Lightning flashed and thunder roared.
A massive ship, its bow carved into the shape of a gigantic mammoth, was sailing straight toward the flamingo-marked vessel.
At the top of the lookout post, the watchman braved the wind and rain, holding up his telescope. In that instant, he spotted the approaching enemy, charging in like an unstoppable force!
"Enemy attack!!!"
At his shout, countless small soldiers and several officers of the Donquixote Family rushed out from below deck, weapons in hand.
Whoosh—
Whoosh—
Cannonballs tore through the stormy sky, raining down around the flamingo ship, sending towering waves and bursts of fire into the air.
Sensing the commotion, Doflamingo, who had just been about to sleep, stormed out of his cabin, his expression dark and irritated.
Why…
Why does something like this have to happen when Orin-sama is on board!!!
Veins bulged on his forehead, his frustration barely contained.
Throwing on his pink-feathered coat, ignoring the rain soaking his clothes, he grabbed a nearby underling who was frantically shouting "Enemy attack!" and yanked him off his feet.
The three-meter-tall Doflamingo lifted the poor man by his collar and snarled through gritted teeth:
"Shut up!!!"
Just encountering enemies at sea—was that worth panicking over?
Why shout and scream like a fool?
Did they want to wake Orin-sama and ruin his mood?
"It's just a few enemies! What's with all the chaos?!"
Bang—
He tossed the terrified lackey aside like trash and strode toward his officers.
The lookout stood nervously before them.
"Lao G, what's going on exactly?"
Among Doflamingo's officers, Lao G was one of the few who hadn't eaten a Devil Fruit, a skilled martial artist who still retained his youth. Seeing Doflamingo approach, Lao G shook his head. He had just arrived as well and knew nothing more than the others.
All eyes turned to the lookout.
With the heavy rain pouring and the sea churned up with smoke and spray, visibility was terrible. From their position on the lower decks, none of them could see the enemy clearly—only the lookout had a good view from above.
The young lookout stumbled over his words, describing what he'd seen:
"That huge ship… its flag had four bones crossed, an 'X'-shaped mark, and… two massive curved horns…"
Hearing this, Doflamingo's expression darkened as he carefully recalled which pirate crew bore such a symbol.
"...Don't tell me… that's the Beasts Pirates? They dare to attack us now of all times!!!"
His face turned grim.
But since Orin-sama was on board, he managed to stay calm and simply ordered the lookout to continue.
"Who's leading them? Who's on that ship? If it's just some weakling, then—"
"I… I also saw a huge man over six meters tall, with enormous horns sticking out from his head…"
The lookout was a rookie, brought along for training. No one expected him to be so clueless that he couldn't even recognize pirate flags or infamous faces at sea.
But his words made Doflamingo's heart lurch!
That description…
This is bad!!!
Kaido himself came?!
"Fortunately… fortunately, Orin-sama is on the ship this time."
The heavy downpour hid the cold sweat running down Doflamingo's face. He waved his hand decisively.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… if that's the case, we'll have to trouble Orin-sama, won't we~"
"Beast Kaido… he's one of the Emperors of the Sea! A monster beyond reason!!!"
Under Doflamingo's orders, the crew scrambled into formation, while several men hurried toward Orin's cabin to inform him.
"Orin-sama!!!"
"We've run into a powerful enemy!!!"
"Doflamingo-sama requests your presence to take command!!!"
They shouted urgently outside the door.
Inside, Orin couldn't help but feel speechless.
He had already sensed who the approaching enemy was long ago, and he hadn't been asleep to begin with.
But seriously… just a so-called "future Emperor," and Doflamingo was already begging for help? How useless could he get?
Click—
The door opened slowly.
Orin stepped out, clad in a deep crimson suit, a black coat draped loosely over his shoulders. His mere presence made the shouting soldiers instantly shut their mouths and straighten up, forming two neat lines to clear the way for him.
"You useless trash…"
Orin rubbed his temple, his tall figure cutting an imposing silhouette as he strode down the path the crew had formed, heading straight for the deck.
Despite the storm raging around them, not a single drop of rain touched him. His black coat barely fluttered, forming a faint arc as though the world itself dared not disturb him.
Seeing his figure emerge, Doflamingo—who had been standing at the edge of the deck, staring into the distance—finally felt a small measure of relief.
But Orin's next words made his heart leap to his throat.
"I'm disappointed in you, Doffy. You can't even handle something this small?"
Hands buried casually in his pockets, Orin leaned against the railing, his calm gaze fixed on the distant sea, where cannonballs continued flying toward them.
But the moment Orin appeared, every single attack became meaningless.
Cannon shells exploded mid-air before reaching the ship.
Some even curved back mid-flight, returning to the direction they had come from.
Hearing Orin's words, Doflamingo opened his mouth but dared not argue. He merely stepped up beside him, looking out at the same horizon.
Deep down, though, he couldn't help but think Orin was being far too demanding.
Beast Kaido was a literal monster. How could anyone expect him to handle that alone?
In the end, the only thing he managed to mutter softly was:
"That's… the Beasts Pirates…"
"Yeah, that's right, it's definitely the Beasts Pirates."
Orin didn't deny it, but at that moment, he slowly extended his arm forward and gently snapped his fingers.
"Snap…"
"BOOOOM——!!!!!!"
In an instant, an invisible force swept out, clearing away the crashing waves and heavy rain in the area. Even the gloomy sky above turned bright and clear.
The sea calmed, the storm subsided, and the entire horizon became crystal clear.
"That is…"
In the distance, on a ship marked with the emblem of a mammoth, a burly figure stood holding a pair of massive scythes. His face was hidden beneath an iron mask, and he glared furiously at the ship flying the flamingo flag.
"Take down Donquixote Doflamingo!!!"
With the mist and heavy rain swept away, the lookouts of the Beasts Pirates finally got a clear view of the opposing ship.
Doflamingo and his crew were within their expectations, but the moment they saw a towering figure clad in a black trench coat, scarlet light burning in his eyes, their pupils shrank into needlepoints!!!
The lookout nearly collapsed onto the deck, his jaw dropping wide open as cold sweat drenched his face. Trembling violently, he suddenly screamed:
"C-Captain Jack!!! W-we've spotted… a ridiculously big shot!!!"
"L-let's retreat for now!!!"
Who could've imagined that trying to casually rob Doflamingo's ship would lead them to run into the Black Emperor himself?!!
But Jack clearly didn't see it that way. So what if the Black Emperor was here in person?
Staring at Orin's faint, mocking smile, Jack's bloodshot eyes burned with ferocity:
"Bring the ship closer!!!"