Pica was the first to roar, his voice shrill and grating, almost like a woman in a heated quarrel.
"Damn it! How dare you drink our Young Master's treasured red wine? He'll kill you for this!"
"Idiot! Don't act rashly. Haven't you embarrassed us enough already?" another executive snapped.
From the entrance of the palace, a figure stepped forward. A pink feathered coat draped over his shoulders, pointed leather shoes clicking against the floor, every step radiating authority. It was none other than their master—Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Young Master..." the three executives froze, their expressions stiff with shock.
Their own master, chastising them for the sake of an outsider? Worse, that outsider had laid hands on the executives themselves, a taboo within the Donquixote Family.
Doflamingo, however, only smirked and looked at Ashveil.
"Ashveil is our business partner now. Don't be rude to him again."
The executives wanted to object, but their master's stance was clear. None dared defy him, and silence fell over the hall.
Soon after, everyone accompanied Ashveil to the shore. Their gazes fell on the Marine warship anchored there—its deck littered with fainted Marines. Even the Vice Admiral who had led them was unconscious. The sight left them stunned.
"Should I kill them?" Doflamingo asked casually, making a cutting gesture across his neck.
Ashveil shook his head. "No need. Think of this as repayment for their generous hospitality. Their lives are spared."
To him, a Vice Admiral and a handful of Marines were nothing. Their strength barely registered. Letting them live would change nothing—especially since they would later be dealt with in open battle when Conqueror's Haki shook the seas.
And as for explaining it away, Doflamingo was clever enough. He would simply tell the Marines that Ashveil had stolen a warship, plundered supplies in Dressrosa, and fled. Headquarters wouldn't question it further.
With that settled, Ashveil boarded the Marine warship, carrying away crates filled with firearms, rare medicines, food, wine, and several artificial Devil Fruits gifted by Doflamingo himself.
After Ashveil's departure, the family gathered around their master, confusion plain on their faces.
"Young Master, why did you let him go? And with so many gifts? Even the special medicines... even those artificial Devil Fruits!"
Doflamingo's grin widened. His eyes narrowed as he stared into the depths of the sea.
"Fufufufu... Family, the new era is coming. You must stand firm."
"The new era..." the executives murmured, uncertain.
"That man," Doflamingo said with anticipation gleaming in his eyes, "is the very embodiment of the new age."
Meanwhile, Ashveil reflected on the situation. A major war loomed on the horizon. He remembered how, in the anime, Kizaru had been dispatched to Sabaody Archipelago after the incident with the Celestial Dragons. That would be the perfect chance... an opportunity to strike down an Admiral of the Marines.
[Congratulations to the host for shocking Donquixote Doflamingo. Reward: 200 Conqueror's Haki points.]
[Congratulations to the host for forming an alliance with a Shichibukai. Reward: Magma Fruit Ability! (Side effects of the sea ignored).]
Ashveil checked his stats. Over 5,600 Conqueror's Haki points... and now, possession of the Magma Fruit.
This trip to Dressrosa had been worthwhile. His next destination was Sabaody Archipelago.
With his [Search] ability activated, the warship moved like it had a built-in navigation system. Combined with his Haki-boosted acceleration, it wouldn't take long to reach Sabaody.
The ship sped across the ocean. Hours passed. Sunlight bathed the deck in warmth. Ashveil stretched lazily and lay down, enjoying the sea breeze and the sun's embrace. It was far more comfortable than the dreary Marine dormitories he once knew.
Buzz... buzz... buzz...
The distant roar of another ship reached him. Ashveil frowned and activated [Search]. Ahead, directly in his path, was a massive vessel. Its figure loomed larger as it drew closer, sails billowing. A massive mammoth-skull insignia flew on its flag.
The Mammoth. Jack's pirate ship.
"Tch... Jack, that noisy brute. Too loud for his own good. Speed up, leave him behind."
Ashveil's ship veered slightly, picking up speed.
On the Mammoth, Jack had also noticed the Marine warship. His towering figure, adorned with ivory ornaments on his shoulders and head, stood out. His metal lower jaw gleamed as he spoke.
"A Marine warship? Hand me the telescope."
He snatched it from Sipshead, glaring through the lens.
"One person... in civilian clothes... Strange."
Then his eyes landed on the deck—and fury erupted across his face.
"Those boxes...!"
The crates carried by Ashveil bore the clown emblem of Doflamingo. The very containers used to store artificial Devil Fruits.
For the Beasts Pirates, those fruits were priceless. Each one bolstered Kaido's army. Seeing them in another's possession was intolerable.
Ginrummy raised her own telescope. "Did that Marine brat steal from Doflamingo? What should we do, Boss?"
Jack snarled. "Idiot. What do you think we'll do? Bring us alongside! I'll deal with him myself. Every last soul on that ship will die!"
The Mammoth surged forward, water churning violently in its wake.
Ashveil narrowed his eyes as the shadow of the massive vessel fell over him.
"So Jack wants to play. A hassle, but fine... another brute this world can do without."
Cannons swiveled on the Mammoth, all aimed at Ashveil's warship.
"Fire!" Jack bellowed.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The sky darkened under a storm of cannonballs. Thunderous blasts echoed across the sea. Even beasts on nearby islands panicked, fleeing in terror.
Ashveil rose slowly from the deck, calm amidst the chaos. His eyes fixed on the incoming barrage, a look of disdain flashing across his face.
"Jack... must you always be so noisy?"
With a pulse of will, his Conqueror's Haki erupted. The sky trembled. Every cannonball froze, their force snuffed out, falling harmlessly into the sea with hollow splashes.
Sipshead and Ginrummy gaped. Not a single shot had landed.
"Bastard! Some Devil Fruit trick? Keep firing!" Jack raged.
But as his gunners tried again, they faltered. The cannons had all been crushed by an invisible force.
"Report! Jack-sama—the cannons... they've all been destroyed!"
"What?!" Jack's roar shook the deck. Steel weapons, crushed like paper? Unbelievable. Yet the evidence was undeniable.
The battle had only just begun.