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Click.
Kanos Atlas lowered his gaze, glancing at the half-dead Doflamingo at his feet before picking up the receiver of the Den Den Mushi.
"Hello? It's me."
"Atlas, where are you right now?"
Sengoku's deep voice came from the Den Den Mushi's mouth.
"Huh? Oh, if it isn't Admiral Sengoku. I'm at the G-5 Base in the New World, of course!" Atlas feigned confusion, giving a perfunctory reply.
"Stop lying to me! Smoker has already reported to me about you!"
"Do you have any idea what kind of losses the Marines would suffer if something were to happen in the New World in your absence!?"
"Arara, it's not that serious. I'm doing something very important right now, too." Atlas was thankful he had held the receiver far from his ear.
Otherwise, Sengoku's roar would have been quite the headache.
"You're on Minion Island in the North Blue, aren't you?" His tone slightly calmer, Sengoku regained his usual composure.
It helped that nothing major had happened at the G-5 Base while Atlas was away. Otherwise, he wouldn't have let this deserter off so easily.
"How did you know…"
This time, it was Atlas's turn to be surprised. The world was a big place; how had Sengoku guessed his location so quickly?
"Hmph~ You don't need to worry about that," Sengoku said mysteriously. "Also, thank you for saving Rosinante."
It was actually quite simple. The travel time from Sabaody to the North Blue roughly matched the time Atlas had been gone.
Furthermore, Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was also near Minion Island, had reported the incident to Sengoku.
The two sharpest minds in the Marines had put their heads together and quickly deduced Atlas's objective.
Although Sengoku didn't know how Atlas had learned about the events in the distant North Blue, he was extremely relieved.
He had suspected Rosinante might try to steal the Op-Op Fruit, but wasn't certain, and the only thing that could make Atlas defy military orders and rush to the North Blue was Rosinante himself.
"It's nothing. Rosinante is my friend."
"Alright, I still have some things to handle here. We can talk about thanks later." As he spoke, Atlas was about to hang up.
Although Doflamingo's life was his for the taking, he was afraid any delay might lead to unforeseen complications.
"Hey! Wait! Doflamingo is a former Celestial Dragon! If you kill him, the World Government will take its anger out on you!"
Sengoku, suddenly remembering the purpose of his call, quickly tried to stop him.
"Arara, a Celestial Dragon, you say? What a pain…"
Atlas was secretly annoyed. He had originally planned to feign ignorance of Doflamingo's identity and execute him. E
ven if the Five Elders found out, the most they would do is reprimand him.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… The Marines are nothing but the lapdogs of those idiots in Mary Geoise. You are not qualified to execute me!"
The half-dead Doflamingo, having apparently heard the conversation, looked up with his signature arrogant smile.
"Tch~ You're far too arrogant, Doffy!!!"
Atlas casually spat on Doflamingo's face, then moved his foot from his neck down to his arm joint and stomped on it. Hard.
CRACK!
Doflamingo's scorched arm bent at a grotesque angle.
"Ngh!"
Doflamingo only let out a grunt. Cold sweat poured from his forehead, but he didn't scream in pain.
"Fuffuffuffuffu! Even if you…"
Atlas thought for a moment, then stomped again, completely crushing Doflamingo's forearm!
"AGH!!!"
This was a pain that pierced the very marrow of his bones. Even Doflamingo, who prided himself on having endured the world's greatest suffering, couldn't help but scream.
"I know, I know. I'll leave him alive. As for the rest of him… heh heh! I can't make any promises about that…"
Atlas let out a meaningful laugh to Sengoku on the other end of the line. Since he couldn't take the man's life, crippling him was the next best thing.
But considering the healing properties of the String-String Fruit, Atlas had opted to pulverize his arms completely!
"No problem. Aside from his life, the rest is at your disposal." Sengoku understood.
With Atlas's personality, it was unrealistic to expect Doflamingo to escape his grasp without losing something.
Clack.
The call ended. Atlas turned to look at the fallen members of the Donquixote Family, a slight smile on his lips.
BOOM!!!
Several bursts of explosive flame shot out. Except for Doflamingo, all the unconscious Donquixote Family officers were incinerated!
"BASTARD!!!"
Seeing this, Doflamingo's eyes were bloodshot with rage. His hateful gaze looked as if he wanted to tear the Marine's flesh from his bones.
At this moment, his craving for power was greater than ever before. Without strength at the absolute pinnacle, any organization was just a castle in the sky!
Unfortunately, he had realized this a little too late…
FWOOSH!
The flames swept over him, and his four limbs were destroyed!
Rustle!
Suddenly, Atlas spread his hand, and the rocks that had been shattered during the battle began to move, gathering around Doflamingo and spinning at high speed.
"Planetary Devastation"
Like subjects obeying a king's command, countless rocks and chunks of earth were drawn to Doflamingo's broken body. Soon, they formed a solid, round sphere, leaving only his head exposed to the air.
"Nothing to be done. I don't have any Sea Stone on me, so this will have to do for now."
Atlas casually levitated the sphere containing Doflamingo in the air and walked toward Rosinante.
--Marine Headquarters, Marineford--
Sengoku, having just hung up the phone, couldn't help but let out a long sigh. It was a good thing he had figured out Atlas's movements in time.
Otherwise, if Atlas had been left to his own devices, while he might not have faced any substantial punishment now, his future promotion to Admiral would have been hopeless.
However, Sengoku was puzzled. He didn't know what kind of leverage Doflamingo, a former Celestial Dragon, held over the World Government.
When they learned that Tsuru was going to pursue him, they had specifically issued an order not to harm him, which was why Doflamingo hadn't been captured in the last six months.
