"It's Beckman. He says he has time to fight Doffy now before the Red Hair Pirates depart."
Pica didn't enter, speaking directly from the doorway.
"Fufufufu, starting right now? Fine by me. I've been wanting to test the strength of a Yonko's right-hand man. What do you say, Boss Caesar? Care to watch?"
Doflamingo stood, draining his glass of red wine before grinning at Caesar.
Caesar grabbed a large jug of liquor and rose to his feet. "Sure, let's see what you've got, Doffy."
When Caesar's towering figure appeared in the plaza, the pirates who had been watching Gin train Moria immediately turned their gazes toward him, filled with awe.
"Boss Caesar!"
"Captain Caesar!"
The newly recruited Beast God Pirates members were thrilled, the boldest among them calling out greetings.
"Listen up, men!" Caesar didn't put on airs, laughing heartily.
"Doffy's challenging Beckman for the Vice-Chairman seat of the Pirate Council. Let's all go watch!"
Pica's high-pitched voice remained unchanged.
Though there were many people around, he no longer felt the same insecurity as before.
Meanwhile, Beckman walked over calmly, carrying his black sniper rifle.
"Doflamingo, you're one busy man. Let's make this quick—I've got dinner waiting back at home."
Doflamingo smirked, sending razor-thin strings shooting skyward.
"What's the rush, Beckman? How about I have one of the island's ladies bring you dinner afterward? The food here is excellent."
"Everyone watching, step back. I'll deploy a stationary Birdcage to mark the battlefield!"
At Doflamingo's words, the pirates quickly cleared the vast plaza, leaving ample space for the two combatants.
Doflamingo raised his right hand high, countless threads bursting from his fingertips and piercing the heavens.
"Birdcage!"
The threads converged high above before scattering like a rain of blades, silently embedding themselves into the ground around the plaza's perimeter—each one sharp as steel.
"Kishishishi, Doflamingo... This guy got guts."
Moria was drenched from head to toe, as if he'd just been fished out of the sea.
Gin stood bare-chested beside him, temporarily sparing Moria from his hellish training regimen.
In the plaza, several quick-witted pirates noticed Caesar still standing and hurried to fetch chairs for him.
"Shanks, come take a seat! I heard you're about to set sail back home? Why not stay a few more days? Has my hospitality been lacking?" Caesar smiled at the pirates who brought his chair and waved at the approaching Shanks.
Shanks walked over with Lucky Roux in tow.
"How could that be? your hospitality is heavenly. I'm afraid if I stay too long, I might lose the will to oppose you," he said with a smile as he leaped onto the massive chair and settled cross-legged.
Caesar threw back his head and laughed uproariously before suddenly tossing his large liquor gourd toward Shanks, who caught it effortlessly.
"Borororo! Oppose me? Why must we be enemies, Shanks? Perhaps we could become allies instead."
Shanks raised the gourd with a grin and took several deep gulps, golden liquor spilling down his shirtfront.
"Fine liquor! Strong enough to knock out an elephant! The sweets and wine of Totto Land truly are unmatched!"
With a flick of his wrist, he sent the gourd sailing back to Caesar.
Meeting Caesar's gaze, Shanks continued, "To be honest, Caesar, I'd rather not oppose you. The sheer scale of your Beast God Pirates far exceeds that of ordinary Emperor-level crews. But whether it's Wano Country, Luffy, or our fundamental differences in our ideology, we're destined to stand on opposite sides."
Caesar nodded thoughtfully. "That conqueror's haki and swordsmanship... you learned them from Roger, didn't you? I noticed during our fight - you're nearly reaching Roger's level from back then. Who took your arm? Was it lost many years ago? Even my blood can't regenerate it."
Shanks touched his left arm with a gentle smile.
"You flatter me, Caesar. I'm still far from matching Captain Roger. This arm... I staked it on the new era."
"Straw Hat Luffy? Borororo! That straw hat is indeed the same one Roger wore, originating from the D clan leader eight hundred years ago. It seems the kid's fate is sealed."
Setting down his gourd, Caesar turned his attention to the Birdcage where Doflamingo was already engaged in combat with Beckman.
Facing the legendary Beckman, Doflamingo held nothing back, immediately activating his awakened String-String Fruit powers.
The entire plaza within the Birdcage transformed into a churning sea of white threads.
Beckman wielded his sniper rifle in one hand and a rapier in the other, steadily cutting through waves of thick threads while searching for the perfect moment to fire the decisive shot.
Shanks frowned at Caesar's words, sighing with visible frustration.
"Ah, Caesar... you must know so much. But I understand you won't share what I seek to know. There are secrets about Luffy - perhaps concerning his Rubber Fruit, maybe connected to Joy Boy from eight centuries past? The truth is something I'll have to find myself. After this, I'll begin my search for Laugh Tale."
Caesar shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, Shanks. You must understand, our positions and ideologies differ, so the truths we perceive aren't the same. Moreover, my knowledge is limited too—some matters remain unclear to me."
Shanks nodded, and the two fell silent, watching the battle in the square unfold.
"Beckman! Why keep dodging? Show me your true strength! Let me see what the so-called strongest Emperor's right-hand man is really capable of?!"
The ground beneath Doflamingo churned as countless white threads writhed like living creatures, lifting his body into the air.
The Birdcage had completely transformed into an ocean of white threads, wave after wave of silk surging toward Beckman like an unrelenting tide.
"Rampaging White Threads!"