"Celestial Yaksha Doflamingo, what are you doing?!"
After being cut in half, Saint Peter, God of Agriculture, the sand worm, twisted violently. Both halves hissed in chilling unison, their voices layered with fury.
"Are you looking for death?!"
"Fufufufufu!!!"
Doflamingo's laughter rang out, sharp and mocking, without the slightest restraint.
"So even Celestial Dragons, who once pretended to stand above the filth of the world, have fallen to barking threats now?"
As his laughter echoed, Doflamingo had already acted.
Swish!
Swish!
The sand worm, already split in two, was severed again. Transparent, razor-sharp threads sliced through its massive body, reducing it into countless fragments that scattered across the plaza like wreckage.
"Fufufufufu!!!"
Standing atop the shattered remains with his arms crossed, Doflamingo laughed wildly.
"I cannot wait to see you dragged into the dirt by the very commoners you despise!!!"
---
The Heavenly Yaksha had attacked the Gorosei.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had been cutting down pirates across the plaza, felt his thoughts erupt into chaos as he witnessed the scene.
"No… none of this makes sense!"
Golden light flickered in his eyes as his mind raced.
"Everything was proceeding according to plan. So why has everything spiraled this far out of control?"
Impel Down had been breached, releasing prisoners who should never have walked free.
Whitebeard had been stabbed, yet not only survived, but mysteriously returned to his peak.
Several notorious pirates from Level Six had escorted Straw Hat Luffy of their own accord.
The once-weak Straw Hat Luffy vanished, only to reappear completely transformed, awakening the Hito Hito no Mi, Model Nika, something believed to be utterly impossible.
The Gorosei themselves descended to hunt Straw Hat Luffy, only for Doflamingo, a Shichibukai aligned with the Marines, to suddenly turn his fangs on the World Government.
Every single development had exceeded Marine Headquarters' expectations.
Hidden contingencies prepared for a single individual had been forced into premature use, merely to suppress the growing anomalies.
And the mastermind stirring everything into chaos, the one muddying the waters beyond recognition, seemed to be sitting comfortably, observing it all like a spectator at a grand performance.
"…"
Sengoku exhaled deeply, his expression dark as stone, as he turned toward the spectator stands.
His gaze locked onto the relaxed, smiling figure holding a wine cup.
"Everything that has happened at Marineford cannot be separated from your schemes," Sengoku said coldly.
"Arrogant Emperor Shirogai Yamikuro."
"…"
Shirogai watched the carnage in Marineford Plaza with a faint smile.
"Heh."
Sensing Sengoku's gaze, he tilted his head slightly, met the Fleet Admiral's eyes, raised his cup in a casual toast, and took a leisurely sip of wine.
"You bastard!" Sengoku roared internally. "You plunge the Marines into complete disarray, yet you sit there enjoying yourself?!"
He had underestimated him.
Veins pulsed at Sengoku's temples.
He had once believed Shirogai to be nothing more than a terrifyingly powerful monster, overwhelming in strength but limited in strategy.
Now, it was clear that Shirogai's foresight and planning surpassed even the Marine Staff's worst expectations.
What unsettled Sengoku the most was not what had already happened, but what might still be coming.
Was this the end of Shirogai's scheme?
Or merely the beginning?
"Hehe… you two should move as well," a smiling voice echoed directly within two minds.
"The one you are fighting is also one of ours."
"…"
"…"
Two titans locked in fierce combat exchanged glances, instantly sensing the abnormality in one another's eyes.
"Move. Target, Gorosei."
The voice sounded again.
And then, another anomaly erupted.
Swish!
Dracule Mihawk, who had been battling World the World Destroyer, suddenly pivoted mid-fight. His black blade Yoru slashed toward the skeleton centaur clashing with Luffy nearby.
"Myriad Blades Return to One, Annihilation Slash."
Yoru danced through the air, splitting into countless phantom blades before condensing back into a single strike at the final moment.
Boom!!!
A dark green wave of sword energy, burning with Armament Haki, tore through the battlefield and reached Saint Nusjuro, God of Finance and Military, in an instant.
Clang!!!!!
Nusjuro turned sharply.
"Swordsman."
Dark flames burned in his eyes as he swung Shodai Kitetsu, its chilling aura capable of freezing the soul itself.
"Oni-do, Frost Soul."
"Wuwuwu…"
Hundreds of grotesque spirits condensed from the quiet blue-black blade, shrieking as they collided with Mihawk's attack. They resisted, swirled, then melted away in agonized wails.
Crack!
Mihawk's sword energy decayed upon contact with Shodai Kitetsu and shattered completely.
Puff!
Before vanishing, the fragmented strike carved a deep scar across Nasujuro's face.
"Hawkeye…"
Nusjuro stared at the distant swordsman, calm yet lethal.
"You have betrayed the World Government."
"Ah hahahaha!"
World the World Destroyer did not seize the opening to attack Mihawk. Instead, he leapt into the air, laughter booming.
He raised a massive hammer, magnified a hundredfold and coated in Armament Haki.
"To think I would get to smash the Gorosei themselves!" he shouted, exhilarated.
"This is incredible! Die!!!"
Bang!!!
The colossal hammer slammed into the back of the massive wild boar shrouded in ominous black flames.
The impact was overwhelming.
Thud!!
The beast was driven into the ground, shattering the already-ruined plaza beneath it.
Crack!
In a blink.
Two enemies who had been locked in deadly combat moments earlier had, without a word, reached an unspoken agreement and turned their blades on the Gorosei.
"What?!"
The Marines felt as though lightning had struck their ranks.
"Another Shichibukai has defected!"
"The World's Strongest Swordsman has defected as well!!!"
Marine morale collapsed instantly.
"Careful!"
Vice Admiral Onigumo raised his blade toward Boa Hancock and shouted sternly.
"Remain alert! The remaining Shichibukai may defect at any moment!"
Marines immediately distanced themselves from the remaining three, Hancock, Kuma, and Moria.
"Hmph. To suspect me of betrayal?" Hancock scoffed, chin raised arrogantly.
"How unreasonable."
"If you wish to fight me," she continued coldly, "then come."
Though she did not understand what had driven two Shichibukai to betray the World Government, she could not deny that, for a fleeting moment, she herself had felt the urge to act.
The Gorosei, the true masters among the Celestial Dragons.
The very beings she loathed with every fiber of her being.
But it was only an impulse.
She was the Empress of Amazon Lily, and reckless action here would doom her country once the World Government reclaimed control.
Boom!!!
Another eruption shattered the moment.
"Ahhh!"
Gunfire echoed through the Marine ranks, mixed with screams.
"Wuwuwu!!"
"Aoo aoo!"
Zombies burst from the ground around Gecko Moria, overwhelming the Marines stationed near him.
"Kishishishishi~"
Wielding his scissors with a twisted grin, Moria laughed as he attacked.
"So you figured it out? How boring! Blame that guy for only telling me at the very end!"
"Moria is a traitor too!!!"
"Watch out for his scissors, they cut shadows! His zombies fear seawater!"
Chaos spread like wildfire.
"Another Shichibukai has defected! What is happening?!"
Vice Admiral Momonga stared in disbelief, his grip trembling as he watched Moria rampage.
In the span of mere seconds.
Three Shichibukai had turned against the World Government and the Marines.
---