"Vegapunk?"
Hearing Caesar's words, Rowan spared the man a sideways glance and said leisurely, "Why would the Old Man go looking for that fellow?"
"Hm?"
Before Rowan could finish his sentence, he let out a soft sound of curiosity. He lifted his gaze toward the direction where Dellinger had been kicked. His expression showed a hint of surprise.
"To think you could actually tank a kick from the Old Man."
Under Rowan's gaze, the diminutive Dellinger slowly walked out from the dense woods. Although he looked quite disheveled and his clothes were torn in several places, there were no visible wounds on his body. On the contrary, he looked rather spirited, and a mocking smile played on his lips.
Though he covered his mouth with his hands, the smile was still clearly visible.
"Yi-yah, yi-yah! Truly worthy of the Marine Godfather—the man who can beat Kong. The power of that kick just now was truly strong."
Dellinger giggled behind his hands. Despite his words, there wasn't a trace of fear on his face. Instead, because his mouth was stretched so wide, the bare display of his rows of predatory, needle-sharp teeth was enough to make one's skin crawl.
Looking at Dellinger acting as if nothing had happened, Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Tsk, tsk. Worthy of someone with Fighting Fish blood. That physical constitution is something an ordinary human can't match."
However, Rowan didn't look particularly bothered. While the momentum of his kick had been intimidating, he hadn't used Conqueror's Haki—only the "Tekkai" technique of the Six Powers. This was why Dellinger could still stand there so casually. If that kick had been coated in Armament Haki, the brat wouldn't be smiling.
"Yi-yah, yi-yah! Vice Admiral Rowan, please return the Caesar beneath your foot to me. Otherwise, I won't be able to give the Young Master an explanation."
Dellinger looked at Caesar, who was lying half-dead under Rowan's foot, and smiled. He gave Rowan a meaningful look and continued, "With your status, Vice Admiral, you surely know exactly who my Young Master is, right?"
"Give your Young Master an explanation?"
Rowan took a slow puff of his pipe and then laughed. "Forget a little brat like you—even if Doflamingo stood before me personally, do you think the Old Man would hand him over?"
"By the way, did your Young Master not tell you? His status as a Shichibukai and a Celestial Dragon doesn't hold a shred of weight with the Old Man."
"You..."
Hearing Rowan's words, the smile on Dellinger's face gradually faded. He wasn't angry, but he was curious: how did this old man discover the others?
"Since Vice Admiral Rowan has already noticed us, there's no point in hiding!"
Suddenly, a cold voice rang out. Following the sound, a man stepped out of the woods. He wore a fringed hat, had two red stripes painted on his face, and wore a red cape—looking very much like an indigenous warrior. He was tall and wore a constant, chilling sneer.
Beside him stood a bald old man in a strange tight-fitting suit, his muscles bulging and the veins on his forehead throbbing violently. On his other side was a tall woman with grass-green hair and wings for arms.
These three were the reason Dellinger felt no fear toward Rowan.
"Diamante?! Diamante, hurry and save me!"
Seeing the three appear, a glimmer of hope surged on Caesar's face, and he screamed with all his might.
Diamante ignored Caesar's cries. He kept his eyes fixed on Rowan, offering a superficial, skin-deep smile. "Vice Admiral Rowan, we know you are strong. But the man under your foot is someone our Young Master personally ordered us to protect. If I don't bring him back, the consequences will be very severe."
As he spoke, a thick, icy killing intent radiated from Diamante. His intention was clear: Hand Caesar over, and we stay out of each other's way. But if you refuse... don't blame me for being disrespectful to a 'Marine Godfather'!
As the Top Officer of the Donquixote Family, he was prepared to do whatever it took to complete Doflamingo's orders.
Rowan's expression didn't change as the others revealed themselves; the light smile remained on his face. "Did the Old Man not make himself clear? Never mind just you brats—even if Doflamingo brought every single member of the Donquixote Family here, he wouldn't be taking this man away."
"Besides, if Doflamingo actually showed up, my target this time wouldn't just be Caesar."
Hearing Rowan's "boastful" words, Diamante cracked his neck, his voice turning even colder. "Since you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice..."
With that, Diamante grabbed his belt and pulled it free. The once-supple belt suddenly rippled and transformed into a rigid western rapier!
Paramecia: Ripple-Ripple Fruit. He could make any hard object as light and flexible as cloth. Every piece of clothing on Diamante was actually forged from steel. Though they looked light, they possessed the hardness of iron!
"Lao G, Monet, Dellinger—attack together!"
Diamante's voice was frigid, his body emitting a startling killing intent.
Rowan tucked his pipe away, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and said, "I was planning to clean you lot up after the Reverie, but since you're here, the Old Man will take a few out now. Consider it a warning to Doflamingo."
"Hm?"
Just as Diamante and the officers prepared to lunge, they froze. Their eyes narrowed as they looked at the woods behind Rowan.
The quiet ground began to vibrate slowly. The sound of countless footsteps echoed from the forest, as if an army was charging toward them.
"Now this... is a bit of a problem." Diamante licked his lips, his expression turning grim.
In his field of vision, two Vice Admirals leaped out first, followed by a sea of white Marine uniforms emerging from the trees. Within moments, thousands of Marine soldiers had completely surrounded the clearing.
Leading them were Momonga and Ethan. Naturally, Luffy and Zoro had also arrived. However, Luffy was currently holding a half-eaten chicken leg, his mouth covered in grease. He didn't look like reinforcements—he looked like a spectator at a picnic.
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