Dressrosa-New World!
"Let the old man say hello to these young men," Fujitora said with a faint smile.
"Clang!" The sword at his side, sheathed for so long, was suddenly drawn.
"!" The terrifying ripples of gravity surged into the sky, distorting the very weather itself.
After a tense moment, "Boom!!!" A massive meteorite descended from the heavens, crashing down with devastating force.
"Phew! The port here is now closed to traffic," Kuzan remarked, exhaling a breath of icy cold air.
"Buzz! Phew!" The freezing winds roared out, engulfing the entire sea around Dressrosa in an instant.
"Ice Age!" he declared as the waters solidified, trapping any would-be escapees in a prison of ice.
The Entei pirate fleet's two peak combatants had taken action, their combined powers ensuring that no one could leave Dressrosa.
Dressrosa, royal palace.
Located on the top floor of this grand structure, in a dark and luxurious room.
"Boom!"
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"
Doflamingo punched the wall hard, causing spider-like cracks to spread across the surface. He woke up from his nightmare, holding his forehead, panting heavily, with veins bulging on his forehead, and cold sweat dripping down his face.
He raised his head, looking around the dimly lit room, his cheeks twitching. As one of the self-proclaimed kings of the underground world, Doflamingo preferred his room to be perpetually shrouded in darkness.
"Kaido..."
He gritted his teeth, uttering the name of the man who haunted his thoughts. Since returning to Dressrosa after the Entei Incident, Doflamingo hadn't had a decent night's sleep. Kaido's demands for increased supplies of the artificial Devil Fruit, "SMILE," and preparations for war with the Entei Pirates kept him on edge.
Every night, he woke up in terror.
Start a war with that monster? Is that bastard Kaido insane?!
Though Kaido had once instilled fear in him, earning the title of the strongest creature in the world, the Entei Incident had changed everything. The Flame Emperor, Portgas D. Ace, was now the strongest man of this era.
During the Entei Incident, the sheer power Ace displayed was beyond terrifying. He had evolved the Mera-mera Fruit towards the sun, releasing flames hotter than the earth's core. Even Akainu's Lava-Lava Fruit was overwhelmed by Ace's sun-like flames. His pure Devil Fruit abilities alone put him above the Four Emperors.
Ace's Conqueror's Haki surpassed that of the former most Haki man in the world, Red-Haired Shanks. Even the Naval Headquarters Vice Admirals could not withstand its impact, trembling under Ace's emperor-like presence. Additionally, Ace wielded multiple Devil Fruit abilities, with the final one resembling the sun, seriously injuring Kaido's seemingly immortal blue dragon form with a single blow.
At the center of the Sabaody Archipelago, Ace's attack had created a cavity in the sea that couldn't heal for a long time. With the strategic brilliance of Sengoku and Ben Beckman, he controlled the battle effortlessly. Even the Buster Call from Naval Headquarters and Admiral Kizaru became mere pawns in his hands. Ace's strength, skill, and wisdom forced the Five Elders into a reluctant compromise, halting the Super Buster Call, the epitome of world government justice.
If Doflamingo feared Ace's power alone, it would be one thing. But Ace, the Flame Emperor, possessed a terrifying combination of perfect strength, wisdom, and skill, inspiring fear from the depths of Doflamingo's heart.
Originally, it was because of that idiot Bellamy that he caught Ace's attention. Despite this, there was still some room for maneuver. But now, Kaido wanted to go to war directly with that terrifying man, using the artificial Devil Fruit "SMILE" provided by Doflamingo. This was nothing short of a death wish, directly confronting the terrifying Ace.
Doflamingo's face contorted with dread as he contemplated the dire consequences.
Although Kaido is strong and the Beasts Pirates are formidable, being one of the four strongest pirate groups in this sea and ranking among the top two in power, they are no match for the terrifying Ace and the Entei Pirate Fleet he leads. This fleet, capable of defeating Naval Headquarters head-on, is like an unstoppable force against a fragile egg when faced with the Beasts Pirates.
