September 27, 1503, Age of the Sea Circle
While the people of Dressrosa were uncovering the truth behind Doflamingo's invasion thanks to the small orbs of light created by Oharu, several battles were being fought across different parts of the kingdom.
High atop Flower Hill, a fog had appeared suddenly, preventing anyone from seeing what was happening there, and as a result, the astonishing clash between Orion and Doflamingo had no witnesses.
All of a sudden, a massive explosion erupted deep within the mist, causing a huge pillar of flames to rise into the skies of Dressrosa like an erupting volcano, while the ground around Flower Hill trembled as if struck by an earthquake.
Viola lifted her gaze and briefly observed the great explosion, wishing with all her heart that Orion was safe. However, she had no luxury to worry about him right now, as she found herself in a dire situation: she was surrounded by three high-ranking members of Doflamingo's crew and at least a hundred common soldiers.
After throwing herself into the battlefield once she had separated from Orion, Viola had taken full advantage of her Giro Giro no Mi to locate members of Doflamingo's crew she could eliminate, successfully taking down three of them.
While it was true that these individuals did not belong to the core of the crew, they were of intermediate rank, so their loss would undoubtedly be a headache for the pirate. Among those three, the strongest had been a woman named Kyuin, who had caused the most trouble for Viola and the Tontatta.
Everything had been going well with her mission until, unfortunately, one of the main members of the crew appeared: Gladius.
This young man was ruthless and had begun attacking Viola with great violence, though he had refrained from using lethal force, as his captain Doflamingo had told them he was interested in the powers of the princess of Dressrosa and wished to make her his woman, bending her to his will.
Doflamingo was a man who took pleasure in dominating others, and the idea of taking the former princess of Dressrosa as his slave excited him greatly, to the point that he had ordered his crew not to kill her if they encountered her, but instead to focus on capturing her and bringing her before him.
Those words were what had prevented Princess Viola from being eliminated immediately by Gladius, though that did not mean the situation was anything less than desperate. While she and the Tontatta warriors fought against Gladius, many of the small warriors had been killed by the pirate, who—with his explosions—was essentially a living bomb.
Now, Baby 5 and Senior Pink had appeared to assist Gladius, leaving Viola truly caught between a rock and a hard place. She had already tried to escape without success, and now she could only wait for help to arrive, doing everything she could to hold out as long as possible without being captured.
…
Meanwhile, Giolla's fight with Trebol and Monet was reaching its climax. The artist had tried by every means to eliminate Sugar in order to erase the effects of her powerful Devil Fruit, but she had been unable to succeed due to Trebol's intervention.
At present, although Giolla was far stronger than her counterpart in this timeline, she had still not reached the level of the current Trebol, or at least not while he had Monet's assistance.
"Huff… huff… this isn't working," the beautiful artist said with irritation as she struggled to catch her breath.
Around her, the entire massive room was unrecognizable, as she had let the powers of her Ato Ato no Mi run free, altering the environment according to her imagination to achieve her objectives. Anyone who witnessed the current scene would be left astonished by the bizarre appearance of the surrounding furniture and walls.
Giolla knew she could not delay any longer in this place, as by her calculations the time limit indicated by Orion was about to be reached, and so she decided it was time for her final attack.
Her eyes shone intensely as Trebol grinned like an idiot in the distance, snot dangling from his nose, while Monet materialized a head to observe them from within the large dome of snow she had created to protect her little sister.
"Uff, you've been a stronger enemy than I expected," Giolla said with a confident smile, after taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
Then she raised her brush above her head and declared in a powerful voice,
"Ato Ato no Mi: Artistic Metamorphosis!"
"What are you trying now? Hahah—?"
Trebol was not taking Giolla's attack seriously at all, since throughout the fight she had repeatedly failed to defeat him with the powers of her Ato Ato no Mi, only to be blocked every time by the wall of mucus that served as an insurmountable barrier to the artist.
However, this final attack of Giolla's was not normal, and she had been preparing it from the very beginning. Artistic Metamorphosis was an attack that was extremely difficult to avoid, as it struck from deep within the body of the affected person.
Throughout the entire battle, Giolla had been dispersing tiny particles of paint that floated through the air unnoticed by Trebol, who inhaled them without ever realizing that he was being affected by the beautiful artist's ability.
Now, after nearly an hour of combat, Trebol's body had accumulated a sufficient amount of paint particles for Giolla to activate her special ability. Although they were still not enough to cause a permanent change in the pirate, they were more than enough to restrict his movements and prevent him from getting in her way. That way, she could have one final chance to take down Sugar.
Trebol's body began to warp rapidly, until it was transformed into a gigantic clock, which oozed mucus onto the ground, creating a surreal image.
Giolla did not waste her enemy's predicament, and using Soru she dashed at full speed toward the snow dome Monet had created, shattering it with a powerful punch coated in Armament Haki and revealing a terrified Sugar, who saw Giolla leap at her like a panther.
"Art Spear!" Giolla materialized a lance by concentrating the remainder of her Devil Fruit powers, and at the very same moment she was struck directly by Monet, who had attacked her while she was completely focused on Sugar.
