Charlotte Linlin's tea party ended quickly.
Everyone at the gathering could clearly see that since Big Mom and Yemu, the captain of the Sky Pirates, had left and returned, her expression had soured.
Originally, thanks to the delicious sweets, Big Mom had been quite cheerful. But there were simply too many meddlesome people. First, Morgans curiously asked why Yemu hadn't returned, and Charlotte Linlin, annoyed, snapped that she didn't want to see that guy again.
Then Feld and Umit, seeing an opportunity to curry favor with Big Mom, volunteered to help deal with the brat who had upset her. But instead of pleasing Big Mom, she glared at them and snapped, "Do you think I can't beat that kid?" Startled, the two hurriedly explained that wasn't what they meant.
By this point, Big Mom was thoroughly annoyed. Even the sweets she had been enjoying now tasted bland.
Finally, a single remark from Stussy completely set Big Mom off.
"A fox who's eaten a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit? That's truly rare!"
Stussy had only intended to probe the fox's origins. After all, today's conflicts seemed tied to that fox, and if she could get specific information, she might be able to drive a wedge between the two pirate crews.
But she hadn't expected Big Mom's reaction to be so intense. In that moment, she could distinctly feel that although Big Mom's gaze was calm, the murderous intent behind it was impossible to hide. Stussy broke out in cold sweat.
Fortunately, Big Mom didn't act. She merely shot Stussy a cold glance and then left.
With that, the tea party clearly couldn't continue pleasantly. As Big Mom departed, the guests slowly dispersed.
With the tea party over, the most awkward person was Doflamingo. He hadn't attended just for the sweets. From the moment he entered the New World, he knew that establishing himself here and fulfilling his dream of returning to Dressrosa to rule the country required the cooperation of the New World's tyrants.
Just as Wano holds special significance for Kaidou, Dressrosa was the first step in Doflamingo's plan to become a ruler in this world.
But before he could even propose his plan, Big Mom had already left.
"Are we just going to leave like this, Doflamingo?"
Watching the guests disperse, Diamante asked reluctantly.
Doflamingo's face was full of humiliation, his expression grim. Just after Big Mom left, he had proposed a partnership to her eldest son, Perospero, only to be ruthlessly rejected.
"A partnership!? Joker, you seem to have misunderstood. Mama would never partner with a petty pirate like you!"
What humiliated Doflamingo even more was Perospero's final remark:
"Do you really think your Donquixote Family is the Sky Pirates, and that you're Yemu, the Pirate Captain?"
Instantly, the veins on Doflamingo's forehead bulged. As a fellow user of Conqueror's Haki who debuted in the same era, Doflamingo would never admit to being inferior to Yemu. His Donquixote Family was certainly no weaker than the Sky Pirates. Yet now, Perospero so blatantly underestimated him.
After thinking it over, Doflamingo concluded there was only one explanation.
"Diamante, looks like we need to make a big splash too!" he said excitedly.
"A big splash!?"
Diamante froze, while Rosinante immediately went on high alert.
"Yes. At the very least, let's raise our bounties. Otherwise, people will continue to underestimate us!"
Diamante understood immediately what Doflamingo meant.
"So, what should we do?"
"No rush. Let me think… fufufufu… perhaps the Sky Pirates' actions might give me some inspiration…"
Diamante realized that Perospero's words had struck a nerve, but instead of panicking, Doflamingo had grown excited.
"Should we head back now?"
"No rush. There's still a good show to watch, fufufufu!"
Diamante understood at once. Although the Donquixote Family had only recently entered the New World, their intelligence network was in no way inferior to the established Underworld rulers.
Diamante grew even more excited.
"Doffy, who do you think will win?"
"Fufufufu, it doesn't matter to us. Whichever side wins, it's a win-win for us. All we need to do is go out to sea, watch the show, and prepare to reap the rewards..."
Meanwhile, Rosinante looked completely bewildered, having no idea what Doflamingo was saying to Diamante. He realized he had not yet earned Doflamingo's trust.
