"Superficial? Doflamingo, you sure talk big."
Rayleigh's expression grew increasingly cold.
Ever since Roger's death, nearly 80% of pirates had been chasing after the location of the One Piece.
The greatest achievement of their lives—the legendary treasure of the seas.
And now, coming from Doflamingo's mouth, it sounded utterly trivial.
"Yes, superficial. After all, it's too illusory. So illusory it doesn't have any real impact on the structure of this world."
"Pirates are still pirates. Marines are still Marines. Nobles remain nobles. Celestial Dragons are still Celestial Dragons."
Rayleigh heard the meaning behind Doflamingo's words, and his voice grew even colder.
"I'm just a retired old pirate. Changing the world isn't something I can do."
"Fuffuffuffuffu~"
On the other end of the line, Doflamingo suddenly burst into laughter. Rayleigh really did think too much.
"Of course you can't. The only one who can do that... is me, Doflamingo!"
"I invited you simply because you and—"
"You evil man! What are you doing to my people?! Give them back to me!!"
Before Doflamingo could finish his sentence, a furious female voice cut in.
"Rayleigh-san, I'll call back later. I've got a bit of a mess to deal with first."
Click!
Rayleigh and Shakky exchanged glances, both startled, speaking in unison:
"That voice just now... was that Tritoma?!"
BANG!
Before they could think further—
The tightly shut door slammed open. A bloodied Kuja warrior burst in, panic all over her face, gasping for breath.
"Rayleigh-san, Shakky—Empress-sama was ambushed by pirates and severely wounded!"
"Now she's chasing the slavers who kidnapped Hancock, dragging her injured body behind her—please, go help her quickly!"
Hancock—Tritoma's chosen successor as the next Empress.
Rayleigh and Shakky had heard bits and pieces about that.
Now, combined with the voice they'd just heard from the Den Den Mushi, their expressions hardened.
A sense of unease piled up inside them.
Slavers, Doflamingo, Hancock, Tritoma—
Rayleigh and Shakky connected the dots, and their hearts filled with urgency.
"Damn it! Doflamingo!!!"
Tritoma was far too young—she couldn't possibly be a match for that monster.
They entrusted Hatchan to the Kuja warrior, got the coordinates of the slaver ship, and rushed out at top speed.
...
Meanwhile—
"Your people?"
Doflamingo turned his head, quickly identifying the newcomers from the two serpents slithering by their side.
Kuja warriors from Amazon Lily.
How interesting.
Tritoma's sharp eyesight caught a glimpse of the scene on the slaver ship in the distance.
Dried blood coated the deck almost entirely, dyeing the wooden planks an ominous dark purple.
A dozen or so people huddled together, their mangled bodies trembling as they let out weak groans, venting their pain.
The three Boa sisters were also curled up in a corner with a few others, shivering with fear.
Suspended above the ship was a floating cage.
Seated calmly in mid-air was a man in a tailored suit, slicked-back hair, and polished demeanor.
His hands moved elegantly in the air, as if playing a piano—but in reality—
The ribs of a poor soul were being forcibly snapped and pulled out by threads from between his fingers, tearing through flesh.
It seemed like he planned to use them to polish some kind of toy.
The inhuman cruelty and gore ignited the fury of Tritoma and the warriors behind her.
If she had been even a moment later, would the next victims have been Hancock and her sisters?
"Die!"
Tritoma sprang from her serpent's head, leaping across the gap between the ships at lightning speed.
"No, Empress-sama!"
"Don't—Empress! That's one of the Four Emperors!"
Hancock's brief joy at seeing her family turned into horror. Her small face twisted in despair as she reached out powerlessly.
On the ship, Gloriosa mirrored her reaction, her wrinkled yellow face draining of color.
She had recognized the man instantly.
He was the Heavenly Yaksha—Doflamingo!!
One of the legendary Four Emperors. Not someone they could possibly fight against!
And Tritoma was already gravely injured...
But Tritoma's will wasn't something to be swayed by their fear. Her long leg slashed through the air, aiming straight for Doflamingo's annoying sunglasses.
Fast. Precise. Fierce.
Snap!
In the next moment, Tritoma was caught mid-air, entangled like a bird that had flown straight into a spider's web.
"Evil? I'll take that as a compliment."
Doflamingo's lips curved as he stared at Tritoma's beautiful face.
Bound by his sticky threads, her face flushed with rage, and her wounds oozed fresh blood as she struggled.
But no matter how hard she fought, she couldn't break free from the web holding her in the air.
"Fuffuffuffuffu~ All that effort... wasted."
Doflamingo raised a hand, and Tritoma's body was slowly pulled toward him.
He pinched her pale neck, examining the Kuja Empress who looked like a real-life Wonder Woman.
Absolutely stunning—definitely worthy of bearing the next generation.
"I saved your Kuja people, and this is how Amazon Lily repays me?!"
"?!" Tritoma froze.
Did she... attack the wrong person?!
"Empress-sama, this man isn't the slaver who kidnapped us—he saved us. All those people who were tortured... they were the slavers."
The fight had ended so quickly that Hancock breathed a huge sigh of relief.
She rushed forward with her two younger sisters and briefly explained what had happened.
"Exactly," Doflamingo nodded in satisfaction and flicked his fingers, lowering the unfamiliar Kuja Empress to the deck.
Rayleigh and Shakky had... let's just say, an ambiguous connection to this woman.
For Rayleigh's sake, Doflamingo was willing to let this little misunderstanding slide.
"..."
Tritoma's face went pale, then flushed again.
Finally, she glared at Doflamingo with fury—and attacked again.
Her right leg straightened, wrapped in Haki, stabbing toward Doflamingo's throat like a lance.
As the Kuja Empress, Tritoma's pride would not let her accept such a swift and humiliating defeat.
At the very least, she had to land a hit on this arrogant man!
THUD!
Her brows furrowed—her kick felt like it had struck the hardest rock of the Red Line.
She hadn't hurt him at all. Worse, it felt like her foot was about to split open.
"You don't know when to quit."
Doflamingo raised an eyebrow, conjuring a long whip in his hand, which lashed out faster than anyone could see.
CRACK!
The whip slammed into Tritoma like lightning, tearing her skin open and sending her spinning like a broken kite.
BOOM!
She crashed into a pile of discarded iron cages and didn't move for a long moment.
"Empress-sama!!"
"You bastard! What are you doing?!"
The Kuja warriors had just boarded the ship using grappling hooks.
Seeing their goddess brought down like that, they were instantly enraged.
They charged forward, weapons wrapped in Haki, yelling in fury.
"Worms like you have no right to fight."
Doflamingo's gaze turned sharp—Conqueror's Haki exploded from him, filling the entire area.
Hancock and the others nearest to him collapsed instantly, foaming at the mouth and losing consciousness.
The same fate soon befell the charging Kuja warriors.
"Conqueror's Haki..."
Tritoma had just gotten up from the pile of cages when her head spun again.
But even with her injuries, she managed to stay upright.
This wasn't her first time experiencing something like this.
"I have that too!"
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg