"Oh? You're late, Doflamingo."
Kizaru took the initiative to call him out, nearly making the Heavenly Yaksha laugh in rage.
Did this guy really have no self-awareness? As if he didn't know exactly why Doflamingo was late?
"Cut the crap! Give me back Baby-5, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened!"
Doflamingo slumped into the chair across from Kizaru.
For the first time in his life, the infamous rogue of the underworld had encountered someone even more shameless than himself.
Not only had Kizaru looted his ship, but he had also taken Baby-5—someone Doflamingo saw as family.
If he had any chance of winning, he would've fought Kizaru on the spot.
"What Baby-5? Falsely accusing a Marine Admiral is a serious offense!"
Kizaru warned sternly, already making plans to have the little maid change her name.
Plenty of options were available—Ram, Rem, Chocolate, Vanilla, Elie, Mari, Rinne...
Once she had a new name, if Doflamingo still insisted on making a fuss, Kizaru wouldn't mind teaching him exactly what it meant to offend an Admiral.
"You bastard! Don't play dumb! Baby-5 is my family—I won't let this go!"
Doflamingo snarled through gritted teeth.
He couldn't allow someone so important to him to fall into Marine hands.
Worse yet, Baby-5 knew many secrets about the Donquixote Family and Dressrosa. With her personality, if Kizaru asked, she'd probably spill everything without hesitation.
If anyone else had obtained his secrets, Doflamingo wouldn't have cared too much—after all, he had the protection of Kaido, one of the Four Emperors.
But unfortunately, there were a handful of people in this world who weren't afraid of Kaido.
And Kizaru just happened to be one of them.
It was precisely because of Kizaru that Doflamingo had been forced to abandon his plan to enslave the Tontatta Tribe. That was the moment he realized that Kaido's protection wasn't as reliable as he had thought.
"Oh my, that does sound quite problematic. I suppose I should take care of this potential issue... Alright, here's the decision from headquarters—Doflamingo, you'll be taking on Whitebeard one-on-one."
Kizaru made no effort to conceal his intentions, nearly making Doflamingo cough up blood in sheer rage.
Even by the standards of petty revenge, this was far too blatant. But he didn't dare keep provoking Kizaru—otherwise, that bastard might actually send him to fight Whitebeard to the death. Or rather, Whitebeard would be the one playing with his life.
"Alright, now that the troublemaker has shut up, let's discuss tomorrow's plan... Nami, you take over."
Seeing Doflamingo reluctantly fall silent, Kizaru nodded in satisfaction, handing the floor over to little Nami.
Not because he was too lazy to go through the plan himself—he just wanted to give Nami a chance to shine.
"Everyone..."
Nami bit her lip, taking out the operation plan documents. But just as she was about to speak, she felt an overwhelming, bone-chilling malice.
"Hmph!"
Doflamingo let out a cold snort. With his mastery of Conqueror's Haki, he could easily direct its pressure onto a single person—Nami.
He might not dare challenge Kizaru anymore, but that didn't mean he was someone to be pushed around.
Nami's face paled, and her body wobbled involuntarily—until Kizaru reached out and steadied her just in time.
"Cough! Keep going, you're fine."
Kizaru cleared his throat, and an overwhelming pressure—at least ten times stronger than Doflamingo's—came crashing down on the Heavenly Yaksha.
Doflamingo's face turned beet red, veins bulging across his forehead as if he were bearing the weight of an entire mountain.
Forget targeting Nami—just breathing became an ordeal.
"The operation areas you will be responsible for tomorrow..."
Nami took a deep breath and resumed her briefing on the Navy's deployment of the Warlords.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had no intention of going easy on them.
Unlike Kizaru, who openly treated them as cannon fodder, Sengoku was just as ruthless in his assignments—placing these non-Navy fighters directly in the most dangerous frontlines.
But the Warlords had already expected this. Their confidence in their own strength made them believe they wouldn't be in any real danger.
Moria, for instance, had ulterior motives—he planned to use the chaos to collect the corpses of powerful fighters from both sides.
