A few days prior, a beleaguered Fleet Admiral Sengoku at Marineford had finally acquiesced to the World Government's command and prepared to dispatch an Admiral to deal with Dressrosa.
Sengoku had been considering this ever since the news had broadcast the World Government's shame to the world, tarnishing the Marines' reputation in the process. However, at the time, Aokiji and Akainu were in the New World pursuing Doflamingo, and Kizaru, stationed at Marine Headquarters, couldn't be easily moved. Who would be left to protect the Celestial Dragons? Thus, the matter had been postponed.
Now, Doflamingo's whereabouts were unknown. After numerous fruitless searches, they had no choice but to give up for the time being.
Furthermore, Aokiji and Akainu hadn't sustained any serious injuries, and since they were already in the New World, it was convenient for one of them to handle Dressrosa for defying the World Government.
Upon receiving Sengoku's order, Akainu's expression remained unchanged. He was an iron-willed soldier who would never disobey a superior's command. As for the innocent civilians of Dressrosa, in his eyes, they were no different from pirates. Death was their destiny; nothing more.
Sengoku hadn't given the task to Aokiji. He knew him too well. Although Aokiji was his favored successor, a task like this was better left to Sakazuki. Sometimes, pointless compassion only complicated matters. It wasn't that Sengoku didn't trust Aokiji, but Aokiji was cold on the outside and warm on the inside. If his heart softened at the critical moment, what would become of the World Government's and the Marines' prestige?
With Akainu, however, there was no such concern.
And so, upon receiving his orders, Akainu parted ways with Aokiji. One headed for Dressrosa, while the other prepared to return to Marine Headquarters.
After several days of nonstop sailing, even a hardened man like Akainu was feeling the strain. They had pursued Doflamingo relentlessly with little rest, and now, with Sengoku's new orders, they were immediately making for Dressrosa to complete their mission before resuming the hunt.
"Admiral Akainu, we are approaching Dressrosa," a Marine reported respectfully from the deck of the warship.
Akainu stood with his arms crossed, his gaze fixed on the island in the distance. His aura was contained, making it impossible to know what he was thinking.
"Full speed ahead," Akainu ordered, his voice icy. "Since the Fleet Admiral wants me to issue a Buster Call on Dressrosa, then Dressrosa has no need to exist."
"Sir!" The Marine didn't dare complain. Though he was exhausted, his commander hadn't said a word, so how could he dare to grumble?
As the warship advanced, Akainu and his men spotted the pirate fleet anchored near Dressrosa. Akainu, who never had a kind word for pirates, could no longer conceal his killing intent. He ordered his men to close in on the pirates, preparing to capture or kill every last one of them.
Monroe and his crew, still basking in the joy of their newfound treasure, had been waiting there for Doflamingo's next command. They had been living lavishly for days, and their vigilance had waned.
They never imagined that today, a Marine Admiral would personally come knocking on their door to settle their tab.
At first, the lax pirates didn't pay the approaching warship much mind. After all, they had seven or eight ships; they were a formidable force. What could one small warship possibly do?
But as the vessel drew closer, they recognized the figure standing at its prow: Admiral Akainu. The sight sent a jolt of terror through them.
"Monroe, what do we do? Should we run?" Barossa knew his own limits. Against the pirate-hating Akainu, they stood no chance.
"Yeah, Monroe, let's get out of here!" Rib urged, seeing Monroe hesitate.
Monroe's mind raced. It wasn't that he didn't want to retreat, but what would they tell the Donquixote Pirates? In the end, he made his choice. If they stayed, they would die. If they ran, they might have a sliver of a chance, and maybe the Donquixote Family wouldn't come after them.
"Retreat! Everyone, fall back to Dressrosa!" Monroe ordered decisively.
The seven or eight pirate ships hastily turned tail and made for the shores of Dressrosa, all their earlier arrogance gone.
Not far off, Akainu watched the pirates flee without a fight, his brow furrowing with irritation.
"Trying to run? Did you ask my permission? Meteor Volcano!"
Akainu's arms coated themselves in magma, and he launched a volley of molten fists into the air. They rained down like falling stars, hurtling toward Monroe's escaping fleet.
Seeing the threat behind them, Monroe and the others felt a chill of pure terror. Holding nothing back, they unleashed their strongest techniques to defend against the falling magma.
Sssss!
The searing magma hissed as it hit the ocean, sending up clouds of steam and making the water boil violently, a testament to the power of Akainu's attack.
Monroe and his men only managed to block a fraction of the assault. Some of the magma fists fell into the sea, but others crashed onto their ships, which immediately erupted in flames. The pirates on the burning vessels were decisive, leaping into the water to save themselves.
"Move the ships, faster!" Monroe bellowed. The situation was dire. Their fleet of seven or eight ships had been reduced to just three or four. Many were injured, though thankfully, no one had died yet; being on the open sea gave them a slight advantage.
