The Donquixote Family had paid a heavy price to eliminate a thousand pirates.
Every member was injured and exhausted. How could they possibly stand against the rested and elite Navy forces?
"Spider's Web!"
Doflamingo launched an attack without hesitation.
Using his String-String Fruit ability, he created an incredibly dense and resilient spiderweb, hurling it directly toward Raleigh.
At the same time, he retreated explosively while shouting, "Scatter and flee! Everyone, scatter and flee now!"
Raleigh wiped the playful smile from his face.
With a wave of his right hand, a sudden gust of wind appeared from the sky, blowing the spiderweb shield aside.
"Wouldn't it be better to just die quietly?"
Doflamingo used his strings to latch onto the clouds in the sky, only to discover that at the foot of the Donquixote stronghold, squad after squad of Navy soldiers were advancing toward them.
Boom!
Raleigh punched through the roof of the council hall, then appeared mid-air, his eyes fixed on Doflamingo as he grinned.
"Let's see how much you've improved over all these years."
...
Late at night, Raleigh descended from the sky.
The edges of his clothes were slightly torn, and in his hand, he held a bloodied, barely recognizable figure.
Dried blood had stained Doflamingo's originally blonde hair a deep crimson.
His glasses had been shattered by Raleigh's fist during the battle.
"Report the results of the operation."
The adjutant who had finished cleaning up the battlefield approached. "Admiral Raleigh, apart from Pica who has disappeared to who knows where, all the core members of the Donquixote Family have been captured. There's a man called Corazon who says he knows you."
"About ninety percent of the remaining Donquixote Family members have been captured by us, with a small portion having escaped. They are likely still within Dressrosa. Should we issue Wanted Posters?"
Raleigh nodded. "Notify King Riku of Dressrosa and have him submit a report to the World Government and release the bounty notices. Put him in shackles, add a few more Seastone hand and leg chains."
Raleigh entered a relatively intact room within the Donquixote Family's premises, where Corazon had been waiting for him.
As soon as Corazon saw Raleigh, he anxiously spoke up.
"Admiral Raleigh, I'm one of our own!"
His movement caused the chains on his hands and feet to rattle loudly, prompting the Navy personnel guarding him to press down on his shoulders to prevent him from doing anything untoward.
"Don't worry, he really is one of our own." Raleigh flexed his fingers and flicked them twice.
The incredibly hard Seastone handcuffs and leg chains shattered like tofu dregs under his attack.
After waving away the two guarding Navy soldiers, Raleigh pulled up a chair and sat in front of Corazon.
"Should I call you Corazon or Rosinante?"
An awkward smile appeared on Corazon's face, and then, as if remembering something, he said, "Call me Rosinante. I have long since had no connection with the Donquixote Family."
Raleigh had already known Corazon's identity, but he had indeed seen Corazon a few times at Marineford.
Back then, Corazon didn't wear such makeup on his face and followed obediently behind Sengoku.
"What's going on? I can't just arrest you and take you back, can I? Does Fleet Admiral Sengoku know about this?"
Corazon smiled and said, "Father knows about it. Originally, Father sent me undercover into the Donquixote Family to gather evidence before taking action against them. I didn't expect you, to come and take action directly though."
Raleigh nodded as if he knew nothing, then said, "If that's the case, then I know how to write the report. You are a Navy officer who has been undercover within the Donquixote Family for a long time, having discovered a large amount of criminal evidence against them. Therefore, you notified Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who then ordered me to carry out the arrest of the Donquixote Family."
In this way, what should have been Raleigh's private operation became part of a battle plan long devised by Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
The advantage was that Raleigh would not have to bear any cost for this operation, aside from Navy casualties.
The disadvantage was that he would have to share a large portion of the credit for taking down the Donquixote Family with Sengoku and Corazon.
Moreover, the political risk that should have been borne by Raleigh alone was now shouldered by Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
This way, even those within the World Government who were dissatisfied could do nothing about it.
A Fleet Admiral and a Navy Admiral—they were not people the Five Elders could easily deal with.
....
Marineford, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku, wearing his seagull cap and draped in his Fleet Admiral coat, was speaking on a Den Den Mushi.
"What? What did you say? Raleigh has taken down the Donquixote Family?"
Even now, Sengoku still felt a sense of unreality.
If this call hadn't come through his exclusive line with Rosinante, he would have thought it was a joke.
After Rosinante's repeated confirmations, he finally accepted the truth of the matter.
For a moment, even the resourceful Sengoku was at a loss for words.
What else was there to say?
It's like when you first start arguing with someone, and you originally expected it to take three to five years to resolve the matter.
You had even mentally prepared for a long-term battle, but after taking only the first step, your teammate finished the rest in a single day.
Such speed left Sengoku utterly astonished.
Immediately afterward, he urgently inquired, "Rosinante, have you thoroughly investigated the Donquixote Family's criminal evidence? Without complete evidence, we cannot revoke Doflamingo's status as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. In that case, the Donquixote Family would still evade this capture."
Rosinante glanced at Raleigh before explaining to Sengoku, "Father, Admiral Raleigh has already resolved everything. The evidence has been fully collected, and the Donquixote Family is practically wiped out."
Indeed, during the earlier tally, Rosinante had learned that Raleigh's subordinates had never intended to take prisoners.
If not for some Donquixote Family members surrendering quickly, there might have been no ordinary members captured at all.
As for the Donquixote Family executives, Raleigh planned to extract their Devil Fruits, so those with Devil Fruits were not killed.
It was precisely because of this that Corazon managed to hold out until Raleigh returned.
Otherwise, the Navy soldiers, blinded by bloodlust, might have actually killed Corazon, which would have driven Sengoku mad.
Fortunately, Corazon narrowly escaped death thanks to his Calm-Calm Fruit.
"Good. Then bring Doflamingo back to Marineford. Don't let him die—if he does, there will be some trouble."
Sengoku knew that Doflamingo had a special status, but he wasn't about to be hindered by a former Celestial Dragon.
This identity could at most ensure Doflamingo's survival, but it couldn't protect the other members of the Donquixote Family.
After all, the World Government only wanted to save their dignity, and Sengoku believed Raleigh wouldn't do anything foolish.
"Hand the Den Den Mushi to Raleigh. I need to speak with him."
Rosinante passed the Den Den Mushi to Raleigh, and after a brief exchange, the call ended.
"Pack up. We set sail for Enies Lobby tomorrow."
After a short discussion with Sengoku, Raleigh decided to change their destination.
They would head directly to Enies Lobby for the trial before sending the prisoners to Impel Down, bypassing Marineford altogether.
Mainly, because Sengoku feared further complications.
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