Ding!
A crisp sound rang out as the silk thread was severed by a sharp slash. The box, intercepted by the attack, failed to fall into Katakuri's hands.
"Navy! What do you mean by this?" Doflamingo's forehead veins bulged like tangled vines, his rage barely contained.
It didn't matter if the thing was real or not—as long as he got his hands on it, he could spin it for profit.
"Nothing much," Gion (Momousagi) said calmly. "It's just that, for now, it's better that this item remains under Marine control."
Although the Seven Warlords and the Marines maintained a facade of mutual noninterference, deep down, every Marine despised the system.
"Hah, looks like you guys are turning on each other," Katakuri remarked coolly. He had already foreseen this outcome, so he hadn't even bothered making a move.
The box lay quietly on the ground. The remaining two family representatives and the small-time pirates didn't dare act. The only reason they hadn't left yet was the hope they might get lucky and snatch something valuable in the chaos.
Now that Weiss had placed the complete technology inside, their greed intensified. They didn't believe someone this powerful would lie.
"Yo, you're not interested? I actually do know about that thing. But it doesn't exist in the form of technology—rather, it's something else entirely."
"So far, only three people across the seas might know this secret. Those five Devil Fruits? They might've come from this."
Weiss wasn't sure whether those five old men knew the truth.
---
"Vice Admiral Garp once asked Weiss about this," Chaton whispered to Gion. "Weiss admitted it. Garp just didn't believe him. But now… maybe it really is true."
Everyone present, however, were top-tier fighters of the New World's second echelon. With Observation Haki fully activated, whispers couldn't be hidden.
Weiss wasn't here just to talk. He was here to fight.
He wanted to make sure no one would dare challenge him again. And maybe—just maybe—dig a pit for Blackbeard while he was at it.
Though he didn't plan to get involved with the Straw Hats, there were still some people worth screwing over.
Like Blackbeard. Or a certain nasty little brat.
"Hmph. One more thing—never mind. If I say too much, you'll figure it out with a little digging. It's just a matter of breaking a thin layer of glass, after all," Weiss said, pretending to hesitate—making his words seem all the more credible.
The atmosphere changed the moment Weiss finished. Earlier, only pieces of information had been revealed. But now, Weiss had laid it all out.
The significance had shifted entirely.
Real or not, it needed to be in their hands first!
Doflamingo spread his fingers like a beast's claws. Five translucent threads danced like venomous snakes at his fingertips.
In Gion's hand, the golden blade Konpira gleamed coldly, reflecting the tense faces of everyone present.
Katakuri raised his trident, eyes alert as Brûlée hid inside the Mirror World.
Strictly speaking, he was the only one here truly alone.
As the standoff dragged on, Doflamingo grew increasingly irritated with the box. He lifted his arm, extended his index finger, and a thread flashed like a bullet, shooting straight toward the box lying on the ground.
Katakuri wasn't about to be outdone. The mochi on his finger squirmed and compressed into a bullet-sized ball, which he fired straight at Doflamingo's thread.
Boom!
The thread and mochi collided mid-air, creating a shockwave that sent the box tumbling across the ground.
That moment seemed to signal an unspoken agreement—everyone moved at once!
Weiss charged at Doflamingo. The Marines, of course, engaged Katakuri.
Just as planned—Weiss versus Doflamingo. The Navy versus Katakuri.
Whether Doflamingo survived was none of the Navy's concern.
Originally, the Marines had hoped Weiss wouldn't cause trouble, allowing them to bid a high price for the intelligence.
But now, with two additional pirates in play—and the information complete, with an 80% chance of being real—the only option left was for the Navy to claim it by force.
---
"Excess Whip String!"
High in the air, Doflamingo laughed madly, arms stretched back as dozens of glinting threads swung like seaweed in a storm.
They coiled together like serpents, forming a massive whip at a speed visible to the naked eye.
With a swing of his arm, the whip cracked through the air with a sharp snap, sweeping toward Weiss. It wriggled and stretched midair, constantly growing longer.
Boom!
Weiss turned his right hand slightly and slashed diagonally upward. A scarlet arc of sword energy burst from his blade, striking the monstrous whip head-on.
Crash!
The slash struck the massive column of threads like a red-hot blade slicing through snow—unstoppable and precise. It cleaved the whip in two and kept going straight for Doflamingo's arm.
Doflamingo twisted midair and detached the threads from his hand. The sundered whip dissipated into the wind.
The sword aura didn't stop—it carved straight through the floor below.
"I remember you injured one of my men. Buffalo's still lying in the infirmary!" Doflamingo shouted from above, his voice dripping with fury.
"Family? You care about family?" Weiss looked up, mocking him.
"You bastard! You want to die?" Doflamingo's rage exploded, triggered by painful memories.
He spread his fingers again, threads bursting forth like a storm. When they reached a certain length, he swiped downward.
Five steel-like threads shot down in parallel, like a musical staff of death aimed at Weiss.
"Why don't you come down already? My neck's getting sore from looking up."
Weiss slashed three times in quick succession. Each scarlet arc cut through the air—one cleaved through the rainbow-colored threads, which crumbled despite their seemingly unstoppable force.
The remaining two slashes shot straight at Doflamingo's head.
"Shield White String!"
Hundreds of threads flew into the air, weaving together into a massive web before Doflamingo.
The two sword slashes struck the web. Threads snapped one after another under the pressure. Yet Doflamingo's expression remained unchanged—his face twisted into a manic grin.
At that moment, Weiss used Soru, vanishing and reappearing directly in front of Doflamingo in a single step.
Doflamingo didn't flinch. He leapt back at lightning speed, and just as the web and sword energy vanished, he formed his fingers into a gun shape and fired threads at Weiss.
Biubiu!
The threads shot forward like bullets. Weiss blocked them all with a simple horizontal swing of his blade.
Doflamingo finally descended from the sky.
---
Boom!
Elsewhere, Katakuri, despite his advanced Observation Haki and ability to see the future, was caught off guard under the assault of two Marine Vice Admiral candidates.
Chaton landed a kick that sent Katakuri flying.
Crash!
Katakuri crashed through the auction house wall, vanishing into the dust and rubble.
At that moment, Picku saw his chance.
With the top powerhouses locked in battle, he rushed toward the box.
Just as his fingers were about to brush the coveted treasure—zap!
A flash of red light and a streak of thread crossed paths. Picku froze mid-motion, head detached cleanly from his body. He collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
In the distance, Weiss twirled his sword and glanced at Doflamingo.
Then, without pause, he resumed the fight.
They had merely taken a moment to strike down an opportunist.
---
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(COMPLETED)