With the outpost under attack, these seas were destined to erupt into chaos.
Across the ocean, even the most arrogant pirates could sense the scent of gunpowder in the air.
Somewhere in the New World, on an island called Dressrosa — a kingdom ruled by the Heavenly Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo.
More than ten years ago, Doflamingo had reclaimed his family's territory from King Riku, and since then, he had spared no means in expanding his power.
After forging ties with Kaido, he had further profited from the Marineford War by making contact with "Ghidorah." When Ghidorah eventually killed Kaido, Doflamingo escaped the shadow of his own impending doom and finally stepped into his golden age.
Swearing allegiance to Ghidorah brought him no restraints — in fact, his influence expanded even further.
Secretly inheriting a third of Kaido's forces, he had risen to become a true powerhouse of the seas. At the last council meeting, he even obtained an even greater source of power.
During that overwhelming baptism of force, his mastery of his Devil Fruit had reached a new level of insight.
As that terrifying figure had once told him — awakening was only the beginning of a fruit's true potential…
Ever since pledging himself to Ghidorah, he had never received a single order — until today.
And yet…
"Capture the Straw Hat crew?"
"What kind of order is this?"
Holding the missive in hand, Doflamingo's expression was one of deep consideration.
For a man of his caliber — a tyrant and a powerhouse — being tasked with going after a mere Supernova pirate seemed… beneath him.
But soon, all available intelligence on the "Straw Hat kid" reached him.
When he saw the surname, he froze.
"He's… from that family? Related by blood?"
"Tch… that makes things troublesome."
Upon learning Luffy's true identity, Doflamingo found himself in a bind.
Compared to capture, outright killing would be far easier.
"Fuffuffuffu… what a pain."
After a moment, he gave a cold, sinister laugh and addressed the officers in his office:
"You've all heard the order. Go find me the whereabouts of Straw Hat Luffy."
"Uh… Young Master, no need. That guy and Law are already in Dressrosa."
"What?"
Doflamingo blinked in surprise, then laughed.
"Fuffuffuffu… well, that does save me the trouble."
A thought struck him, and his voice grew doubtful:
"Law's with them? …What exactly are they planning?"
"We don't know their goal yet, but… not long ago, the new Marine Admiral, 'Fujitora,' also arrived on the island."
"A Marine Admiral?"
Doflamingo's brows rose. Things were becoming far more interesting. Still, he couldn't piece together the connection.
"Never mind. I'll see for myself.
After all, that little brat Law's been aiming to kill me for a long time."
Fate had a way of repeating itself. Even without Caesar, even with Luffy's path diverging from the "original," and even without the grand spectacle of the Flame-Flame Fruit tournament…
Destiny had once again brought them together in Dressrosa.
Such was the strangeness of fate.
The Straw Hat crew now stood face-to-face with the Heart Pirates, a tense stalemate settling over the street.
"Straw Hat," Law greeted with a small smile, "What a coincidence — didn't think I'd run into you here."
"Torao?"
Luffy tilted his head, wearing a blank, innocent expression, and after a long moment of thinking, blurted out an utterly nonsensical name.
The Heart Pirates instantly erupted in outrage.
To insult their captain was to insult the entire crew — and no pirate worth his salt would let that slide.
"Stand down!"
Law quickly restrained his men.
"Straw Hat — I wonder if you'd be interested in doing something with me?"
"If possible, I'd like to form an alliance with your crew."
Law didn't hide his intentions in the slightest, speaking them plainly before everyone.
Just as in the "original" events, he was still determined to kill Doflamingo.
What he didn't know was that Doflamingo was no longer the same man from the "original."
And Luffy was no longer the same Luffy.
Ace was alive. He had met his family and learned the truth about his heritage. Luffy's path had already shifted.
Though his goal remained to become the Pirate King, Dressrosa itself held no special attraction for him.
He was here solely to resupply the crew — nothing more.
So his answer was:
"No. I'll become Pirate King with my own strength!"
The blunt refusal didn't surprise Zoro or the others in the slightest, but it made Law frown.
Rejected?
Though displeased, Law didn't dwell on it. He simply turned and led the Heart Pirates toward the city of Dressrosa.
The Straw Hats also entered the city to gather supplies.
Once inside, they quickly noticed something strange — there were living, breathing toys walking around.
The sight shocked them all.
With the little money Nami had allocated, everyone went about their own business. Luffy, at a loss for what to do, wandered off toward a nearby bar with Zoro in tow.
"Oi, Luffy… do you even know where the bar is?"
The green-haired swordsman glanced at the bustling streets with a scowl.
Luffy gave the many branching roads an awkward glance — in his eyes, they all looked exactly the same.
He simply picked a direction and said:
"Uh… it should be this way?"
Before Zoro could argue, Luffy started walking.
Though skeptical, Zoro was more concerned about his captain getting lost, so he followed.
Before long, the crowds thinned, and they found themselves in a deserted alley.
"You sure there's a place to drink here?"
Zoro eyed the surroundings warily.
Luffy paused, recalling the alley where they'd found that bar back in Loguetown, and nodded firmly.
"Yeah. The bar in Loguetown was in a place like this."
"Hn?"
Zoro, not as carefree as Luffy despite his own poor sense of direction, suddenly felt a powerful presence.
His hand drifted toward his swords, muscles tensing as he stared ahead.
Clack… clack… clack…
The rhythmic tapping of a cane echoed through the alley.
From the shadows emerged a tall, broad man dressed in purple, eyes closed.
The sound came from the cane in his hand.
"A blind man?"
Zoro's expression hardened. The man's manner was that of someone sightless, yet he radiated an aura of overwhelming strength.
No… this guy's strong…
"Hey, Luffy—!"
Zoro's warning caught in his throat as he saw his captain already walking toward the stranger.
"Hey, old man! Do you know where the bar is?"
Luffy called out cheerfully, utterly oblivious to the tension.
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