A Few Minutes Ago...
Although it was already late into the night, neither Doflamingo nor Blackbeard had gone to sleep.
They were too busy discussing a brilliant plan.
If this scheme succeeded, not only would Blackbeard no longer have to fear the Whitebeard Pirates' pursuit, but Doflamingo could also use the opportunity to reestablish his footing in the New World.
Of course, that was only the surface-level benefit.
Both men had deeper, more selfish calculations swirling in their minds.
But that didn't matter.
What mattered was that this was a win-win situation—only a matter of who gained more and who gained less.
Naturally, if even a small mistake were to occur...
The consequences would be dire.
But then again—
Fortune favors the bold, and the cowardly starve.
There's risk in everything—people can choke just eating a meal.
Compared to the potential rewards, the dangers of this plan were almost laughable.
It was more than worth the gamble.
"Fufufufu…"
"The plan is solid," Doflamingo said with a twisted grin, "but we're still missing one crucial element."
"After all, if the bait isn't tempting enough, neither Whitebeard nor Sengoku will take the hook."
"That's why we need a piece of bait so irresistible that even if they know it's a trap… Whitebeard still won't be able to ignore it."
"Zehahahaha! Doffy, what do you think about Marco?" Blackbeard downed a large swig of alcohol and let out a hearty laugh.
"Marco, huh?" Doflamingo looked surprised. "He's a prime target, but… are you confident you can capture him?"
Because if there was anyone in the Whitebeard crew who was hardest to catch—it was Marco.
His regeneration was off the charts. And on top of that…
The man could fly. And fly fast.
If Marco really decided to flee, even Doflamingo couldn't think of a surefire way to stop him.
"No problem," Blackbeard smirked. "Marco's strong, yeah—but he's got obvious weaknesses. And me? Zehahaha—I know him far too well."
He had spent years undercover in the Whitebeard Pirates.
He hadn't wasted that time.
He knew every Division Commander inside and out—their abilities, their patterns, their flaws.
"Fufufu… Since you're so confident, then—"
Before Doflamingo could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly changed.
So did Blackbeard's.
In unison, both men immediately activated their Armament Haki and adopted defensive stances.
The next moment—
BOOM!!!
Even with their quick reflexes, the two were blasted out of the building in an instant.
The entire structure was reduced to rubble along with them.
And then, as if the world itself were ending, the entire island began to quake violently.
Hundreds of meters away, Doflamingo crawled out from under a massive boulder.
He braced himself with one hand and coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Blackbeard wasn't far off. He looked slightly better—just a few surface wounds—but his appearance was nothing short of a mess.
As for the random lackeys nearby?
Not a single one survived.
There weren't even complete corpses left to identify.
Blackbeard's remaining crew, who had been on the ship, quickly rushed over, having avoided the worst of the explosion.
"Zehahaha! Who the hell is attacking us?!"
Despite laughing, Blackbeard's eyes gleamed with murderous rage.
"Captain! No enemies in sight!" Van Augur reported grimly, rifle raised and eyes scanning the perimeter.
Laffitte summoned white wings from his back and took to the sky to scout from above.
Meanwhile, Burgess just kept yelling, "Come out, coward! Fight me face to face!"
But then—
High in the sky, Laffitte's expression suddenly changed.
"Captain! Incoming artillery!"
"Where's it coming from?!"
"There!" Laffitte pointed toward a distant location. "I saw muzzle flashes!"
Even though the attacking fleet had shut off all lights and was far away—making them nearly invisible in the night—the fire from their cannons was impossible to hide.
And before they had time to fully react—
A series of piercing whistles shrieked through the air.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"Men! Intercept them all!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Laffitte, still airborne and right in the path of the artillery shells, rushed forward and kicked one of the incoming projectiles.
Normally, that would have been enough to send it flying—
But reality had other plans.
BOOM!!!
The shell exploded violently, sending Laffitte flying like a ragdoll.
Burgess, charging toward the incoming shells, threw a punch at another—
Same result.
He was launched into the air by the explosion, soaring briefly before crashing into the ground.
Van Augur tried to snipe them mid-air. He fired three bullets, each laced with Armament Haki, destroying three cannonballs.
But that was his limit.
Unable to stop the rest in time, he used his teleportation ability to dodge.
Unfortunately, he had just eaten the fruit and could only teleport a short distance—barely ten meters.
The remaining shells rained down, tearing through the landscape.
Van Augur wasn't so lucky.
He was caught in the blast and thrown aside, just like the others.
Blackbeard, still standing after using his Haki to block the worst of it, surveyed his now-battered crew with a scowl.
"Laffitte, how far is the enemy?!"
"Far. Around five kilometers out!"
"Good. Fly over there and find out who they are. If you think we can take them—kill them!"
"Understood, Captain!"
Laffitte got back up and spread his wings once more.
Just as he was about to take off—
"No need," Doflamingo said coldly, brushing dust from his coat.
"It's Jun Lin."
Doflamingo had recognized that style of bombardment immediately.
After all, he had been on the receiving end of it before.
"You mean the same Jun Lin who blasted you off the volcanic island and into the sea?" Blackbeard burst out laughing. "Zehahahaha! Now this is getting interesting!"
"Laffitte, go. Ask if they'd be interested in teaming up with me. Let's shake the world a bit!"
"Roger that, Captain!" Laffitte nodded and took off.
Doflamingo, however, only sneered.
Partnering with Jun Lin?
Knowing their style, they'd probably just blow up Blackbeard's messenger on sight.
---
The bombardment continued.
Two volleys every minute—relentless and precise.
For now, both Blackbeard's crew and Doflamingo managed to hang on.
Meanwhile, aboard the Danaan's command bridge, Luo Lan observed the scene through radar enhanced with Observation Haki.
He spotted a red dot flying toward them from Punk Hazard.
"That speed... must be Laffitte."
"Huh, so even after leaving the Whitebeard Pirates nearly two years early, Blackbeard still managed to recruit him."
"Relay my orders: all dual-purpose cannons to full readiness. Heavy anti-air machine guns to standby."
"And don't shoot yet—let him get closer."
"If he survives the barrage... fish him out."
Luo Lan gave the command calmly.
Moments later, the entire fleet mobilized.
Marines poured out of the hulls and manned every machine gun station, aiming toward the skies—ready for anything.
---
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