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The Strongest Frost Loli (194)
🕑 Added 2025-02-12 17:00:15 +0000 UTCChapter 194 - The Donquixote Family
A body flew through the air, accompanied by a sickening thud. The woman, tumbling across the ground, coughed up blood, fighting back the pain as she scrambled to her feet. Perhaps, under the cover of darkness, she could escape. A sliver of hope.
Sadly, her pursuer wasn't one to let their prey escape so easily.
Two arrows, piercing the night, found their mark, embedding themselves in the woman’s left shoulder and right flank.
“Gah!?”
Precisely placed to avoid vital organs, yet agonizingly effective. A third arrow pierced her right thigh, bringing her crashing to the ground. She gasped, blood bloomed on her clothes, and she looked up at her pursuer.
“Ha… ha… guh…!”
“The game of tag is over.”
A woman emerged from the shadows. Her white hair, bobbed at the shoulders and partially tied back with a red ribbon, framed a face that held an air of languid indifference. The fleeing woman glared at her pursuer.
“What… what have I done!?”
“Don’t play coy. You knew the risks when you infiltrated Twilight.”
Just hours ago, they had been discussing their next radio broadcast. Now, all pretense of friendship was gone. The hunted woman was Monet. The hunter, Iris. They had known each other for years, friends, or so Monet had believed. Now, Iris gazed down at her with cold, calculating eyes, and ready her bow.
“Kuh…!”
Monet muster her strength to conjure a localized blizzard, hoping to use the swirling snow as cover for her escape. However, even with poor visibility, Iris accurately shot Monet's right leg.
“Aagh!”
“It’s futile. You can’t hide from my Observation Haki, even in a blizzard.”
Despite their years of friendship, Monet was nothing more than a surveillance target to Iris. Iris had initially considered the assignment tedious, but Monet’s clumsy attempts to glean sensitive information during their occasional lunches had been mildly entertaining. Of course, Monet had never succeeded. If she had, Iris would have been eliminated long ago. Iris had never considered Monet a true friend. Not really.
Now, however, she had received her orders from Kanata. Eliminate her.
“Donquixote Monet. Your actions have been monitored from the beginning. You were given the radio job to keep you in the public eye. I befriended you to monitor your private life. That is all.”
“…! If you knew, why… why now!?”
“Donquixote Doflamingo has been captured.”
Monet’s eyes widened. After the Warlord meeting, Kanata had relayed the message. Monet, though deemed a potential asset, had been kept alive primarily as a hostage. Now, her usefulness had expired. If she hadn’t been a Devil Fruit user, Iris would have simply assassinated her and disposed of the body. But Monet, unfortunately for her, possessed a Logia-type Devil Fruit.
“Doffy… captured!? But how…?”
Monet’s shock gave Iris the opening she needed. She pinned Monet’s arms behind her back and snapped on a pair of Seastone handcuffs. Her mission was complete. A tedious assignment, but Monet, still in shock, offered no resistance.
“Don’t make this any more difficult than it needs to be. I’d rather not kill you. I’d get in trouble.”
“…What… are you going to do with me?”
“You’ve been with Twilight long enough to know what happens to captured Devil Fruit users.”
Monet fell silent. Iris wanted to shrug, but Monet was slung over her shoulder, and readjusting her would be a nuisance. Their destination was Sukura’s lab. Iris didn't know the details of the procedure, but she knew one thing for certain.
She would never see Monet again.
***
Doflamingo, transferred from Mariejois under heavy guard, arrived at Red Port, a harbor in the first half of the Grand Line. From there, he would be transported to Marineford, and then, through the Gates of Justice, to Impel Down.
His arms, bound to the wall with Seastone shackles, bore the marks of recent medical treatment. He leaned against the wall with a sullen expression on his face. Tsuru, sitting on a chair outside his cell, crossed-legged, watched him.
“…You evaded me for years, and now this. How anticlimactic.”
“Fufufufu… Three admirals, and this is the best you can do? You’ll regret capturing me…!”
“A snake knows a snake’s path. Do you understand what’s about to happen to the world of pirates?”
