Beautiful women, Luo Xing mused, were like flowers—
each with their own temperament.
Roses burned with passion.
Lilies shone with purity.
Lotuses bloomed in untouchable grace.
To deal with each beauty, one needed a different approach.
In this art, Luo Xing considered himself something of an expert.
With Yamato, his beloved wife, he ruled through tenderness—
spoiling her endlessly, indulging nearly every request.
With Komurasaki (Hiyori), whose soft nature carried a hidden submissiveness,
he took a firmer hand—unyielding, dominant, relentless until she finally gave in.
But Boa Hancock—the proud Empress, cold on the surface yet fragile within—
required a gentler touch.
A careful, patient hand that warmed rather than crushed.
At least for now.
As Hancock's silhouette faded into the distance,
Luo Xing's lips curved into a faint, knowing smile.
At his side, the bunny-eared maid Carrot suddenly chirped,
"Master! That empress lady—she's fallen for you!"
Luo Xing blinked, then laughed.
"Fallen for me? We've only just met."
Carrot crossed her arms, serious as could be.
"I could hear her heartbeat, Master! It sped up all of a sudden!
And when she turned away, her ears—um, I mean, her neck—was all red!
Trust me, she's definitely fallen for you!"
Luo Xing chuckled and flicked one of her soft ears.
"You're still a kid. What do you know about love?"
Carrot puffed her cheeks and lifted her chin.
"I'm not a kid anymore!"
Her earnest defiance made Luo Xing laugh again.
He pinched her fluffy cheek gently,
but his mind drifted elsewhere—
to another woman's face,
a delicate violet bloom.
Viola.
Doflamingo was dead.
Most of the Donquixote Family had been purged.
Fuz-Fu, Runty, and Page One had already brought all of Dressrosa under Beasts' control.
There was no longer any danger.
Which meant it was time to pay a visit…
to that violet flower—and her little pink bud.
Marineford, Headquarters
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat by the Den Den Mushi,
waiting for any word from Vice Admiral Dalmatian (Mouset) in Dressrosa.
Purururu~ purururu~!
He snatched it up at once.
"Mouset, what's the situation?!"
From the other end came the sound of a man swallowing hard,
his voice trembling as if still in shock.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku… it's bad—really bad!"
"The senzu bean auction—it was all a ruse!
The Beasts Pirates used it to launch a surprise attack on Doflamingo's crew!"
"Dressrosa has fallen! The entire island now belongs to the Beasts Pirates!"
Sengoku's mind went blank.
The sound echoed in his skull like a thunderclap.
The senzu bean auction—
the event that had drawn the world's attention—
was just a smokescreen?!
And now Dressrosa, one of the Seven Warlords' territories,
had fallen completely under Kaido's banner?!
It made no sense.
Kaido and Doflamingo had been long-time partners—
why betray him now?
Theories and confusion spun through Sengoku's mind faster than he could think.
He took a deep breath to steady himself.
"What about Doflamingo himself?
You said only three Beasts Pirates were there—Luo Xing, his maid, and Fuz-Fu of the Flying Six.
That shouldn't have been enough to kill him."
His logic was sound.
Doflamingo was one of the Seven Warlords,
a monster who had even augmented himself with the Mutant Cell Serum.
Even a Yonko's top commander would struggle to defeat him.
Unless Kaido himself had come.
But that couldn't be—
if Kaido had moved, the world would have felt it.
Then came the shaky reply:
"Doflamingo was killed… by Luo Xing. Alone."
Sengoku froze.
"...What did you just say?"
Mouset stammered out every detail he'd seen through his binoculars—
how Luo Xing had single-handedly crushed Doflamingo's forces,
and how his final strike carried the unmistakable Conqueror's Haki Infusion—
the same overwhelming power wielded only by the world's very strongest.
By the time Mouset finished, Sengoku wasn't even sure when he'd hung up.
A prodigy whose inventions rivaled Vegapunk's.
A youth who could overpower Doflamingo like a child.
And now, a man who had mastered the infused Conqueror's Haki—
"What kind of monster… is Luo Xing?"
For once in his long life,
the Buddha of the Marines felt a flicker of fear.
