Sali's first impression of the newcomer was simple, dangerous.
Without hesitation, he moved.
His palm, coated in dense Armament Haki, shot forward and firmly caught the greatsword mid-swing.
"Huh?"
The sheer force behind the strike pushed Sali back two steps.
That alone was enough to excite him.
A strong opponent, and right before the Marines arrived. The timing was perfect.
Sali did not hold back.
He instantly shifted into his hybrid beast form. His left hand, still gripping the blade, released a surge of high-voltage lightning, aiming to paralyze his opponent. At the same time, frost spread across the ground beneath them, freezing the enemy's legs in place.
His right fist drew back.
Lightning crackled, Armament Haki surged, and Ryuo flowed into the strike.
Then he punched.
"Boom!"
The impact was explosive.
Smoke and dust filled the air, but when it cleared, the result left Sali stunned.
"Diamante!"
That weak voice came from Donquixote Doflamingo, whose consciousness was barely holding on.
"Stop!"
Another voice followed close behind.
Gion had arrived.
Sali stared at the figure in front of him.
Only half of Diamante's body remained intact. The rest was charred beyond recognition.
For a brief moment, Sali was at a loss.
"As the top executive of the Donquixote Family, his presence felt powerful… so why was he this weak in an actual fight?"
He recalled the moment just before the punch landed.
Diamante had taken the lightning head-on without any defense. His legs had been frozen in place without resistance.
Sali had not even intended to kill him. That lightning discharge was meant to paralyze, nothing more. Even so, it carried tens of millions of volts.
The clash had been too fast.
By the time Sali realized it, his charged fist had already struck.
And the result was this.
If Ash had been here, he probably would have made a sarcastic comment about it.
Sali exhaled, then casually tossed aside the charred greatsword. Lifting his leg, he kicked the barely conscious Doflamingo away again before turning toward Gion.
She stood ready, gripping her blade, Konpira, her gaze sharp and cautious.
Sali tilted his head slightly, scratching his neck as he looked at her.
"Pirates run wild across countless islands every day, yet the Marines are nowhere to be found. But when it comes to saving pirates, your response is impressively fast."
He glanced at Diamante's corpse.
"What is it, Vice Admiral Gion? Planning to arrest me for attacking a pirate?"
Gion's expression hardened at the sarcasm.
"I have no interest in your internal conflicts as a Shichibukai…"
She did not finish her sentence.
A suffocating killing intent suddenly filled the air.
Gion reacted instantly, her body flashing away.
"Boom!"
A massive pillar of lightning slammed into the spot where she had been standing moments before, blasting a deep crater into the ground. Sparks crackled violently in the air.
Gion stared at Sali in shock.
His expression had turned completely cold.
He had just attacked a Marine without hesitation.
"Did I give you the impression you could speak freely to me?" Sali asked calmly.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Compared to Marines who allow pirates to roam freely while serving the Celestial Dragons, I have never harmed a single civilian, nor have I spared a single pirate."
His gaze sharpened.
"So tell me, who is the real dog here, Vice Admiral Gion?"
Gion fell silent.
For the first time, she reconsidered her words.
She knew who Sali was.
Unlike other Shichibukai, he had not risen as a pirate, but as a bounty hunter. Everything he had done since entering the Grand Line aligned more with justice than many Marines.
At the very least, his presence had brought real stability to Paradise.
Still, admitting fault was not something she could easily do.
Just as the tension reached its peak, two Den Den Mushi rang at the same time.
Sali and Gion paused, exchanging a brief glance before turning away from each other.
"Ash, why call now?" Sali asked as he picked up the receiver.
On the other end, Sengoku's name came up immediately.
"He's been calling nonstop," Ash said with clear annoyance. "Since he couldn't reach you, he kept calling me. I've had over ten calls already."
Sali raised a brow.
"He figured out our connection?"
"He probably knew from the start. Don't forget how they first contacted us."
"That makes sense. So what does he want?"
Ash let out a light chuckle.
"He doesn't really care that you beat up Doflamingo. If anything, he might be pleased. But the timing is terrible."
"Why?"
"Retreat first. I'll explain on the way."
"Understood."
Sali hung up.
Across from him, Gion had also ended her call. Konpira was already sheathed.
Neither of them spoke again.
The brief clash had ended as abruptly as it began.
Gion had originally been patrolling in place of Kizaru when she received orders to mediate a conflict between the Shichibukai. Even after deliberately slowing her arrival, things had still escalated.
Now, with new orders in hand, there was no reason to continue.
They turned and left.
As for Doflamingo, whether he lived or died no longer mattered.
On the way back toward Paradise, Sali finally learned the truth from Ash.
The New World had descended into chaos.
Major forces had entered a full-scale conflict. Among them were the Big Mom Pirates of Totto Land, the Beasts Pirates of Wano, the forces of Wang Zhi on Hachinosu, the Whitebeard Pirates, and the Red Hair Pirates, along with several other dominant crews.
The entire sea had become a battlefield.
The Marines and the World Government were watching closely, mobilizing their forces while allowing the pirates to weaken each other.
Warships now patrolled the outer regions, preventing defeated crews from escaping into safer waters.
Because of this, Kizaru had been reassigned closer to the conflict, working alongside Akainu and Aokiji.
And right in the middle of all this, the Shichibukai had started fighting among themselves.
It was a political disaster.
The World Government could not afford to lose face at a time like this.
That was why this confrontation had to end immediately.
Fortunately, Sali had already achieved his objective.
As they neared the Red Line, Ash spoke again.
"I just received a large amount of merit energy. Did you kill someone?"
Sali thought for a moment.
"Diamante. His presence felt strong, so I used more force than intended. Turns out, he couldn't handle it."
"Oh, that guy. Then it's nothing important."
Ash sounded completely unconcerned.
After ending the call, he muttered to himself.
"No wonder it was only a small amount. So it was him."
From within the necklace, Jewelry Bonney's voice suddenly rang out.
"Are we still having afternoon tea?"
Ash laughed.
"Of course. Let's go."