"When Golden Lion Shiki stormed into Marine Headquarters alone, how high-spirited was he? But even he was defeated by Garp and Sengoku and sent to Impel Down. When it comes to dealing with pirates, Marine never bothers with rules about 'one-on-one fights.'"
Black Arm Zephyr stood beside Lucas, his tone serious as he continued, "Shiki only managed to hold out for three days and three nights against Garp and Sengoku. But the World Government's power? It's far beyond anything those two could muster. You might not get killed if you face them now, but winning? That's impossible."
Zephyr was concerned about Lucas's growing confidence and tried to instill a healthy fear of the World Government. But what Zephyr didn't realize was that Lucas's understanding of the World Government went even deeper than his own.
Lucas had no intention of making reckless moves. With the Chat Group for the Dead acting as his ultimate cheat code, Lucas wasn't about to take unnecessary risks. He'd wait, grow stronger, and when the time was right, he'd crush the World Government without breaking a sweat.
Suddenly, Lucas's Shadow Clone sent him a message.
"Hmm? Mr. Zephyr, I'll leave things here to you." Lucas turned to the former Admiral with a smile. "It's almost wrapped up over in Wano Country. Time to finish things there."
Then, Lucas's eyes shifted towards Crocodile, who stood in the distance with his arms crossed.
"Crocodile, I've got a mission for you!" Lucas called out. "The Donquixote Family is causing trouble on my turf. I'll leave them to you!"
Without another word, Lucas summoned a Shadow Clone and, with a flash of the Flying Thunder God Technique, the clone and Crocodile vanished.
Elsewhere—An Island at the Edge of Whitebeard Pirates' Territory
On the outskirts of Whitebeard's domain, Donquixote Doflamingo and his Donquixote Family were wreaking havoc.
Most of the underground forces involved in today's chaos had been instigated by Doflamingo. As the mastermind, he couldn't exactly keep his hands clean.
Even though Doflamingo knew that this would offend Lucas, he felt like he had no choice. After all, he had been working with Kaido of the Beasts for years. Aligning with Lucas was too risky—Kaido might have been foolhardy, but Doflamingo wasn't that reckless.
"What was up with those fifteen Lucases who appeared out of nowhere?" Doflamingo frowned, recalling how multiple Shadow Clones had suddenly dropped from the sky before disappearing into smoke. The sight had put him on edge.
Woosh!
Before Doflamingo could gather his thoughts, Lucas's Shadow Clone reappeared—this time bringing Crocodile with him.
"Lucas? Crocodile?" Doflamingo blinked, confused. "What the hell are you two doing together?"
Lucas's Shadow Clone chuckled. "I'll leave this to you." He floated into the sky, arms crossed, watching the scene from above.
Since Shadow Clones had limited durability, the clone wasn't planning to fight Doflamingo head-on. Instead, it would observe the battle, ready to self-destruct and relay information to the main body if needed.
Doflamingo shot an uneasy glance at the clone hovering overhead. Then his eyes narrowed, focusing on Crocodile.
"Crocodile, you bastard. What's going on here? This wasn't part of the plan!"
Crocodile's eyes gleamed with disdain. "If it wasn't for your stupid message dragging me into this mess, none of this would've happened. So yeah, this is all your fault."
With a wicked grin, Crocodile raised his hand, sending a massive sandstorm tornado spiraling toward Doflamingo.
Doflamingo quickly soared into the sky, dodging the swirling sands with ease. From above, he sneered down at Crocodile. "So, you've thrown in with Lucas now? I never thought you'd stoop to becoming someone else's lapdog."
Crocodile's grin widened. "What does that have to do with you? Now shut up and die already!"
But Doflamingo wasn't done talking. "If you're so willing to work for Lucas, why not work for me instead? With me, you'd be a partner. But with Lucas? You're just a lackey."
Crocodile barked a laugh. "You think you've got what it takes to make me your partner? Don't make me laugh. Remember what I told you during the Summit War? If you want to work with me, you'd better be ready to call me boss."
Doflamingo chuckled darkly. "You really are an unsophisticated bastard. But I'll let you off the hook this time."
With a glance up at Lucas's clone floating above, Doflamingo continued, "I don't know why, but it doesn't seem like Lucas has any intention of attacking me directly."
Activating his String-String Fruit powers, Doflamingo connected thin strings to nearby buildings and even clouds in the sky. Using the strings as footholds, he began to glide away from the battlefield.
Crocodile watched him retreat, a look of confusion on his face. "You're just going to let him go?" he asked, turning to Lucas's clone in disbelief.
The Shadow Clone chuckled. "That guy's interesting. I'd rather let my real body handle him." His eyes gleamed with a dangerous light. "Besides, he's the mastermind behind all of this. It'd be disrespectful to let a mere clone take him down."
Meanwhile—Wano Country
The Beasts Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates were locked in a fierce battle. Amidst the chaos, a group of World Government agents stealthily infiltrated the prison where Kaido was being held.
"We've found him," whispered one of the agents, putting away Kaido's vivre card. Ahead of them was a towering figure, wrapped in black seal marks. With a wave of his hand, the agent signaled the others to move in.
Suddenly, a Lucas Shadow Clone guarding Kaido's cell smiled darkly. "Oh? A bunch of World Government agents? What a pleasant surprise."
With that, the clone dispersed into smoke.
Immediately, Lucas's main body appeared, using the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport to Kaido's location.