“…I kept those New World monsters in check. Their anger was always directed at the ‘Witch.’ Jinbe’s her lapdog, and Moria and Kuma would likely obey her every whim. The Warlords… it’s all a façade. She’s the one pulling the strings. They might even start a war without the Marines.”
“Once I’m gone, Kaido and Big Mom will be starved for resources. They’ll make their move before they’re completely dry. They won’t even glance at the Marines. The ‘Witch’ is their only target… in that sense, the Marines are lucky. Just sit back and reap the rewards! Let the gods decide what happens next! Fufufufufu!”
“…”
So, the ‘Witch’ was the eye of the storm, Tsuru thought. Despite Doflamingo’s words, the Marines would undoubtedly intervene.
While Kanata was unlikely to be caught off guard, facing the combined forces of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates alone was a daunting task. Even after their recent skirmishes, where Twilight had revealed a level of strength far beyond what the Marines had anticipated, the odds were stacked against them.
Furthermore, the World Government hadn't forgotten Twilight’s attack on the Beasts Pirates twenty years ago. The resulting economic turmoil had been a harsh lesson. They would likely mobilize their entire forces, including the Marines and Cipher Pol, even if it meant stretching their resources thin. Deploying such a massive force was costly, a headache-inducing prospect.
“You should warn those Celestial Dragons lounging around Mariejois. Their days are numbered.”
“…You’re not the one making those decisions.”
“Indeed. But the seas are about to get rough.”
Two of the Four Emperors were ready for war. One remained neutral, and Doflamingo couldn't predict the fourth's actions. The lone wolf, whose strength rivalled the Emperors, had shown its fangs in Alabasta. The Revolutionary Army was stirring. The Warlords, each with their own agendas. The Marines, struggling to maintain order. The delicate balance of power was about to shatter.
Who would make the next move? Even Doflamingo couldn't predict the outcome.
Tsuru stood up, satisfied with his assessment, and turned to leave. Doflamingo called out to her.
“Fufufufufu…! Enjoy your front-row seat to the apocalypse, Tsuru.”
“…”
Tsuru glanced at him, then left without a word. While she had her concerns, she believed the Marines could handle the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, even in a full-scale war. Though, they would likely have to rely on Twilight’s assistance, which was a frustrating prospect.
Twilight’s influence on the world economy was undeniable. She wanted to sigh, but the Marines and the World Government were partly to blame. They had allowed this situation to fester, neglecting their duties, leaving the heavy lifting to pirates.
“Good work, Tsuru.”
As she left Doflamingo’s cell, a man stood waiting. Vice Admiral Vergo, branch chief of G-5, his posture ramrod straight, a sword clutched in his hand, stood at attention like a subordinate awaiting orders. A spoon, inexplicably, was stuck to his left cheek. Perhaps a leftover from lunch.
“Vice Admiral Vergo? What are you doing here?”
“Just keeping an eye on things, Ma’am. He’s a Warlord, after all. A former 300 million berry bounty head. Best to be cautious until he reaches Impel Down.”
“…Indeed. While I can handle any external threats, an escape would be problematic.”
Tsuru held the keys to both the cell and the Seastone shackles, but Doflamingo was a cunning pirate. He might have a hidden ace up his sleeve.
“We have guards posted at the entrance, but what about you?”
“I’ll remain inside. I’ll report any suspicious activity immediately.”
“Alright. I’ll leave it to you, Vice Admiral Vergo.”
Tsuru, trusting Vergo’s reputation as a man of integrity, despite his command over the notoriously unruly G-5 branch, left the cell. With a Vice Admiral on guard, she had nothing to worry about.
As she walked towards the mess hall, a sudden thought made her stop.
…Did Vice Admiral Vergo… use a sword…?
Their interactions had been limited. It was possible she had simply never seen him fight with a sword… but if that wasn’t the case…
“…No way…”
A chilling premonition washed over her. She hoped she was wrong, but these instincts rarely failed her. She rushed back, kicking open the door to Doflamingo’s cell.
What she saw made her blood run cold.
