"Thank you," Law said quietly, his voice carrying genuine gratitude.
"Fufufufufu…"
Doflamingo suddenly laughed, the sound sharp and unsettling. A cruel smile curled across his lips as he looked at Law.
"So it's true. To deal with me, you actually crawled under the wing of a Yonko. You've really outdone yourself, Law."
Marco glanced at Doflamingo and spoke calmly, "Law isn't one of us—at least not yet. Though I did extend an invitation."
Law stepped forward, standing before Doflamingo, who sat cross-legged on the ground, shackled by seastone. Law's gaze was icy. He had waited for this moment for far too long.
"I never imagined our next meeting would be like this," Law said coldly.
Doflamingo's eyes darkened before he burst into wild laughter.
"Fufufufufu! Looks like I really raised an ungrateful wretch!"
"Lao G taught you martial arts. Diamante taught you swordsmanship. Gladius taught you artillery tactics. I nurtured you personally—treated you like a younger brother. And this is how you repay me?"
The Phoenix Pirates watched silently, more like spectators than participants. Their debt to Law had already been repaid the moment Doflamingo was captured.
Law's expression didn't change.
"A brother?" he scoffed. "You might fool others with that lie, but you won't fool me. You personally murdered your own blood—Corazon. No one understands your true nature better than I do."
His voice dropped lower, colder.
"Today, I'll kill you here… to honor Corazon's spirit."
Law drew his blade, Kikoku, and pressed it against Doflamingo's throat.
Doflamingo didn't beg. He seemed to have anticipated this ending long ago. Instead, he smiled arrogantly.
"Fufufufufu… I killed Corazon because he betrayed the family. He believed in the Marines—believed in that hollow 'justice.' How could you ever understand the pain of being betrayed by your own blood?"
Law's eyes sharpened.
"Family?" he repeated. "Do you even understand what that word means? To you, everyone is just a tool—branded with the name 'family' so you can control them."
"That was true for me. It was true for Corazon too. A man who can kill his own father and brother has no right to speak of family. It's nothing more than a method for you to gain power and loyalty."
Law paused, then asked quietly,
"One last question. After you killed Corazon… did you ever feel even the slightest regret?"
For a brief moment, Doflamingo fell silent.
Then he sneered.
"Fufufufufu… I never imagined that the brat I casually spared back then would grow into such a nuisance. You win, Law."
His eyes gleamed maliciously.
"But don't think killing me will bring you peace. The Donquixote Family—and Kaido—won't let you live easily."
"So… not even a trace of remorse," Law said flatly.
His voice thundered with finality.
"ROOM. Cardiac Shock."
Bound by seastone, Doflamingo was powerless. He couldn't resist. He couldn't even scream.
"Young Master—!"
Monet cried out, tears streaming down her face like falling pearls.
No one answered her.
Marco's Observation Haki felt Doflamingo's heartbeat falter… then fade completely. He exhaled softly, a hint of emotion flickering in his eyes. He neither liked nor hated Doflamingo—but seeing such a notorious figure fall so simply still felt surreal.
In the original story, Doflamingo had been defeated by Luffy.
Now, he died here—quietly.
Marco didn't dwell on it. Ever since he had transmigrated into this world, the original plot had already been shattered beyond recognition.
And from this point on, the future belonged to those strong enough to seize it.
"Task 'Repay Kindness' completed. Reward: 1,000 attribute points."
The system's AI voice echoed in Marco's mind the moment Doflamingo's life faded.
Marco turned to Law and asked calmly, "Law—what do you plan to do next? Do you want to join us?"
He extended the invitation once more. Marco genuinely admired Law, and now that he was leading the Phoenix Pirates, one thing had become increasingly clear—the crew lacked a truly top-tier ship doctor. Law was the perfect candidate.
"Captain…"
Bepo and the others instinctively looked toward Law. During these days together, they had come to respect the Phoenix Pirates. Still, whether or not to join another crew was a decision only their Captain could make.
Now that his lifelong revenge had finally been fulfilled, Law felt no exhilaration—only an unfamiliar sense of lightness. For years, Doflamingo had been the sole reason he kept moving forward. Now that burden was gone.
