The Marines, under Fujitora's command, were restraining the citizens controlled by Doflamingo. Others were also struggling to hold back their own loved ones, but this was like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water. Without solving the problem at its root, it would never end.
Some criminals even took advantage of the chaos, pretending to be controlled so they could freely loot and kill. Others saw this as a chance to get rid of their romantic rivals, aiming to rid themselves of the "green hat" that had been placed on their heads during the ten years they were gone. [TN: Green hat: A symbol of being a cuckold.]
Due to the rules, Fujitora still refrained from attacking Doflamingo. He focused only on suppressing the rioters, doing his best to maintain order in the country.
Doflamingo was still a Shichibukai. Fujitora wanted to reform the system from the top down. Even if he didn't like it, he still carried out his duties within the bounds of the law.
In such circumstances, it seemed no one could save them.
That reasoning seemed to convince the people themselves, causing many citizens to change their thinking. If betraying others could help them survive when facing a powerful enemy, many were willing to abandon their moral bottom line.
Even if they didn't know whether the enemy would keep their promise.
Ordinary citizens might still be in dilemma, but the pirates who had been turned into toys were different. They never had much of a bottom line to begin with. If Doflamingo had simply declared he would kill them all, they would have resisted with everything they had.
But Doflamingo offered them a sliver of hope, and also promised great rewards. These people immediately chose to turn traitors.
"God Buggy! Please make another noble sacrifice, let us use your head to buy ourselves a way out!"
"God Usopp is right here! Catch him quick, he's worth 500 million Berries!"
These people expressed their fanaticism in another form, which greatly enraged Buggy's underlings.
"You b*stards! Lord Buggy saved you, and this is how you repay him?!"
"Take down these ungrateful traitors! Protect Lord Buggy and his companion!"
Due to their lack of intelligence, Buggy's subordinates simply assumed Usopp and Buggy were currently allies.
After all, they had "rescued" them together and were now both wanted by Doflamingo, which made them look like allies no matter how you looked at it.
The pirates of Buggy's Delivery and the other pirates in the port divided into two major camps and a fierce battle broke out.
At first, Buggy's underlings were outnumbered. But reinforcements soon arrived, including Mr. 3, who was dragged into the chaos without even knowing what was going on.
"Brother 3! We need weapons, we're counting on you!"
With Mr. 3 at the center, a Wax Armored Battalion emerged in Dressrosa.
Not everyone was so ungrateful. For example, King Elizabello II, Destruction Cannon Ideo, Blue Gilly of the Longleg Tribe, and Bartolomeo, Luffy's fan, joined forces and launched an assault on the King's Plateau.
At this moment, Buggy also made a new decision.
Since his subordinates were fighting the enemy for his sake, of course he had to respond in kind.
Earlier, they had been outnumbered and forced to retreat. Unknowingly, they had withdrawn to the edge of the area. And so, he made a resolute decision: run away.
"Lord Buggy! Please wait, that way leads to—"
Hearing the cries of his underlings, Buggy thought his escape had been noticed. Instead of stopping, he picked up the pace.
"—Doflamingo's Birdcage…"
Not heeding the warning, he charged straight into it, and was instantly sliced into five pieces. But as a Chop-Chop Fruit user, he was completely unharmed and ended up directly inside the safe zone.
"You think you can trap me with this? Keep dreaming!"
Buggy began to spout arrogant remarks again, constantly insulting Doflamingo.
"No way, that's the same thread even cannons couldn't break…"
No one was going to sit around waiting for death. Those who resisted tried to destroy the Birdcage and escape, but whether it was cannon fire or blades, everything shattered into pieces the moment it touched the threads of the Birdcage.
Even rocks were effortlessly sliced apart, let alone human bodies. Still, several who refused to believe it met their end on the Birdcage.
"Hahahaha! I'm the strongest! Don't worry, my men, I'll come save you all soon!"
After realizing he could freely enter and exit, Buggy relaxed. If his underlings could be saved, he'd return to pick them up. If Doflamingo won, well… he'd just have to recruit new underlings.
But Buggy didn't get far, when suddenly, a powerful gravity force slammed him to the ground.
"Marine Admiral Fujitora! What are you doing to Lord Buggy?! He's a Shichibukai!"
"Truly sorry. I only meant to stop him briefly… didn't expect him to be so weak."
Fujitora had just attempted to summon a meteorite to attack the Birdcage, but it was ineffective. The meteorite was also shredded by the Birdcage, and the resulting debris caused even more problems.
Logically, Fujitora should have the power to destroy the Birdcage. But he didn't. Perhaps he was planning something.
Buggy's ability to freely enter and exit the Birdcage gave him a new idea.
Sensing through his Observation Haki that Buggy was about to leave, Fujitora had no choice but to stop him this way. For the other Shichibukai, this was equivalent to a pat on the shoulder; after all, Fujitora had gauged Buggy's strength based on Doflamingo's.
As for the result… Buggy nearly got squashed into a Buggy-pancake in that crater. The gap in strength left Fujitora at a loss for words.
"My apologies. I'll remove the gravity now, please listen to what I have to say."
Saying this, Fujitora lifted the pressure on Buggy and handed a Den Den Mushi out through a gap in the Birdcage.
"There's no signal in this area. Please go a bit farther away, make the call, and tell headquarters to initiate Plan B."
****Please support on pat*eon for extra chapters; there is date to date subscription enabled on patreon. [There is a 7-day trial version availabe on patreon.]
https://www.pat*eon.com/dmtranslations
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my pa*reon.