In terms of power, the Beasts Pirates, who have ruled the seas for years, might have the upper hand. However, the high-end combat power of the Entei Pirate Fleet is truly terrifying. Not to mention Ace himself, but the powerful cadres under his command—'Dark King' Silver Rayleigh, 'Dark Ranger' Fujitora, and 'Little Thief Cat' Nami—are enough to stand toe-to-toe with all the high-end combat forces of the Beasts Pirates, including Kaido and the three major disasters.
Recently, Doflamingo received news about the capabilities of the World Government. Admiral Aokiji had quit Marine and joined Ace's command. Doflamingo knew very well how powerful Aokiji was. Despite lacking Conqueror's Haki, Aokiji's Frozen Fruit ability, combined with Armament Haki and the iron fist inherited from Marine hero Garp, allowed him to battle the Four Emperors and other surrounding monsters for extended periods.
If such a monster joined the Flame Emperor's command...
Doflamingo's cheeks twitched. There was absolutely no way to win! Even if the Donquixote family and the Beasts Pirates joined forces, they could never defeat the mighty Entei Pirate Fleet. This calculation didn't even account for the most terrifying man, Flame Emperor Portgas D. Ace.
Their chances of winning were extremely slim. Adding Ace into the mix was like trying to kill someone with an egg against a rock. It was utterly futile.
Doflamingo no longer expected to rid himself of that man's shadow. After Ace achieved such greatness, Doflamingo's own Haki stagnated due to the overwhelming impact of Ace's Conqueror's Haki. Although he hated to admit it, Doflamingo understood that Ace was far above his current level, existing in an entirely different dimension.
The strong psychological shadow cast by Ace's Conqueror's Haki caused Doflamingo's own Haki to stagnate. To put it bluntly, his Conqueror's Haki tried to overpower Ace's influence but failed, leading to his stagnation. When Ace grew even stronger, standing so high that Doflamingo couldn't even see his shadow, his own Haki lost the will to resist Ace's influence.
In other words, he was no longer qualified to be even a stepping stone for Ace. Although his Haki had the potential to become stronger again, Doflamingo was not happy. Even the kingly aptitude within him, his Conqueror's Haki, had completely yielded to Ace.
"It seems that we need to contact the World Government more. Kaido and Entei are at war, and Kaido's defeat is certain."
Doflamingo stood up, donned his pink feather coat, and walked to the window, his eyes flashing under his sunglasses. He was, after all, a Celestial Dragon! Although no longer recognized by the Holy Land, he still held the secret of Mariejois's "treasure." This secret, combined with his former status, gave him leverage to negotiate with the World Government and the Five Elders.
During the Entei Incident, he had fallen into Ben Beckman's scheme, which led to Hawkeye attacking him. However, the responsibility for that debacle ultimately fell on him. Regardless of this, the Five Elders and the World Government couldn't hold him fully accountable. He believed the World Government wouldn't be too arrogant this time, given the current strength of the Entei fleet led by Ace.
The Entei Fleet was so powerful that even Naval Headquarters couldn't face it alone. This was unprecedented for any pirate group. Now, the only entity capable of competing with Ace and potentially having the upper hand was the behemoth World Government.
Doflamingo knew that once Kaido and Ace engaged in a full-scale war and Kaido gets defeated, his own survival became his number one priority. He needed to head to Mariejois and live there to avoid the fallout, even if it was humiliating. Despite Ace's ability to potentially reach Mariejois, Doflamingo believed that the World Government had measures to counter such a surprise attack.
Moreover, he acknowledged that his value wasn't significant enough for Ace to take the risk of specifically targeting him in Mariejois.
"Fufufufu! You will die at the hands of the Flame Emperor, Kaido! When the world truly descends into chaos, I may yet have a chance!"
Having formulated his escape plans, Doflamingo opened the window, looked at the sky, and laughed.
"Buzz! Phew!!!"
