"Doflamingo! You opportunistic scumbag! I'll tear you to pieces!"
Moriah, ignoring the blood seeping from his bandages, grabbed his giant sword and charged at Doflamingo.
"After all these years in the New World, Moriah, have you still not learned the rules of this world?"
In response to Moriah's outburst, Doflamingo arrogantly spread his arms wide, "The victors are the ones who write history!"
"Opportunism, outnumbering the enemy—it won't matter! Once I take over Shadow Island, who's going to care about the details?"
Seeing that Moriah had coated his giant sword in Armament Haki, Doflamingo showed no intention of fighting back. Instead, he casually crossed his legs and sat on the shoulder of the controlled pirate captain.
"Accept your defeat, Moriah. With Boa Hancock captured and Rayleigh missing, what can you possibly change by yourself?"
"This is the price of choosing the wrong side. To challenge the most powerful force on the seas—how foolish you all were!"
As Doflamingo finished speaking, he slowly stood up, his fingers twitching slightly.
Boom!!
The next second, the doors to the castle hall were blown open by an explosion.
A figure flew out from the pile of rubble and landed heavily at Moriah's feet.
It was Absalom, the invisible man, bloodied and barely alive.
One after another, shadows emerged from the thick smoke.
Trebol, Pica, Diamante, Lao G…
Nearly all of the Donquixote family had arrived!
"You filthy scumbag! Get your disgusting snot off me, you sick pervert!"
Within the snot cage created by Trebol, Perona struggled frantically, spewing all kinds of vulgar insults.
The sticky, slimy substance covering her made her want to die on the spot.
"I'm afraid I can't do that. Your powers are quite frightening, you know," Trebol replied calmly.
When the battle had first started, Perona's Negative Ghosts had caused significant damage to their forces. Even now, many of his men were lying on the shore, babbling nonsense about wanting to become seashells.
Watching this 'evil' scene unfold, a certain perverted knight's eyes gleamed.
"To think he's binding a beautiful girl with filthy snot... What a dirty, despicable act!"
"Hey! You, the creepy guy over there! Stop that disgusting behavior and release that girl immediately!" Darkness, her face flushed red, trembling with excitement, slowly approached. "Let... Let me handle it!!"
It was only at this point that Doflamingo noticed Darkness, a stranger he had never seen before.
A new recruit of Moriah's, perhaps?
An evil grin spread across Doflamingo's face as a twisted idea formed in his mind.
With a flick of his fingers, he activated the powers of his String-String Fruit, using invisible threads to control Darkness's limbs and halt her advance.
"Fufufufu! As a fitting finale to your foolishness, Moriah, let this subordinate of yours be the one to end your life."
"I'm sure it'll be quite the spectacular show!"
Just as Doflamingo was about to force Darkness to draw her knight's sword and walk over to kill Moriah, a strange, heavy breathing sound reached his ears, causing his movements to falter.
"First a perverted snot prison, and now this strange binding play? What... What a wonderful world this is! You'll never make me submit!"
What the hell was this?
Not only was she not resisting, but she seemed excited by the experience, actively dropping her guard!
The odd feedback from his threads nearly made Doflamingo question his own senses.
In the past, those he controlled had either struggled in terror or begged for mercy in despair. But this blond woman...
Hmm...
Uh...
No comment.
The grim atmosphere came to a sudden standstill. Even the sea breeze blowing through the windows seemed to stop, unwilling to interact with the woman.
Buzz!
Just then, the ceiling of the hall lit up with a dazzling magic circle.
"Ouch, ouch! That damn captain hit me so hard! I'm a girl, you know!"
A slender figure landed gracefully, Uta clutching her head, complaining loudly about the bump forming there.
"Huh? Where is this?"
Realizing the strange atmosphere around her, Uta blinked in confusion. Her eyes locked with Doflamingo's, who now wore a deep frown, a sense of unease creeping up on him.
Uta hadn't appeared during the battle in the Kingdom of God, so Doflamingo had no idea that she was part of the Sea Restaurant crew.
The other Donquixote members were equally puzzled and on guard.
"Uta?" Moriah blinked in disbelief.
Once he confirmed it wasn't an illusion, he burst into an ear-piercing laugh, "Hahahahaha!!!"
