"Listen up, Black Star Pirates and all rebels on this island!" a Marine shouted loudly through a megaphone. "We are Marines from the G-5 branch! Cease your attacks immediately, or we will punish you with extreme force!"
Then he turned to look at the expressionless man beside him—who had a piece of food stuck to his cheek—and asked in a lower voice, "Vice Admiral Vergo, is this really the right approach? Are we sure it's wise to cause trouble for the Black Star Pirates like this?"
"It's only natural for Marines to arrest pirates," Vergo responded with complete seriousness. "Have you forgotten your original purpose when you joined the Marines?"
Hearing Vergo's righteous words, many of the Marine officers felt genuinely inspired.
Although they represented an unconventional Marine unit that usually acted more like pirates than proper military personnel, deep in their hearts they undoubtedly stood on the side of justice.
Just as the Marines grew excited and prepared to launch their charge, a silver-haired man with two cigars in his mouth and his shirt hanging open approached them with obvious concern.
"Hey, you can't possibly be unaware of how dangerous the Black Star Pirates are," Smoker said with a heavy tone. "What exactly are you trying to accomplish by bringing everyone here? I never received any orders to provide support for Doflamingo!"
This was the same man who, feeling inadequate about his own strength, had specifically requested Admiral Aokiji's help in transferring to the G-5 branch. Standing beside him was his loyal subordinate Tashigi.
Hearing this challenge, Vergo replied with calm indifference and a completely blank expression, "Smoker, I don't need to explain my decisions to you. If you feel this operation is inappropriate, you don't have to participate."
Then he completely ignored the furious Smoker and issued direct attack orders to his Marines.
"It's not just the Black Star Pirates—there are plenty of smaller criminals here too! Charge forward!"
Seeing the Marines begin their assault, Smoker clenched his fists in frustration and turned to his companion. "Let's go, Tashigi. Be careful out there."
"Yes, sir," Tashigi replied, biting her lip as she nodded slightly.
Like Smoker, she had also sensed something highly unusual about this entire operation.
On the other side of the battlefield, seeing that everyone was still engaged in intense combat, Jerry addressed Brook and Carrot—who had already defeated their respective opponents.
"You two go help the others handle the situation down here," he instructed. "I'm going to advance to the palace first. We can't let Doflamingo do whatever he wants up there—who knows what kind of trouble he might cause if left unchecked."
"Brook, keep a close eye on Vergo for me," Jerry added after taking a couple of steps forward.
Hearing Jerry specifically mention that name, Brook naturally committed it to memory. He nodded and responded with characteristic flair, "Don't worry, Mr. Jerry. As soon as he appears, I'll frame him perfectly in my empty eye sockets!"
Brook formed circles with his hands around his skull's eye sockets for emphasis, causing Jerry to smile with amusement. "Good, just don't let your guard down."
Carrot waved her arms energetically and called out, "Brother Jerry, you be careful too!"
Jerry dismissed his water clone and gave them an encouraging thumbs up. Just as he was about to depart, Leo's voice suddenly interrupted him.
"Wait for me! I want to keep going too!"
It turned out that the dwarf warriors who had previously split off to investigate the factory had sent him urgent news—their princess wasn't being held there, but might be trapped somewhere in the palace itself.
Leo anxiously explained the situation to Jerry before quickly climbing onto the tall human's shoulders.
Not only Leo, but also Kabu—who resembled a rhinoceros beetle—positioned himself next to Leo, obviously sharing the same plan.
Jerry didn't reject their participation, instead nodding slightly with approval. "Alright, let's head up there together."
As he spoke, he bent his knees and leaped powerfully into the air, then used Moonwalk to fly rapidly toward the elevated palace grounds.
While passing the third level of the high ground during his aerial approach, Jerry observed that the large platform was completely covered with numerous animated toys.
Seeing his figure appear above them, the toys immediately opened fire with various guns and projectile weapons.
"Oh, that's not going to work on me," Jerry said with casual confidence.