As he arrived, Lucas saw a group of men clad in black suits, rushing toward the prison cell.
"Scram!"
A burst of purple lightning crackled around Lucas, and his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward in a terrifying shockwave.
Plop! Plop!
One after another, the agents collapsed to the ground, unable to withstand the overwhelming pressure of Lucas's top-tier Haki. Despite their intense training, most of them could only stay conscious—their bodies were paralyzed by the sheer force.
Only three agents at the front remained standing. The leader's face was pale, but his aura was terrifying, on par with a Marine Admiral. The two agents flanking him were also incredibly strong—both at least Vice Admiral level.
"Top operatives of the World Government?"
"The strongest spear and shield of the Celestial Dragons?"
"Interesting... what a surprise!"
Lucas grinned, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Come on then, let me see what you're made of!"
With a casual flick of his fingers, he beckoned the three agents forward, his tone dripping with provocation.
The man in the lead, known as Silver Fox, sneered. As one of the World Government's agents, his strength rivaled that of a Marine Admiral. Even the Celestial Dragons and Five Elders showed him a certain degree of respect. Very few dared to provoke him the way Lucas just did. And those who had? They were all resting six feet under, courtesy of Silver Fox.
"Go to hell!"
Silver Fox's body crackled with electric energy as silver lightning danced across his skin, cloaking him in a shimmering lightning armor. In a blur of speed, he rushed at Lucas, aiming a Finger Pistol straight for his heart.
"Lightning Lightning Fruit ability?"
Lucas's brow furrowed mid-dodge. "What happened to Enel? This doesn't add up…"
But as the lightning-charged Finger Pistol collided with Lucas's chest, it met an invisible barrier—top-tier Armament Haki. The attack bounced harmlessly off the hardened surface.
Lucas's eyes narrowed. "No… this isn't Logia."
In the brief exchange, Lucas had already dissected the truth. "His body didn't elementalize when he used his power. He's not a Logia user at all—this is a Paramecia-type ability. Some sort of Discharge Discharge Fruit?"
Before Lucas could dwell on it further, the two agents flanking Silver Fox leaped into action. Both wore seastone knuckle dusters, aiming to restrict Lucas's Devil Fruit abilities while attacking with devastating force.
"All three of them are close-combat specialists? This just keeps getting better!"
Lucas's grin widened. "Come on then—let's see what you've got!"
Lucas's fists ignited with the white halo of the Tremor Tremor Fruit, blended seamlessly with his top-tier Armament Haki. Suddenly, a flicker of flame erupted from the halo, crackling ominously. As Silver Fox lunged again, Lucas responded with a brutal counterpunch.
CRACK!
The very air around them shattered under the force of the blow. Silver lightning collided violently with white shockwaves, sending flames and sparks cascading across the battlefield.
"Your strength is lacking!"
Lucas chuckled, pushing forward with an overwhelming force. The shockwave sent Silver Fox flying, his body tumbling through the air like a ragdoll.
Silver Fox coughed, feeling as though his internal organs had been pulverized. But his loyalty to the World Government burned brighter than his pain. Gritting his teeth, he roared, "I'll hold him off! You two—release Kaido!"
His subordinates didn't hesitate. The two agents dashed toward Kaido, whose enormous form was still shackled and bound by Lucas's black curse marks.
"As long as we free Kaido of the Beasts," Silver Fox growled, "we can join forces to take down Lucas!"
A mad gleam flickered in his eyes. This was their chance to turn the tide.
Lucas, however, was unfazed. "You want to release Kaido? Be my guest—if you think you can."
With a casual stomp, Lucas activated his Gold-Gold Fruit powers. The ground beneath him rippled like liquid gold, rising into the air to form sleek, flexible spears. Their razor-sharp tips gleamed ominously, coated in top-tier Armament Haki.
"Gold Spears: Counter Kill!"
Lucas waved his palm lazily, and the golden spears surged forward like vipers, targeting the three agents.
"What's the matter?" Lucas teased, watching them dodge in frantic desperation. "Aren't you here to save Kaido? Don't be shy—I've been waiting!"
"GO!"
Silver Fox's eyes burned with fury. Lightning surged from his body, merging with Armament Haki as he unleashed a blast that temporarily suppressed the encroaching golden spears.
Seizing the opportunity, his two subordinates sprinted toward Kaido, their hearts pounding as they reached the imprisoned emperor.
But just as their hands made contact with Kaido's cursed bindings, something unexpected happened.
"AAAAAHHH!"
The pitch-black seal marks encasing Kaido suddenly glowed a menacing red, and both agents recoiled in agony, their palms searing as if they'd been plunged into molten lava.
Lucas burst into laughter. "Idiots! You really thought you could undo something strong enough to hold the strongest creature in the world? You're so naïve it's almost cute!"
"RETREAT!"
Silver Fox's expression shifted from confidence to panic. He waved desperately at his men.
But Lucas's grin only widened.
"Too late."
With a flick of his foot, the liquid gold on the ground surged once more, twisting and morphing into dozens of golden chains. They slithered through the air like serpents, honing in on the three agents.
"Gold conducts electricity, you know," Lucas remarked casually. "But unfortunately for you, your lightning won't get past my Haki."
The golden chains snapped around the agents, their Armament Haki-reinforced links leaving no room for escape. The agents struggled, but the bindings only tightened.
"Since you've come all this way," Lucas whispered, his voice like velvet over steel, "why don't you stay awhile?"
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