No one understood better than Moriah what Uta's appearance truly signified.
After three years of waiting, those he had been waiting for… were finally back!
"Hey, Uta! Come over here! This place is paradise!" Darkness called out enthusiastically to Uta.
Glancing at Darkness's bizarre pose, Uta responded in a tone filled with cold disdain, "No way!"
"Hey, kid who just dropped from the ceiling, who are you?" Doflamingo asked coldly, his unease growing as Moriah's barely concealed joy became more apparent.
"Me?"
Uta looked up at Doflamingo from below, placing her hands on her hips and proudly puffing out her chest. "Listen up! I'm Uta, the diva destined to be known worldwide, daughter of Red-Haired Shanks!"
"And now, I'm the musician aboard Zyhark's ship, the Sea Restaurant of Doom!"
Shanks?
Zyhark?!
Hearing those names, buried deep in their memories, Doflamingo and the Donquixote family broke into a cold sweat.
After their encounter in the New World and the battle in the Kingdom of God, Zyhark and his crew had left a lasting scar on their psyches.
Especially for Doflamingo—despite his outward arrogance, if he had to choose the one person who terrified him the most among all the strong individuals he had faced, it wouldn't be Whitebeard or even Kaido.
It would be Zyhark, without a doubt!
Before they could fully process this explosive information, a cat-like figure suddenly dropped from the ceiling with a soft "ding."
"Dammit, Zyhark! No matter how you look at it, we're still crewmates, so why do you have to hit me so hard, meow!"
Meowth, landing gracefully, immediately started cursing out Zyhark.
The sight of the talking cat shattered the last bit of hope Doflamingo had clung to.
Normally proud and unyielding, Doflamingo now resembled a frightened bird, too scared even to stay and observe the situation. Without hesitation, he yelled at his subordinates, "Everyone, retreat!"
"Get off Shadow Island, now!!"
Leading by example, Doflamingo smashed through a window and quickly escaped into the sky, using his threads to flee.
The Sea Restaurant crew, aside from Zyhark, included King—the man who once incapacitated three Admirals and killed one of the Five Elders, Saturn—as well as numerous subordinates as powerful as Emperors' Admirals.
As long as they had stayed out of sight, things had been fine. But now that they were back, no amount of manpower on Doflamingo's side would be enough to stop them!
In a matter of seconds, the once-lively castle fell silent.
Ripples spread across the Wishing Pool, and Brook, King, Escanor, and Kanna all appeared one after the other.
Moriah, tears in his eyes, watched as the final shimmering light brought Zyhark and Aqua—who was nursing a large bump on her head—back as well.
With the addition of their new companion, Darkness, the full crew of the Sea Restaurant had finally returned!
"Zyhark, you son of a... you're finally back!" Moriah shouted, his voice breaking.
In the three years since Zyhark and his crew had disappeared, Moriah had endured countless attacks from both the Navy and New World pirates.
Had it not been for the injuries sustained by many top-tier forces during the Kingdom of God war, or the fact that Shadow Island wasn't a prime target for the World Government, Moriah would have been crushed, just like the Kuja Pirates, and thrown into Impel Down!
The hardships he had endured were unimaginable.
But even so, Moriah had never given up. He had always believed that the Sea Restaurant would make a comeback one day.
It was a belief he had held onto for three long years.
After all, once you chose to join this crew, unless you saw the corpses with your own eyes, someone as loyal as Moriah would never abandon hope so easily!
"You've done well, Moriah," Zyhark said, his expression softening with gratitude.
One look at Moriah, still wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, was enough to understand the situation.
There was no need for further explanation.
"Hey, onion! It's been a while, but what's with that weird outfit of yours?" Aqua chimed in, unusually concerned for once.
She walked over and tried to pat Moriah's shoulder but ended up smacking his waist instead, thanks to her short stature.
"Hiss…"
Moriah sucked in a sharp breath, spewing a mist of blood, "Damn it, Aqua! Are you trying to kill me right now?!"
"Huh? It's not a weird outfit? You're hurt?" The dumb goddess blinked in confusion, her eyes radiating wisdom.
"Anyone with a functioning brain can see that, you idiot!!" Moriah spat, frothing at the mouth.
