Twenty minutes ago.
The SMILE Factory was the second facility in Dressrosa dedicated to manufacturing Artificial Zoan Devil Fruits. Due to the nationwide riot, the Donquixote officers had been redeployed to suppress the chaos. Although the factory was still defended by two hundred guards, they were no match for the Tontatta counter-offensive. Within moments, the factory fell to the dwarves, who successfully liberated 500 of their imprisoned kin.
Simultaneously, Violet, an assassin of the Trebol Army within the Donquixote Family, and the former Princess of Dressrosa, Viola, made her move. Seeing the kingdom in turmoil, she chose this moment to betray the family. Utilizing her Glare-Glare Fruit abilities, she located the captured Princess of the Tontatta Kingdom, Mansherry, deep within the royal palace.
King's Plateau, Dressrosa Royal Palace.
"Violet-sama!"
Upon seeing her approach, several palace guards lowered their rifles, their expressions filled with respect.
She was a stunning beauty with long, brownish-black hair and mesmerizing light-brown eyes, adorned with a signature red flower. Dressed in a polka-dot tiered flamenco dress and purple dancing shoes, she exuded the aura of a sophisticated, mature woman.
"Have any officers returned?" Violet asked, her voice devoid of emotion.
"N-not yet!" A guard stole a glance at her, swallowing hard as he replied with a hint of guilt. "Pica-sama took several others and most of the guards to the Underground Trade Port. All the officers are busy suppressing the riots!"
Ignoring the guards' subtle, lingering gazes, Violet simply nodded and began walking toward the palace interior. Halfway through, she abruptly turned back. "Do I look good?"
"Y-yes... very good..."
The guard nodded with a lecherous grin, but the words had barely left his mouth before reality set in. His face turned deathly pale. "V-Violet-sama, I... I meant..."
Violet's expression hardened. In a flash, she delivered a devastating kick. CRACK! The guard's teeth went flying as he was sent tumbling several meters, his face a mask of blood. The other guards were stunned; they hadn't expected the beautiful Violet to possess such a fiery temperament. However, they didn't think much of it, disrespecting an officer was a death sentence anyway.
But then, Violet drew a gleaming dagger from nowhere. With lightning speed, she slashed the throat of the guard nearest to her.
"Kurg... ugh..." The guard clutched his throat in disbelief as blood seeped through his fingers.
"V-Violet-sama?!"
"Why?!"
The remaining guards were paralyzed with shock and terror.
"ATTACK!"
Suddenly, a battle cry erupted from the shrubbery. Dozens of Tontatta warriors leaped out. Despite their palm-sized bodies, their strength was immense and their speed blinding. In a single heartbeat, the remaining three palace guards were taken down.
"Princess Mansherry is deep within the palace. Follow me!" Violet looked down at the tiny warriors. "Be careful, there are still dozens of guards inside."
Under the onslaught of hundreds of Tontatta warriors, the palace, defended only by a few dozen guards, fell quickly. Princess Mansherry was rescued, which meant her most critical ability had been liberated.
Riding on the flying insects of the Tontatta aerial corps, Mansherry began her work under Violet's guidance. She started healing the heroes who dared to resist Doflamingo. To Violet and the dwarves, anyone brave enough to stand against the tyrant, pirate or assassin alike, was a hero.
…
New World.
Skies over a certain sea.
The battle between Aeridar and Saint Amphitrite continued to rage. The shockwaves from their clash had scattered the thick clouds across a ten-kilometer radius.
"Impact Cannon!!!"
Aeridar roared, throwing a punch that combined raw strength with terrifying impact force. The pressure hit the air, forming a massive, elephant-foot-shaped column of air that blasted straight ahead.
Amphitrite couldn't dodge in time. He took the full brunt of the hundred-meter air blast. The terrifying power made him feel as if his body were being flattened, and he was sent hurtling down from the sky.
Fwoom—
Amphitrite streaked across the sky like a meteor, slamming violently into a lush, green island.
BOOM—!RUMBLE!
The ground shattered instantly. Trees were obliterated, and the earth collapsed into a massive crater. Giant cracks spread like spiderwebs across the landscape, tilting massive tectonic plates of soil. The entire island groaned under the vibration. A howling gale swept across the island, uprooting trees and kicking up a curtain of dust that obscured the horizon.
"Hmph. He didn't fall into the sea? Lucky bastard."
Aeridar peered down. With his superhuman vision, he could clearly see the Celestial Dragon thousands of meters below, lying in a crater on the small island. Aeridar dived after him like an arrow.
In the northern part of the island, a crater a hundred meters wide and nearly eight meters deep marred the landscape.
"Cough... cough..."
Amphitrite lay pale in the center of the pit, his body half-buried in the rubble, blood staining his chest. He wasn't Kaido; falling from such a height took its toll. Countless bones were broken, and his internal organs were heavily damaged by the shockwave.
However, as a user of the Mythical Zoan Red Dragon Fruit, his physical constitution and vitality were immense. Despite taking an Impact Cannon and the subsequent fall, he was far from death. Furthermore, he had developed his fruit to the point of Awakening. His wounds were already stitching themselves back together with frightening speed, the true terror of a Zoan user.
"Hmm!"
Amphitrite's expression shifted. He suddenly flipped upright and flapped his wings, skimming the ground like a bolt of lightning to escape the crater.
KABOOM!
A massive, crescent-shaped slash slammed down a moment later, splitting the island further and cleaving the hundred-meter crater in two.
"Golden Ring, you lunatic!" Amphitrite shouted, hovering ten meters above the ground with a look of fury. "Do you really intend to defy the World Government and the Celestial Dragons?!"
"Heh... hehehe... You overestimate yourself." Aeridar descended slowly from the sky, a twisted, manic grin on his face. "If I kill you here, who will ever know?"
"I am an Awakened Mythical Zoan!" Amphitrite shouted, his face turning iron-blue. "With my vitality, if I choose to flee, it would take you days and nights of fighting to kill me! If I reach Marine Headquarters, you won't just fail to kill me, you'll be hunted down by the Admirals for attacking a Celestial Dragon!"
"Even if I only make it to the nearest Marine Base, the World Government will find out. They will never let you go!"
In truth, for someone as arrogant as Amphitrite to say this meant he was looking for an out, a way to concede without dying. He wasn't wrong, either. With power comparable to an Admiral and the regenerative capabilities of an Awakened Mythical Zoan, even the legendary Whitebeard would have struggled to kill him quickly in a battle to the death.
Suddenly, Aeridar froze. The twisted, manic expression on his face solidified.
"Days and nights...?"
"It seems... I've forgotten one thing!"
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