"Whoa! Another one with pineapple hair and wings!"
Luo Xing couldn't help but chuckle.
Sometimes, his little rabbit-eared attendant Carrot was a true comedic prodigy —
her innocent tone and fluffy cheeks could make even the coldest moment feel light.
"That's not just a 'bird-man,'" he corrected, smiling faintly.
"That's Marco the Phoenix, First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. A man of real power."
He gazed toward the distant shoreline, his expression thoughtful.
Even he hadn't expected Marco to appear.
After all, the Whitebeard Pirates hadn't initially sent word of wanting a Senzu Bean.
But upon reflection, it made perfect sense.
"Whitebeard's body must be deteriorating," Luo Xing murmured to himself.
"They need the Senzu Beans to save him."
Still… even those miraculous beans couldn't cure everything.
They could heal wounds, restore broken limbs, and pull someone back from death's edge —
but chronic illness, the kind that eats away at life itself?
That was another matter entirely.
At the Coast
The scene at Dressrosa's port was like a standoff between gods.
Boa Hancock stood proudly atop the Perfume Snake.
Doflamingo, suspended midair by his invisible threads, hovered across from her.
And Marco the Phoenix glided above them, wings of blue fire spread wide.
Three powerful figures.
Three distinct auras.
A single fragile balance.
Hidden a few streets away, Vice Admiral Momonga watched through a telescope, his pulse quickening.
"So the Whitebeard Pirates are here too…" he muttered grimly.
"And they sent Marco himself. This auction… it's turning into a powder keg."
His instincts screamed danger.
The world's strongest forces were converging on one island.
Whatever happened next would not remain secret for long.
"If this escalates," he murmured, "the world will tremble."
Far away in a shadowed base, the Revolutionary Army also received the news.
Sabo frowned.
"Marco the Phoenix… and the Pirate Empress. Both strong and unpredictable.
Taking a Senzu Bean from under their noses won't be easy."
Koala nodded grimly.
Even the Revolution's best strategists couldn't plan around this level of chaos.
Doflamingo's Growing Unease
Doflamingo's earlier confidence — that smug assurance that every Senzu Bean would end up in his hands — was crumbling.
He had severely underestimated the Beans' allure.
Boa Hancock.
Marco the Phoenix.
Both were untouchable forces — and both would care little for his reputation.
And truthfully, even with the power of a Monster Cell coursing through him,
Doflamingo knew deep down that he didn't want to cross swords with Marco.
The three stared each other down in silence.
It was Marco who finally broke it with a casual sigh.
"You're really not moving, huh? Alright then, I'll just go around you."
He spread his wings, blue fire scattering sparks across the sea.
"Wait."
Doflamingo's voice cracked the tension like a whip.
Marco paused midair, raising a brow.
"What's the matter? You wanna fight?"
Doflamingo's smile was tight, unnatural.
"No. I don't want conflict with the Whitebeard Pirates.
If you want a Senzu Bean, I'll… let you have one."
Marco smirked.
"Generous of you. But I brought plenty of money this time — enough to buy a Bean outright."
That hit Doflamingo like a slap.
His offer had been for show, a mask to hide his fear.
But Marco's words stripped it bare.
"If you really want to give something away," Marco added, turning toward the island,
"save it for whoever's behind me. They'll need it more than I do."
And with that, he flapped his wings once and soared toward Dressrosa's center.
The Fourth Arrival
Behind him?
Doflamingo's face paled.
Anyone Marco acknowledged as "next" wouldn't be a weakling.
He extended his Observation Haki across the ocean — and what he sensed made his blood run cold.
A massive ship emerged over the horizon, waves breaking before its iron-plated hull.
Its flag bore a familiar design: a grinning sun and swirling cream-like patterns.
Big Mom's emblem.
And standing at the bow, towering and motionless, was a man wrapped in a crimson scarf, his eyes sharp and calm.
Charlotte Katakuri.
The eldest of Big Mom's sons.
The strongest of her Sweet Commanders.
As the ship approached, Katakuri lifted his trident and leveled it directly at Doflamingo.
"Joker," he said, voice cold, "you stole Mother's Monster Cells."
The accusation hit like thunder.
Doflamingo's fingers twitched.
Two back-to-back appearances — one from Whitebeard's right hand, the other from Big Mom's.
Even for him, this was too much.
He forced a strained smile.
"Katakuri, that's a misunderstanding.
I… didn't know those Cells came from your crew when I took them."
Katakuri's voice was a low growl.
"We'll discuss it after the auction."
And without another word, he stepped onto Dressrosa's shore, ignoring Doflamingo entirely.
The Heavenly Yaksha said nothing.
Because what was there to say?
Against Katakuri, even he knew when to hold his tongue.
Breaking News
Doflamingo rubbed his temples, his nerves fraying.
And then —
"CAW! CAW! BREAKING NEWS! BREAKING NEWS!"
The unmistakable screech of an enormous albatross echoed through the sky.
There he was — the self-proclaimed News King, Morgans,
his massive wings flapping as he broadcast his voice across the island.
"The Senzu Bean Auction has drawn the world's strongest to Dressrosa!"
"The Pirate Empress Boa Hancock! The Phoenix Marco! The Sweet Commander Katakuri — all competing for the prize!"
"Can Doflamingo, the so-called ruler of Dressrosa, keep his precious beans safe?"
Doflamingo's veins bulged.
"Shut your beak, Morgans!!" he roared.
But Morgans, ever the opportunist, only squawked louder.
"He's angry! He's nervous!
Can you blame him?
Even in his own nest, he's surrounded by monsters!"
And then Morgans froze mid-sentence, his binocular eyes widening.
"Wait—what's that? Another ship?!"
"That flag—oh heavens—that's the Red-Haired Pirates! Red-Haired Shanks himself has entered the scene!"
The bird's voice rose into an excited frenzy.
"Four Emperors — all represented in one place!
The world has never seen anything like this!"
"So tell us, Doflamingo…"
"How does it feel—"
"to finally be out of your depth?"
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