Not long after Cobra and the others left, a gale howled past, and Dragon's figure emerged from the wind.
Clearly, his mood was not good; he looked greatly annoyed.
He had two cuts on his body, neither deep nor serious, but it was evidence that Mihawk had injured him somewhat.
However, given Dragon's strength, while he couldn't defeat Mihawk quickly, he was certainly stronger than him. Moreover, with his ability to appear and disappear like a ghost, Mihawk couldn't stop him from leaving if he wished.
Seeing the situation grow increasingly chaotic, Dragon feinted, forced Mihawk to retreat, and immediately chose to withdraw.
After all, he wasn't a sword fanatic like Mihawk; he didn't care about the outcome of personal duels. He knew how to prioritize.
The moment he appeared, Dragon saw two Revolutionary Army members rushing toward him. He asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
"Dragon-san, His Majesty Cobra has been captured by the CP agency!" the Revolutionary Army member quickly replied.
A flash of anger crossed Dragon's eyes, but it quickly dissipated. "You couldn't stop them?"
"No!" the agent replied helplessly.
Dragon's composure was somewhat shaken now. He could accept that Alubarna couldn't hold out. As someone who started a rebellion, he understood how terrifying the power of desperate people can be, especially in the early stages when everyone is full of passion.
So, Dragon had only been trying to prevent the worst-case scenario. If they truly couldn't hold it, it wasn't the end of the world; he could still ensure damage control.
That was to take Cobra and Princess Vivi with him.
Just like Cobra's earlier thoughts, Dragon didn't believe Crocodile could genuinely achieve anything significant. Doflamingo managed to usurp a nation because he had a certain 'special status.'
Did Crocodile also have Celestial Dragon blood flowing through him?
Furthermore, Dressrosa was only a small country now, far from the power it held eight hundred years ago, but Alabasta was a massive kingdom. Could it really be casually handed over to a pirate?
Ultimately, Doflamingo had powerful backing, but had Crocodile latched onto any big shot?
Crocodile had nothing. Even if he could seize control of Alabasta for a while, what was the use?
Eventually, Crocodile would expose his wicked true face. And the truth about Alabasta… Moria had been gathering relevant evidence during his time lurking here.
When the time was right, the people of Alabasta would finally realize how they had been fooled.
At that point, perhaps Mariejois would intervene and eliminate Crocodile, or maybe the Marines, or some other force, or even the Revolutionary Army would do it themselves.
In any case, as long as Crocodile fell, and if Dragon still held Cobra and Princess Vivi, Alabasta would effectively belong to Dragon, wouldn't it?
But now, Cobra had been snatched by the CP agency? This ruined everything!
How was that fool Lindbergh handling things? He was specifically assigned to protect Cobra and Vivi, so how could this happen?
"However, Princess Vivi has already been led away through the secret passage by Lindbergh-san," the Revolutionary Army member added.
Hearing this, Dragon breathed a sigh of relief. At least Princess Vivi was safe.
That was good. Princess Vivi was easier to control than Cobra, and she was an innocent child, perhaps easier to guide on a deeper level. In practical terms, she was better suited for the Revolutionary Army than Cobra, the sitting King of Alabasta.
Thinking of this, Dragon said, "Good. You all withdraw now. The Royal Palace cannot be held..."
The moment he finished speaking, an extremely powerful slash tore through the two palace buildings ahead, heading straight for Dragon.
Anger flashed in Dragon's eyes. He coated his hand in Haki, making it look like a dragon's claw, and met the slash head-on, crushing it instantly.
"Send a signal to Moria, tell him to 'release the person' and cover the rear!" Dragon instructed.
Then, he looked at Mihawk emerging from the ruins and cursed under his breath, "Lunatic."
He had no memory of ever offending someone like Mihawk, yet Mihawk was acting like he'd gone insane, relentlessly pursuing him!
Meanwhile, in the city of Alubarna, Doflamingo crash-landed awkwardly from the sky. Immediately after, the lower half of what looked like his body dropped to the ground, quickly unraveling into a tangle of white threads.
Undoubtedly, it was his Black Knight clone.
"This is truly unbelievable..." Doflamingo thought, frustrated.
It was insane. How could that bastard Moria be so strong?
Doflamingo considered himself quite formidable. Although he couldn't compare to monsters like Diarmuid, his strength surely ranked high, right?
Yet, after exchanging blows with Moria, he found the man to be outrageously powerful!
When Moria released his Doppelman, Doflamingo was completely suppressed. Even with the aid of his Black Knight clone, he couldn't gain an advantage.
A pile of building rubble was suddenly pushed aside, and Moria's tall, robust figure emerged.
Compared to the bloated, shut-in appearance he adopted after over a decade of decadence in the Florian Triangle in the original story, he now showed none of that bulk. He was still large, but powerfully built, radiating a sense of strength.
He held a giant pair of scissors and was accompanied by a pitch-black shadow. He looked at Doflamingo and said, "Is this all the Warlords of the Sea are capable of?"
Doflamingo sighed. "Are all you Revolutionary Army members this powerful?"
"Kishishishi..." Moria laughed with his unique cackle but didn't reply. He brought down his large scissors, which were coated in Armament Haki, toward Doflamingo.
Although completely suppressed, Doflamingo wouldn't be defeated so quickly by Moria. He moved his feet slightly, preparing to dodge.
Just then, a fragrant breeze blew past, and a fair, high-kicking leg swept out, directly striking Moria's scissors.
