Just as Dragon led the Revolutionary Army into the Holy Land and ignited the first flames of the Celestial Dragons' downfall, another operation was already underway.
In Paradise, within the Calm Belt, above Amazon Lily.
Wyper floated alone in the sky above the island that had brought him fame and elevated him to the rank of Shichibukai more than two years ago.
The last time he had come here, out of consideration for Boa Hancock, that shameless exhibitionist, he had only unleashed Myriad Thunder nine times over the course of three days.
This time was different.
The Dawn Faction had chosen to bare its fangs before the world.
And his mission was simple.
Destroy Amazon Lily.
A slight smile appeared on Wyper's face.
A technique he had never truly had the opportunity to test would finally reveal its full power today.
The only question was whether Amazon Lily below could withstand it.
Tilting his head, he glanced at the News Coo that had followed him all the way from the Sabaody Archipelago.
The exhausted bird was flapping desperately just to keep up.
Wyper waved with a grin.
The News Coo wiped away its sweat and awkwardly shook its head before offering a polite nod.
Wyper chuckled and stopped teasing it.
Then he raised both hands toward the heavens.
Lightning flashed wildly within his eyes.
"Raijin!"
Boom!
Thunder exploded across the sky.
A colossal sphere of lightning began forming high above the island.
The News Coo nearly lost its soul at the sight.
Even so, professional instincts prevailed.
It hurriedly pulled out its camera and snapped picture after picture.
Wyper.
The gigantic lightning sphere.
Amazon Lily below.
Click after click echoed through the air.
After finishing its work, the News Coo immediately stowed its camera away, fled beyond the range of the gathering lightning, and disappeared without looking back.
Wyper watched the retreating bird and laughed.
"Truly dedicated."
Boom!
The lightning sphere continued growing.
Compressing.
Expanding.
Condensing again.
Its size increased with every passing second.
Meanwhile, on Amazon Lily.
Boa Hancock had only just stepped out of her bath when the terrifying thunderclaps shook the entire island.
Her bathrobe slipped from her shoulders, exposing the Mark of the Soaring Dragon branded on her back.
At that moment, she didn't even notice.
Her attention was completely fixed on the horrifying scene above.
"Damn Thunder Demon Wyper!"
"What madness are you causing this time?!"
...
New World.
Dressrosa.
Donquixote Doflamingo stared at the images being transmitted through the video Transponder Snail before him.
A twisted grin stretched across his face.
"Fuffuffuffuffu!"
"Damn Holy Land!"
"So you finally have this day coming to you!"
Beside him stood Trebol, the only remaining top executive still at his side.
"Doffy, the Holy Land is being attacked by the Revolutionary Army. Shouldn't we do something?"
"Do what?"
Doflamingo burst into laughter.
"We don't need to do anything."
"We'll just sit back and enjoy the show."
"The Revolutionary Army doesn't possess enough strength to conquer the Holy Land outright."
"At best, they'll take advantage of Marineford and the Holy Land being undermanned, rush in, kill a few people, set some fires, seize some benefits, and damage the prestige of the Celestial Dragons and the World Government."
"That alone would already be a tremendous victory."
Nearby, Monet continued organizing intelligence reports with the diligence of a professional secretary.
"Young Master, our informants within the Big Mom Pirates haven't sent any information back for quite some time."
"That's normal."
Doflamingo waved dismissively.
"In a battle of that scale, it's unlikely those informants survived."
His expression gradually turned serious.
"What I never expected was that Ash's Dawn Ship would possess such terrifying combat power."
"Not only did they completely suppress the Big Mom Pirates, but they also had enough strength to withstand an encirclement by the God's Knights."
"Trying to recruit them back then was definitely the right decision."
"Unfortunately, once the God's Knights set their sights on someone, their future is essentially sealed."
"What a waste of all those Devil Fruits we invested."
"Doffy, are the God's Knights really that powerful?"
Trebol asked curiously.
