At this moment, Doflamingo stepped before the people, posing as their savior.
One hand clamped around King Riku's neck — only to find that the king had actually passed out.
His look of confusion lasted barely a second. Following the script he had planned from the start, he raised his voice so all could hear, standing above his three top officers:
"I am Donquixote Doflamingo — and I have come to save this nation! Trebol, Pica, Diamante! Sweep away all the trash in this kingdom!"
At his command, the three executives appeared instantly before the royal soldiers, ready to strike.
But in the blink of an eye, a flash of crimson light erupted. With a single blow, all three were sent flying back, crashing to the ground right at Doflamingo's feet.
Cough… cough…
Diamante rubbed his jaw, which had been knocked crooked, and lifted his head, glaring furiously. "Who dares?!"
Doflamingo's usual arrogant expression hardened into a frown. He watched as a figure slowly emerged from the dust and smoke.
Normally he might have laughed it off, but this involved the future of his entire plan — and any disruption left him with no reason to smile.
"So it's you."
His face grew tense as Zephyr stepped fully into view. The old warrior pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"That's right — it's me. And you lot are nothing but scum of the sea."
"Z‑Zephyr?!" Trebol's nose ran with long strands of mucus as he stared, clearly alarmed.
Of all times, why did this troublesome man have to show up right when everything was falling into place?
"Another stranger?"
"Who is he?"
"Is he a pirate too? But… he just fought those other pirates, didn't he?"
In the old days, Zephyr would have immediately shouted, "I am a Marine — remain calm!" or something similar.
But not today. Instead, he coated both fists in Armament Haki and charged straight at Doflamingo.
"I am Z, the hero of justice!!"
"Dammit!"
Diamante drew his sword and rushed to intercept, telling himself he had only been caught off‑guard earlier — after all, this was just a sixty‑year‑old man.
"Get out of my way!"
Zephyr did not waste words, nor did he use any fancy techniques.
One punch shattered Diamante's blade, and the next slammed hard into his painted face.
Whoosh!
Diamante was sent spinning backward through the air, yet Zephyr kept advancing.
Trebol and Pica moved to block him too — Trebol unleashing his sticky, twisting mucus attacks, and Pica throwing heavy punches reinforced with stone.
"Worthless Devil Fruit users — stay out of my sight!"
Zephyr unleashed his Haki to the fullest, his entire upper body turning pitch‑black.
With just a few punches and kicks, he knocked both men aside as well.
"Is this just bad luck… or did Grimm arrange this?"
Doflamingo muttered through gritted teeth — and before he could think further, Zephyr was already standing right in front of him.
---
Far away in Artemis, Grimm and his crew watched the same scene unfold through a broadcast Den Den Mushi — the battle between Doflamingo and Zephyr in Sius.
"Not bad, Indigo! Never knew you had this trick up your sleeve!" Planck clapped the man on the back.
Though Indigo was usually quiet and reserved, Planck had taken a liking to him and enjoyed chatting whenever he could.
For once, Indigo grinned proudly. "Heh — when you all stormed Marineford, I was the one who set up the live broadcast equipment. Nothing special about this."
Meanwhile, Grimm lifted his glass and took a sip of beer. Everything was proceeding exactly as he had hoped.
---
Doflamingo could have screamed in frustration. If all had gone according to plan, he would have taken full control of Sius in just one night.
But to reach that point, he had spent years laying the groundwork.
The saying "ten years of preparation, one minute on the stage" fit him perfectly — though not quite ten years.
Three years earlier, he had set his sights on securing a foothold in the New World.
He had sent his top executive Vergo undercover into the Marines, eventually getting him assigned to G‑5 — one of only two Marine headquarters in the New World.
He had gone to great lengths to strike a deal with Grimm, seize the Heavenly Tribute, and earn his rank as a Warlord.
While Grimm's presence had stopped him from moving against Dressrosa, Sius served just as well — a perfect stepping stone into the New World.
Was Zephyr here by coincidence, or had Grimm led him here?
Grimm had stationed many of his ships patrolling these waters, and since the area bordered Dressrosa, Doflamingo had thought nothing of it at first.
Whether he knew the answer now or not made little difference — yet he still wanted to know.
As he wove his invisible threads into a defensive net to block Zephyr's attacks, he bared his teeth in a mocking grin.
"Zephyr — why are you here? Surely you can see I am only trying to free this country from the tyranny of its royal family!"
Veins bulged on Zephyr's forehead. "Do you take me for a blind fool?"
He shattered the web of threads with a single burst of strength, extended his index finger, and aimed it straight at Doflamingo.
"Shigan!"
Doflamingo threw himself sideways just in time. The compressed air blast still struck a tall building two hundred meters behind him, bringing it crashing down in an instant.
"Fighting inside the city will only endanger the civilians you claim to protect," Doflamingo taunted, exploiting the old warrior's principles.
He leaped high into the sky and headed for the outskirts of town.
It was not just to change the battlefield — it was also to give his subordinates time to regroup. Before leaving, he shot Trebol a sharp glance.
Trebol, half his sunglasses shattered and looking thoroughly disheveled, struggled back to his feet. King Riku lay unconscious nearby, and no one dared approach him.
Even though Zephyr's sudden arrival had derailed the plan, the people already believed Riku was a blood‑crazed monster.
"Trebol! Sir Pica!"
Buffalo and several other officers of the Donquixote Family came rushing over, all injured. Trebol's face twisted into a scowl; he knew exactly what had happened.
A single man named Zephyr had torn their entire scheme apart.
"Inside the palace…"
"Zephyr told the soldiers the truth, but we've already taken care of them," Senor Pink whispered.
Trebol thought for a few seconds, then gave the order: "We'll limit the damage as much as possible. Retreat — and report this to Vergo immediately."
The Donquixote Family quickly withdrew from sight, leaving the people more confused than ever.
First King Riku and his army had turned on their own people.
Then pirates had stormed in to stop them — though the townsfolk cared little for who they were, as long as someone came to save them.
Now a strange new man had appeared and started fighting those very pirates.
Not knowing what else to do, the people decided it was safest to flee back to their homes or gather on higher ground.
__________________
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