“Pant… pant…”
“…Ah, Vice Admiral Tsuru. You’ve returned.”
Vergo, covered in blood, stood over Doflamingo, his hands dripping. He had severed Doflamingo’s hands through the bars of the cell.
“…Vice Admiral Vergo. Explain yourself.”
“Explain…?”
Vergo shrugged, tossing his sword aside. It had served its purpose. Doflamingo’s severed hands were clutched to his chest, a cloth was clenched between his teeth to stifle his screams. He watched as the Seastone shackles slid off his wrists to the floor. He was free. But without hands… Tsuru braced herself for a fight, but then Vergo reached into the cell, picked up Doflamingo’s severed hands, and held them against his wrists.
They shouldn’t reattach. Not normally. But Doflamingo, unfortunately for Tsuru, possessed the Ito Ito no Mi, the String-String Fruit. The Seastone shackles were already gone.
“No way!?”
“Fufufufu… You think I’m the same as those other fools, Tsuru…!”
He was reattaching his hands, stitching them back together with his strings. He wasn’t fully mobile yet. She could still subdue him. She lunged, but Vergo blocked her path.
“You traitor!”
“I’m not a traitor. I was always… on this side.”
“!”
A cold sweat trickled down her back. Vergo, while strong, wasn’t powerful enough to defeat her. But Doflamingo, though handless, could still manipulate his strings. He had already unlocked the cell door from the inside. The cell itself was made of Seastone, but not the entire room. Tsuru held the key, but it was too late.
“Fufufufu… I wasn’t planning on using this so soon…!”
“It couldn’t be helped. Doffy’s capture was… unexpected.”
“This is so infuriating, it’s hilarious. Sorry, partner, but you’ll have to die here.”
“That was always the plan!”
Vergo held Tsuru back while Doflamingo, having emerged from his cell, used his strings to destroy the ship and escape. They were already at sea, but Doflamingo could use his strings to swing from the clouds, his “Sky Path” technique.
“…I can’t believe I let him escape, with me right here.”
“Doffy was just… more resourceful.”
They had to pursue him. Tsuru narrowed her eyes, rolled up her sleeves, and faced Vergo, who had coated his entire body in Busoshoku Haki.
“I won’t hold back. Especially not against a spy.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to.”
He was a Vice Admiral, a powerful fighter. But it didn't matter. Vergo was strong, worthy of his rank, but Tsuru had been a Vice Admiral for decades, a seasoned veteran who had fought alongside Garp and Sengoku. Vergo was about to learn a harsh lesson.
***
Mock Town, Jaya. A town that never slept, its usual boisterous atmosphere now tinged with a different kind of excitement. Bellamy, the “Hyena,” with a bounty of 55 million berries, and his entire crew, were on the verge of annihilation.
“Weehahahaha! Is that all you’ve got!? ‘Big Knife’? More like ‘Big Mouth’!”
Sarquiss, the “Big Knife,” with a bounty of 38 million berries, lay on the ground, his massive kukri, his namesake, snapped in two.
Burgess, seemingly unscathed, stood over him, laughing. The rest of Bellamy’s crew, battered and bruised, were barely clinging to life, courtesy of Doc Q and Laffitte. While they possessed the strength to have survived this far on the Grand Line, it had been utterly insufficient.
“Captain, it seems Capone Bege and Hawkins have already left.”
Augur reported their findings to Teach, who, disappointed, replied, “I see,” while lifting Bellamy into the air by his throat. Bellamy struggled.
“Damn it…! Let me go!”
“Don’t be so restless. You’re making this tedious. This complicates things.”
Teach had intended to bring a Devil Fruit back for Kanata, but Bellamy, the only Devil Fruit user on the island, was his only option. He could try to find another on his way back, but that was a gamble.
Bege and Hawkins are lucky bastards, Teach thought, committing their names to memory.
“Sarquiss! Are you alive, Sarquiss!? Damn it, why can’t I use my powers…!?”
Bellamy’s concern for his fallen comrade was misplaced. While his crew had initially attacked Teach with a vengeance, eager to avenge their earlier humiliation by Luffy, none were left standing.
