Zephyr gritted his teeth. He was no fool — the scheme was so obvious that he saw exactly what Doflamingo was up to in an instant.
He had to admit, though, it was a masterful plan. I have to give him credit for how clever it is.
King Riku is innocent. The only way to free him is to knock him unconscious.
As the thought crossed his mind, Zephyr readied himself to act — then stopped. He still did not want to reveal his identity.
Instead, he picked up a small stone no bigger than his thumb and hurled it toward the king, who was still slashing wildly from horseback.
Thud!
The stone struck Riku squarely at the base of the neck, with enough force to stun him like a sharp blow from the edge of a hand.
No one else noticed; the townsfolk were too busy fleeing in panic. Zephyr kept his eyes fixed on the king, and saw his head loll to one side — a clear sign that he had been knocked out.
But the next moment proved him wrong. Riku's head hung limp, his eyes closed, and yet his sword strokes remained just as fast and vicious as before.
He can control someone even when they are unconscious… or even dead? You really are a scoundrel of the sea…
Clenching his fists, Zephyr turned his gaze toward the royal palace. Even if he charged in to stop the chaos, it would likely only make things worse.
To minimize the bloodshed, his only choice was to find and deal with the one pulling the strings: Doflamingo himself.
His Observation Haki was sharp, but not strong enough to track someone across an entire city.
Since the king had come from the palace, that was where Doflamingo was most likely to be.
With that, Zephyr hurried into the grounds, determined to put an end to the slaughter.
---
At the very top of the palace's tallest bell tower stood the three top executives of the Donquixote Family — Pica, Diamante, and Trebol.
Doflamingo crouched just ahead of them, his fingers outstretched, manipulating the puppets below.
Suddenly his expression shifted. Behind him, Trebol noticed the change at once. "Something wrong, Doflamingo?"
"One of the threads connected to Riku has been disturbed — it looks like someone attacked him."
"Really? A commoner daring to strike their own king?" Trebol asked, curious but not overly concerned.
"Doesn't matter. He's still under my control. Nothing to worry about."
Doflamingo brushed it off as a trivial interruption and continued his work, forcing Riku and his soldiers to cut down their own people.
"Once fear has spread across the whole kingdom and everyone hates Riku, the real hero will step onto the stage!" he cackled, tongue flicking out in amusement.
---
Inside the palace, Monet — wearing round spectacles as thick as bottle bottoms — opened the main gates and let the Family's officers enter.
The royal guards tried to stop them, but their morale was already shattered by the strange behavior of their king and commanders.
Even at full strength, they were no match for Gladius and Lao G, and were quickly beaten to the brink of death.
"Don't kill them," Senor Pink warned, grabbing Gladius just as he was about to make a soldier explode.
"Young Master says they may prove useful later."
They fought their way through to the control room, where the Den Den Mushi projectors were broadcasting the terrible sight of Riku and his men massacring the townsfolk.
"About time," Senor Pink murmured, stroking his chin and sucking on his pacifier.
"Now we just wait for Young Master to make his entrance!" Monet pushed her glasses up onto her forehead, her tone filled with admiration.
Without the thick lenses covering her face, her striking beauty was fully revealed — no doubt the reason she had gone unnoticed as a spy during her time inside the palace.
"Excuse me… but where is Doflamingo right now?"
A voice came from behind them, making every officer spin around.
Zephyr stood there, cracking his knuckles one by one with a series of sharp snaps. The gesture was just like Garp's — but Zephyr at this moment looked far more terrifying.
BAM!
A fist wrapped in Armament Haki slammed into the wall, driving Monet halfway into the stone.
She shifted part of her body into snow to try to escape, but her Logia powers proved useless against him; she remained pinned fast.
One eye half‑open, she glanced down to see Gladius, Giolla, Buffalo, Baby 5, and the rest all lying unconscious or defeated.
"Truly… the power of an Admiral…"
Those were the last words she managed before passing out, still embedded in the wall.
Slap! Slap! Slap!
Zephyr struck Senor Pink repeatedly across his round, fleshy face, his voice cold and disdainful.
"I've seen plenty of weaklings who rely entirely on their Devil Fruit powers."
With the last of the Donquixote officers taken down, Zephyr looked around, and a cruel grin spread across his face — something no one had seen from him in over sixty years.
"Ah… hahaha… nothing but scum from the sea!"
Buzz!
"Ugh… AAAAAAH!"
He suddenly clutched his head, struggling to hold back the maddening blood‑rage surging through his veins.
Quickly pulling a sedative spray from his pocket, he pressed it to his mouth and inhaled deeply.
His anger had flared, and with it, the power of his blood‑arm had spun completely out of control.
Below, the soldiers who had been defeated moments earlier stared up in utter disbelief.
He finished them all that fast?
"Is this real?"
"All those terrifying monsters… and he took them on alone?"
"Who on earth is he?"
Once he had calmed the curse within him, Zephyr rose and turned to the screens.
The projectors now showed Doflamingo standing openly with his three top commanders, holding King Riku up by the neck and forcing the royal army into submission.
Many lives have already been lost, but I've stopped the slaughter here — that is the most I can do for now.
"Just you wait, Doflamingo. You dare to steal a whole kingdom — I don't know how you managed to earn your place as a Warlord, but you have broken every rule in the book!"
As Zephyr turned to leave and confront him, several soldiers stepped forward, still bewildered.
"Excuse us… but who are you?"
Zephyr paused, and for a split second, remembered his childhood — dressing up in masks and striking heroic poses just like in the stories. A faint smile touched his lips.
"Call me Z."
The soldiers exchanged confused glances, knowing it was not his real name.
"Riku is being controlled by Doflamingo's Devil Fruit power. Go and tell the people this at once — hurry! I will deal with Doflamingo myself."
With that, Zephyr strode out of the palace.
__________________
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