Dressrosa.
The King's Plateau.
Doflamingo had originally intended to gather everyone and evacuate the area together. However, the current situation left him utterly bewildered.
Not a single member of his family was in sight.
'This... this shouldn't be happening!'
'Click, click, click...'
"Isn't it strange? Wondering why you can't see a single soul?"
Just then, the rhythmic tapping of high heels echoed, followed by a voice Doflamingo knew all too well. It was one of his executives—the former princess of Dressrosa.
Princess Violet looked at Doflamingo, a teasing smile playing on her lips. Others might not know what had happened at the harbor, but Violet saw everything with absolute clarity. After all, with her ability, she could see things not just at the nearby docks, but even four thousand kilometers away.
"Violet, what did you do?"
"Nothing much. I simply mentioned that you were currently being pummeled by Akainu and that the situation was dire. Then, everyone just started screaming and rushing over there. Oh, and I happened to give them the wrong location!"
"You... you're courting death!"
Although he had never fully trusted this woman and had always remained guarded around her, he never imagined he would actually be stabbed in the back by her.
Things had become troublesome. If he went looking for his family executives now, it would waste too much time—time that might allow Akainu to catch up to him.
It seemed his only option was to retreat alone and later find a way to strike a deal with the Five Elders to trade for the others.
But before he left...
Doflamingo's eyes flashed with a lethal intensity as he glared at Princess Violet. But before he could make a move, his expression shifted abruptly.
His Observation Haki warned him that Akainu and the two Captains were closing in.
"Damn it!"
Cursing under his breath, he no longer had time to deal with Violet. He turned on his heel and fled.
A few moments later, Akainu, Ace, and Sophia arrived.
"The guy is quite fast," Akainu remarked after scanning the area with his Observation Haki. He prepared to continue the pursuit in the direction Doflamingo had fled.
At that moment, Violet spoke up. "Admiral Akainu, please wait a moment. If you'll allow it, I would like to use my ability to help you quickly capture Doflamingo and the rest of the Donquixote Family executives."
"Hmm?"
Akainu hadn't paid much attention to Violet previously. This was the royal palace; it was perfectly normal to see maids and servants around. But looking closer now, this woman... didn't she look exactly like the princess of Dressrosa that Sean had described?
"You are King Riku's daughter, Princess Violet?"
"I am!"
"Fine. I will continue the pursuit from behind. Use this Den Den Mushi to guide Sophia and Ace to flank him!" As he spoke, Akainu tossed a Den Den Mushi to her.
"Aren't you going to ask what my ability is?"
"The Glare-Glare Fruit, isn't it? Don't underestimate Marine intelligence, little girl!"
Hearing Akainu's response, Ace's lip twitched. 'This guy is such a show-off! Sean was the one who told you!'
However, Violet accepted the explanation. Given the circumstances, it seemed like the most logical answer.
"Understood!"
'''
On the west side of the island.
Doflamingo was beyond frustrated. Just moments ago, he had stumbled upon a Marine search party. He had intended to kill them swiftly and continue his escape, but the moment he attacked, he was stunned.
It was only a Lieutenant Commander, three Company-grade officers, and twenty ordinary marines. Yet, the Lieutenant Commander and the three officers had managed to block his attack together.
Most absurdly, all four of them could use Armament Haki and were highly proficient in the Six Powers.
It was utterly ridiculous.
It wasn't that Doflamingo couldn't handle them, but he certainly couldn't deal with them quickly; it would require actual effort. And did he have time to waste?
Absolutely not.
Thus, Doflamingo chose to... turn around and run!
Over the next few minutes, he encountered two more intercepting squads. Each squad had between two and five members who, despite their low ranks, were powerful and capable of using Armament Haki.
Doflamingo began to question his own reality. These repeated interceptions wasted a significant amount of his time—whether he fought them or diverted his path, the delays added up. Furthermore, he was forced to take constant detours.
Because of this, Ace and Sophia—who had been following Violet's guidance and taking a direct shortcut—appeared right in front of him, forcing him to a halt.
Seconds later, Akainu appeared behind him.
The three of them formed a triangle, trapping Doflamingo in the center and cutting off all escape routes. He didn't have time to deliberate.
In truth, he didn't think much; he charged straight at Sophia. In his eyes, Sophia, with the Snow-Snow Fruit, was the weakest of the three. If he had to gamble on a breakthrough, it had to be through her.
But the moment they clashed, he realized something was wrong.
Even without using her Devil Fruit powers, this woman's pure martial arts were enough to stop him in his tracks. Her Armament and Observation Haki had both reached the second stage. Furthermore, in terms of technique and physical constitution, she was not inferior to him.
In fact, her physical strength might even be superior.
'A Marine Captain? Does that guy Sean have some kind of misunderstanding about the rank of Captain?'
While Doflamingo was confident he could eventually defeat Sophia by utilizing his Fruit Awakening, he had to consider the current situation.
He was facing another Captain with an absurdly developed Devil Fruit, and a Marine Admiral was standing right there.
At this moment, he wanted to scream. These New World Marines had no sense of honor! They had sent two people with the strength of at least Elite Vice Admirals to pose as Captains just to fool him.
"Do you think this is a game?"
Blinded by rage, Doflamingo ignored the presence of Akainu and Ace beside him. He immediately awakened his Devil Fruit, preparing to unleash a massive attack.
But at that moment, he felt a sudden, violent impact.
A fist made of magma blasted through him from behind, erupting directly out of his chest.
Once he realized what had happened, a look of sheer frustration crossed Doflamingo's face before he slowly collapsed...
"Admiral Akainu, how could you be so ruthless?" Sophia exclaimed indignantly.
Make no mistake—having witnessed the slaughter of her entire village, her hatred for pirates was absolute. She was no saint. She wasn't worried about Doflamingo; she was worried about the String-String Fruit.
"It's fine. I didn't hit any vital organs; I intentionally avoided his heart," Akainu replied with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Moreover, the extreme heat cauterized the wound as it pierced through. While the injury is still fatal, given Doflamingo's constitution, he should be able to hold on for another half hour."
Hearing this, Sophia breathed a sigh of relief.
'Good, the String-String Fruit is still safe!'
As for when Doflamingo died? She couldn't care less. As long as he didn't kick the bucket before the fruit was extracted, it was all that mattered.
"Alright, Sophia, hurry up and get this guy back to the warship. Get it done while he's still breathing!"
"Understood!"
With a nod, Sophia grabbed the half-dead Doflamingo and bolted toward the harbor on the east side of the island.
'''
Ten minutes later.
Because Princess Violet had informed the Marines exactly where she had tricked the executives into going, over twenty squads of Marines successfully surrounded them without any trouble.
Although the executives attempted to resist and break through, it was futile. Each squad included several Marines from the 16th Branch; they weren't about to be defeated so easily.
Moments later, Akainu and Ace arrived. In less than three minutes, they rounded up every remaining executive of the Donquixote Family.
Those without Devil Fruit powers were executed on the spot.
The ability users were luckier; they got to live a little longer. As for exactly how much longer, it depended on the queue for the five Seastone solitary cells on the battleship.