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Women's words were deceiving—this was a lesson Admiral Gin had learned well over his years of service. So despite the Flame Empress's teasing invitation, he kept his eyes firmly shut, his jaw set with determination. He was doing this for his own safety, not out of any prudish reluctance to appreciate beauty. Today simply wasn't the day for such indulgences, not when a single glance could prove fatal.
The mechanism was devastatingly simple and absolutely lethal. One look at Ann's charming appearance would ignite an evil fire within a man's body—a conflagration that used the victim's own desire as fuel, their lust serving as an accelerant to help immolate them from within. Most people struck by this supernatural charm would spontaneously combust and die, their bodies reduced to ash before they even understood what was happening.
Fire Charm—it was a passive skill unique to Ann, triggered automatically by her mere presence. Every subtle frown, every knowing smile, every deliberate movement of her body activated this mechanism without conscious effort on her part. Male perverts were caught immediately, their base desires turning them into walking torches. But the ability didn't discriminate based on preference; it had a certain effectiveness on homosexuals as well, though perhaps to a lesser degree.
Even the young Snow Queen was not immune.
Elsa felt something strange stirring in her heart—an unfamiliar warmth, a curious pull that made her want to get closer to the beautiful older sister standing before her. She didn't understand these adult emotions swirling through her consciousness, couldn't quite categorize the feelings making her brain feel fractured and scattered. Without realizing it, she had been struck by the Fire Charm, her young mind vulnerable to its insidious influence.
But salvation came from an unexpected source. The Devil Fruit residing within Elsa's body recognized the foreign intrusion and activated its defensive protocols automatically. A sudden chill swept through her mind like a winter wind, freezing the evil thoughts before they could take root. The Yuki Yuki no Mi (Snow-Snow Fruit) protected its host, shattering the charm's hold with crystalline clarity.
Elsa shook her head, the fog clearing from her thoughts. When she spoke, her voice carried the weight of absolute authority—a queen declaring the law of her domain. "What happens between you two has nothing to do with me." Her blue eyes hardened as she looked between the blind Admiral and the flame-wreathed woman. "As long as you don't touch the mausoleum behind me, you can fight all you want."
She drew her bottom line clearly, unmistakably. That ice and snow tomb held her mother and sister—the two people she had loved most in this world. If anyone dared to desecrate their bodies, if either of these powerful strangers showed even the slightest intention of disturbing their eternal rest, Elsa would rush forward without hesitation and fight them to the death on the spot. Her own life meant nothing compared to protecting their dignity.
Ann had been continuing to tease the Admiral with words, her voice carrying that sultry, playful tone that promised both pleasure and danger. But seeing that he wasn't taking the bait, that he refused to even crack his eyes open for the briefest peek, the woman grew bored with the pretense. Her charm began to fade like smoke dissipating in wind, and the expression on her absolutely beautiful face transformed from seductive warmth to cold calculation.
"You're such a boring man," Ann said, her voice losing its honeyed quality and becoming flat, businesslike. "Let's get straight to the point." She crossed her arms beneath her chest, the movement unconsciously drawing attention even without her active charm. "You can't take Doflamingo's head with you. And I'm kindly reminding you—the Marines who survived on this island seem to be in some trouble."
The witch's words struck Gin like a physical blow. His mind immediately went to Helmeppo and the others—his subordinates who had accompanied him to Dressrosa. Because he had rushed here in such haste, tracking Doflamingo's trail with single-minded focus, he hadn't taken the time to check on his men or assess their condition. Had they really encountered some accident? Or was this woman simply lying to him, using his concern for his troops as a psychological weapon?
The uncertainty gnawed at him. He had no way to verify her claim, no means of knowing the truth while trapped in this standoff.
Ann's body erupted in dazzling blue flames—not the orange-red of ordinary fire, but a brilliant azure that seemed to burn with the intensity of the sun's core. The heat radiating from her form intensified dramatically, warping the air around her until her silhouette seemed to shimmer and dance. If the Marine Admiral did not intend to surrender the head willingly, the woman had decided to simply take it by force.
It was far from certain who would hold the upper hand in a battle between the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit) and the Ame Ame no Mi (Rain-Rain Fruit). Fire and water were natural opposites, their clash creating unpredictable results. Under normal circumstances, Gin might have relished the challenge, might have been curious to test his abilities against such a rare opponent.
But these were not normal circumstances.