"You look pretty lively to me, so you probably won't die that easily, meow," Meowth added smugly.
"…You damn cat, I still hate you!"
Moriah's bloodied lips twitched as the crew laughed, their joyful reunion making the last three years feel like mere moments.
But once the laughter subsided, Aqua began using her healing magic on Moriah and Absalom.
"Hey, Moriah. Judging by the signs around here, there was a battle not too long ago?" Zyhark suddenly asked.
"Yes, it was that bastard, Doflamingo!"
The mere mention of Doflamingo's name made Moriah grit his teeth. "Once I recover, I'm going to march straight to Dressrosa and tear him to pieces!"
"No need," Zyhark replied as he slowly rose from the leather sofa, his expression darkening.
With a thought, the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit flowed back into him, amplified by Observation Haki, spreading out in all directions as electric waves.
Within moments, he located the Donquixote Pirates, who were fleeing at full speed across the nearby waters.
In their previous encounter in the New World, Zyhark had gone easy on them, only allowing Aqua to summon a tsunami to overturn their ships.
And the battle in the Kingdom of God had been orchestrated by the World Government.
But now, harming his crewmates in his absence—this was something Zyhark could not forgive!
Sensing the murderous intent in Zyhark's gaze, Moriah immediately understood.
Without uttering any useless phrases like "don't get involved," he simply smiled faintly from where he lay on the sofa.
"I'll leave it to you, Captain."
Zyhark nodded lightly in response.
The next second, arcs of electricity crackled as his figure vanished.
...
On the Donquixote Pirates' ship.
"Damn it! Why are we so slow?! Speed up already!"
Doflamingo shouted anxiously at the helmsman from the deck, his nerves on edge.
"This is the fastest we can go, Young Master."
Trebol tried to calm him. "Just because that crazy scientist, Meowth, showed up doesn't mean Zyhark is definitely back, right?"
"Maybe he's already dead somewhere out at sea!"
Hearing this, the other officers began chiming in with their opinions.
In truth, they all knew deep down that if the Sea Restaurant crew was really alive, there would be nowhere to run.
Convincing Doflamingo was just a way to comfort themselves.
But reality is always cruel, and there are no debts that go unpaid in the pirate world.
Bzzzt!
The sound of crackling electricity echoed from the ship's mast, sending shivers down the spines of every pirate aboard.
"Unfortunately, I'm very much alive."
Zyhark stood at the top of the mast, his hands in his pockets, looking down at the Donquixote family on the deck.
"Zyhark!!"
Seeing the all-too-familiar face, Doflamingo's heart raced, his hair standing on end as cold sweat dripped down his face.
"Doflamingo…"
Zyhark slowly pulled his hand from his pocket.
In that instant, his Conqueror's Haki exploded.
The previously clear sky darkened as heavy black clouds gathered.
From deep within the clouds, crimson lightning bolts roared like wild beasts, creating an apocalyptic scene.
"W-Wait, Zyhark! You can't kill me! I'm backed by Kaido, the Beast!"
Zyhark's expression remained unchanged.
"I… I can tell you the secret of the Celestial Dragons' national treasure!"
Still no response from Zyhark.
"Damn it! Do you know who you're dealing with?!"
Realizing that Zyhark was set on killing him, Doflamingo stopped trying to plead and unleashed his Devil Fruit powers in full, ready for a desperate battle.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
The entire pirate ship transformed into sharp, thick strings covered in Advanced Armament Haki, launching Doflamingo's ultimate attack—16 Divine Bullets: God Thread!
"Hello… And, sayonara."
Zyhark calmly lowered his raised hand.
Boom!!!
A massive lightning bolt, charged with Conqueror's Haki, crashed down, annihilating the ship and the surrounding sea, leaving nothing behind!
After finishing off the Donquixote family, Zyhark hovered in the air, electricity crackling across his body.
But he didn't stop there. Instead, he unleashed his full power toward the sky.
"Feel this long-forgotten fear and panic once again, World Government, Celestial Dragons..."
"This is a declaration of total war!"
Thunder boomed as waves surged, and as if to overturn the world after three years of silence, mile-long lightning bolts continuously crashed down in the waters surrounding Shadow Island.
The terrifying roar of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit echoed throughout the entire New World!!!
(End of Chapter)