New World, Cade Island, inside a certain tavern.
"Have you heard? Dressrosa is hosting a massive fighting tournament!"
"Is it the one organized by that Warlord of the Sea, the 'Heavenly Yaksha' Donquixote Doflamingo?"
"That's the one! The top five fighters can join the Donquixote Pirates directly as officers!"
"That's not even the big news. The real prize is the final reward, the Logia-type Devil Fruit, the Flame-Flame Fruit!"
"What? The Logia Flame-Flame Fruit?! Isn't that the power of the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, the one who fell at the Paramount War... 'Fire Fist' Ace?!"
"Are you kidding? Why would Doflamingo give away something like that as a prize?!"
"…"
A crowd of pirates discussed the matter boisterously, fueled by the rumors currently setting the New World ablaze.
In a corner sofa, two mysterious figures draped in black robes sat quietly, sipping their drinks while listening to the conversation.
"The Flame-Flame Fruit..." One of the robed figures looked up, revealing a handsome young face beneath the hood, with a stray lock of hair falling over his eyes.
"Sabo, you aren't thinking..." The other robed figure also looked up, revealing a pretty, delicate face.
"Koala... I will never let Ace's power fall into anyone else's hands!" Sabo's eyes burned with resolve, his fingers gripping his iron mug so hard that indentations of his fingerprints appeared in the metal.
…
New World, Black Cloud Island (Blackbeard Pirates' Base).
The island was perpetually shrouded in thick dark clouds, blocking out the sun and leaving the land in total darkness by night.
Inside the castle at the center of the island…
Marshall D. Teach, draped in a gold-trimmed brown captain's coat, sat sprawled arrogantly in a chair. He clutched a newspaper in one hand and shoved a large piece of cherry pie into his mouth with the other, chewing loudly.
Several officers of the Blackbeard Pirates stood around him.
"The Logia Flame-Flame Fruit... how nostalgic! Commander Ace! Zehahahaha~" Teach's pupils suddenly contracted as he paused his eating, breaking into a wide, jagged grin.
"Wiiihahaha! Captain Teach, you really have a dark sense of humor!" Burgess shouted, throwing his arms up with a wicked laugh.
Lafitte glanced at Burgess, then adjusted the newspaper in his hands. "Doflamingo definitely has an ulterior motive," he said somberly. "Given that man's personality, he wouldn't flaunt something like the Flame-Flame Fruit to outsiders without a reason."
"The power of 'Fire Fist' Ace... It's been a while. For even his Devil Fruit to reappear, this must be fate." Van Augur wiped the scope of his long rifle, speaking without looking up.
"Cough... cough... The Flame-Flame Fruit is a powerful ability... cough, cough!" Doc Q covered his mouth, coughing up a spray of blood, his face turning an even ashier shade of grey.
"Captain Teach, leave it to me! I'll go to Dressrosa. I've wanted the Flame-Flame Fruit's power for a long time!" Burgess declared bluntly.
"Zehahahahaha! Of course, no problem!" Teach tossed the newspaper aside and laughed. "I'll leave it to you then, Burgess. If you can win it, you'll be the new Flame-Flame Fruit user!"
…
New World, Marine Headquarters (formerly Marine Base G-1).
"This is an outrage!"
"The Flame-Flame Fruit is too dangerous to be allowed to drift back into the hands of pirates!"
Sakazuki roared inside his office. "Brannew! Who do we have available in the New World?"
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, Admiral Ryokugyu is currently there!" Brannew answered loudly. "The Beasts Pirates recently invaded Wano Country. To prevent the conflict from spilling out into the surrounding seas, Admiral Ryokugyu has gone there to maintain order."
"Kaido, hmph... What about Borsalino and Issho?" Sakazuki calmed down slightly and pressed further.
"Admiral Kizaru is stationed at Mariejois. Admiral Fujitora has just recovered from his injuries and is currently at the Sabaody Archipelago!" Brandnew replied.
Sakazuki immediately issued his orders. "Notify Issho. Tell him to head to Dressrosa and find a way to secure the Flame-Flame Fruit. The Intelligence Division will coordinate with him. And while you're at it..."
"Find out what Kuzan has been up to lately."
As he spoke, Sakazuki's expression turned grim.
…
Dressrosa, King's Plateau.
"Corrida State!"
Diamante slammed his hand onto the ground of the sunflower field. Instantly, the entire field began to undulate and ripple like a cloth fluttering in the wind.
"W-What's happening? An ability user?!"
A man dressed in black shinobi-style gear holding a katana struggled to keep his balance on the shifting, waving earth.
"Is that all you've got? How pathetic," Diamante said, looking down with a sneer. "And you thought you could get the Flame-Flame Fruit? Dalet, the A-list fugitive from the Kingdom of Gujili!"
The man named Dalet looked up sharply. "How did you know?! My face is covered!"
"Who knows! Half-Moon Glaive!" Diamante grinned, unleashing a sudden, sweeping slash.
A massive wave of sword intent erupted, tearing through the ground in a straight line toward his target.
"Not good!"
Dalet lunged to the side, rolling clumsily across the ground to dodge.
BOOM—
The massive shockwave carved a jagged, dozens-of-meters-long trench through the sunflower field.
"Damn you! I'll get that fruit, and then I'll burn the Kingdom of Gujili to the ground!" Dalet scrambled up, ripping the black cloth from his face to reveal a square-jawed face with five deep scars. His rage made the scars twist into a gruesome mask.
Gripping his katana, he stumbled across the waving field toward Diamante, leaping into the air to thrust his blade at Diamante's head.
Diamante simply stepped aside, easily evading the strike and letting Dalet crash face-first into the dirt.
Seeing his opponent's pathetic state, Diamante burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! What a joke! Vipera Glaive!"
With a flick of his wrist, the blade of his sword elongated, slithering through the air like a snake as it lunged forward with incredible speed.
Dalet watched the erratic, weaving path of the sword with terror. As the tip drew near, he swung his katana with all his might, creating a sharp gust of wind.
But in an instant, the Vipera Glaive curved mid-air, bypassing Dalet's parry.
Puchi—
The extended blade pierced through Dalet's chest. Blood sprayed instantly, staining the surrounding sunflowers a deep crimson.
"No... no..." Dalet sank to his knees, eyes wide with disbelief.
"I've killed dozens of pieces of trash like you over the last few days," Diamante said, coldly wrenching the sword out.
RUMBLE—
Suddenly, the ground bulged upward as a thick stone pillar emerged. Pica's face manifested within the stone.
"Is it finished?" Pica's high-pitched, shrill voice rang out.
"Just a small fry. How about your end?" Diamante asked, flicking the blood off his blade.
"Three in total. I dragged them all into the palace foundations," Pica squeaked in reply.
"Since the news of the Flame-Flame Fruit went out, how many has that been?" Diamante asked with interest, looking down at Dalet's lifeless, staring eyes.
"Counting those three, that's twenty-six over the last few days," Pica mocked. "All fools who don't know the meaning of death."
"Violet did a good job this time; she saved us a lot of trouble." Diamante kicked Dalet's corpse and turned to leave. "Come on. Have someone bury this guy in the field later. He'll make good fertilizer for the sunflowers, maybe they'll look even better next year!"