At Ryokugyu's command, the Zero Division soldiers who had been waiting nearby immediately stepped forward.
They quickly placed Seastone cuffs on Luffy.
Watching as the unconscious Luffy was taken away, Ryokugyu stretched lazily before shifting his gaze toward the distant standoff between Doflamingo and Sabo.
The massive explosion caused by their clash earlier had naturally caught his attention.
"Doflamingo's really going all out… I wonder what kind of reward Fleet Admiral Shuu promised him."
Ryokugyu muttered to himself.
After all, he knew nothing about the relationship between Doflamingo and Shuu.
He did not know Doflamingo had once been a Celestial Dragon.
Nor did he know that Doflamingo was willing to sacrifice everything just to return to Mary Geoise.
Still, since Shuu had specifically told him to keep an eye on Doflamingo, Ryokugyu could not simply ignore things if something happened to him.
With that thought in mind, Ryokugyu began walking toward the battlefield ahead.
At the same time, the two men still facing each other suddenly froze.
Both Sabo and Doflamingo possessed powerful Observation Haki.
And both had already sensed that Luffy's battle was over.
Sabo's face filled with frustration and grief.
Once again…
He had failed to save his brother.
"Damn it!!!"
Sabo slammed his fist into the ground furiously.
But there was nothing he could do anymore.
The exhaustion from the battle, combined with the strain of newly obtaining the Flame-Flame Fruit, was finally catching up to him.
His stamina had already reached its limit.
Even though he was desperately trying to recover, his body could no longer keep fighting.
Doflamingo, however, felt the complete opposite.
A massive grin spread across his bloodied face.
"Hehehehe… looks like Ryokugyu succeeded."
Despite the wounds covering his body, Doflamingo's mood had never been better.
Because it meant he had finally completed all ten tasks Shuu gave him.
His chance to return to the Celestial Dragons was finally within reach.
"Sabo! I acknowledge your strength, but in the end… you still failed!!"
"You failed to save Ace back then, and now you've lost Luffy too!"
"So hurry back to your Revolutionary Army headquarters already!"
Doflamingo mocked him mercilessly.
And honestly, few people in the world were better at provoking others than Doflamingo.
His words instantly pushed Sabo's already burning rage to the brink.
"Damn you, Doflamingo! It's all because you held me back!!!"
Sabo gritted his teeth as he slowly forced himself back to his feet.
Flames began flickering around his body once more.
Doflamingo's expression immediately changed.
"Wait… seriously?! This bastard still has stamina left?!"
He originally thought both of them had already reached total exhaustion.
Instead, his taunting had somehow reignited Sabo's fighting spirit.
Doflamingo tried to stand as well, but his body had long since reached its limit.
After fighting both Luffy and Sabo consecutively, he had only been enduring through sheer obsession with Shuu's promise.
Now that the tension was gone, there was no way he could force himself up again.
At that moment, Sabo inhaled deeply before charging forward.
"Doflamingo! Go apologize to Ace in hell!!!"
"Fire Fist!!!"
Blazing flames erupted from Sabo's right arm as he smashed his fist toward Doflamingo with all his remaining strength.
Doflamingo's pupils shrank.
"Damn it… MOVE!!!"
He desperately tried to force his body aside.
But he could not move at all.
Watching the flaming fist draw closer and closer, Doflamingo slowly closed his eyes in despair.
"So this is where it ends…"
His expression twisted bitterly as he quietly waited for death.
One minute passed.
Then another.
But the burning heat he expected never came.
Instead, a relaxed voice sounded beside him.
"Well now… Doflamingo, don't tell me you actually thought you were about to die?"
Doflamingo's eyes snapped open.
Standing before him was a tall figure wearing a striped green suit beneath a white Marine justice coat.
Ryokugyu had arrived.
A flicker of relief flashed through Doflamingo's eyes.
"Ryokugyu!"
Ryokugyu casually waved away the remaining flames before glancing sideways at him.
"Tch. Too bad I didn't bring a camera this time. Otherwise this would've made a great embarrassing photo for your future."
Doflamingo's mouth twitched.
"Hey, hey… don't act like we're close."
Ryokugyu shrugged casually and ignored the complaint.
Instead, he looked toward Sabo in the distance.
At this moment, Sabo was completely stunned.
He could not understand it.
Why would a member of the Zero Division save a pirate like Doflamingo?
"Why?! Why would someone from the Zero Division protect a pirate?!"
Sabo shouted angrily.
Ryokugyu raised a brow.
"And aren't you, a Revolutionary, helping a pirate like Luffy?"
Sabo froze instantly.
Ryokugyu snorted coldly.
"You and Monkey D. Dragon love talking about justice and changing the world."
"But tell me something."
"Do you really think what you're doing right now is justice?"
"Or do you think Luffy becoming a pirate is somehow the right path?"
Ryokugyu's expression turned stern as his voice echoed across the battlefield.
"You're just following your own heart, same as everyone else."
Sabo fell silent.
This was the real world.
Not some fantasy manga where everything revolved around pirates.
There were no absolute protagonists here.
And if there truly was one…
Then in Ryokugyu's eyes, it could only be the Marines.
Only the man he admired above all else.
Ezra D. Vale.
Sabo's convictions seemed to crack under the weight of those words.
His body trembled weakly before he collapsed to the ground.
Ryokugyu had no interest in continuing the philosophical debate.
At that moment, members of the Donquixote Family finally rushed over and carefully lifted their injured young master.
Ryokugyu glanced toward Doflamingo.
"Doflamingo, your mission is complete. I'll personally report your performance to Fleet Admiral Shuu."
Hearing that promise, Doflamingo barely managed to suppress the excitement in his heart and slowly nodded.
Nothing was confirmed yet.
He could not allow himself to lose composure in front of his subordinates.
Once everything became official, he would reveal the truth to the Donquixote Family.
As for whether they would follow him to Mary Geoise afterward…
That would be a discussion for another day.
Pushing aside the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Doflamingo dispersed the Birdcage surrounding the island.
Then, supported by his family members, he slowly left the battlefield.
Ryokugyu watched the Donquixote Family depart before turning his attention back to Sabo.
"If you care about your little brother that much…"
"Then why not go keep him company?"
-----------------------------
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