Finally, Vergo, former head of G-5 and Doflamingo's hidden ace, revealed everything.
"Ugh…" Cold sweat trickled down his temples. His eyes bulged in fear as he turned stiffly toward Akainu.
Splat—
A drop of molten magma fell onto the floor, burning a deep pit instantly.
The temperature in the interrogation room soared, becoming unbearable even for seasoned Marines.
"Trash will always be trash," Akainu's tone remained calm, but the lava violently bubbling on his body betrayed his fury.
He stepped forward, seized Vergo's head in his magma-coated palm—
Hissss!
Thick steam billowed as Vergo's face scorched instantly.
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
The heart-wrenching scream echoed off the steel walls. Vergo writhed violently, but under Akainu's brutal strength, escape was impossible.
A breath later, the screaming ceased.
Vergo's lifeless body slumped, his aura of life extinguished.
"Huh—" Carl exhaled a puff of smoke, expression helpless.
Akainu… still the same old monster of Marine justice.
Vergo wasn't supposed to die yet.
He was supposed to be a key piece to expose Doflamingo's hidden crimes — proof that even a Shichibukai was running a massive underworld network.
Killing Vergo now only shielded Doflamingo.
Akainu's hand froze midair, realization dawning. "Tch… The old man slipped up."
A deep, volcanic rage boiled within him. "But… Doflamingo will pay. No matter what."
Shichibukai? Privilege? Connections? None of it mattered anymore.
Akainu now was like a dormant volcano about to erupt — ready to reshape the sea with absolute justice.
Though he had initially tolerated the Shichibukai system to pit pirate against pirate, his hatred for them was engraved in his very bones.
"This matter…" Akainu crossed his arms, his tone brooking no argument. "Will be personally handled by this old man. You all are dismissed."
"Oh—then this old man will be leaving first~" Kizaru's lazy voice sounded — but he was already gone, disappearing into photons before his words finished.
Carl's mouth twitched.
Typical Kizaru — the number one "clock-in and leave" officer of the Marines.
Fishing at work, zero overtime — even under Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, Kizaru still maintained his leisure pace.
After a few awkward beats—
At Marineford's port, across the glistening sea, the massive creature "Gluttony" — Carl's living transport and weapon — finally appeared.
"Oak Dragon Vice Admiral should've arrived a long time ago," T. Penn said, standing at the bow of their slower warship, squinting toward the dazzling figure overhead.
Considering the terrifying speed Carl's "dragon" could achieve, it was natural they were left behind.
ROOOOOAAARRR!
An earth-shaking roar rocked the port.
Whoosh!
A shadow blanketed the square as the immense dragon's body cut through the air with shocking agility.
"Oh, finally here," Carl called out from atop the dragon's neck, Yamato sitting beside him, her long hair rippling wildly.
T. Penn's eyes went wide. He instantly snapped to attention and saluted. "Oak—Oak Dragon Vice Admiral!"
Carl's voice boomed over the distance.
"I've finished the mission at Headquarters. I'll be returning to Marineford. You lot, rest here before reporting back."
"Y-Yes!" T. Penn stuttered, blinking at the absurd speed difference.
Traveling by ship… versus riding a sky dragon — it wasn't even a contest.
Speed, flexibility, survivability — the "Gluttony" Carl had created was a beast leagues above any mechanical craft.
Even if ships like Pluton — one of the three Ancient Weapons — were hailed as world-destroyers, they were still machines. Vulnerable. Breakable.
Living weapons like Gluttony? Almost impossible to kill.
BOOM!
With a deafening sonic boom, Carl and his dragon streaked off toward Marineford like a meteor.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the New World—on Dressrosa.
"SOLOMON CARL!!!"
The furious roar shook the palace walls.
BOOM!
A violent tremor shook the ground as Doflamingo stomped forward, his iconic pink feathered coat flaring like the wings of a raging flamingo.
"I said it! I said even Pica and Vergo got wiped out!"
Torre Bol sobbed, snot and tears streaming, his pudgy frame trembling under Doffy's killing intent.
"Ara, yeah…" Doflamingo's face darkened, his teeth grinding audibly. "That bastard Carl…"
Pica and Vergo had gone to Punk Hazard to capture Trafalgar Law.
They didn't return — because they ran headfirst into that monster.
"Fufufufu… so, shall we…?" Torre Bol chuckled darkly, making a throat-slitting gesture.
"No," Doflamingo cut him off sharply, his voice low and razor-sharp. "That bastard will definitely pay… but not now."
Thick veins bulged from his forehead as his smile twisted unnaturally.
"Fufufufu… I have to placate those old geezers first."
After Vergo's exposure, it was only a matter of time before the Marines and the World Government started questioning his Shichibukai privilege.
If they revoked his title…
Then Doflamingo would have to face direct Marine assault.
He needed to bide his time — to secure his defenses.