Monet's attack pierced the beautiful artist's body, causing a large amount of blood to burst into the air, only to freeze moments later due to the low temperature created by the pirate. Even so, Giolla did not stop, and with unwavering determination she hurled her spear at the horrified Sugar, who could do nothing but close her eyes and pray.
Everything seemed to indicate that Giolla's attack would succeed, and that she would finally eliminate one of the most troublesome members of the warlord's crew, but at the very last instant, Monet threw herself over her little sister, pushing her out of the way and being impaled by Giolla's attack.
From the ground, Sugar saw Monet looking at her with a smile as the spear created by Giolla mercilessly pierced her heart, and her eyes trembled involuntarily. She had never expected to see her sister die like that before her eyes.
"Su-Gar… take good care of yourself," Monet said with a smile, as a large amount of blood spilled from her mouth and the gaping hole in her chest.
Giolla had imbued her attack with Armament Haki, so even a Logia user like her had no chance of survival. After all, her heart had been completely destroyed by the blow.
All the snow around them began to melt slowly, having lost the guidance of its mistress who had just died. Meanwhile, Sugar stared at her older sister with an empty gaze, still unable to believe what had just happened before her eyes.
Even though Sugar often grew irritated with her sister when she treated her like a little child or spoiled her too much, she was the person she loved most in the world, for even before joining Doflamingo's crew they had always been together.
It had always been the two of them against the cruel world they lived in, so seeing her sister die so suddenly completely shattered the young pirate's psyche, leaving her frozen from the shock.
Giolla clicked her tongue when she saw that the attack meant to eliminate Sugar had been intercepted by Monet, and, trying to contain her overwhelming mental exhaustion, she took a step forward, ready to finish the girl off with her bare fists if necessary.
Unfortunately for her, the available time had run out, as the effect of her attack on Trebol had just worn off.
"Damniit, I'll give you what you deservee," Trebol said in his somewhat idiotic manner of speaking, as he threw a ruthless punch at the back of Giolla's neck.
The beautiful artist turned as fast as she could in an attempt to defend herself, but she was so exhausted that she could not offer much resistance, and she fell to the ground with several broken ribs. She had just suffered a severe injury from Monet's attack, and now this blow from Trebol had placed her in a truly dangerous situation.
If she continued to insist on fighting Trebol, she would most likely end up dead within moments.
Looking at Sugar, who was still paralyzed by shock and grief nearby, Giolla felt a deep irritation at the thought of how close she had been to eliminating her. However, she remembered Orion's words and knew that the most important thing now was not to suffer a fatal wound. For that reason, she immediately decided to abandon the place.
"Nibble!"
Giolla called out to Orion's companion beast, which had been patiently waiting underground, and the earth began to tremble violently. Finally, Nibble emerged from the depths, grabbing Giolla and the toy soldier and fleeing the area at full speed.
Trebol had no intention of letting them escape so easily, and immediately fired several projectiles of his mucus, intending to incapacitate or eliminate the mysterious beast that had just appeared.
However, before the projectiles could hit Nibble, it turned its head and opened its mouth, creating a small vacuum with its spatial attribute, successfully repelling the pirate's attack and escaping.
Looking at the large pit left in the ground, Trebol felt the urge to pursue his enemies and eliminate them, but he stopped short the moment he saw Sugar kneeling beside her sister's body, her eyes completely vacant.
The mission given to him by the young master Doflamingo was to protect Sugar, and that was exactly what he would do. As for the enemies, there would surely be another opportunity in the future to deal with them.
…
At the top of Flower Hill, Orion was fighting intensely against Doflamingo deep within the Mysterious Fog produced by Foggy. Glancing at the system screen, he saw that the remaining time limit before the Time Dungeon's termination was only thirty minutes, so he immediately knew that the moment had come to put an end to this confrontation.
According to what he had agreed upon with Giolla and the others before beginning the operation, this was the time limit to act against Doflamingo's crew.
*Ding*
*Your companion Giolla has eliminated Named Character Monet. You have obtained a Golden Ticket*
A notification appeared on the system screen, and Orion breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that he had finally obtained another Golden Ticket. Now he would be able to transport both Rebecca and Scarlett back to his original world, thus fulfilling the promise he had made to the toy soldier.
"You think you can afford to be distracted during a fight with me?!" Doflamingo suddenly said when he noticed that Orion's movements had slowed and his gaze seemed lost in thought. For the proud pirate, this attitude was the greatest possible insult, further worsening his already irritable mood.
Doflamingo began firing String Bullets continuously, forcing Orion to strain himself to dodge the projectiles, although the speed of the pirate's attacks was higher than usual, which ultimately resulted in Orion taking two hits, one in the leg and another in the stomach.
Orion had been fighting Doflamingo for over half an hour, and throughout that time he had been forced to expend a great deal of energy just to remain in combat, leaving him exhausted. Now that the moment to leave had finally arrived, Orion could at last sigh in relief, having fulfilled his role perfectly.
