"Dragon Claw Fist? Sounds kind of weird."
After seeing Sabo's technique, Yamato stretched out her hand and mimicked his stance. The gesture felt a little awkward to her. Compared to using all five fingers normally, doing it this way would only make it harder to exert strength.
Whether for attacking or controlling, keeping all five fingers spread apart was much more convenient than imitating three. [TN: Search Dragon Claw Fist by Sabo.]
"Do you two have any thoughts or comments?"
Some people love to talk big, criticizing others with "you've never seen a dragon, so what right do you have to describe one," but Yamato happened to know a few real "dragons."
There were ancient beings like the Millennial Dragon, who are called "dragons," and there were also Zekrom and Reshiram, two dragons representing ideal and truth.
"A clumsy imitation, that's all. It's merely an extension of Haki power dressed up with the name of 'dragon.'"
Reshiram had recently resumed its aloof demeanor, and it was Zekrom who actually replied to her.
"If you really want to practice Dragon Claw, I could teach you. But using three fingers is unnecessary."
"Let's talk about that later. I'm not really used to that kind of move."
Dragon-type moves were broad in scope, but Dragon Claw simply wasn't among her usual repertoire of moves. In close combat, she used her kanabo; when unarmed, lightning and ice powers were what she relied on most.
"Giant Hajrudin has fallen! The winners of Block H are Yamato and Sabo! The preliminaries are over! Please await the start of the finals, where sixteen victors will face off in a brand new round of battles!"
"It seems even the heavens themselves seem to be celebrating the end of the tournament!"
On the horizon, a meteor streaked downward. Because it was so far away, no one in the Corrida Colosseum noticed anything unusual.
"A meteor, huh? You don't see those over in Wano Country."
"....."
Hearing Yamato's comment, Zekrom and Reshiram exchanged a glance. They knew exactly why Wano Country never saw meteors.
Meteor falls were random events. Under a planet's gravitational influence, some unlucky meteors would get caught and crash into various places. Wano Country wasn't particularly special itself, but ever since before Rayquaza's birth, meteors had stopped falling in Wano.
After all, Arceus hated meteors. No matter their size, simply erasing them was the simplest solution.
And this time, the meteor's impact site was the outskirts of Dressrosa, Green Bit.
Green Bit and Dressrosa were once connected by an iron bridge. Long ago, people could freely travel between the two islands, but that was two hundred years ago, back before the dangerous fighting fish had appeared in those waters.
Schools of fighting fish dared even attack warships. Without a strong officer, even fully armed warships would suffer greatly against them, let alone ordinary humans.
The island had long since become desolate. Only the Tontatta Kingdom existed underground, and for ordinary people, setting foot here was no different from courting death. Unless it was a matter of life and death, no one would willingly come to this island.
It was precisely because of this desolation that it had been chosen as the exchange site.
On the empty beach stood only Law and Caesar, and Law had just received some bad news.
"Get out of there immediately! You've been tricked! Doflamingo never resigned from the Shichibukai, it was fake news!"
Sanji's voice came through the Den Den Mushil, warning Law and relaying what he had seen through Violet's powers.
At the harbor, CP0 agents sent by the World Government stood before the citizens, announcing the message.
"Regarding this morning's report claiming that Doflamingo had withdrawn from the Shichibukai and abdicated as king of Dressrosa, this information is false. It was fabricated by a temporary reporter of the World Economy News Paper.
A correction will be issued at 3 p.m. this afternoon. Please continue your normal lives and refrain from causing trouble for the World Government."
This move not only deceived Law and his group, but also fooled the citizens of Dressrosa and even the Marines themselves.
"The news about Doflamingo was actually false? What on earth is going on, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki? Even Marine Headquarters got completely fooled?"
"Yeah, it's infuriating, I know. I'm already on my way to Mariejois to question the Five Elders myself. Sorry about this, but that's the truth. You just stick to the original plan, head to where Doflamingo and Trafalgar Law are."
Facing Fujitora's inquiry, Akainu didn't deny it; instead, he admitted the intelligence failure. At this very moment, he was already en route to Mariejois. But the outcome was easy to predict. Five Elders weren't going to give him any face.
Before long, Doflamingo had arrived at the appointed location, and appearing alongside him was Fujitora leading a group of Marines.
Sanji's message had come a little too late. Law had no way out anymore.
"Doflamingo! Just to deceive a handful of us, you used the power of the World Government to deceive the entire world?!"
"Fuffuffuffu… Law, you still have a lot to learn."
"The grander the magic show, the less elaborate the setup needs to be."
