Carl's threat worked. Even though Doflamingo didn't release his hold on Oars Jr., he also stopped attacking him. Momousagi and Chaton looked furious.
They couldn't believe Carl was interfering with yet another battle. Despite their efforts to stop him, he had managed to speak and even get Doflamingo to hold back.
"Fufufu! What do you want now?" Doflamingo asked, a vein throbbing in his forehead.
"Well, didn't you supposedly resign as a Warlord?" Carl replied with a playful smile. "Since it was in the newspaper, you're not a Warlord anymore. So why are you here helping the Marines? What do you want?"
Carl knew this was the price of Doflamingo's scheme. In the chaos of the Summit War, his little bit of fake news wasn't going to fool anyone for long.
As far back as episode 290, Law had already seen through Doflamingo's broadcast and knew the Warlord resignation was a complete lie.
But Law hadn't acted immediately; he was waiting for the perfect moment to crush the hearts of Doflamingo's subordinates right in front of him. That was Law's business, but it didn't stop Carl from threatening Doflamingo now.
Doflamingo's expression darkened. "Fufufu! Carl, I don't recall us having any issues. Why are you threatening me?"
Carl shrugged. "I'm not threatening you; I'm just reminding you. Oars Jr. isn't someone you should mess with. Otherwise, I might give Law a little 'suggestion.' I'm sure he'd love to play with your subordinates' hearts. Even if he doesn't crush them, he can definitely pinch them until they're… deformed."
Hearts?! Doflamingo thought. He immediately understood. Law's Op-Op Fruit could cut people up while keeping them alive and well. So that was why Law had been so agreeable about letting Diamante and the others go! He must have taken their hearts.
Doflamingo couldn't risk it now. He released Oars Jr. with a sweep of his hand, and his Five-Color Strings sliced through a large number of Whitebeard's allied pirates. Many Marines were also caught in the attack. It was clear Doflamingo was just lashing out in anger.
Carl couldn't control what Doflamingo did to others, but he had at least managed to protect Oars Jr. As soon as Oars was free, he charged toward the plaza. But just then, another unexpected thing happened.
The ice wall that separated the bay and the plaza suddenly rose up, a series of enormous iron walls sprouting from it. The walls were so tall that even Oars couldn't climb them and so thick that he couldn't break them.
At the same time, countless warships appeared from the Gate of Justice. They coordinated with the warships at the bay's entrance, effectively trapping all of the Whitebeard Pirates' allies. The Whitebeard Pirates were now completely surrounded!
"I didn't expect to have to raise the surrounding wall so soon. The Devil Oars is just too much of a nuisance," Sengoku said with a frown. This wasn't the plan, but he had no choice.
Vice Admiral Tsuru replied, "There was no other option. If we had let Oars onto the plaza, all the pirates would have followed. At that point, the wall would have been completely pointless."
Activating the encirclement wall early was a last resort, but at least the Marines had retreated from the bay and could now engage from a safe distance. It was better than letting Oars Jr. onto the plaza and wreaking havoc.
Oars Jr. was furious. He slashed at the massive walls with his machete, but he couldn't make a dent. Carl looked up at the sight and couldn't help but think of a line: On that day, humanity finally remembered the terror of being ruled by giants!
Whitebeard looked at the wall, a deep frown on his face. Almost all of his allies were in the bay, and now they were trapped. Sengoku had them right where he wanted them, with all the cannons aimed at them. There would be a huge number of casualties. He needed to find a way to break through.
Just then, a voice came from behind him, and Whitebeard turned.
"Squard, I'm glad you're alright. I couldn't reach you earlier," Whitebeard said, his expression softening.
"Yeah, I finally made it out," Squard said, walking over to Whitebeard's side.
"How was it at the bay?"
"The casualties are heavy! Our forty-three pirate groups owe you a great debt, and then..."
Suddenly, Squard drew his blade and plunged it into Whitebeard's chest without any warning. Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Pops!" Ace screamed, his voice filled with hysteria.
"Squard, you bastard! What are you doing?!"
"Squard! What did you do to Pops?! Do you want to die?!"
Marco and the others roared, their eyes bulging as they raced toward the Moby Dick. Akainu had returned to his post and was now smiling at Sengoku.
Whitebeard looked down, his eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn't believe Squard had stabbed him. However, he also noticed that the massive sword was not moving. It was being held in place by two small black blades.
The blades seemed to hum with electricity, strongly attracting the large sword and preventing it from moving an inch forward.
"Phew! Just made it in time. That wall blocked my view and almost ruined everything!"
Carl hovered in the air with his black sword, beckoning the two smaller black blades back to him. They fused back into the large, door-like sword. Carl had sensed something was wrong earlier and used his Observation Haki to scan the bay.
When he felt someone approaching Whitebeard, he quickly sent out the two blades. It was a good thing he had, otherwise Whitebeard would have been stabbed just like in the original story.
Everyone watched the two blades return to Carl, and they all realized he was the one who had saved Whitebeard. The Whitebeard Pirates were filled with gratitude, while the Marines' anger was beyond words. Momousagi and Chaton were especially frustrated.
It was their job to stop Carl, but he had repeatedly interfered with their battles, making them look incompetent. Now he had saved even Whitebeard, completely ruining the Marines' plan.
It wasn't their fault, though. The surrounding wall had blocked their view as well. No one had expected Squard to betray Whitebeard, and no one had expected Carl to be so quick to act. When Carl threw his blades, neither Momousagi nor Chaton had any idea what was happening.
"Damn you, Carl! You planned this!" Sengoku yelled.
"You again! You're everywhere!" Akainu's face was dark.
Carl noticed the two of them and simply waved with a wide smile.
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