Looking at the pirate, who was covered in minor wounds after such an intense battle, Orion showed a provocative smile as he pressed on the wound in his stomach to stop the bleeding.
"Donquixote Doflamingo," Orion said in a slightly mocking tone.
"The pirate who aspires to be a king—you are truly pathetic. You can't compete with the truly powerful of this world, so you content yourself with playing at being a king in a small, defenseless kingdom. And even so, you have the arrogance to dream of conquering the world?"
Orion did not know Doflamingo in great depth, but he knew enough about him to choose the precise words to provoke him. And just as Orion intended, Doflamingo began to burn with rage once more, veins bulging on his forehead as his fingers moved unpleasantly, gathering a massive amount of strings that would be used for a powerful attack.
"Heh, you're no king, Doflamingo, and you never will be. You're nothing more than a spoiled child that no one ever put in his place in the past! But don't worry, because I'll be the one to teach you the lesson you need," Orion continued as Doflamingo stepped forward, ready to attack him.
"However, it won't be today. I may not be able to drive you out of Dressrosa today, but I'll take the Riku royal family far away from here, and someday I'll return to eliminate you. You can wait calmly for that moment, because there's nothing you can do to stop it!"
"Silence!" Doflamingo could no longer endure listening to Orion's arrogant words, and unleashed an attack of countless threads coated in Armament Haki, while his Conqueror's Haki erupted violently, crashing toward Orion like a tsunami.
"Room!"
Orion waited until the very last second and used his spatial ability to evade the warlord's attack, then took advantage of the dense Mysterious Fog to disappear from Flower Hill without leaving a trace, using his Space Door. Both the gigantic Tree of Knowledge and the adorable emperor penguin of the fog vanished along with him, leaving only the enraged Doflamingo lashing out uncontrollably within the fog.
Several minutes would pass before the pirate realized Orion had departed, when the Mysterious Fog began to dissipate due to Foggy's absence from the area.
…
Using Soru, Orion sped away from Flower Hill at full speed, until he was finally intercepted by Nibble, who was tunneling underground with Giolla, Viola, and the toy soldier on his back.
After escaping from Trebol following Monet's elimination, Giolla had rescued Viola at the last possible moment, just before she could be captured by Doflamingo's men, and now the entire group was once again safely reunited.
Even so, Orion did not have much time left, as there were still things he needed to do before the Time Dungeon's limit expired. For that reason, he said goodbye with an embrace to Viola—who could only blush in response—and departed alongside Giolla toward the coast, while Nibble continued carrying the princess and the toy soldier, digging straight toward the Tontatta underground city.
In the future, both she and King Riku would remain within the Tontatta kingdom, hidden from Doflamingo until the time came to strike again. They were the last surviving members of the royal family, so Dressrosa's future would depend on their actions to come.
Orion had already done everything he could within his limited time in this place, and the rest was no longer in his hands. Even so, he still had one final task to complete, so as he rushed toward the coast at full speed, he took a ship out of his inventory, while Viola created several figures like mannequins, identical in appearance to the members of the Riku royal family.
This would be his final performance before Doflamingo.
Checking the remaining time until the Time Dungeon's completion, Orion saw that only 15 minutes were left. His ship advanced toward the port area, which was under the control of Doflamingo's men, and upon seeing him accompanied by the Riku family, they immediately informed the Warlord.
Doflamingo had just left Flower Hill and had learned of Monet's death at Giolla's hands, so he was especially furious at that moment. For that reason, when one of his soldiers called to report that Orion was sailing alongside the Riku family and moving away from Dressrosa, he immediately used his strings to move through the air with the aid of the clouds, heading toward the coast at full speed.
From the deck of the ship, Orion saw the pirate tearing through the sky at incredible speed, and knowing that Doflamingo was watching him, he raised his hand to greet him with a smile. Then Foggy appeared from behind him, once again spewing forth Mysterious Fog and blocking Doflamingo's line of sight, preventing him from continuing the pursuit and leaving him frustrated once more as his enemies slipped away.
"Damn it!" Doflamingo shouted in irritation, pulling out his Den Den Mushi and calling his crew.
"The enemies have escaped the island. I want the fleet prepared immediately. We're going after them, and we'll find them even if we have to scour every corner of the New World!"
The strategy of diverting Doflamingo's attention and focusing him on an external search rather than an internal one had been a success, buying Viola and the others some breathing room, at least for a while. They could remain with the Tontatta, waiting for the right moment to counterattack, although they probably would not be able to deceive the warlord's gaze forever.
Even so, Orion had done everything within his reach with such limited time and resources, and all he could do now was hope that the Riku family and the Revolutionary Army would succeed in their future battle against Doflamingo.
While Doflamingo was frantically preparing to launch a massive search for his enemies' whereabouts, Orion and Giolla were already on the other side of the world, in the South Blue.
Orion had used his Space Gate to see whether this ability would function normally, since he could feel the anchor point still active in Pacific Kingdom. To his surprise, the ability activated successfully, and they were transported to the location of Pacific Kingdom in this world.
However, the scenery awaiting them there would not be very pleasant for Orion.