As the three returned to the pirate ship and sailed toward the open seas beyond Totto Land, countless pirate ships appeared on the horizon, heading straight toward them.
In terms of numbers, there were at least fifty pirate crews, including several with bounties exceeding 100 million Belly that Rosinante recognized.
Rosinante initially thought a pirate war had broken out, with someone attacking Big Mom Pirates' territory, but he quickly realized that these crews were not targeting Totto Land—they were targeting a familiar pirate ship.
In an instant, Rosinante recognized who owned the ship being blocked by the fifty-plus pirate crews.
At that moment, Doflamingo burst into an excited laugh and said to his younger brother and Diamante,
"Rosinante, Diamante, let's see exactly how that 2.2 billion Belly bounty is superior to ours."
Rosinante could clearly detect the jealousy in his older brother's tone.
At that moment, it wasn't just Doflamingo watching the upcoming battle. Some daring nobles and pirates were also secretly keeping an eye on the fight.
However, just to be safe, they all stayed hidden within the waters of Totto Land.
Aside from them, there were also Morgans, Stussy, and Vinsmoke Judge.
High in the sky, a teapot-shaped ship flew along, pulled by countless birds, with a hot air balloon-like device mounted on top. On it, Morgans excitedly used a video Den Den Mushi to record everything that was about to happen.
Not far from Doflamingo's pirate ship, another vessel was anchored, bright with color and decorated with all kinds of flowers.
Stussy, a CP0 spy and one of the Dark Emperors, was watching as well.
On the snail-like warship of the Vinsmoke family, Vinsmoke Judge and Vinsmoke Reiju stared at this familiar scene with very different expressions.
Judge was merely watching in calm silence, but Reiju was clutching the Den Den Mushi in her arms so tightly that her face was full of worry.
Then, without any warning or negotiation, all fifty pirate ships opened fire at the same time.
A dense mass of black cannonballs arced through the air in visible trails, hurtling toward the Twin Goddesses.
And under everyone's watchful eyes, a fire dragon rose from the deck of the Twin Goddesses....
…
Half a minute earlier, on the deck of the Twin Goddesses, Enel looked nothing like everyone had expected. As he watched the pirates blocking their path, he gave a bored yawn, clearly uninterested.
"I really can't get worked up over this... These idiots never learn, no matter how many times they get taught a lesson..."
Yemu was not particularly interested either. Beating up weaklings could feel great once in a while, but after doing it too many times, even that got tiresome.
Then he suddenly thought of something, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.
"This is actually a pretty good chance. That combo move of ours. Ever since we came to the Blue Sea, I don't think we've used it even once."
Enel's eyes lit up instantly, and his whole mood changed.
"That move? No problem. So I finally get to show the power of the Thunder God!!!"
"Then get ready. You're the main part of that move, after all..."
"Leave it to me!"
Enel clenched his fists excitedly. Lightning flickered all over his body as he stared at the incoming cannonballs in the distance with eager anticipation.
"It's about time these fools learned what the true power of the Thunder God really is..."
"Alright, then I'll go first!"
The moment he finished speaking, Yemu transformed into a fire dragon with a roar and shot straight up from the deck into the sky, flying toward the pirate ships…
…
At the very rear of the massive pirate fleet, Umit, the Shipping King, and Feld, the Loan Shark King, immediately spotted the enormous fire dragon flying toward them over the distant sea.
Both of them frowned, but neither looked too worried, because they had already made preparations.
"Get the Seastone shells ready and fire. Today, we're making sure the Sky Pirates stay right here..."
As the order was given, the cannons that had long been prepared all turned their barrels toward the approaching fire dragon.
But at that moment, something strange happened.
The fire dragon in the distance, after flying halfway toward them, did not continue forward. Instead, it suddenly changed direction and shot straight up into the sky.
"!!!"
Everyone was baffled, including all those watching the battle unfold.
Then, once it seemed to have reached a great enough height, the fire dragon suddenly stopped in midair. It looked up at the sky above and lifted its head high.
