"Hey, Ace, that's not right. You're not the only one who is his big brother. Besides, if we're talking age, I think I'm a few months older than you."
"Sabo? Weren't you off doing your own thing?"
"Ah, it's mostly dealt with. What's left can be handled by the others, so I came over first."
"How long has it been since we fought side by side?"
"Over ten years, right? Last time was with those thugs."
As he spoke, Sabo tossed a freshly ripped-out water pipe to Ace. Looking at the pipe in his hand, Ace also recalled the days when the three brothers were young.
Though they had sworn brotherhood, who was the eldest had always been disputed. Only Luffy was unquestionably the little brother.
After Sabo's "death," Ace became the only big brother. But now that Sabo was alive, the question of who the big brother was could be revisited.
"Then let's use these Marines to decide who is the big brother."
Several holes appeared on Ace's head, marks left by bullets. But they didn't matter; with flames filling the gaps, his body quickly returned to normal. The two brothers then charged at the Marines led by Fujitora.
"The Revolutionary Army and Whitebeard Pirate's remnants… quite the complicated relationship. But I assume you've both come prepared."
As the blades were drawn, the battle escalated in an instant.
Broadly speaking, those who wanted to take down Doflamingo and those who wanted to trade the targets to him for bounties had split into two factions, while the civilians controlled by Doflamingo's Parasite were slaughtering each other.
Everyone fought in this Birdcage, each with their own purpose. Meanwhile, Yamato was feeling quite irritated.
"That bastard Doflamingo, what the hell did he do?! Ice Blade Slash!"
Yamato swung her kanabo through the air, unleashing a blade-like energy similar to a slash.
She had already sensed the dense threads in the sky with her Observation Haki and identified Doflamingo as their source.
The front part of the slash carried an extremely cold aura. As it neared Doflamingo's threads, it froze them, and as the slash hit, it sliced them clean in half. Losing the control of Parasite, the people below regained their freedom.
Some who kept fighting were directly restrained by arms sprouted by Robin.
"What's wrong with you people? Do you have some deep grudge or hatred?"
"Ten years ago, he got engaged to me! But over these ten years, he forgot me completely! He even had a child with another woman!"
"No, that's not my fault, I really didn't remember you."
"You still dare talk!"
Seeing the family drama unfold like a soap opera, Yamato didn't want to get involved anymore. They probably wouldn't kill each other. Once they chased each other around a bit and vented their resentment, they'd likely stop on their own.
"Speed, Mizerka, Solitaire."
"You three go handle the situation on the island. If anyone's seriously injured, help them out. Take these potions with you. Dilute them with water for emergency use, and it should be enough."
"Miss, aren't these potions… a bit too valuable? Isn't it wasteful to use them on them? These are only provided to higher-ups…"
Looking at the bottles Yamato tossed over, Speed felt it was a shame. These were special supplies for their officers. Ordinarily cultivated Berries and herbs couldn't produce this kind of effect.
Only Berries nurtured directly by Arceus using Plates could be made into such potent potions. Once used up, only Arceus could replenish them. Though they couldn't bring back the dead, their effects far surpassed the ones sold to the outside world.
The people of Dressrosa had nothing to do with them, so she couldn't understand the purpose of such an act.
"Just do as you're told. Don't worry about anything else."
"Yes, understood."
Even if she didn't understand, the order had been given to her. That meant carrying it out was the only outcome.
"Also take down any pirate causing trouble. Ulti, Page One, you go with them. There are a lot of troublesome guys on the island."
"What about you?"
"Me? I'm going to find that guy and demand a proper explanation."
Just as Yamato was about to get up and head towards King's Plateau, Robin pulled her back.
"Wait, did you forget we're here to investigate the situation? At a time like this, a one-sided story can't be trusted. Even if you want to get to the bottom of things, you need to investigate first.
Things have already come this far, a couple more minutes won't make a difference."
"You're right..."