He drained his tea in one long gulp,
then exhaled heavily.
Shock wouldn't help him now.
He needed to report this—
immediately.
Mariejois — The Hall of the Five Elders
The chamber shook with fury.
"Sengoku!" barked the bald Elder, slamming his cane.
"The Marines have failed utterly! Dressrosa has fallen! A Warlord is dead!"
Sengoku bowed stiffly.
It seemed the Elders had already heard the news—
no surprise, given their intelligence network.
Another Elder, his beard long and silver, spoke coldly.
"We've also lost one of our top agents in the New World.
The Government's losses are… unacceptable."
"Kaido played us like fools!" thundered the third.
"That senzu bean nonsense was only bait!
His true goal was seizing Dressrosa!"
The marble hall filled with the oppressive aura of their rage.
But Sengoku slowly shook his head.
"No, my lords. This wasn't Kaido's plan."
The room stilled.
Brows furrowed.
"Then whose?" one demanded.
Sengoku's face hardened.
"I've reviewed every report, every detail.
This operation—the planning, the execution, the timing—
it all points to one person.
Luo Xing."
The name echoed through the grand hall.
For once, even the Five Elders were speechless.
The senzu beans were his creation.
Doflamingo died by his hand.
And now Dressrosa had fallen neatly into his grasp.
His strength, intellect, and audacity were terrifying in equal measure.
One Elder finally spoke, voice like stone.
"From now on, the Marines will treat Luo Xing as a Yonko-level threat.
Raise his bounty—by another five hundred million."
Another added grimly:
"And find a way to retake Dressrosa.
The Beasts Pirates must not expand unchecked."
Sengoku didn't respond.
Retaking Dressrosa sounded simple—
but against Kaido's forces, armed with Mutant Cells and Senzu Beans?
It was a nightmare.
An army that refused to die.
He had other concerns too.
The whispers about Whitebeard… and something brewing within the Marines themselves.
As Sengoku left Mariejois,
he felt older than ever—
his temples heavy, his spirit weary.
Breaking News!
"EXTRA! EXTRA!"
"The Beasts Pirates have killed the Warlord Doflamingo and seized Dressrosa!"
"Marine Headquarters has raised the bounty of Kaido's son-in-law, Luo Xing, by 500 million—to a total of 2 billion Berries!"
"The Fifth Emperor rises!"
The World Economic Journal, under Morgans' booming voice,
spread across the globe like wildfire.
Shock swept every sea.
Taverns erupted in gasps and whispers.
"Two billion?!"
"That's higher than most Yonko commanders!"
"The Beasts Pirates are going to war!"
Rumors spread like waves.
Some said the Beasts Pirates were preparing for a war that would engulf the world.
Some claimed Luo Xing wasn't a man, but a demon in human skin.
And others whispered that even Kaido himself…
might one day bow to the son-in-law who surpassed him.
Dressrosa — The Royal Palace
On the top floor, Luo Xing stood before two women—
one radiant and elegant, the other pure and bright-eyed.
Viola, the violet flower,
and Rebecca, the pink bud beside her.
Rebecca bowed deeply, her voice soft but full of emotion.
"Lord Luo Xing… thank you for saving Dressrosa."
She bent at a perfect ninety-degree angle—
an angle Luo Xing found… aesthetically pleasing.
He smiled, then gently took her by the arm.
"There's no need for thanks.
A good man simply does what's right."
Rebecca blushed deeply,
too moved to notice that Luo Xing hadn't let go of her hand.
Viola, however, noticed immediately.
Her brown eyes flashed.
"You're no good man, and we both know it!"
Luo Xing grinned innocently.
"If you don't believe me, use your Gaze-Gaze Fruit.
Look into my mind."
"Fine! I will!"
She lifted her fingers to form a circle,
her ability activating.
A few seconds later—
her cheeks turned scarlet.
"You—! You're full of— of… indecent thoughts!"
Mortified, she stomped her foot and tried to flee.
Luo Xing caught her hand gently,
his other still holding Rebecca's,
smiling faintly.
"What can I say?
A good man only thinks about beautiful things."
Advance Chapters available on Patreon
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