"Just like you, people believe certain things are impossible, and it's precisely that kind of common sense and rigid thinking that gives birth to new blind spots."
"Even if someone thought of that, they couldn't actually pull it off! You're just a pirate! Even if you're a Shichibukai and a king of a country, you don't have the authority to spread false news to the entire world! The only ones who could do that… are the Celestial Dragons, right?"
At that moment, Law recalled Vergo's final words. Combined with what had happened today, Law seemed to have realized something terrifying.
Doflamingo didn't answer his question, but the veins on his forehead began to bulge.
"Law… do you know what I want to do right now? Only one thing, to kill you right here and now!"
Even though he said he wanted to kill Law, Doflamingo didn't move. The Op-Op Fruit was one factor, and Fujitora's presence was another problem altogether.
In response to Doflamingo's aggression, Law attempted to call off the exchange. Hearing that, Caesar panicked, immediately turning to Doflamingo for help, and in that very exchange, Fujitora overheard quite a lot.
But despite hearing words that could be considered solid evidence, Fujitora took no action. Doflamingo was still a legitimate Shichibukai, and as such, Fujitora had no grounds to act; he was adhering to certain special rules.
He even asked Law directly about his relationship with the Straw Hat crew, leaving the choice to him. If Law said that Luffy was his subordinate, then according to the regulations surrounding the Shichibukai, Fujitora similarly wouldn't have intervened.
But Law didn't say that. The operation in Dressrosa had already begun, and even reaching a compromise with Fujitora wouldn't benefit him. Law chose instead to stall for time, hoping the operation in Dressrosa could proceed smoothly.
And that gave Fujitora a justifiable reason to act. That meteorite had been pulled down by him using his Press-Press Fruit. But in truth, Fujitora hadn't gone all out; both sides were pirates, and he had no desire to exert effort on behalf of pirates.
Without the faction halo or the Oden buff enhancement, Law was no match for Doflamingo. After a few small twists and turns, he was captured and taken back to the Dressrosa's Royal Palace.
Soon after, Doflamingo received new information.
"Diamante lost?"
"Yes, Doffy. Diamante lost to an old man named Red. From his flag, we noticed some clues about his identity. He might be that man once known as Aloof Red."
Among Doflamingo's elite officers, Diamante was still injured and receiving treatment, Trebol was guarding Sugar, and Vergo had already been taken out by Law. At this point, the only one available to report news was Pica.
The Donquixote Family's intelligence network was fairly extensive. After seeing the design on Redfield's flag, they managed to trace his information, though they weren't completely certain of it.
"Also, that Red seems to have formed some sort of connection with Rebecca, it might cause unwanted complications."
"Aloof Red, huh? What an old monster. Even someone like him showed up? Don't worry. Monsters can deal with monsters. Since she's already here, she's not going to just stand by and watch some outsider take that thing away."
"That young lady is quite favored, messing with her will only bring more trouble."
Doflamingo wasn't particularly concerned about Redfield. The intelligence Pica handed him explained everything he needed to know. He didn't believe that an old monster who had acted alone for decades would suddenly go out of his way to help a little girl for no reason.
If it really came down to a fight, Yamato would be the one to face him.
As for how Doflamingo reached the conclusion that she was "favored," it came partly from hints dropped by Queen during their earlier dealings, and partly from actions in recent years.
Before the Summit War, Yamato had stirred up some trouble in the East Blue, and then Kaido caused an even bigger uproar in the New World, forcing the Marines to divert their attention. That was hardly an insignificant character.
"Besides that, there's been an attack at the Toys House. The Straw Hat crew's cyborg, Franky, is currently fighting Senor."
"I trust Senor, he's dependable. Any other updates?"
Even upon hearing that his own territory was under attack, Doflamingo remained perfectly calm. He believed that his long-time subordinates wouldn't be defeated by a bunch of pirates who had only just entered the New World.
However, the bad news Pica brought came one after another. After the inexplicable appearance of the old monster, attack on base, and Law's unpredictable actions, there was now another "traitor."
"Violet is almost certainly confirmed to have betrayed us. Trebol discovered this person underground."
Pica led Doflamingo into the palace's "Hall of Suits," where King Riku was currently being held.
In the Colosseum, where monsters clashed, King Riku was unsurprisingly defeated. He didn't encounter anyone like Redfield who could help him out.
[TN: From this chapter on, chapter lengths are going to increase (2.5x, 3x, 4x, 5x etc.), so I'm going to divide chapters into parts.]
TN: Hey guys, I've picked up a new One Piece novel. You can search it: One Piece: The Undying King.
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