New World, Dressrosa.
This island, known as the Kingdom of Love, Passion, and Toys, basked beneath the blazing afternoon sun.
Ever since Donquixote Doflamingo latched onto G-5's towering backing and became Lord Renzo's "officially certified business partner," the island's economy had skyrocketed like a rocket.
The harbor was packed with merchant ships from all over the world.
Every street and alley sold merchandise bearing the G-5 logo.
"Come take a look! Authentic G-5 sleep-aid incense! Personally endorsed by King Doflamingo!"
"Genuine Dressrosa seafood paella! Rumor says even that Blake Leg chef couldn't stop praising it!"
The entire country seemed trapped in a frenzied state of G-5 worship.
Meanwhile, tucked away at the corner of the harbor, a pirate ship with a lion-shaped figurehead, the Thousand Sunny, quietly docked.
"WOOOW!! It smells amazing!!"
Luffy leaned over the railing, stretching his nose forward as drool poured from his mouth like a waterfall.
"Nami! I want meat! I wanna eat that seafood rice!!"
"Idiot! Keep your voice down!"
Nami punched Luffy on the head while nervously scanning their surroundings.
"Don't forget Law's plan! We're here to destroy the factory, not go sightseeing!"
"And besides… this is Doflamingo's territory!"
Nami's expression turned serious.
Two years ago, she might've only viewed Doflamingo as a powerful Warlord.
But after spending time in that money-devouring paradise known as G-5, she now understood exactly what the name Joker represented.
He was G-5's largest supplier of resources.
In a sense, he was the money bag of that lazy Admiral Renzo.
"I agree we should be cautious."
Nico Robin adjusted her sunglasses and calmly analyzed the situation.
"Dressrosa's defenses are extremely strong now. If we're exposed, we won't just be facing the Donquixote Family."
"G-5 reinforcements could show up too."
"So what?"
Roronoa Zoro held his swords and grinned battle-hungrily.
"That guy called Blake isn't here right now."
"And if that Flame Emperor Shelby's around, I'd love to test my blade against him."
"You violence addicts…"
Law lowered his hat, his expression dark.
His original plan had been to use Kaido to restrain Doflamingo.
But the situation had completely changed.
That flamingo had shamelessly sold himself to G-5, making even Kaido hesitant to touch him.
"Luffy-ya, listen carefully."
Law took a deep breath, making one last effort.
"Our goal is to destroy the SMILE factory and sever his connection to Kaido."
"Before we succeed, we absolutely, absolutely cannot cause a disturbance. Got it?"
"Oh! Got it!"
Luffy gave a serious thumbs-up.
Three minutes later, BOOOOM!!
On Dressrosa's famous Acacia Street, the roof of a restaurant exploded into the sky.
"Damn it! That Straw Hat brat who skipped out on the bill ran that way!!"
"The fairies stole it! I didn't eat it!!"
"Shut up and catch him!!"
Standing in an alleyway, Law listened to the distant explosions and Luffy's loud shouting.
The handle of Kikoku nearly cracked in his grip.
"That… idiot!!!"
…...
At the King's Plateau, beside the royal pool.
Doflamingo lounged comfortably on a beach chair, feeling better than ever.
He had just received a new order from Rehn.
Three billion berries' worth of weapons and premium fruits.
That not only meant massive profits.
It also meant his credit rating with Renzo had risen once again.
"Fufufu… now this is living."
Doflamingo swirled his wine glass while Viola peeled grapes beside him.
"As long as I keep that lord happy…"
"Who on these seas would dare touch me?"
"Young Master! Young Master, something terrible happened!"
Suddenly, Trebol slid over like a gigantic slug, panic written all over his face.
"The Straw Hat crew! The Straw Hats are in the city! And Trafalgar Law is with them!"
"Hm?"
Behind his sunglasses, Doflamingo's eyes narrowed slightly.
"The Straw Hat brat from the Marineford war? And Law, that traitor?"
Instead of anger, he laughed.
"Fufufu… how amusing."
"Heaven has a path they won't take, but they walk straight into hell."
"That guy Law's probably here for revenge."
"What a shame his information's outdated."
Doflamingo stood up, his pink feather coat fluttering without wind.
"If this were before, I'd still have to worry about Kaido's reaction."
"But now…"
He pointed toward the banner above them.
Alongside the Donquixote Family symbol was an added lazy sheep emblem.
"I belong to G-5 now!"
"If anyone dares touch me, they're slapping Renzo in the face!!"
"Spread the order!"
Doflamingo waved his hand arrogantly.
"No need to show mercy!"
"Pica, Diamante, you two take men and go entertain those brats."
"If they resist…"
A cruel red gleam flashed in Doflamingo's eyes.
"Kill them."
"We can use their heads as decorations for Rehn."
…
At the Corrida Colosseum.
To increase Dressrosa's popularity, Doflamingo had imitated the martial tournament and hosted a grand arena competition.
The prize was a rare Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit.
At that moment, Luffy sat in the waiting room with a turtle-shell disguise labeled "Lucy" strapped to his back, stuffing his face.
"So good! These lunches are amazing!"
"Hey, Luffy."
Zoro leaned against the wall, frowning at the giant screen outside.
"Something's off."
"That guy Diamante seems to be mobilizing troops."
"Hm?"
Luffy spoke through a mouth full of meat.
"They coming to catch us?"
BANG!
The waiting room doors were violently kicked open.
Diamante strode in wearing his steel cape dress, accompanied by hundreds of fully armed soldiers.
"Straw Hat Luffy! Pirate Hunter Zoro!"
"So you really came here to die!"
"Who're you? Some weird old guy wearing a bedsheet?" Luffy tilted his head.
"I am Diamante of the Donquixote Family's top executives!"
