meanwhile, in the West Blue.
A small town marketplace was filled with shouts.
"Catch her! If she gets away, our bounty is gone!"
"That brat isn't escaping again!"
A small figure sprinted through the streets Robin, breath ragged, eyes full of fear. Behind her, a fat woman and a thin man chased her relentlessly.
She didn't look back.
She couldn't.
Suddenly, her foot caught on a raised stone.
She fell hard, scraping her knee. Blood beaded immediately, stinging sharply. Robin grit her teeth and pushed herself up.
Too late.
The couple caught up. The thin man raised a flintlock, aiming directly at her.
The woman snarled, "What are you waiting for? Shoot her legs! Let's see how she runs then!"
The man nodded and pulled back the hammer of the gun.
Robin froze, trembling, unable to move, the barrel staring her down like a cold, merciless eye.
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