"Fuffuffuffuffu."
Doflamingo's grin widened.
"Their strength isn't even the most terrifying thing about them."
As he watched the scenes of Revolutionary Army soldiers burning granaries, slaughtering guards, and even killing Celestial Dragons, his laughter became increasingly manic.
Then suddenly, a voice interrupted him.
"Is it really that funny?"
The laughter stopped instantly.
Doflamingo's expression darkened.
He stepped out of the palace and immediately saw a group approaching.
Leading them was Jella.
Behind him stood six Dawn Faction recruits and several others, including Trafalgar Law.
"I know you."
Doflamingo narrowed his eyes.
"One of Sali's subordinates."
His Observation Haki swept across the surroundings.
The ground.
The palace.
The sky.
Every possible hiding place.
After confirming that Sali wasn't present, he finally spoke.
"Where is Sali?"
Jella smiled faintly.
"You don't need Sali to deal with someone like you."
"And let me correct you."
"There has never been a White Sage Beast Sali."
"There is only White Sage Beast Sali, leader of the Ten Demon Saints."
"Also, allow me to introduce myself."
A proud smile appeared on his face.
"I am Demon Saint Emberwing, one of the Ten Demon Saints."
The moment he said those words, Jella felt completely refreshed.
He had held that title in for four years.
Finally being able to announce it openly felt incredible.
"Ten Demon Saints..."
Doflamingo's expression immediately twisted.
Only moments earlier, he had been congratulating himself on his ability to recognize talent.
Now reality had slapped him squarely across the face.
His previous plan to recruit Ash and prevent him from becoming another Sali suddenly seemed laughable.
No.
Not laughable.
Humiliating.
At that moment, Joker truly felt like a clown.
Within seconds, Doflamingo connected all the pieces.
The war raging on Beehive Island.
The Revolutionary Army assaulting the Holy Land.
The appearance of a Demon Saint in Dressrosa.
Everything was connected.
Since Sali himself hadn't appeared, perhaps that meant they had no immediate intention of killing him.
If so, cooperation might still be possible.
There might even be benefits to gain.
However, before Doflamingo could continue his calculations, Law stepped forward from the crowd.
"Brother Jella, leave Doflamingo to me."
The words instantly shattered Doflamingo's train of thought.
His eyes narrowed.
Then he recognized the familiar spotted hat.
"Trafalgar Law."
"Fuffuffuffuffu."
"You little brat."
"I never expected you to become one of Ash's people as well."
Jella no longer regarded Doflamingo as anything special.
After experiencing battle after battle and surviving the Hundred Teachings Class, a former Shichibukai simply wasn't intimidating anymore.
Ignoring Doflamingo entirely, he turned toward Law.
"Can you handle him yourself?"
Law nodded.
"I want to test my own strength first."
"If I can't win, then I'll ask for your help."
"We're joining too."
Bepo and the others stepped forward confidently.
Their newly acquired abilities had greatly boosted their morale.
Three Blades also stepped forward and assumed a standard combat stance.
"Perfect."
"Before challenging the world's strongest swordsman, let's see how powerful a Shichibukai really is."
Beside him, Daz Bones remained silent as always.
Both arms transformed into razor-sharp blades.
At the same time, he couldn't help glancing at Three Blades with growing curiosity.
He still couldn't understand how someone could speak so fluently while holding a sword in his mouth.
"Fine."
Jella nodded.
"I'll leave him to you."
Among the six Dawn Faction members he had brought this time were Wood-type ability users.
As a result, he wasn't worried about Doflamingo killing them.
This could serve as valuable combat training for the newcomers.
Although Ash had instructed them to finish things quickly, a slight delay wouldn't matter.
After all, with him present as backup, a battle of this level wouldn't be decided instantly.
Turning toward the remaining members of the Donquixote Family, Jella's expression became cold.
"Keep watch on the others."
"This time, Ash's order is simple."
"Total annihilation."
"Understood!"
===
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