Meanwhile, in the Dressrosa royal palace.
The long-unused reception hall welcomed a rather important guest today.
Inside the quiet castle, a tall figure walked in under the guidance of a maid.
Pica narrowed his eyes and emerged from the stone. The officer of the Donquixote Family stood there like a guard, his expression grave as he looked at the guest.
An Admiral from Marine Headquarters.
And unlike the other new Admiral, Fujitora, who was rumored to be mild and kind, this man's personality was said to be closer to the current Fleet Admiral Sakazuki.
The justice he upheld was called...
Desperate Justice!
Inside the reception hall, the man wearing a pink feather coat sat with his legs crossed, a wicked grin on his face as he waited.
Doffy was simply that confident.
Even with a Marine Admiral standing before him, he still refused to show any respect. He sat there steadily like a true big shot.
Only when Ryokugyu walked over to the sofa did he finally turn his head.
"How rare. To think a Marine Admiral would come to Dressrosa."
Before Ryokugyu arrived at the palace, Doflamingo had already received word from Ozz. Apparently, to counter the attacks from outside pirates, Ozz had specially found him reinforcements.
Thinking of this, Doffy could not help feeling smug.
So this was the influence of the man with the most face in the world?
How terrifying.
Although Doffy felt that dealing with a group of brats and random pirates should not be a problem for him.
With absolute confidence, Doffy swirled the wine glass in his hand. A blood-red gleam reflected on his sunglasses.
"Fufufufufu!"
"Is this really fine, Admiral Ryokugyu?"
Most of the time, Doflamingo loved acting like a boss even when he had no right to.
For example, in the original timeline, he was not actually that strong, yet he still dared to kick Fujitora, provoke Kuzan, and even talk big while being escorted by the Marines.
Sometimes, Ozz could not understand where Doffy's confidence came from.
It was almost comparable to Crocodile's.
"Not long ago, you listed our Boss, Ozz, as a target of attack. And now you're here to help me, a Warlord of the Sea who is no longer favored by the World Government!"
Doffy grinned wickedly.
"In the end, isn't it because the Marines, or rather the highest figures of the World Government, bow their heads before overwhelming power?"
"Fufufufufufuhahaha!"
On the other side, Ryokugyu looked at Doffy, who was so arrogant and even pleased because the Marines and World Government had come to help him. His face twisted as if he had swallowed a fly.
If not for the mission, he would arrest a pirate as arrogant as Doflamingo the moment he saw him.
"Don't celebrate too early, Doflamingo."
Unable to stand his arrogance, Ryokugyu said with a cigarette in his mouth,
"Within the Marines, there have always been voices calling for the abolition of the Warlord system."
Doffy looked displeased when he heard that.
"That would shatter the balance of the seas."
"That isn't my concern."
In truth, Ryokugyu was also sighing inwardly. Whether the Warlord system existed or not no longer mattered. After this incident, Doflamingo would most likely be arrested anyway.
Unfortunately, he still believed victory was in his grasp.
"By the way, the people sent by CP0 should have already arrived in Dressrosa. They probably went to the Colosseum."
"It's hard to imagine that a pirate as wicked as you wouldn't try to pull some tricks."
Doflamingo smiled and walked to the window, looking toward the distant Colosseum.
"I can't interfere over there. A very important person is watching that gladiator game."
...
"All right!"
"What's about to begin is the second elimination match!"
"The popular contestants on the field include Bellamy, Elizabello II..."
A young man wearing a top hat and carrying a pipe also appeared, blending into the crowd without standing out.
Ozz stood high in the commentary booth, looking down at the field.
The first person he noticed was not Sabo, but a man with a green rooster-like hairstyle.
"Oh, right. This guy does show up here."
The man with the rooster hair was none other than Bartolomeo, who had been beaten by Ozz in Loguetown two years ago and left doubting his entire life.
The others worth paying attention to were Sabo and that king who had been charging up the entire time.
King Punch?
The battle on the field continued. Ozz's pupils slowly turned red, and the fine-detail nature of his Observation Haki began to activate.
Every detail of Elizabello II's King Punch appeared in Ozz's mind.
"The longer he charges, the stronger the power?"
Ozz wondered whether he could clash with Joy Boy if he charged for a year and a half.
But Haki was also an extremely important factor...
At that moment, in the lounge, Luffy, who was watching Sabo's fight, was recognized by Chinjao.
Because Chinjao had once been beaten by Garp, he immediately wanted to take revenge on Luffy.
Of course Ace could not ignore that.
If someone wanted to bully his little brother, even an old monster from the previous era would not be allowed. Flames instantly rose from his fist.
But before they could actually fight...
"Quiet."
Ozz's voice appeared there.
The group froze in place as if struck by a binding spell.
Even Chinjao, a disgrace of the old era who belonged to the same generation as Roger and Garp, was completely unable to move after a single sentence from Ozz, who was technically one generation younger than him.
"Can't I watch the match in peace?"
Ozz complained and had just turned his head back toward the arena when his words caught in his throat.
Because from his angle, he could see Bartolomeo...
That guy was actually peeing into the pool?
"Good kid..."
So he was showing him this?
The corner of Ozz's eye twitched. He looked at Bartolomeo, who was pulling his pants back up, and revealed a "kind" smile.
As for Bartolomeo?
He did not take anyone on the field seriously at all.
Even when the young man carrying the pipe had already arrived behind him, he remained completely calm.
"To do that during a match... aren't you looking down on us a little too much?"
Sabo frowned. One hand clenched into a fist, and Armament Haki quickly wrapped around it.
Bartolomeo only grinned at him with a face that practically begged to be punched.
"Give up. You can't possibly beat me!"
Facing that heavy punch, he calmly crossed the fingers of both hands.
Then...
"Pwah..."
A punch landed straight in Bartolomeo's stomach.
He nearly vomited bile.
"Why..."
As pain blurred his consciousness, Bartolomeo asked a question from the depths of his soul.
"Why didn't the barrier appear...?"
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