In front of Leo and Kabu's wide-eyed amazement, Jerry condensed a protective water barrier in front of them, then clapped his hands together and shouted dramatically.
"Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique"
A tremendous torrent of water gathered from midair and poured down onto the toys positioned on the third-floor platform.
Countless toys stared at the jaw-dropping surge of waves descending from the sky as panicked shouts rose from all directions.
"This is terrible! We're all being forced to fight against our will!"
Jerry carefully controlled the massive water flow, sweeping the toys and their weapons from the platform to a large open area. He then erected high water walls around the perimeter, confining them within roughly an acre of space.
"You can take a nice bath there for now and wait for my good news," he announced cheerfully before rushing directly toward the fourth level without any pause.
"So you're coming alone?"
In the palace, Doflamingo spoke with apparent calm while holding a Den Den Mushi in his hand.
There was a hint of suppressed anger in the depths of his eyes, but he kept it carefully restrained and didn't allow it to show on his face.
"Ah, he's still outside dealing with other matters," came the voice from the communication device. "What's the problem? Do you have some objection to that arrangement?"
Hearing this response from the Den Den Mushi, Doflamingo was slightly startled. After regaining his composure almost instantly, he replied, "That's not the case at all. Just as a precaution, you should wait for my signal before taking action."
As soon as he finished speaking, the other party abruptly ended the call.
Seeing this dismissive treatment, Doflamingo also set down the Den Den Mushi and clenched both fists tightly.
"Fufufu, Doffy, what's our current situation?" Trebol asked as he entered from outside, looking like a slovenly uncle. "That kid has already reached the fourth floor, and our defenses are completely useless against him."
Doflamingo pinched the bridge of his nose lightly and responded with a forced smile, "Fufufufu, don't worry. We're not in a desperate situation yet."
Then he continued with renewed determination, "You go handle your assignment first. As long as you can take proper care of them, our hopes will remain intact."
"Hehehe, leave it to me," Trebol replied with confident satisfaction before slowly turning and departing.
On another part of the battlefield, the G-5 Marine forces bypassed the fierce ongoing battle between Pica and Cavendish on the first level and proceeded directly to the second level of the high ground.
When they arrived, they discovered that the Donquixote Family's executives and guards had been thoroughly defeated by the combined forces of the Black Star Pirates and the Tontatta Tribe.
Vergo calmly surveyed the officers who lay unconscious on the ground, then observed Senor Pink—who was still fighting desperately against Skull—and the remaining guards who were being rapidly overwhelmed.
"Go arrest the Black Star Pirates and those rebels," he commanded with cold authority.
After hearing Vergo's instructions, the Marines rushed toward the battlefield with aggressive enthusiasm.
Vergo glanced at Smoker and Tashigi, who had chosen not to take immediate action, then charged forward himself. His target was Deuce, who was standing at the edge of the combat zone after defeating his own opponent.
Seeing the Marines advancing in force, Smoker and Tashigi looked at each other with obvious resignation before sighing helplessly. Then Smoker transformed into smoke and flew forward with his subordinate.
"Uncle Brook, that smoking guy is definitely a Logia-type, so you're the only one who can handle him effectively," Carrot observed decisively as she watched Vergo rushing toward Deuce. "Leave that crew-cut guy that Brother Jerry mentioned specifically to me!"
Brook reached out instinctively to stop her, but his outstretched hand could only grasp flowing air. He shook his head with concern and replied, "Little Carrot... Alright, but wait until I freeze that smoking man solid, then I'll come provide backup for you."
Witnessing this exchange, Carina—who had already defeated the Baby 5 and Buffalo combination with Carrot's earlier assistance and was now working with Kotatsu to clear out the remaining enemy guards—was completely stunned.
She immediately roared at Brook with obvious panic, "Brook, hurry up! If anything happens to Carrot, I'll pluck out every single hair on your head!"
"Eh?! Please don't!" Brook responded in alarm, covering his afro protectively as he rushed forward. "Wait, isn't this the only place I actually have hair left?"