Mihawk, on the other hand, was even more ambitious. He wanted to witness the strength of the so-called "World's Strongest Man," Whitebeard.
Though Whitebeard wasn't a pure swordsman, he wielded one of the twelve Supreme Grade Blades—Murakumogiri.
As a fellow Supreme Blade wielder, Mihawk was genuinely interested in facing him.
Once Nami finished outlining the battle assignments, Kizaru stood up, wrapping an arm around Hancock's waist as he left the reception hall.
With his authority, he could take Hancock on a stroll around Marineford.
As for the other Warlords? They had to stay put—Doflamingo included.
Not even his Celestial Dragon lineage would allow him to roam freely in Marine HQ.
CRACK!
The moment Kizaru stepped out of the hall, the chair beneath Doflamingo finally gave out, shattering to pieces under the pressure.
"Oh my, property damage! Nami, how much does one of these chairs cost?"
Kizaru turned back, clearly expecting this.
"Yes, the reception hall chairs were procured at 8,700 Berries each..."
Nami flipped through her little notebook.
As Kizaru's treasurer, knowing the exact procurement costs of Marine resources was crucial.
Getting scammed by suppliers was one thing—but failing to profit off those purchases? That would be an unforgivable loss.
"Oh, so 8.7 million Berries. Let's round it up, including transportation fees—100 million berries. The bill goes to Dressrosa. No objections, right, Doflamingo?"
Kizaru smiled as he addressed him.
"...No... problem!"
Still struggling under Kizaru's oppressive presence, Doflamingo barely squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.
"Great. Make sure to pay within three business days. Late payments accrue a 50% daily late fee."
Kizaru stroked his chin, briefly considering delaying the invoice just to rack up the penalties.
But he ultimately decided against it—too shameless.
Now, if it were 10 billion or 100 billion, that would be worth it.
"Huff... huff... that monster..."
As the suffocating pressure suddenly vanished, Doflamingo gasped for air, his expression a mix of shock and unease.
He had always considered Marine Admirals and Pirate Emperors to be monstrous.
But even Kaido—one of the strongest beings alive—couldn't suppress him so effortlessly with mere presence alone.
"Heh heh heh, how embarrassing, Doflamingo!"
Moriah sneered with undisguised schadenfreude. The Warlords of the Sea never got along, and Moriah—arguably the weakest among them—had often been looked down upon by Doflamingo.
Now that he had the rare chance to witness Doflamingo making such a fool of himself, there was no way he would hold back his mockery.
"Fuffuffuffu... Just you wait, Moriah..."
Doflamingo grinned menacingly. It wouldn't be long before that damn bat learned what true regret felt like.
---
At the same time that Kizaru was meeting with the Warlords, inside the Fleet Admiral's office—
A tall, gaunt man stood by the window, his white robe draping over his frame. His sunken cheeks were adorned with a long, goat-like beard, and his mane of hair resembled a lion's.
As he gazed over the Marineford plaza outside, a cold smirk tugged at his lips.
"The Navy's military strength has grown significantly since I left... No wonder they have the guts to provoke a war with the Pirate Emperors."
He stroked his white beard, his reptilian slit pupils gleaming with malice.
Had Kizaru been present, he would have instantly recognized this man—former Admiral Candidate, White Ram Delocas!
"If you plan on running to the Gorosei with your little report, you'll have to wait until after the execution. Until then, you will follow orders. You were a Marine once—you should know the consequences if you disobey, Delocas."
Sengoku casually stuffed a report he had just finished reading into his pet goat's mouth, his tone indifferent.
If not for the need to keep the Revolutionary Army in check, he wouldn't have tolerated dealing with scum like Delocas.
No matter the faction, those who betrayed their comrades were seen as irredeemable filth.
And Delocas's ability was especially detested—he could steal Devil Fruit powers and make them his own.
Victims of his ability would permanently lose their will, becoming nothing more than extensions of Delocas's beastly form.
Back then, Delocas had set his sights on Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit—only to be thoroughly beaten and exposed.
Originally, he had been sentenced to Impel Down's Eternal Hell, but thanks to CP0, he had managed to escape that fate.