Suddenly, a terrifying sound echoed from the sky.
"!!!"
Doflamingo, who was laughing at the sky, suddenly turned pale. The next moment, the pupils under his sunglasses tightened.
"Boom! Boom!!!"
Accompanied by a terrifying whistling sound, a huge meteorite, trailing frictional flames from entering the atmosphere, hurtled toward his palace!
"Young Lord!"
Trebol, who discovered Doflamingo's aptitude for becoming a king when he was a child and gave him the String-String Fruit, screamed in panic in the courtyard.
"A meteorite?! Damn it! Where did this come from?!"
Other cadres of the Donquixote family rushed out, their faces horrified as they watched the massive meteorite descend from the sky.
The Donquixote family had indeed committed numerous atrocities, but never had they heard of divine retribution in the form of meteorites.
"This... this ability is..."
Sweat began to bead on Doflamingo's forehead as he recognized the source of the meteorite.
"Attack! Super Strike Whip!"
In the face of the crisis, Doflamingo had no time to think. He quickly activated the String-String Fruit. Dozens of almost transparent thin threads spurted from his hand, gathering into thick, hair-like strands. Armament Haki instantly hardened the thread into steel-black pillars. With a fierce swing, the jet-black wire cut through the large meteorite.
"Keep cutting! Attack them all!"
Doflamingo shouted angrily. The cadres' expressions immediately changed as they gritted their teeth and attacked the fragmented meteorite. Although it was cut open, the kinetic energy was still enough to destroy their base if it fell straight down.
"Boom!"
With the combined attacks of everyone in the Donquixote family, the massive meteorite gradually turned into huge pieces of rubble. While they couldn't fully protect their location, it was enough to mitigate the destruction.
"Assimilation!"
A high-pitched, grating voice sounded. Pica, the Stone Fruit user, screamed and activated his ability, assimilating all the meteorite fragments into his rock body.
As the threat of the meteorite was neutralized, the cadres began to catch their breath.
"Damn!"
"Okay, its so cold!"
A wave of frigid air swept through, making Baby-5, a maid-dressed martial arts user, shiver.
"Cold?!"
Doflamingo's pupils shrank in realization.
"Violet! Use your powers and see what's happening!"
Doflamingo demanded of a tall woman. He couldn't sense what was happening at the beach from this distance.
"Doflamingo, I understand."
Violet, the Stare Fruit user and princess of Dressrosa, shuddered and began to sweat, seeing Doflamingo so unsettled for the first time. Forming a circle with her fingers, she activated her Slightly Fruit ability, instantly perceiving the anomaly on the sea.
"The sea is frozen."
Violet's words made Doflamingo's pupils shrink to their ultimate limit.
Frozen sea?!
There is only one man in this sea who can do this!
"There are two more people landing. They are on a ship with a pirate flag," Violet reported, her forehead drenched in cold sweat. She knew these two figures well.
"Who?! What kind of pirate flag is it?!" Doflamingo, completely losing his composure, roared madly. Despite his suspicions, he didn't want to accept the truth. If it were those two, his fate was already sealed.
"Former Admiral of Headquarters Kuzan! And the captain of the second team of the Entei Pirate Fleet, Fujitora, the Dark Ranger! The pirate flag flying is the Entei Pirates!!!"
Violet's words made the cadres of the Donquixote family collapse in horror. The fear and realization appeared starkly on the faces of these notorious figures.
"Flame Emperor!!!"
Doflamingo's expression twisted in utter panic and loss of control. The mere mention of the Flame Emperor's name, Portgas D. Ace, a man even the Shichibukai would bow before, sent chills down everyone's spine.
The frozen sea and the arrival of these two powerful figures, Kuzan and Fujitora, signaled the undeniable might of the Entei Pirates. Two Admiral-Level Opponent's, led by Ace, had brought their terrifying presence to Dressrosa. Doflamingo's fate seemed grim as he stared at the inevitable doom that approached his once safe stronghold.