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Code - JACKPOT
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Back on Punk Hazard, the Phoenix Pirates were in the middle of a feast.
Both Caesar and Monet were bound in seastone cuffs and placed under heavy guard. Marco was fully aware that Monet was Doflamingo's spy, planted at Caesar's side. Now that the Phoenix Pirates' true objective was Doflamingo himself, Marco naturally wouldn't allow her even the slightest chance to pass along information.
If Doflamingo managed to flee and seek refuge with Kaido, things would become far more troublesome.
Meanwhile, Law and the Heart Pirates sat off to the side of the banquet. By now, Law was more than familiar with the Phoenix Pirates' enthusiasm for celebrations. He had been with them for just over a month, yet there was practically a small feast every three days and a grand one every five. Any excuse was enough—victory, reunion, good weather—it all embodied the pirate creed of living freely and seizing the moment.
Law didn't dislike the lively atmosphere, but his personality made it hard for him to fully blend in. The Phoenix Pirates were loud, bold, and terrifyingly enthusiastic drinkers. They challenged anyone within arm's reach to drinking contests.
He had been dragged into those more than once.
And he had vomited every single time.
Having learned his lesson, Law now made it a rule: whenever the Phoenix Pirates held a feast, he and his crew would quietly eat in a corner and stay out of trouble.
Not far away, Marco was sipping juice. Unlike most of his crew, he had never cared for alcohol. Back in the Whitebeard Pirates, he'd been the ship's doctor—Whitebeard and the others could drink themselves senseless, but Marco always had to stay clear-headed. It is not that he cannot keep a clear head. It would be easy to use his devil fruit or life return to negate the effects; it is just a matter of principle.
Suddenly, a sharp flicker of Observation Haki flashed in Marco's eyes.
He sensed it—
A powerful presence, rapidly approaching.
Marco stood up at once and shouted, "Stop drinking! Someone's coming!"
The drunken chatter died instantly. Faces that had been flushed red sobered in seconds. Even pirates sprawled on the ground jolted upright.
A pirate could drink—but if they couldn't sober up at a moment's notice, they wouldn't survive long on the seas.
The redness on Zack's face faded slightly as he asked,
"Enemy?"
Marco's gaze remained steady.
"I don't know yet. But whoever it is… they're strong."
As the presence drew closer, Marco looked up and spotted a pink figure approaching through the sky. His eyes narrowed.
"…It's Doflamingo."
"What? Doflamingo?!"
A sniper quickly raised his binoculars and stared. "It really is him! What's wrong with that guy—he's flying!"
Marco explained calmly, "That's the power of the String-String Fruit. He attaches his strings to the clouds and moves through the sky."
Law's eyes followed the airborne figure, his expression darkening by the second.
Moments later, Donquixote Doflamingo descended and stopped above the Phoenix Pirates, gazing down at the fully alert crew. His lips curled into a chilling grin.
"Fuffuffuffuffu…"
"It seems I've arrived at a rather inconvenient moment."
He spread his arms slightly, mockingly.
"Did I interrupt your little feast?"
At that moment, Monet, still restrained by seastone handcuffs, suddenly cried out,
"Young Master, be careful! Marco and the others are trying to kill you!"
Her shout instantly put Doflamingo on high alert—and also caught the Phoenix Pirates off guard.
Earlier, when they had shackled Monet, some of the guards had felt a twinge of discomfort. After all, putting seastone cuffs on such a beautiful woman and keeping her under watch had made them feel vaguely guilty. None of them expected that she had been silently waiting for this exact moment to warn Doflamingo. Realizing this, the pirates guarding her felt thoroughly played.
"Fuffuffuffuffu… I see," Doflamingo chuckled darkly, his caution deepening. He didn't descend, instead hovering high above as he looked down.
"Marco, you and the Phoenix Pirates have neither old grudges nor fresh hatred. If you suddenly want me dead, then the reason must be you, Law."
Law's lips curled into a cold sneer.
Doflamingo had originally intended to test the waters and negotiate, but now that he knew he was the true target, he didn't dare linger for even a second. He immediately turned to flee.
