Dressrosa Waters.
Two massive vessels lay anchored in silence upon the sea: one, a specialized super-dreadnought reserved for Marine Admirals; the other, a large ship belonging to the World Government.
While Fujitora (Issho) was still contemplating a way into the heart of Dressrosa, three guests arrived on his ship, three CP0 agents clad in white robes and wearing grotesque, uncanny masks.
The leader, wearing a white fedora, stepped toward Issho and spoke in a heavy tone. "Admiral Issho, now that even 'Golden Ring' Aeridar has appeared, I fear this situation is spiraling out of control!"
Slurp... slurp...
Issho remained silent, his head bowed as he focused entirely on eating his bowl of noodles.
The CP0 agent waited for several moments, but hearing no reply, he pressed again. "Do you Marines have no countermeasures?"
"Countermeasures?" Issho finally looked up, opening eyes that showed only the whites. He spoke flatly, "I have already reported the situation to Marine Headquarters."
Having said his piece, Issho closed his eyes, lowered his head, and went back to his noodles.
The three agents exchanged looks, the air beneath their masks thick with simmering frustration. They hadn't expected a high-ranking Admiral to be so dismissive.
After a pause, a taller agent wearing a circus clown mask spoke in a strained voice. "Admiral Issho, do you truly intend to take no action? For instance... breaking this thing they call a 'Birdcage'?"
"With your strength, Excellency, you could surely shatter the Birdcage if you exerted yourself," the tallest and bulkiest of the three added, finishing his comrade's thought.
"I tried earlier," Issho paused his movements, his expression turning solemn. "The meteors I summoned were shredded by the cage's strings, which only caused more devastation within Dressrosa. If I were to force a breakthrough, the collateral damage would be catastrophic. The resulting casualties among the civilians would be beyond measure."
"Admiral Issho, surely you realize how many lawless elements are currently gathered inside that cage?"
"Including Trafalgar Law, Golden Ring Aeridar, and Doflamingo, there are three of the Seven Warlords present. You should be well aware of how much trouble Aeridar alone poses."
"Furthermore, I shouldn't need to explain the Straw Hat Pirates, the source of this incident. Jesus Burgess, a commander from the Four Emperors' Blackbeard Pirates, is also involved. Then there are the various commanders and combatants of the Chris Pirates: the biological weapon Dragonians, the Elite Strike Team, and hundreds of soldiers. The might of the Chris Pirates alone is enough to topple a nation!"
"Beyond them, you have the master of the estoc, Gergiel Haunger; the Totem Warrior Kohl Goff; Sai and Boo of the Happo Navy; Max from the Church of the Night; and the Supernova rookie Bartolomeo... a literal mountain of troublesome characters!"
"Pirates, bounty hunters, mobsters, Underworld assassins... forces from every corner of the world have converged here!"
"Most importantly, we have intel that the Revolutionary Army is operating within this country. There are even rumors that a massive contingent of Mink warriors has appeared in Dressrosa!"
"Admiral Fujitora! You must understand the weight of my words. The events unfolding here could very well shift the direction of the entire world!"
As the CP0 agents rattled off their intelligence, the surrounding Marines turned pale, their faces etched with shock.
Issho was also momentarily stunned. He had received reports from Vice Admiral Bastille before the Birdcage went up, but Marine intelligence was rarely as exhaustive as the pervasive web of the CP organization.
He hadn't expected a single country like Dressrosa to act as a magnet for so many powerful figures and factions. It was a literal volcano; once it erupted, no one could predict the terrifying consequences.
Finally, Issho's expression darkened. He asked in a low voice, "And even if you know all this, what then? Can you stop it?"
"Besides... I have already requested reinforcements from Headquarters. Admiral Borsalino should be arriving shortly!"
…
Underground Trade Port.
The dark heart of the Underworld was now a battlefield where legends collided. Dozens of powerful warriors were locked in a chaotic struggle.
One side fought to escape, the other to block them. The resulting clash had reduced the entire port to a graveyard of rubble. The black-market pirates who had come merely to trade found themselves caught in the crossfire, their ships being violently seized by those desperate to flee.
Amidst the fierce combat, ships were constantly being smashed to splinters, sinking one by one into the dark waters.
"Bastards! You absolute scum!"
Watching the Underground Port he had spent years building being torn apart, Doflamingo's forehead throbbed with bulging veins. He was beyond livid.
Crucially, while both sides were exhausted and battered from the prolonged fighting, the tides remained stubbornly against the Donquixote Family and the Chris Pirates' alliance. The reason: Princess Mansherry of the Tontatta Tribe was acting as a tireless "medic" for the opposition.
"What a blunder. I can't believe you let such a vital ability-user slip through your fingers," Dimitri remarked, his eyes scanning the chaotic battlefield for any sign of the princess.
However, as a Tontatta, Princess Mansherry was tiny. With so many other Tontattas active in the fray, finding a person no bigger than a palm was like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Hearing Dimitri's jab, Doflamingo's face turned an even deeper shade of black.
"Mingo!"
"Gomu Gomu no... Grizzly Magnum!!!"
A roar of fury erupted from across the battlefield. Doflamingo looked up to see Luffy leaping into the air, his two massive, Haki-clad arms trailing behind him like giant iron spheres before slamming them downward.
"Straw Hat! Spider's Web!!!"
Doflamingo swung his arm, releasing thousands of transparent, razor-sharp strings that wove into a massive web in front of him.
BOOM!
The giant-sized fists collided with the web. The resilient strings held firm, absorbing the massive force and sending a violent shockwave through the air.
"Straw Hat, not a single one of you is leaving Dressrosa alive!" Doflamingo glared at Luffy with such hatred he looked ready to devour him whole.
As he spoke, the ground beneath them turned into a sea of soft, white thread. Several thick pillars of line rose up, coiling toward the airborne Luffy like starving snakes.
"ROOM!"
Suddenly, Luffy vanished, replaced by a two-meter-tall boulder. The pillars of thread constricted around the rock, pulverizing it instantly.
"Law!"
"That brat again!"
Doflamingo's face contorted into a snarl.
On a merchant ship near the edge of the port, Luffy materialized on the deck. Around him stood Law, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and the others. They had managed to seize a vessel while the chaos was at its peak.
"Set sail! Hurry!" Law shouted, his hand gripping his cursed blade, Kikoku, his expression urgent.
"More-More: 30x Speed!!!"
In that instant, Dimitri moved like a bolt of lightning. The power of the More-More Fruit granted him transcendent velocity. He crossed hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye, reaching the edge of the pier. He leveled his flintlock pistol and aimed at the merchant ship only ten meters away.
BANG—!
"More-More: 10x Gun!!!"
Dimitri pulled the trigger.