The palace doors creaked open.
Inside, Donquixote Doflamingo and his highest-ranking officers stared in shock, their mouths hanging open.
Trebol, his snot dripping as always, shouted, "Doffy, look! That's Dellinger! Don't tell me this guy knocked him out?"
Pica's shrill, high-pitched voice rang through the hall. "Idiot Marine! This is Dressrosa! Even if you came from Marine Headquarters, we won't let you walk away alive!"
His massive hands twitched, ready to transform into a towering stone giant. One word from his Young Master was all it would take.
But Doflamingo himself remained still. Veins bulged along his forehead as his crimson-tinted sunglasses hid his shifting gaze. Slowly, he focused on the intruder and spoke.
"You're not a Marine," he said coldly. "Are you the rumored Zero Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Gasps filled the hall.
Only yesterday, news of Thorne Ashveil annihilating the Blackbeard Pirates had reached Dressrosa. None of them expected the man himself to arrive so quickly.
And more importantly—the overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki earlier had clearly come from him.
"Damn it," Doflamingo thought, clenching his fists tightly. "The seas don't need another wielder of Conqueror's Haki."
For someone like him, who prided himself on his rare power, the thought of newcomers appearing with equal or greater strength filled him with unease.
Ashveil stepped forward, his voice calm. "It seems you've already heard of me, Doflamingo."
The Donquixote officers exchanged uneasy glances.
"Doffy, you mean he's the guy from the paper yesterday?" Diamante asked, his flexible rapier clutched tightly in his hand.
"That's right," Doflamingo confirmed, his voice grim. "His appearance matches the newspaper's sketch. The Blackbeard Pirates were wiped out not far from here. And that burst of Conqueror's Haki… there's no mistaking it."
The officers froze, stunned into silence.
Ashveil, unfazed by their tension, smirked. "Enough stalling. As the host, where's your hospitality? I heard the wine of Dressrosa is fine. Bring me some."
Without hesitation, he strode into the hall, heading directly for the palace's lavish interior. His arrogance made the Donquixote Family's blood boil.
"This brat!" Pica's shrill voice echoed again. "He wipes out a single Shichibukai and thinks he can talk down to us?"
Diamante's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Doffy, this kid is too disrespectful. Let's kill him here and deliver his body to the Marines."
Trebol had already hunched into an attack stance, mucus splattering across the marble floor.
They didn't think highly of Blackbeard in the first place. To them, Blackbeard's capture of Ace had been nothing but an ambush, a group effort. If Ashveil had only defeated him, then his strength couldn't be much greater.
They were confident—if the Donquixote Family acted together, they could crush him.
But Doflamingo wasn't so quick to move. His cunning mind considered every angle. Ashveil wasn't just some upstart—he was the captain of Whitebeard's Zero Division, the man who had annihilated Blackbeard and, most dangerously of all, a wielder of Conqueror's Haki.
Before he could decide, an immense pressure swept through the hall.
CRACK!
Doflamingo's sunglasses shattered instantly, fragments scattering across the floor.
His eyes widened. That suffocating force—it was Ashveil's Haki.
Doflamingo instinctively unleashed his own Conqueror's Haki to resist, but it was useless. Compared to Ashveil's overwhelming torrent, his own Haki felt like that of a child.
His chest tightened, his hands trembled despite his efforts to steady them.
"This… this can't be. Conqueror's Haki shouldn't be this strong!"
The usually smug and unshakable Doflamingo felt a rush of shame. For the first time in years, his pride as a king and a warrior was being crushed.
And if even Doflamingo faltered, the rest of his men stood no chance.
Trebol's knees buckled. After a brief struggle, he collapsed face-first into his own trail of mucus, unconscious and pitiful.
Diamante tumbled backward into a wine barrel, his legs kicking as his head stuck inside.
Pica grit his teeth, trying desperately to endure, but even he couldn't resist for long. With a groan, he too collapsed.
All across the palace, Donquixote guards fell like flies, their expressions frozen in fear, confusion, and disbelief.
Within moments, silence reigned.
Ashveil withdrew his Haki with casual ease, his tone calm but cutting. "Your subordinates were too noisy. I've let them rest."
He walked forward without a second glance, stepping past the struggling Doflamingo and into the throne room.
Doflamingo gasped for breath, his body trembling. Relief washed over him as the crushing pressure finally lifted. But humiliation burned in his chest.
"Who the hell are you really?" Doflamingo roared, his voice breaking through the silence. "Your Conqueror's Haki is even greater than Whitebeard's!"
Ashveil had already settled into the king's throne, one leg casually crossed over the other. He plucked a plate of food from the table, chewing with a look of mild satisfaction.
Between bites, he spoke lazily. "Didn't I already tell you? I'm just the Zero Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Impossible!" Doflamingo's voice cracked as memories resurfaced. "I've felt Whitebeard's Haki with my own eyes. I've seen Kaido's as well. None of them were this overwhelming!"
His chest heaved, fury and dread twisting inside him. Could this young man truly possess power surpassing the very Emperors of the sea?
Ashveil waved his hand dismissively. "What's so hard to believe? Conqueror's Haki is the only one I've ever focused on — I never really cared about the others."
That revelation made Doflamingo freeze. His sharp mind immediately began to spin with schemes. If Ashveil lacked both Armament and Observation, then he was vulnerable. That weakness could be exploited.
But Ashveil's faint smile cut through his thoughts like a blade.
"I'll warn you now, Doflamingo. Blackbeard thought the same thing. He believed I was easy prey because I didn't use Armament or Observation. He made a move against me…" Ashveil leaned back in the throne, his eyes gleaming coldly. "…and he died horribly for it."
The words struck the Donquixote King like thunder.
For the first time in years, Doflamingo felt not only anger but genuine fear.
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