"Baa-hahaha... As expected of Buddha Sengoku. The so-called 'Justice that reigns over the world'—so overbearing... Relax. Since I agreed to help, I won't disappoint you. However, once the execution is over, I will settle my score with Kizaru."
Delocas scoffed.
Despite only being an Admiral Candidate back then, he had been a rising star even before Sengoku.
If seniority within the Navy were counted from the time of enlistment, his credentials were on par with former Fleet Admiral Kong.
That was part of why losing to Kizaru had been such an unbearable humiliation.
A younger Marine—one he saw as nothing more than a vessel for his next ability—had defeated him so decisively that he had no choice but to flee to CP0.
"Do whatever you want after Fire Fist Ace's execution," Sengoku warned, his eyes sharp. "But if you try anything before then—I will personally put you down.
Not even your CP0 status will save you."
Sengoku's voice was ice-cold.
When Delocas's true nature and ability had been exposed, the Navy had finally understood what had happened to all the Devil Fruit users who had mysteriously vanished over the years.
Delocas's Zoan-Type: Sheep-Sheep Fruit, Mythical Model: Chimera allowed him to wield one power from each Devil Fruit category—Logia, Paramecia, and Zoan—at any given time. Though he couldn't further develop the stolen abilities, he could continuously replace them, making himself stronger with every new power he seized.
After Kizaru had defeated Delocas, an internal investigation confirmed that at least fourteen missing Devil Fruit users had fallen victim to him.
One of them, a Marine Captain at the time, had been a trusted subordinate of Sengoku himself.
Had it not been for the larger picture, Sengoku would have personally sent this monster straight to hell long ago.
"Baa-hahaha! I'll keep that in mind, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Delocas sneered.
He wouldn't make the mistake of provoking Sengoku before settling his score with Kizaru—pushing his luck too far would be suicidal.
---
"That guy is just as repulsive as ever..."
After Delocas finally left, Vice Admiral Tsuru sighed with thinly veiled disdain.
When Delocas had defected from the Navy, no one had tried to stop him—and for good reason.
Even before his ability was revealed, he had been universally despised.
When he was sent to Impel Down, countless Marines had celebrated his downfall.
"We'll have to endure him for now," Sengoku rubbed his temples, his irritation evident.
From the moment he had requested reinforcements from the Gorosei, he had suspected they would send Delocas.
1. Delocas's combat strength was on par with an Admiral, making him a viable reinforcement.
2. As a former Admiral Candidate, he was more familiar with Marine battle tactics than any outsider.
3. Most importantly—his presence served as a leash on the Marines.
Even the World Government was uneasy about the Navy's growing power.
A force of 100,000 elite Marines wasn't just a deterrent to pirates—it was a potential threat to the Government itself.
If any military power could challenge the World Government, it wasn't the pirates or the Revolutionary Army—it was the Navy.
Even the Four Emperors combined couldn't compare to millions of armed personnel and thousands of warships under the Marine banner.
"We also need to make sure Kizaru doesn't take this too personally," Tsuru reminded him. "Back when Delocas joined CP0, it enraged him to no end."
Not just Kizaru—countless Marines had despised Delocas.
His exposure had been a devastating betrayal, leaving behind bitter scars.
Even Monkey D. Dragon's defection was partly fueled by Delocas's crimes.
The Navy had intended to imprison Delocas—but instead, he had escaped all punishment by defecting to CP0, earning a high-ranking position overseeing the very organization he had betrayed.
Had Kizaru not hunted him down and beaten him within an inch of his life, Delocas would have continued antagonizing the Navy just to prove his loyalty to the Gorosei.
"I'll handle it," Sengoku said decisively.
"As long as Dragon doesn't interfere with the execution, there's no need to reveal Delocas at all."
Sengoku had no intention of deploying Delocas unless absolutely necessary.
His battle plan against Whitebeard was already airtight—Delocas was just a last-resort insurance policy.
Unleashing him prematurely would demoralize the Marines and risk creating another Dragon.
°°°
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