The townspeople and the other pirates, wary of the escalating violence, had retreated, observing the scene from a safe distance. No one recognized Teach. He had no bounty, his face unknown. They watched in disbelief as this unknown man effortlessly decimated Bellamy’s crew, a group led by a notorious rookie with a bounty of 55 million berries.
“Well, I suppose this one will do. The Bane Bane no Mi… doesn’t seem that powerful, but…”
A Devil Fruit’s strength depended on the user. While seemingly useless at first glance, any ability had potential.
Teach grinned at Bellamy. Bellamy, terrified by the unnerving display, shuddered. He stretched his arms towards Teach, but Teach, anticipating his attack, slammed him to the ground, knocking him unconscious.
“Zehahahaha! That was disappointing! Let’s get this over with.”
He snapped Bellamy’s neck then erected a makeshift tent to conceal his actions, and began the extraction process. Once he had the Devil Fruit, he had no further business in Mock Town. He left Bellamy’s body, along with the rest of his crew, where they lay. He could have turned them in for a reward, but Teach wasn't interested in such tedious tasks.
“Hohoho, that was… mildly entertaining. Are we heading straight to Hachinosu, Captain?”
“No, we need to cross the Red Line. It would be faster if we could meet up with George… but that’s a gamble.”
Teach answered Laffitte’s question as he wiped the blood from his hands with a handkerchief. While Fish-Man Island was a guaranteed route, the coating process was time-consuming and expensive. It would be easier and faster to travel through Twilight’s territories, with George as their guide.
“Let’s see… we could try Midgard. It’s the best place to acquire supplies.”
With their next destination decided, Teach boarded their ship and began charting their course.
***
Punk Hazard.
A former government research facility, abandoned after a toxic gas leak had rendered it uninhabitable. Now, several Marine warships were docked at its shores. Vice Admiral Gion, a striking woman with long black hair and a spider tattoo on her thigh, stood on the deck with a Den Den Mushi held to her ear.
“Any luck on your end? No sign of him here. Seems our movements were leaked.”
“Same here. But he doesn’t seem to have fled the island.”
She was speaking with Vice Admiral Tokikake, who had been pursuing the Donquixote Family in Dressrosa, only to miss them by a hair's breadth. The news of Doflamingo’s capture hadn’t been released yet. If the information had been leaked, it had to be an inside job. Gion had contacted him to coordinate their efforts, as she was currently pursuing Caesar Clown, Doflamingo’s scientific collaborator.
“Not fled the island? What do you mean, sister?”
“The research facility is half-destroyed.”
The massive research facility, towering over the surrounding landscape, bore the marks of a forced entry from the outside. The toxic gas that had once plagued the island had dissipated to a safe level, no longer requiring gas masks for normal activity, but the interior of the facility was still a potential hazard. They were proceeding with caution.
“And… there are bodies. Guards, I presume.”
The Yeti Cool Brothers. Two imposing figures, exceeding forty-two meters, dwarfing even giants. Former prisoners brought to Punk Hazard, they had likely remained on the island after the accident and its subsequent abandonment. Now, they lay dead, their necks and spines snapped. Their faces, caved in, suggested a powerful blow to the head, their necks unable to withstand the force. Spent bullet casings littered the ground, suggesting a firefight, but the opponent remained unknown.
“Caesar Clown is missing. Along with the remaining prisoners. This is going to be a major headache.”
“Ain’t that the truth! We’ve both drawn the short straw!”
Gion sighed at Tokikake’s dry humour. While they didn't know who had attacked and abducted Caesar, the missing research materials suggested a coordinated effort. If it had been the Beasts Pirates or the Big Mom Pirates, there would have been no resistance. It had to be another organization.
“…This is… excessive, even for pirates.”
The research facility consisted of several interconnected buildings. Half-destroyed was an understatement. Entire roofs had been ripped off. The facility, designed to accommodate the forty-two-meter tall Yeti Cool Brothers, was massive. Few individuals possessed the strength to inflict such damage.
Gion mentally reviewed the possibilities, but no answers came.
