Caesar, that useless waste…
Doflamingo cursed inwardly.
There is no pain without comparison.
He had poured tens of billions of berries into Caesar.
Over a decade of research.
And what did he get?
A hundred or so defective artificial Zoan fruits per year.
Now look at Blackbeard.
Less than a week.
Mass production.
And not Zoan—
Natural-type.
Even worse.
Thunder and flame fusion.
Doflamingo's jaw tightened.
He could only watch as Xiao continued experimenting mid-battle, adjusting parameters, refining the fruit structure in real time.
The success rate was climbing.
Each failure strengthened the network.
Each survivor became more stable.
Doflamingo could already see the future—
Every artificial natural fruit selling at astronomical prices.
The entire underworld market overturned.
His orders.
His monopoly.
Gone.
For a man like him—
Watching someone else earn what should have been his wealth was worse than death.
Fortunately…
He gently touched the ring on his finger.
Immortality.
Compared to that—
Money was merely decoration.
He forced himself to look away.
If he kept staring, he might lose control.
He needed to vent.
And he found the perfect outlet.
Captain of the 13th Division.
Buffalo Atmos.
Large.
Simple.
Perfect.
Doflamingo vanished.
Reappeared behind Atmos like a spider descending on silk.
Invisible threads pierced silently into Atmos's cervical vertebrae.
Control seized.
Atmos's massive body trembled.
Then—
He turned.
And began hacking his own men.
The two enormous machetes rose and fell.
Blood splattered.
"Captain?!"
"Stop! It's Doflamingo!"
Atmos wept as he slaughtered his own crew.
His consciousness remained.
But his body was no longer his.
"Fufufufu… what a tragic puppet show."
Doflamingo's grin stretched wide.
This—
This was therapy.
Meanwhile—
The battlefield shifted.
More thunder-flame soldiers emerged.
The pattern became obvious.
Someone was manufacturing them.
Eyes scanned the battlefield.
They found him easily.
Blackbeard.
Openly creating ability users in the middle of war.
The Whitebeard Pirates exploded with rage.
Thatch's death was unresolved—
And now he was strengthening the Navy.
Hatred toward Teach surpassed even the urgency to rescue Ace.
Several hot-blooded captains broke formation and charged toward him.
"Stick to the original plan!"
A blue meteor descended.
Marco.
First Division Commander.
"Teach… I'll handle him."
His arms transformed into blazing phoenix wings.
Azure flames trailed behind him.
He shot forward.
Xiao didn't even look up.
"If you're going to sneak attack, just do it."
"Why shout first?"
Marco's flaming kick came crashing down—
Cloak rose.
Blocked.
The fabric shimmered with Armament Haki.
"Only you… the Whitebeard Pirates will never forgive you!"
Marco roared.
"But I've already forgiven you."
Xiao flicked his cloak outward.
The edge flashed like a blade.
Marco instinctively leaned back.
Chest exposed.
That was the real strike.
Under the cloak—
A fist had already gathered.
Hidden Hand.
Intentional Punch.
BOOM.
Armament detonated directly into Marco's sternum.
"Puff—!"
Blood sprayed.
Marco was blasted backward.
The phoenix flames flickered violently.
Xiao's punch wasn't flashy.
But it was precise.
All force concentrated.
All Haki driven inward.
Straight to the heart.
If it were anyone else—
They would already be dead.
But Marco was a Mythical Zoan.
The Phoenix.
His body burned blue.
Flesh reknit.
Bones realigned.
His heart restarted.
"Thief hahaha…"
"Too naive, Captain Marco."
Xiao dusted off his hand casually.
The mockery was naked.
The world of pirates worshipped direct confrontation.
Strength versus strength.
Haki versus Haki.
Round-based exchanges.
But this—
This was technique.
Feint with the cloak.
Force visual misdirection.
Open the centerline.
Hidden strike.
Classic martial principle:
Point east, strike west.
In this world—
Almost nobody practiced it.
Marco crashed onto the ice.
Before he could rise—
A shadow fell over him.
Vice Admiral Onigumo.
His spider-like hair shot forward.
Seastone cuffs snapped shut around Marco's wrist.
The flames sputtered.
And died.
Marco—
Captured.
The battlefield froze for half a heartbeat.
The Whitebeard Pirates stared in disbelief.
The Navy roared in triumph.
And Xiao—
Simply turned away.
Already looking for his next experiment.
The war was escalating.
And he was enjoying every second.
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