"You've already come this far," Marco's voice rang out coldly, "and you think you can still run?"
Blue flames erupted as Marco transformed into a phoenix and shot toward Doflamingo like a meteor.
"Don't even think about escaping!"
Behind him, Zack let out a roar and transformed once more into a massive pink dragon, eager to test his newfound power.
"What… is that?" Doflamingo's pupils shrank as he glanced back. Marco was closing in from behind, and that colossal dragon—nearly a thousand meters long—loomed nearby. For an instant, he almost thought he was facing Kaido himself, until the unnatural pink hue snapped him back to reality.
"Watch where you're looking."
In the next heartbeat, Marco was already in front of him. He shifted from Beast Form into Human-Beast Form, intercepting Doflamingo's path midair.
"Tch—!" Doflamingo's eyes flashed with fury.
"Don't get arrogant… Parasite String!"
A red gleam flickered in Marco's eyes—his Observation Haki activating. Though invisible to ordinary sight, the strings' trajectories were crystal clear to him. Armament Haki coated his body in an instant, and with a single sweeping motion, he tore the Parasite Strings apart like fragile spider silk.
"What?!" Doflamingo's shock was unmistakable.
Snarling, he condensed a massive amount of string in his palm and roared,
"Overheat!"
A wide-ranging attack erupted—but it was meaningless.
Marco calmly avoided it, guided by his future-sight. Each second that passed brought him closer, and the pressure bearing down on Doflamingo intensified.
Then—
Marco was right in front of him.
Before Doflamingo could react, Marco's foot smashed into his chest with explosive force. At the same time, Marco foresaw Doflamingo's instinctive block and instantly altered his angle—
BAM!
A brutal kick slammed straight into Doflamingo's face.
"Phoenix Seal—"
The air itself seemed to shudder as the battle escalated.
In an instant, Doflamingo's body was sent flying, hurled backward like a cannonball. The sheer force of the kick rattled his brain, his vision blurring as he nearly lost consciousness. He glanced down at the ocean rushing up beneath him and desperately activated his String-String Fruit, forcibly stabilizing himself in midair to avoid plunging straight down.
But before he could even catch his breath—
Marco was already there.
Doflamingo had no time to evade, no time to defend. Marco's foot slammed brutally into his abdomen.
BOOM!
Doflamingo's body shot downward, crashing into the sea like a meteor. Water exploded skyward, sending a splash more than ten meters high.
"Y-Young Master…!"
"Joker…!"
Caesar and Monet stared in disbelief. They had both anticipated that Doflamingo might be outmatched—but neither of them imagined he would be overwhelmed so decisively, defeated in mere moments.
Marco hovered in the air, clicking his tongue in mild dissatisfaction.
"Tch… Even with top-tier Armament Haki, I still can't knock him out in a single blow like Kaido."
In the original timeline, Kaido had flattened Luffy in Gear Fourth with one strike. Marco knew the reason for the difference.
'It's Conqueror's Haki Infusion', he thought.
'Without it, the attacks lack that overwhelming mental impact.'
That was the true terror of Kaido's blows—the combination of physical and internal destruction also adding crushing will.
Marco turned and called out sharply,
"Hey! Go get him out of the water—now! He's a Devil Fruit user!"
"Marco-san, leave it to me!"
Law snapped out of his shock. The man who had haunted his nightmares for years had been crushed so effortlessly—it was almost surreal. Regaining his composure, Law immediately barked an order.
"Bepo! Get the seastone cuffs and pull Doflamingo up!"
"Roger, Captain!" Bepo replied instantly.
With Shachi and Penguin, Bepo dove into the sea with a loud splash.
Moments later, the three of them dragged Doflamingo back onto shore. He collapsed onto the ground, coughing violently and retching seawater, his strength completely drained. Before he could recover, the seastone handcuffs snapped shut around his wrists.
Seeing this, Marco descended and turned to Law.
"Law," he said calmly, "Doflamingo's been captured alive. I've kept my promise to you."
Marco stepped aside slightly, his gaze steady.
"What happens to him next… is entirely up to you."
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