"Boss, I'm finished on this end," Gin called out, his voice steady as he finished binding Buffalo and Baby 5. He slid his tonfas back into the holsters at his waist and stepped over to Krieg.
"Yeah, we're done here, too. That leaves Doflamingo himself, Jora, and Dellinger," Krieg replied.
He was busy securing Vergo with heavy-duty sea-prism stone cuffs while chewing on a high-calorie "Calorie Friend" nutrient bar. He pulled out a crumpled list of Donquixote Family members and marked a thick 'X' over Vergo's name.
"We lost some time. What's the plan? Move out immediately?" Gin asked.
"If I were him, I'd retreat to regroup. He'll likely head back to his ship to rendezvous with Jora and Dellinger, then try to launch a counter-attack to reclaim his 'family.' What do you think?"
"Then we head for his ship, the Numancia Flamingo," Gin concluded with a nod.
Krieg pulled a small Baby Den Den Mushi from his pouch. "This is Krieg. Anyone available to respond?"
"Reporting, Rear Admiral Krieg! How can we assist?"
"Send a squad to the Barrels' hideout on the hill. We have a high-priority rescue target in critical condition; make sure they bring emergency medical gear.
Also, the primary target, Doflamingo, has fled. Do you have eyes on his vessel?"
"Yes, sir. The ship is confirmed at the southern cove. The Third and Fourth Platoons are already moving in to seize it."
"The southern cove... copy that. I'm heading out to intercept Doflamingo now. The officers we've captured are secured near the hideout—get them into the brig. Out."
"Understood! Good luck, sir!"
Krieg pocketed the snail and turned to Gin. "Gin, the man over there—Corazon—is actually Commander Rosinante of Marine Headquarters.
When the squad arrives, oversee his treatment and the transport of the prisoners. I'm counting on you."
With those orders, Krieg ignited his focus and kicked off the ground. Using the aerial stepping technique, Geppo, he blurred into the snowy sky toward the southern cove.
Meanwhile, having narrowly escaped Krieg's clutches thanks to Vergo's sacrifice, Doflamingo was already barking orders aboard the Numancia Flamingo.
"Jora! You and Dellinger man the cannons! Fire everything you've got at the Marines to buy us time. I'm going back to rescue the others!"
"But Young Master! If they don't see you here, they'll hunt the island until they find you! We should retreat to another island and rebuild our strength!" Jora pleaded.
Doflamingo's eyes flashed dangerously behind his shades. "You expect me to abandon my family?! I'm leaving a duplicate here. I can only manage one right now, but it should be enough to keep the Red Seagulls occupied."
"I... I understand. Please, be careful, Young Master."
"Forgive me, Jora. But I cannot leave them behind."
As Jora and Dellinger rushed to the gun deck, Doflamingo raised his hands, weaving shimmering, razor-thin filaments into the air.
"Black Knight!! Krieg... I may have underestimated you. But you've lost your equipment, and now that I know you're an ability user, I won't make the same mistake twice. I'm taking my family back!!"
With a flick of his fingers, the strings coalesced into a perfect, autonomous string-clone of himself.
Krieg arrived at the southern cove to find the Numancia Flamingo anchored just off the coast. The ship was a hornet's nest of activity; cannons roared from the portholes, and a constant stream of small-arms fire kept the advancing Marine platoons at bay.
The Red Seagull scouts were struggling against the relentless barrage, though they were slowly gaining ground.
Hmph. I thought a man as calculating as him would have cut his losses by now. Why is he still lingering? Krieg wondered as he watched the figure of Doflamingo on the deck, firing strings from his fingertips to pin down the Marine front line.
To break the stalemate, Krieg let out a sharp, piercing whistle.
Deep within the bowels of the Numancia Flamingo, a hidden force stirred. Led by Ishizumi II, a specialized sabotage unit of nearly a hundred rats—the "Leaping Rodents"—began their work. They gnawed through fuse lines, jammed trigger mechanisms, and swarmed the gunners.
The cannon fire stuttered, grew erratic, and finally fell silent. Seeing the opening, the Red Seagull Marines stormed the deck. Krieg plummeted from the sky, landing heavily on the main deck right in front of the blonde captain.
"I expected a man of your intelligence to have run by now. It's a stroke of luck finding you here. Ready to come quietly?" Krieg asked, settling into a combat stance.
Doflamingo remained silent, merely raising his hands in a defensive posture.
"Nothing to say? If you surrender now, I'll guarantee the safety of your crew. What do you say?"
Still, the man in the feathered coat said nothing.
"Fine. Have it your way."
Krieg lunged. He closed the distance in a heartbeat, his fist a blur. Doflamingo lashed out with five-stringed claws, but the threads snapped harmlessly against Krieg's Vajra Body.
Krieg's massive hand shot forward, seizing Doflamingo by the throat and hoisting him into the air.
The figure feebly fired a few short strings at Krieg's chest, but they didn't even leave a scratch.
"Doflamingo... aren't you a little weak?"
Krieg felt a pang of disappointment. Was this the terror of the North Blue? He pulled back his fist to deliver a finishing blow, but as the punch connected—
"What?! Strings?!"
Doflamingo's body didn't break; it unraveled. The physical form dissolved into a tangled mess of white filaments before vanishing entirely.
"I see! A decoy!!"
Krieg immediately swept the ship. He found the boarding party had already secured Jora and Dellinger in the hold.
After confirming the ship was under control, he relayed the news that the Doflamingo they had seen was a fake and took to the sky again via Geppo.
He pulled out his Den Den Mushi while soaring back toward the island's center. "Krieg here. Status report on the prisoners. Over."
"This is Sixth Platoon, sir. We are currently processing the officers you captured. Pica and Diamante are proving difficult to move due to their size, but the others are being transferred to the Charlotte-Angele. Is something wrong?"
"The Doflamingo at the harbor was a string duplicate. The real one is still loose and almost certainly heading your way to stage a prison break.
I'm sending reinforcements, but stay on high alert. Out."
Krieg pushed his legs to the limit, the air booming beneath his feet. He had to get back to the Barrels' hideout. If the real Doflamingo arrived before he did, the wounded Rosinante and the rest of his men were in grave danger.
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