"Hurry up!" Barossa and Rib yelled, their eyes bloodshot. They didn't want to die. There was still so much life left for them to enjoy.
"Yes, sirs!" the helmsmen replied frantically.
Akainu didn't launch another attack. Firstly, the distance was now considerable, and he wasn't fast enough to catch up without a great deal of effort. Secondly, the pirates were fleeing directly to the place he was meant to destroy anyway. He could just deal with them all at once.
"Open fire! Don't let the pirates escape!" Akainu commanded.
"Sir!"
The Marines quickly loaded the cannons and took aim at the pirate ships.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The cannonballs flew, but as expected, they mostly just sent up massive plumes of water near the enemy ships. Not only did they fail to cause any damage, but they also made the pirates more vigilant, pushing them to frantically steer their ships out of the cannon's range.
Akainu hadn't expected much. The Marines' poor marksmanship with cannons was infamous.
"Admiral Akainu, the pirates have all fled to Dressrosa," a lookout reported.
"Full speed ahead," Akainu said grimly. "We'll eliminate Dressrosa and these pirates together."
"Sir!"
And so, the pirates and the Marines made landfall on Dressrosa, one after the other.
Naturally, Doflamingo and his crew heard the commotion. He had been aware of the Marines' movements for some time. In fact, the reason he'd had Monroe and his men wait there was for them to greet the Marines properly. Unfortunately, they had proven to be utterly useless, scared witless at the mere sight of Akainu.
Still, it didn't matter how they performed. In Doflamingo's mind, they were already dead men. They knew too much, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, he had to eliminate them, root and stem.
Monroe and his crew, of course, had no idea they were already on Doflamingo's kill list. They had landed on Dressrosa hoping to use the power of the Donquixote Pirates to fend off the Marines.
Aboard the Ark Maxim, Doflamingo prepared to personally handle the final stages of his plan.
Purupurupuru…
The Den Den Mushi rang, and a slight smile touched Doflamingo's lips. It seemed Monroe and his men had reached the end of their rope.
The moment Doflamingo answered, Monroe's frantic voice burst through.
"Sir, we've run into a Marine Admiral! We've been forced to retreat to Dressrosa! We need your help!"
"It's just an Admiral. What's the panic?" Doflamingo's casual voice reached Monroe's ears, and a bitter taste filled his mouth. They weren't members of the Donquixote Pirates; they didn't have the strength to fight an Admiral.
"Sir, we…" Monroe sensed that the person on the line today was different from their previous contact. His voice carried an air of unshakeable calm, confidence, and authority.
"Relax. I, Doflamingo, will not let anything happen to you."
Hearing that name, Monroe's heart skipped a beat, and then he was overcome with wild joy.
"It's Lord Doflamingo! We're saved!"
"However, there is one more thing I need you to do," Doflamingo said, ignoring their celebration.
"Lord Doflamingo, please give us your orders! We will carry them out immediately!" Monroe replied respectfully.
"Muddle the waters in Dressrosa even further. Make the Marines and the public believe even more strongly that you and King Riku are in collusion. Incite the citizens. Turn them against the Marines and the royal family. Make King Riku take the fall for everything, turn him into an irredeemable sinner. And finally…"
Doflamingo rattled off a long list of instructions, and Monroe and his men listened thoughtfully, accepting everything.
"We will carry out your orders, my lord!" Monroe and the others promised.
"If you can accomplish this, I might just return your hearts to you," Doflamingo added, giving them a sliver of hope that would drive their motivation to its peak.
Monroe and the others' breathing grew heavy, as if they could already see their own hearts waving at them.
"Remember, you cannot reveal any connection between you and us," Doflamingo warned one last time.
"Rest assured, my lord, we are not that foolish," Monroe hastily replied.
"Good."
With that, Doflamingo hung up.
At his side, Law, who had been observing his mentor, asked, "Mr. Doflamingo, are we really going to let them go?"
"Let them go?" Doflamingo repeated, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Aren't we?" Law asked, confused.
"Law, remember this: aside from our own family, you can never be sure that others won't leak our secrets. And apart from a dead man, who do you think is better at keeping a secret?"
Doflamingo clapped a heavy hand on Law's shoulder, his tone profound.
"I understand," Law nodded, his expression turning cold and hard. "When the time comes, I'll be the one to crush their hearts. I won't give them a chance to say a word. It's a secret they can take to their graves."
A teachable student. Doflamingo was very pleased with Law's response. All Law lacked now was more life experience and combat prowess. Once he had fully matured, the Donquixote Pirates would have a man whose strength rivaled that of an Emperor's top commander and whose intellect could approach Benn Beckman's. He would also inherit Doflamingo's ruthlessness, his ambition, and, of course, his devotion to family.
Without a doubt, Law would become the second-in-command of the Donquixote Pirates. His future was bright.
The actors were in position. At last, the final performance he had been anticipating for so long was about to begin.