High above, en route to Sweet Island, four figures streaked across the sky at breakneck speed.
The fastest in flight was King, transformed into his pteranodon form.
He surged ahead, already far separated from Doflamingo and the other two.
Surprisingly, the second fastest was Gin!
His method of flight using the Shockwave Fruit resembled how Garp traveled with his Buddha Shockwaves—each step he took exploded with a burst of force, propelling him forward in great leaps.
Doflamingo's ability seemed the most effortless, and his speed wasn't slow either.
Strings extended from his Ito Ito no Mi latched onto the clouds above, pulling him forward.
The slowest was Crocodile, whose Suna Suna no Mi allowed him to transform into a sandstorm-like tornado, similar to Dragon's flight.
This was thanks to a derived ability called Desert Storm.
"Hey! We need to speed up! With my Shockwave powers, I can sense the terrifying clash of forces over there with perfect clarity! Look at the sea—the waves are already churning!" Gin roared, his arms slicing through the mist as if he were butterfly-swimming through the air.
His speed suddenly skyrocketed, closing the gap with King ahead.
"Given Katakuri's personality and strength, he wouldn't call for backup unless the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful. If he said there are four top-tier fighters, then it must be four individuals on par with him. And he didn't mention Admirals or other Emperors' crews. That means their identities are obvious."
Doflamingo accelerated the speed of his string shots, pulling himself forward.
His expression was grave.
"The strongest combatants from the Cipher Pol's highest echelon—either notorious pirates who were later recruited or elite warriors trained by the World Government themselves. Either way, this is bad! I wonder how Caesar is faring on his end? If this is the World Government's doing, then what force is acting in Wano Country?"
His mind raced even as his hands kept moving.
.....
Meanwhile, at Caesar's estate on Sweet Island.
Golden Axe had already spotted Katakuri and Yamato, both completely incapacitated in the courtyard, and couldn't help but grin in satisfaction.
"What an unexpected bonus—buy one, get one free. Not only did we capture Caesar's precious heir, but we also get one of Kaido's princesses thrown in. Now we can recreate the Marineford War all over again. Caesar, Caesar… you've got no one to blame but yourself. Why couldn't you just stay asleep? Had to wake up and stir up trouble."
With his hands clasped behind his back, Golden Axe was the first to step into the courtyard.
The strange, statue-like servants at the entrance didn't stop him, remaining motionless.
Otto, the burly man with a horizontal growth spurt, rumbled.
"These two are probably Homie soldiers created by Linlin's powers. It's normal for them to lack human presence. Quit dawdling, Miles—let's take our targets and go."
Silver Axe shot Otto a sidelong glare, irritation flashing across his face.
Otto, was stronger than him, nearly on par with his brother Golden Axe.
The guy wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but he wasn't someone to provoke lightly.
"Tch. I don't know why Black Horse sent this bastard along. With just these two, my brother and I would've been more than enough."
Though discontent filled his heart, Miles reluctantly followed Golden Axe into the courtyard.
As he passed by the two motionless attendants, Silver Axe suddenly slapped the red oni-masked figure standing on the right across the face.
"Worthless trash, haha... ha...?"
The next moment, Silver Axe's arrogant grin froze on his face.
Because the red-masked figure, who had seemed dull-witted and utterly still at the gate, moved with deceptive slowness—yet fast as an illusion—and instantly seized his massive hand!
"YOU?" Silver Axe's expression changed drastically!
But what made him regret his impulsive action even more was the terrifying aura that erupted from the red-masked figure who had seized his wrist.
Despite the figure's seemingly average height, the overwhelming presence was enough to alter the very heavens and earth!
BOOM!!
Hundreds of crimson, blood-like Conqueror's Haki lightning bolts erupted from the masked man's raised fist, shattering the void before him.
With a thunderous roar, the fist tore through the space in front of Silver Axe and struck his chest!
The punch was swift as lightning, carrying unimaginable destructive force.
Under Silver Axe's horrified gaze, the fist slowly sank into his chest.
His formidable Armament Haki and prideful, robust physique were as fragile as paper under this strike—far weaker than even the most delicate silk!
CRACK!
Silver Axe's towering frame bent backward, his broad chest caving in around the masked man's fist.
Muscles and bones collapsed in a grotesque manner, and blood sprayed violently from his body, turning him into a pulverized tomato!
BOOM!!
Without even a chance to scream, Silver Axe was sent flying like a meteor, crashing through countless remaining structures on the island.
From an aerial view, one could see that the punch had launched him from the southern end of Sweet Island all the way to the northern prison area!
Such was the sheer terror of a single strike!
Only then did Byrnndi World, standing beside Silver Axe, realize what had happened.
His eyes bulged nearly out of their sockets, and his mouth gaped wider than a hippopotamus's.
Otto who had just stepped into the courtyard, felt goosebumps erupt across his skin as if doused in ice water from head to toe.
Inside the courtyard, Golden Axe triumphant grin froze, replaced by an expression of sheer disbelief and horror.
"Who the hell are you?!" Golden Axe acted on pure instinct, unsheathing his golden battle-axe in a flash and sending a dazzling golden slash toward the Blood Demon!
Indeed, this was Redfield—now codenamed Blood Demon—after Caesar had completed his memory reconstruction.
The other figure's identity was equally unmistakable: Kuzan, his original memories erased, now known as Ice Demon.
Both were commanders of the Shadow Guard Corps.
Since their memories had been rewritten, they had remained hidden within Caesar's estate.
Blood Demon and Ice Demon had become nothing more than obedient killing machines—loyal only to Caesar himself!
With Caesar preoccupied by numerous affairs lately, he hadn't had the chance to brief his trusted subordinates like Katakuri and Yamato.
Thus, they remained unaware of the two terrifying figures lurking on the island.
Had Silver Axe not acted recklessly, Blood Demon would never have intervened.
Restored to his peak condition by Caesar's infusion of vast amounts of lifeblood, Blood Demon's combat prowess now rivaled even Kaido's!
"Swish!"
From beneath his black-and-red cloud-patterned robe, Blood Demon drew a slender rapier and countered Golden Axe's golden slash with a single thrust.
"Haki Infusion! Star Dance—Sun Halo!!"
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