Then, with a clear dragon's roar, flames burst from its mouth and blasted into the sky overhead.
The change was visible to the naked eye. From the point where the flames struck, fire spread outward like rippling waves in every direction. In only a few breaths, it covered the entire sky and dyed the whole world a blazing red.
"That should do it!"
About half a minute later, feeling the temperature and humidity around him rising, Yemu stopped breathing fire. He looked toward the nearly fifty pirate ships in the distance, still completely unaware of what was about to happen, and with a trace of pity in his eyes, turned back toward his own ship.
The people watching nearby were even more dumbfounded.
"This... Doffy, what exactly is that guy doing?"
Diamante looked at Doflamingo beside him, completely confused.
Doflamingo himself was just as puzzled. He looked up and saw that after Yemu stopped releasing flames, the fire in the sky had already faded away, as if nothing had happened at all.
Although what had just happened was indeed breathtaking—the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit was truly incredible—what exactly was that technique...
Just then, Doflamingo sensed something was wrong; a chill ran down his arm. He looked down to see a single drop of water on his skin. Looking up again, he saw a wisp of mist rising from the surrounding sea. At that moment, a thought struck him, and he looked up in horror.
Visibly, the once-clear sky seemed to shift in an instant, dark clouds gathering and thickening rapidly.
"What is this!?"
Doflamingo understood immediately. His face paled, then he erupted into maniacal laughter.
"So that's it, so that's it. What a madman! Let's see just how terrifying the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit really is!"
Morgans, floating high above, also realized what was unfolding. He looked up to see lightning beginning to flash within the dark clouds overhead.
"This is bad... this is bad..."
Without hesitation, Morgans shouted to his subordinates.
"Men, get out of these dark clouds immediately!"
His sudden action caught the attention of some people on the sea, though they still didn't understand what was happening. Everything that had just occurred was inexplicably strange.
In the distance, Umit and Feld watched the scene, equally puzzled. They stared at the dark clouds above. To them, this seemed ordinary; such weather was common on the Grand Line. Their minds could not even begin to imagine the impact this could have. Or perhaps, they simply knew too little about Logia-type powers.
Then a voice, arrogant and commanding, rang out loud enough for everyone to hear.
"It's about time, isn't it? Time to show this world the power of the Thunder God!"
"!!!"
Everyone froze, looking up toward the source of the voice. In the sky, a man shimmered with lightning, floating effortlessly, his gaze filled with pitying sympathy.
"Who is that?"
"It looks like Enel, the First Mate of the Sky Pirates!"
Among the spectators, some knew the name Enel, others did not. Compared to Yemu, far fewer recognized him. But after this move, no one would forget the name.
Enel raised the golden staff in his hand. Lightning surged along it, channeling into the dark clouds above. Instantly, the sky-spanning clouds crackled with lightning and thunder, converging toward the center. A colossal black thundercloud, as vast as an island, appeared before everyone's eyes.
At that moment, even a fool could understand the Sky Pirates' intent.
"No way, a technique like this..."
Diamante recoiled in terror. Rosinante's heart raced; if this strike hit Marine Headquarters…
Doflamingo, meanwhile, laughed maniacally.
"Fufufufu! This power already rivals the Ancient Weapons!"
Morgans excitedly recorded every moment with his Den Den Mushi.
Stussy's beautiful face had lost all color; she didn't even notice when her Den Den Mushi fell to the deck.
Vinsmoke Judge was filled with exhilaration. He glanced at his daughter.
"My decision was right. This power will absolutely help me dominate the North Blue..."
As for young Reiju, before today she had known only fear, but now her eyes shone with pure admiration.
Through the windows of the Twin Goddesses, everyone on board witnessed the scene and their expressions changed. They looked as though they were seeing a god.
Umit and Feld were so stunned that their cigars fell from their mouths, their eyes wide with terror. They wanted to escape, but it was already too late.
"Well then, farewell, everyone!"
"Raigo!"
As the massive thundercloud, as vast as an island, descended from the sky, the entire world was engulfed in blinding light....