"Admiral, your mission should be to destroy the Donquixote Pirates and recover the Heavenly Tribute."
"Hey, hey, hey, that's easy."
"Compared to arresting me, recovering the Heavenly Tribute is the highest priority, so why don't you and I take a step back?"
When Donquixote Doflamingo saw that Rosen did not make a choice but also did not take action, and Susanoo stood motionless on the sea, he knew that his gamble was correct and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Rosen, like Garp and Kuzan, is a navy man with both power and compassion.
If it were Sakazuki, a soldier who only had eyes for pirates, he would not have hesitated at all. He wouldn't have cared about any of Doflamingo's words or actions. He would have rushed forward in a blaze of fire, not even giving him a chance to negotiate.
Even Borsalino would choose to kill after calmly weighing the pros and cons.
"You can take the credit for destroying the Donquixote Pirates."
"You can take the Heavenly Tribute too."
"Just let me go. For the sake of the people of this city, your superiors won't hold you accountable."
Seeing that he had used the civilians of an entire town as a shield to weaken Rosen's killing intent, Doflamingo quickly struck while the iron was hot and tried to persuade Rosen to let him live:
"You won't lose anything in this deal, will you?"
"Admiral."
While trying to shake Rosen with words, he flew at high speed. When he found that the distance between him and Rosen was widening, ecstasy suddenly emerged in his eyes. At the same time, he felt extremely fortunate and proud of his decision to station the Donquixote base in this town.
Using the townspeople of an island as leverage—
This was not a sudden idea, but a strategy that Doflamingo had already considered and begun to implement after being chased by Tsuru.
For this purpose—
He chose to station the Donquixote base in a populous town and forbade his pirates from harassing the civilians on the island.
Sometimes, he even provided conveniences for the townspeople.
This was to ensure that the civilians could live and work in peace, without thinking of leaving the island.
Only when the population was large enough could it threaten the navy.
Just like now.
It made Rosen hesitate and saved his life.
Nearly 100,000 lives in exchange for one—
In Doflamingo's mind, it was a bargain.
"A little further away."
"If I were just a little further away, he wouldn't be able to catch me."
"When the time comes, I'll let you know what it means to lose both your gold and your pride."
Doflamingo's thoughts turned darker and darker:
"No matter how far I go, the birdcage won't disappear. Once I successfully escape, I'll accelerate its closure to the maximum."
"Since I can't keep the title of Warlord, then you can forget about recovering the Heavenly Tribute. Just wait to be blamed by the World Government and the Celestial Dragons!"
"Rosen."
His eyes flashed with venomous hatred.
Even if he escaped this time, he would have nothing.
The power he had built in the North Blue for years, the Donquixote Family, and the reputation he once enjoyed—all destroyed in an instant, completely ended by Rosen.
He would become a lonely man, without soldiers, without companions.
How could he not hate Rosen?
"Are you done?"
Suddenly, Rosen's voice reached Doflamingo's ears, like thunder cracking through his fantasies.
"Don't make me swing my sword a second time, pirate of your caliber!"
Rosen reclined lazily on a beach chair on the deck, elbows on the armrests, fingers crossed. He looked at Doflamingo fleeing through the clouds and sea with only disdain, as if he were watching a clown dance.
Clang!
He had just finished speaking when Doflamingo saw Susanoo, which had been holding the warship with one hand and showing no signs of attack, suddenly raise its massive, domineering sword. The blade, as big as a mountain, rose—and under his shrinking pupils—swung toward his position.
Boom!
The blade fell and the sea split.
A colossal chasm tore through the ocean, like a sea king writhing across the surface.
Accompanied by towering walls of water rushing skyward, this terrifying gorge split the sea for a thousand meters. In an instant, it caught up with Doflamingo and swallowed him whole in its domineering force, completely engulfing the Heavenly Yaksha [Doflamingo].
"Why?"
"Doesn't this man care at all about the lives of the 100,000 on the island?"
"But that can't be right! He was clearly hesitant just now!"
As the sword pressure engulfed him, Doflamingo's eyes widened. His limbs spread helplessly, his pale face filled with shock and disbelief.
This strike from Susanoo—
The decisiveness, the mercilessness—
There was no hesitation at all.
Such a sword could not have been swung by a hesitant marine.
"Don't overestimate yourself."
"I was just considering how much strength to put into this strike."
"After all, it's not easy to step on ants without crushing them."
Rosen's cold voice whispered through Doflamingo's ears:
"Cut lightly, like with the first swing, and you can keep stumbling around."
"If I cut too hard, you'd be dead."
"You're really giving me trouble, Donquixote Doflamingo."
Hearing this, Doflamingo's eyes went bloodshot. Terror and humiliation ripped through his chest. Then—
Puhh!
A stream of scarlet blood burst from his chest.
At that moment, Doflamingo dropped from the sky like a bird with broken wings.
He crashed into the sea with a splash, waves rolling over his sinking body.
Boom.
Susanoo stepped forward, its giant foot pressing into the ocean and sending up pillars of water.
Step by step, it walked across the sea toward the place where Doflamingo had fallen.
Every step left a crater on the sea's surface.
When Susanoo reached the spot, Rosen willed it to bend down, plunging its massive hand into the ocean. The sea roared and split as the giant arm reached deep, grasped, and clenched.
Then, Susanoo straightened, its palm closing around a limp figure.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
Pale as paper, barely breathing.
Whoosh.
Susanoo tossed him casually, like garbage, onto the warship's deck. He landed at Rosen's feet.
"Doll."
Rosen glanced at her.
Whoosh.
Doll reacted instantly, kicking off into the sky with Moon Step.
She crossed the air to the Numancia Flamingo, the last ship of the Donquixote Pirates.
Landing lightly on the mast, she picked up the seastone necklace she had thrown earlier, then leapt back with Moon Step, returning to the warship. She handed the necklace to Rosen.