Admiral Gin's physical and mental strength had already reached their absolute limit. The battle against Doflamingo had pushed him to the breaking point, and the forced awakening of his Logia-type Devil Fruit during that confrontation had drained reserves he didn't know he possessed. His body ached in places he couldn't name. His Haki reserves were running dangerously low. Even if his opponent was a woman—and he knew better than to dismiss her as a weak woman based on gender alone—he simply didn't have the certainty of victory.
More importantly, he didn't have the time. Every moment spent here was a moment his subordinates might be dying. Every second of combat was a second wasted when he could be ensuring their survival.
After rapid consideration, weighing all the variables in his tactical mind, Gin made his decision. He threw the water-encased head in his hand toward the witch, the sphere arcing through the air in a lazy parabola. But the Admiral was not the type to surrender anything easily, even when strategic necessity demanded it. He needed to test this mysterious woman's quality, to gauge her true strength for future reference.
"Ame no Tsurugi (Rain Curtain Sword)!"
Water erupted from the sphere as it flew, condensing and sharpening into a blade of liquid that stabbed directly toward Doflamingo's severed head. The attack was beautiful in its simplicity—if Ann wanted the trophy, she would have to prove she could protect it.
Facing the man's calculated trick, Ann merely smiled. She raised one hand with casual grace, forming her fingers into an elegant orchid gesture that somehow managed to look both delicate and deadly.
A small spark appeared beside the dead man's head, so tiny it seemed almost insignificant. Then it exploded outward, expanding in a heartbeat to form a circular barrier of roaring flame that surrounded the trophy completely.
The Admiral's water sword collided with the fire shield in a spectacular display—water and fire meeting in violent opposition, the collision generating a tremendous amount of steam that billowed outward in thick clouds.
The two techniques canceled each other out perfectly. Neither side gained any advantage. The head fell safely into Ann's waiting hand, completely undamaged.
Sensing this entire exchange through his Observation Haki, Admiral Gin formed a certain estimate of the mysterious woman's strength. She was skilled, experienced, and her mastery of the Mera Mera no Mi was refined to a high degree. His decision to surrender the enemy's head as a trophy had been correct. If he had truly committed to fighting her, the battle could have dragged on for hours with no guarantee of victory. Better to cut his losses and focus on what mattered—his subordinates' safety.
But before leaving entirely, Gin wanted to extract at least some information from this encounter. He couldn't return to Marine Headquarters completely empty-handed, and intelligence about this powerful new player was valuable in its own right.
Taking advantage of the natural jealousy that often existed between beautiful women, the man chose his words carefully. "Empress Boa Hancock has been famous across the seas for a long time." His tone was deliberately neutral, almost thoughtful. "Her beauty is recognized by the entire world as unparalleled."
The subtext was crystal clear: You're not worthy of comparison.
Ann's face transformed in an instant. The charming, seductive beauty showed an expression of shame and fury, her eyes flashing with genuine anger at the implied insult. "Boa Hancock?" Her voice dripped with venom. "That bad-tempered old woman?" She practically spat the words. "I, Ann, will take the title of world's most beautiful woman sooner or later. Mark my words."
Ann. The Admiral filed the name away in his memory, though he suspected it was more of a code name than her real identity. But he was too exhausted to press further, too drained to engage in extended verbal sparring with this dangerous woman. He had what he came for—not the head, but valuable intelligence about a new threat.
Gin's body began to dissolve, transforming into water vapor that floated upward into the air like morning mist. Within moments, he had completely dispersed, disappearing from the King's Plateau and leaving the two women alone amid the ruins.
After the Admiral's departure, Ann turned her full attention to the remaining party. The woman held Doflamingo's severed head in one hand with casual disregard for its gruesome nature, while her curious gaze settled on his daughter. Elsa's exquisite appearance—that combination of regal bearing and youthful beauty—was genuinely pleasing to the eye.
Does Doflamingo really qualify as a handsome man? Ann mused privately, studying the dead man's features in the head she held. I suppose he's acceptable for nothing except looking cool in those ridiculous sunglasses. That Elsa had grown up to become what she was now could only be attributed to her mother's superior genetics. Princess Violet was a woman whose beauty outshone all the other acclaimed beauties in Dressrosa combined.
Sensing the girl's defensive posture, Ann raised her free hand in a gesture of peace. "Don't misunderstand me—I have no hostility toward you." Her expression softened slightly, losing some of its predatory edge. "Your father and my adoptive father are partners. The purpose of my coming here today is just to fulfill his request."
It was through Ann's subsequent explanation that Elsa finally learned the full scope of Dressrosa's contingency plan—the backup arrangements Doflamingo had made before committing to his apocalyptic course.