Even though the scissors were coated in Armament Haki, they were instantly petrified and shattered by the kick!
"What did you just say about the Warlords of the Sea?" a slightly arrogant voice reached the ears of both Doflamingo and Moria.
Looking up, Boa Hancock, clad in a red Kuja cheongsam, stood proudly in front of Doflamingo. It was her kick that had just instantly destroyed Moria's weapon.
Her flowing black hair danced in the wind, and two beautiful snake-shaped earrings hung from her ears, hidden by her hime cut. Her slightly arrogant expression did nothing to diminish her charm. Her delicate and perfect face exuded unparalleled beauty.
It was the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock!
Moria stared at his giant scissors, utterly bewildered.
There was a petrified, shattered gap in the blade.
He was greatly shocked. It makes no sense!
I coated that in strong Armament Haki!
What kind of foot odor is that?
Ignoring Moria, Hancock flicked her hair and glanced at Doflamingo behind her. She said with a slight hint of disdain, "Your skill level is too..."
Doflamingo didn't let her finish her 'harsh' assessment and immediately interrupted, "I'm just not very adept at ground combat... Don't make me sound completely worthless."
"Tch..." Hancock clicked her tongue.
Truthfully, if it had been Crocodile here instead, Hancock would probably have watched him get killed by Moria from afar. But Doflamingo… Hancock knew some secrets about him. Since he was Admiral Diarmuid's man, she couldn't just stand by and let him die.
Since he was considered a quasi-ally, Hancock didn't resort to her usual venomous mockery.
"What's wrong? Are you heartbroken over your scissors? But you will forgive this Empress, won't you? Because I..." Hancock turned back to Moria, her voice becoming seductive.
"...Am simply beautiful!" Hancock finished, simultaneously flashing three heart shapes with her hands. "Mero Mero Mellow!"
Moria had been feeling a slight internal itch while listening to the first half of Hancock's words. However, as one of Dragon's followers, his will was firm. He snapped back to reality just before Hancock launched her attack.
The expression that had been briefly 'swooning' turned into one of terror. But he reacted incredibly quickly. Just as the light of the Mero Mero power was about to strike him, Moria's Devil Fruit ability activated.
The next second, he swapped places with his Doppelman.
Then, before his disbelieving eyes, the Doppelman, constructed entirely of shadow, was instantly petrified by Hancock's ability, just as she had shattered his Haki-coated scissors with a kick earlier.
What kind of ability is this? What the hell? Is it that overpowering?
"Perfume Femur!" Hancock suddenly accelerated, leaping up from the ground and delivering a kick to the petrified shadow, instantly shattering Moria's Doppelman into pieces.
She didn't even attempt to land. Her foot pressed against the air, clearly utilizing Geppo, one of the Rokushiki techniques. Gaining momentum in mid-air, Hancock spun around completely, then dropped diagonally, kicking toward Moria again.
Moria couldn't comprehend the effects of Hancock's attacks and absolutely dared not block anything. With a strange cry, his body instantly split into several bats and scattered, narrowly avoiding Hancock's kick.
Hancock landed, lifted her chin, and maintained her arrogant expression. She cupped one hand in front of her mouth and softly blew a stream of air. "Mero Mero Storm!"
The stream of air started as a wisp, then suddenly expanded. In its path, houses, the ground, ruins, and even burning flames were instantly petrified.
This sight utterly terrified Moria. Does this woman's ability ignore all matter? Concepts, tangible objects, can she petrify anything?
Not far away, Doflamingo was inwardly shocked to see Hancock, with a single move, completely suppress Moria, who had been dominating him only moments before.
Is this the true power of the genuine Warlords of the Sea chosen by the Marines?
Smoker became one of the Yonko in the New World, and Hancock, a woman who rarely ever showed her full strength, was this powerful the moment she entered the fight?
But Doflamingo quickly recovered, understanding dawning in his eyes.
The reason Moria was so easily suppressed by Hancock was ultimately not due to an overwhelming disparity in raw power, but because he was deeply wary of Hancock's ability. To put it more bluntly, he lacked intelligence on her power!
He realized that if he, Doflamingo, a nominal 'ally,' didn't fully understand Hancock's true nature, it was only natural for Moria to be utterly bewildered!
"Shadow Retraction!" Moria growled, seeing the alluring wind current approach.
A rhythmic energy fluctuation flashed by, and then, the Doppelman that Hancock had just kicked and petrified suddenly reappeared in front of Moria.
"As long as there is light, a shadow will never fail!" Moria declared solemnly.
Then, he grabbed the Doppelman and roared toward the Mero Mero Storm: "Shadow Spear!"
The giant shadow was shot forward by Moria. The powerful air current it generated instantly scattered the Mero Mero Storm's aura. However, it still made contact, and variegated spots of petrification appeared on the Shadow Spear.
The Shadow Spear sped toward Hancock. She remained utterly calm, gathering her long hair back from her temples. Then, she raised her hands, displaying her beautiful figure and alluring style.
After showcasing her charm, her hands dropped just as the Shadow Spear arrived right in front of her.
A burst of Conqueror's Haki instantly erupted. Then, Hancock moved with blinding speed, suddenly raising her leg. The tremendously powerful Shadow Spear was directly stomped under her foot!
"Before this Empress, no one ever fails!" Hancock declared arrogantly.
The overwhelming dominance of the Pirate Empress was undeniable!