At Robin's suggestion, the members of the Beasts Pirates split up to act independently, while Mizerka acted as a humanoid sprayer, inhaling the diluted potion into her body through her tail and storing it, then carefully controlling the amount released.
Based on the severity of injuries, she sprayed the healing solution onto wounds. Meanwhile, Page One and Ulti were dealing with issues related to the Parasite.
"Seriously, why do I have to do this stuff?!"
Thanks to Haxorus's axe-like fangs, Ulti had no trouble severing the Parasite, but she personally disliked this sort of task.
"Just do what Sister Yamato asked; it doesn't take much effort anyway."
"Ugh, her sympathy has kicked in again. Looks like Heavenly Demon is screwed. Pay-tan, if he's clubbed to death, who'll we switch to as distributor?"
"Cl-clubbed to death?"
"Yeah, you don't think Yamato would let him off, do you? This kind of thing crosses her bottom line. In that way, she's exactly like her father. If she doesn't like someone, she'll probably just club them."
"Still, that's fine. Doflamingo's the one who caused all this mess anyway."
In Ulti's view, Yamato was someone utterly impervious to reason. Neither sarcasm nor anger had any effect on her. Over time, she had been forced to grow used to it.
She would never comply verbally, but she would still carry out Yamato's orders. After all, Yamato had already gained the recognition of the Beasts Pirates, tacitly acknowledging her status as the true third-in-command.
Given that, all you could do was blame the person at the source.
"No, I just think… Sister, it's not like you to come up with all this on your own."
"Huh?! You jerk, Pay-tan, what are you saying? Do you think I'm just as dumb as Yamato in your eyes?!"
"My neck... Sister, loosen your grip. I'm about to fall..."
"Seriously, why are they still goofing around at a time like this? Don't they know how to stay on task?"
Watching Page One draw an S-shape through the air, Yamato silently grumbled, then turned her attention back to listening to the person in front of her describe the situation in Dressrosa.
"It was a night ten years ago. King Riku suddenly went mad and led his guards on a slaughter spree of the citizens. That's when Doflamingo appeared. We thought he was a hero, but he turned out to be the true mastermind behind it all."
"Just like today… So King Riku was being controlled by him back then too."
"Not just that, he turned us into toys and made us work in the dim underground factory for ten whole years! Ten years! No one even remembered me. I could only watch as my wife married another man..."
The answers they received were largely similar. Most people gave the same account, especially those who had been turned into toys. Their hatred toward Doflamingo was deep-rooted, yet they still feared his power and dared not resist.
"Robin, I don't think we need to keep asking, this guy..."
Robin was just about to respond when a harsh voice rang out.
"That symbol… I recognize that symbol! It's on the ships that deliver goods to Doflamingo! And on the ships of many of his business partners! I saw it when I was a toy!
Don't trust her! That woman is one of Doflamingo's allies!"
Someone had noticed the pirate emblem on Yamato's body and was instantly thrown into panic. That was precisely what Robin had been about to say.
"Doflamingo had numerous dealings with us. He was one of our subordinate distributors. Taking him out won't affect the big picture, but it may disrupt part of our funding chain.
Some of the intel and supplies he provided did help us to a certain extent. And his expansion in the seas leaned on our influence. In a sense, we were his 'accomplices.'"
Robin's words were a harsh reality. The rule over Dressrosa had nothing to do with the Beasts Pirates, but Doflamingo's rise in the Underworld was inextricably tied to them.
Beasts Pirates never asked where Doflamingo's workers came from, but they were closely tied to the artificial Devil Fruits. Even if the Beasts Pirates didn't buy them, Doflamingo could have found other buyers.
The result might not have changed, but the Beasts Pirates had ultimately become part of it.
Yamato had previously asked Speed and the others to rescue the people on the island not to make up for anything…such a thought hadn't even crossed her mind at the time. She simply couldn't bear to watch it, which is why she decided to intervene.
But now, Robin's words and the fearful looks from those around her caused her to feel conflicted.
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