Before launching the Rumbling, before transforming Dressrosa into a titan-infested hellscape, Doflamingo had already calculated the possibility of his own defeat and death. The man was many things—cruel, manipulative, unhinged—but he was not a fool. He understood that aligning with Eren Yeager carried enormous risk, that the World Government and Marines would stop at nothing to destroy anyone involved in such a catastrophic plan.
However, for the sake of revenge against the world that had cast him down from the heights of Celestial Dragon privilege, Doflamingo would rather die than refuse to cooperate with Terra. His hatred ran too deep, his desire for vengeance too all-consuming.
But the man's only genuine concern—perhaps his only truly human sentiment—was for his subordinates. The family he had built, the loyal followers who had stood by him through every trial. If he failed, if the Marines or the Straw Hats managed to kill him, Doflamingo wanted to ensure his people would survive the aftermath.
Enter Buggy the Clown—the unexpected ally, the rising power who had formed an alliance with the Heavenly Demon for mutual benefit. The deal was straightforward: if Doflamingo fell, Buggy would take the remaining survivors of the Donquixote Family under his protection. He would shield them from subsequent retaliation by the World Government and the Marines, offering them sanctuary within his growing organization.
To complete this transaction and demonstrate his sincerity, Doflamingo had offered something of tremendous value: the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit). Faced with such an honest businessman presenting such a valuable commodity, Buggy had readily agreed to the deal.
However, the Clown Emperor had his own condition. If Doflamingo died, the scientific researchers working within Buggy's forces would be permitted to use his corpse for experimental purposes—specifically, to extract his most valuable memories through whatever advanced techniques they possessed. The former Celestial Dragon's memories contained secrets that Buggy was extremely curious about, information about Mary Geoise and the World Government's inner workings that few living people possessed. This memory extraction was, in fact, the most important purpose of Ann's trip to Dressrosa today.
"Can I leave with you?"
The words emerged from Elsa's mouth almost before she consciously decided to speak them. She looked back over her shoulder at the ice and snow mausoleum standing pristine and beautiful behind her. Her mother and sister lay quietly inside, at peace in their frozen tomb. Perhaps... perhaps it truly was time to leave this place. Time to say goodbye to Dressrosa and all the pain it represented.
As their conversation continued, Ann revealed additional information that sealed Elsa's decision. All of Doflamingo's subordinates had been killed during the chaos—every single officer, every family member, wiped out in the brutal fighting. And the person Elsa cared about most, the man who had shown her genuine kindness and protection, Señor Pink, had committed suicide rather than face capture.
With that knowledge, Elsa found she had no reason to make enemies with the Straw Hat Pirates. The Snow Queen had no one left to take revenge upon, no target for her grief and rage. The masterminds who had planned the Dressrosa incident were all dead—Doflamingo, his officers, everyone involved. It could be considered an explanation to all those who had died, a form of justice however incomplete.
From beginning to end, Elsa had been nothing more than an unfortunate victim. She would not inherit the surname Donquixote, would not claim that cursed legacy. And forcing herself to embrace the title of Celestial Dragon, to acknowledge that poisonous heritage, would only fill her with disgust. She wanted no part of that world.
Before leaving the King's Plateau completely, before turning her back on Dressrosa forever, Elsa thought of one more person. She searched through the ruins with increasing desperation, calling out a name.
"Wicca! Wicca, where are you?!"
Fortune favored the determined. Elsa found her good friend buried in the rubble—the small dwarf girl's body battered and broken, but miraculously still alive. It was a blessing in the midst of catastrophe, though Wicca was seriously injured and trapped in deep unconsciousness.
At the moment of the nuclear explosion that had devastated the palace, Wicca's tiny body had been thrown by the shockwave and buried directly beneath collapsed stone and earth. Her diminutive size had actually saved her life—she had been pressed into a small cavity that protected her from being crushed entirely. But without help, she would have died slowly in the darkness, alone and forgotten.
Fortunately, Ann was proficient in Observation Haki. She easily sensed the location where the dwarf was trapped, guiding Elsa to the precise spot. Otherwise, the girl would have missed her only remaining friend, and the regret would have haunted her for the rest of her life.
Elsa cradled her injured friend carefully in both hands, the dwarf's small form fitting easily in her palms. She held Wicca close to her chest protectively, then turned and followed Ann in silence. The Flame Empress moved with confident strides, leading them away from the ruins of the palace, away from the mausoleum where Violet and Anna slept forever, away from everything Elsa had known.
Perhaps Buggy the Clown—this mysterious rising power who had earned Doflamingo's trust—would be able to point out a new path for the Ice Queen.
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