In the face of absolute power, even the deepest sins are so fragile…
Sengoku turned to look at the "Reigning Justice" calligraphy hanging on the wall and sighed.
--Minion Island, West Coast--
Two different types of warships were moored here quietly. One was a standard patrol ship, and the other was the flagship of the great staff officer of Headquarters—Vice Admiral Tsuru!
At the prow, the silver-haired Tsuru slowly lowered her binoculars and asked the female Marine beside her, "How is the boy now?"
The boy she was referring to was one the Marines had rescued from the island.
He hadn't been trapped in the widespread Birdcage but had instead happened upon the patrol ship monitoring Minion Island, so they had taken him in.
The female Marine in the low-cut shirt smiled lightly.
"His mental state is fine. He just suffered multiple bruises and is somewhat malnourished. You'll never guess how old he is."
"Oh?" Tsuru was intrigued.
The little fellow on their ship looked to be about twelve or thirteen. Was he actually much older?
"Looking at him, you would never guess that boy is already 19 years old! Long-term abuse and malnutrition have severely affected his physical development."
The female Marine felt a pang of pity thinking of the boy's condition.
"Has he told you where he came from?"
"His name is Drake. Diez Barrels is his father, but also his abuser. He seems to hate his father very much," the female Marine added, afraid Tsuru might hold Drake's status as a pirate's son against him.
"Barrels…" Tsuru shook her head slightly, then instructed the female Marine, "Take that boy back to the Marines and train him well. I believe he will become an excellent Marine one day."
"What is our next mission?"
"Let's wait a little longer. Our objective in the North Blue is almost complete. Our great hero is still bringing up the rear."
Tsuru watched as the towering Birdcage in the distance slowly disappeared, a smile unconsciously touching her lips.
She had already spoken with Sengoku and knew that Atlas had captured Doflamingo.
The reign of the Donquixote Family, the underworld kings of the North Blue, was now history.
On the other side of Minion Island.
A pirate ship was moored quietly, its conspicuous jolly roger identifying it as a vessel of the Donquixote Family.
At that moment, Atlas, followed by Tesoro, stepped onto the deck. The sphere containing the unconscious Doflamingo floated in the air, and Rosinante carried the sleeping Law in his arms.
They slowly walked onto the pirate ship that had once struck fear into the hearts of countless people in the North Blue, a sense of how much things had changed washing over them.
"Hey, Atlas, what are we doing here?" Rosinante asked, looking at the familiar ship.
"To collect the spoils of war, of course. And… to clean up the trash!"
Bang!
As he spoke, the barrel of a machine gun appeared from the darkness, only to be caught in Atlas's single hand. He pressed his Armament-coated thumb firmly against the muzzle.
"That's right, isn't it, little girl?"
Atlas turned his head abruptly and, with a slight exertion of his arm, pulled the figure hidden in the darkness out into the light!
A young girl, dressed in black, with her hair tied back in a ponytail adorned with a ribbon, appeared before them.
Her expression was pitiful, but her words were anything but ladylike. "Let me go! I will avenge the Young Master!"
Atlas's expression was strange. He followed the gun in his hand and saw it ended at the black-haired girl's shoulder!
"Are you an Arms-Arms Fruit user?"
"Is that a question you need me to answer?" The girl, who had been struggling fiercely, suddenly became docile, her face full of expectation.
"Yes."
"Ah~ am I needed?" A blush crept across the girl's face, and she nodded vigorously. "That's right, I am a user of the Paramecia-type Arms-Arms Fruit!"
Rosinante hesitated for a moment, then said to Atlas in a gentle voice, "Her name is Baby 5. She's a pitiful child with some personality flaws. She hasn't been with the Donquixote Family for long. Could you possibly…"
"Ah! Corazon, can you talk?" Just as Rosinante was pleading for Baby 5, she looked at him in utter shock.
She was very familiar with this strange man in the family who disliked children. When she had first joined, she would get beaten up by him for no reason, almost every time they met.
A strange light flashed in Atlas's eyes. His Observation Haki told him that besides Baby 5, the only others on the ship were miscellaneous fodder. People like Monet and Sugar were nowhere to be seen.
"Is everyone from the Donquixote Family here?" Atlas asked Rosinante.
"No. Doflamingo's next plan was to hijack the Heavenly Tribute, use his former Celestial Dragon status to demand a position as one of the Seven Warlords from the World Government, and then go to the New World to retake the kingdom of Dressrosa. Some family members have already gone ahead to scout."
Although Doflamingo was wary of Rosinante, under his perfect disguise, Rosinante had still managed to learn the general outline of the family's plot to take over the country.
"Is that so…" Atlas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Monet was probably sent to act as a handmaiden to the princess of Dressrosa.
As for Sugar, who was the family's ultimate weapon and the core of their entire plan, it was natural that she wouldn't be brought to a dangerous situation where Tsuru was hunting them.
"Baby 5, right? Are you willing to join the Marines?"
"Ah~ Am I needed again!?" As usual, Baby 5 looked shy.
The gun barrel held by Atlas was almost unable to maintain its fruit form, making it seem as if Atlas were proposing to her.
"That's right. I need you to join the Marines." Although he was a bit speechless, Atlas played along with the pitiful girl.
"That's wonderful! I agree to join the Marines!"
"Next… let's see what treasures the Donquixote Family has collected!"
Atlas's main target this time was the Gold-Gold Fruit. Baby 5 was just an incidental gain.
Her Arms-Arms Fruit had good potential, being a superior version of the Dice-Dice Fruit. If developed properly, she could become a powerful fighter in the future.
Boom!
The storage room door opened! A gourd-shaped, golden-colored Devil Fruit appeared before Atlas!
"Found it… It seems my luck is really good!"
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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