Diamante roared as the sword in his hand softened like a snake while remaining razor-sharp.
"The Young Master has ordered it!"
"Whoever takes your heads gets a one-billion-berry reward!"
"And a recommendation to join G-5's Special Operations Team!"
"G-5?"
The moment they heard that name, both Luffy and Zoro's expressions changed.
Luffy swallowed the last piece of meat and wiped his mouth clean.
The goofy grin vanished from his face.
"Tra-guy said Doffy works under that Renzo old man."
Luffy stood up and pressed down on his straw hat.
"Even though Renzo's kinda alright…"
"I really don't like this flamingo he keeps around."
Zoro rested a hand on his sword hilt.
Luffy remembered the one-legged toy soldier he'd seen earlier,
The soldier had been beaten by guards simply because he refused to buy G-5 merchandise.
"The food here's good…"
"But nobody's smiling for real."
"I hate fake smiles!"
"Gomu Gomu no-"
Luffy's arm stretched backward instantly as Armament Haki coated it.
"Gun Gun!!!"
BOOM!!!
Massive fists blasted forward like artillery shells, instantly sending Diamante and dozens of soldiers flying out the doorway!
Walls collapsed.
Dust exploded everywhere.
"Let's go, Zoro!"
"We're gonna ask that flamingo some questions!"
"Gladly."
…
King's Plateau, Royal Palace Hall.
BOOOOM!!
The massive palace doors shattered from a kick.
Rubble flew all the way to Doflamingo's feet.
Through the dust walked Luffy, Zoro, and an utterly exasperated Law.
"DOFLAMINGO!!"
Luffy pointed directly at the man lounging upon the throne.
"Give this country back to Rebecca!"
"And get rid of all your stupid rules!!"
"Fufufu… what a crude entrance."
Doflamingo didn't even stand.
He remained relaxed with crossed legs, lazily swirling his wine.
"Law, are these really the allies you chose?"
"A monkey that only knows how to scream?"
"Doflamingo."
Law drew Kikoku, eyes icy cold.
"Stop pretending."
"I've already located the SMILE factory."
"As long as I give the order-"
"You dare?"
Doflamingo interrupted him with a smug sneer.
He pulled a golden card from his coat, a black-gold identity card issued by G-5 to core partners.
Holding it between two fingers, he waved it in front of Law.
"See what this is?"
His voice dripped with arrogance and mockery.
"This is a special pass personally issued by Admiral Renzo."
"It means G-5 protects me."
"This island is a G-5 logistics base."
"Law, you're smart."
"You should understand."
"Touching me means slapping Renzo in the face."
"You think brats like you can withstand the retaliation of that monster army?"
"What exactly do you think you can use to fight me?"
Law's expression turned awful.
This was exactly what he feared most.
Doflamingo had completely fused himself with that gigantic force, creating the perfect shield.
Before, they could've exploited the opposition between Marines and pirates.
But now?
G-5 itself had become the biggest gang of all.
"What's wrong? Scared now?"
Watching Law's silence, Doflamingo laughed even more arrogantly.
"Kneel and beg for mercy, Law."
"Maybe for old times' sake, I'll throw you into a G-5 prison instead of turning you into a specimen."
His disgusting abuse of power and lofty arrogance were displayed perfectly.
However,
Just as Doflamingo believed he controlled everything,
"Hey, Tra-guy."
Luffy, who had kept his head lowered until now, suddenly spoke.
His voice was calm.
But it carried unquestionable resolve.
"What kind of bullshit is this guy talking about?"
"Straw Hat-ya…" Law froze.
Luffy slowly lifted his head.
Fury burned within his black eyes.
He stared at Doflamingo as though looking at garbage.
"I don't care whose subordinate you are."
"I don't care who's backing you."
"Even if it's that sleeping old guy…"
"Or that lightning fat dude…"
Luffy clenched his fists.
His muscles began swelling, skin reddening as steam erupted from his body.
"Gear Second!!"
"You made my friends cry."
"You turned this country into a mess."
"So…"
"I'm gonna punch you flying!!!"
"Gomu Gomu no-"
Luffy vanished instantly!
Fast!
So fast that even Doflamingo's Observation Haki only caught a crimson afterimage!
"What?!"
The smile on Doflamingo's face froze.
'This brat…'
'Was he insane?!'
'He knew I'm allied with Renzo, and still dared attack?!'
'Wasn't he afraid of death?!'
"Red Hawk!!!"
Luffy's fist ignited from friction through the air.
It carried Ace's will, and the embodiment of Luffy's fury.
"Armament Spider Web Wall!!"
Doflamingo hurriedly raised his hands, countless white strings weaving together into a massive shield.
But before the absolute rage and determination packed into Luffy's punch,
That defense might as well have been paper.
BOOM!!!
The flaming fist smashed into the web shield!
There was no stalemate.
Only instant penetration!
BAM!!!
The burning punch slammed directly into Doflamingo's arrogant face!
His sunglasses shattered!
His nose broke!
Doflamingo himself was blasted off the throne like a baseball hit for a home run!
He smashed through the wall behind him, blasted through the entire palace, and crashed into the streets below King's Plateau like a meteor!
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE
Dust exploded skyward.
Stone fragments scattered everywhere.
The entire kingdom of Dressrosa trembled from that single punch.
Inside the hall, dead silence.
Law stared with his mouth hanging open at the Straw Hat boy still holding his punching pose.
'That's it?'
'He just attacked?'
'No speech, no negotiation.'
'He simply punched away the man protected by Renzo?!'
"Huff…"
Luffy exhaled steam and lowered his fist, glaring at the massive hole ahead.
"Don't care who you are."
"Out on these seas…"
"The freest person…"
"Would never be scared by some stupid flag!!"