"Luckily…" Doflamingo's grin widened beneath his sunglasses. "I still have plenty of bargaining chips."
Secrets of the Celestial Dragons.
Control over underworld dealings.
Knowledge that could destabilize Yonko empires.
Each card in his hand could make the Gorosei hesitate.
Meanwhile, halfway across the world—at Marineford.
Huuuuh—
Under the stunned stares of hundreds of Marines, Carl's dragon landed with an earthshaking boom, its massive frame blotting out the sky.
"Vice Admiral Carl has returned!"
"Unbelievable! Vice Admiral's beast has grown even more terrifying!"
"As expected of our Oak Dragon Vice Admiral!"
Unlike the newer recruits at the new Naval Headquarters at New Marineford, the veterans at Marineford had witnessed Carl's miracles for two whole years.
Their worldview had been shattered and reforged time and again.
Nothing surprised them anymore.
Carl jumped down from Gluttony's saddle, his cloak billowing.
He turned back, smiling faintly, and gazed up at the massive dragon's gently glowing eyes.
He thought for a while and said, "Speaking of which… you can't just stay like this."
The current form took up far too much space.
Although Gluttony's giant dragon body was incredibly convenient while traveling—serving as an unstoppable mount that could cross seas and mountains alike—in normal daily life, its massive size was clearly a problem. Even standing completely still, Gluttony's body was enough to block an entire square, much larger than even Kaido's eastern dragon form when soaring low over Onigashima.
"Roar—" Gluttony answered with a low rumble, scales shimmering under the light.
Carl raised an eyebrow. Although he didn't understand the ancient dragon language, as the creator and master of Gluttony, he could faintly perceive the intention behind the sound.
"You're asking… 'How small should I become'?"
He pondered for a few seconds and then said, "As small as possible. After all, there's no rush now, and being smaller will make moving around much easier."
Standing nearby, Yamato also stepped forward, her hands resting on the handle of her kanabo club, curiosity sparkling in her bright red eyes. "It can even shrink its own body?"
"Well," Carl nodded, "it has the ability to [transform] its physical form freely, similar to how mythical Zoan types like Kaido's Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu allow extensive transformations."
"Roar–"
The colossal dragon, 'Gluttony,' rumbled again. Its body, which was once larger than a building, shimmered and compressed. In the blink of an eye, the mighty dragon seemed to vanish into a black mass about half Carl's height—a smooth, slightly wobbling ball of shadow.
Carl's mouth twitched oddly. "You… are…?"
It didn't look like a proper slime either—it was too perfectly spherical, more like an artifact than a creature. Definitely not a traditional eastern dragon anymore, nor was it humanoid.
"Yan—" A strange little noise came from the ball.
Carl blinked several times. "You want… to choose a shape? Um…"
The transformation had a limit: while it could shrink dramatically, without a set form, it looked odd and formless. Thinking for a moment, Carl turned toward Yamato.
Instead of letting it pick something at random and risk it looking bizarre, it was better to give it a clear template—one that was aesthetically pleasing and strong at the same time.
"Let's use her as a model," Carl said, pointing directly at Yamato.
"Huh?!" Yamato's crimson eyes widened in shock. "Using me as a model? What do you mean by that?!"
"Cough… You'll understand in a second," Carl said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
Hum—
The black ball of 'Gluttony' swayed toward Yamato, as if scanning her from head to toe.
Moments later, the sphere stopped wobbling and began to morph.
Tiny arms and legs sprouted, a little head took shape, delicate horns curved out from the forehead, long flowing hair cascaded down, and even the attire—the traditional red and white outfit resembling Oden's garb that Yamato wore—started appearing.
The face was the last: big red eyes, a small mouth, and a stubborn little nose.
Then the color shifted, black slowly giving way to vivid reds, whites, and skin tones.
Yamato watched in stunned amazement. "Is… is that supposed to be… me?!"
But on closer inspection, it wasn't exactly her—rather, it looked like a version of Yamato at around ten years old. Although the facial features and the horns were unmistakable, the body was much smaller, with a childish cuteness that Yamato certainly didn't intend to show!
"It actually managed it…" Carl smacked his lips and glanced at Yamato, who was frozen in disbelief. He found her reaction particularly amusing.
"Yan… 嘤!" A strange cry came from the young Yamato lookalike.
"Uh," Carl's face stiffened slightly. "Yeah, you still can't really speak properly, huh?"
The little 'Gluttony' stared blankly ahead, its face completely devoid of emotion. It really was like a mechanical version of a child Yamato—rigid and a little eerie.
"Hey… where are you going to stay now?" Carl muttered to himself, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Well, since you're so small anyway… just go find a vacant office or something to rest in."
The childlike 'Gluttony' nodded robotically and began to walk away.
Boom!
The earth trembled with each step.
Although it had shrunk in size, the tremendous weight that came from its original massive dragon body hadn't decreased in the slightest.
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