From a rational standpoint, joining a Yonko's pirate crew was an excellent choice. Yet Law still had unanswered questions—especially Corazon's final words about the "D" being the natural enemy of God. Even now, he didn't fully understand their meaning.
After a brief silence, Law made his decision.
"No," he said quietly. "I still have my own path to walk. For now, I don't want to join another pirate crew."
"I see…"
Marco's disappointment flickered briefly, but he didn't press the issue. Instead, he smiled.
"That's fine. We're pirates—freedom comes first. If you ever change your mind, you'll always be welcome."
Relieved that Marco took no offense, Law nodded sincerely.
"Thank you, Marco-san. And… thank you for everything you've done for us."
Marco chuckled.
"Don't mention it. You're the one who saved more than two thousand of my brothers. If anything, we should be thanking you. Otherwise, they'd still be crippled."
With that, Marco reached into his pocket and handed Law a transponder snail.
"If you ever run into trouble, call us. As long as it's within our power, we'll help."
Law didn't refuse. He knew all too well that with Doflamingo gone, enemies would soon surface—shadow brokers, underworld remnants, and even Kaido of the Beasts. Having a fallback was necessary.
He accepted the snail and said simply, "Thank you."
Marco nodded, then raised his voice.
"Alright, brothers—set sail. We're heading home!"
—
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the New World…
The Donquixote Family was rushing toward Punk Hazard when disaster struck.
Trebol suddenly froze, staring at the burned-out life paper in his hands.
"…No… no, no, no…!"
His scream echoed with despair.
"Doffy—he's dead! Damn it! It must've been the Phoenix Pirates!"
Rage twisted Gladius's face.
"Full speed ahead! We will avenge the Young Master!"
Trebol, however, remained unusually calm.
"Don't act rashly. We still don't know for certain whether the Phoenix Pirates killed the Young Master. And even if they did—what can we possibly do with our current strength?"
His words cooled the room, though the anger in everyone's eyes remained. With Doflamingo gone, the Donquixote Family felt unmoored, as if they'd lost the pillar holding them together.
Diamante clenched his fist and asked, "Trebol… do you have a plan?"
Trebol's gaze hardened.
"If we want to avenge the Young Master, we can't rely on ourselves alone. We must borrow the power of the Yonkos."
Diamante leaned forward.
"Do you mean pledging allegiance to another Emperor? Kaido, perhaps?"
Only days earlier, Vergo, one of the Donquixote Family's top executives, had abandoned his position as a Marine Vice Admiral and sworn loyalty to Kaido of the Beasts. Thanks to his strength and Zoan-type Devil Fruit, he had quickly earned Kaido's favor and become one of the Tobiroppo.
If they followed that path, becoming executives in the Beasts Pirates wouldn't be difficult—or so they believed.
Trebol shook his head slowly.
"We still haven't confirmed who killed the young master. And even if it was the Phoenix Pirates, pledging ourselves to the Beasts Pirates alone wouldn't be enough. The Phoenix Pirates are also a Yonko crew—Kaido alone would struggle to defeat them."
He continued coldly,
"Besides, the Beasts Pirates already have Vergo. Even if we join them, our value would be limited. Kaido favors Zoan users above all else, and most of us wouldn't be held in high regard."
Trebol's eyes gleamed.
"That's why we should go to the Big Mom Pirates instead. If Marco truly killed the Young Master, then we'll coordinate with Vergo and find a way to persuade both Big Mom and Kaido to strike together. Only then can we avenge him."
The Donquixote Family members nodded in unison.
For them, nothing mattered more now than vengeance.
In less than half a day, the news spread across the seas like wildfire.
Yonko Phoenix Marco, in cooperation with Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon of Death, had killed Donquixote Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Soon after, Trafalgar Law's bounty skyrocketed—from 200 million to 440 million Berries.
Across the world, countless underground forces cursed in anger upon hearing the news. Yet none dared to challenge a Yonko directly. Instead, their attention quietly shifted toward Law, the weaker—and more accessible—target.
New World—Onigashima.
Kaido stared at the newspaper, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, wailing.
"Waaah! Waaah! Joker, you bastard!"
"You said we'd build the strongest pirate crew together—so how could you just die like this?! Waaah! Waaah!"
"It's all your fault for being so weak, you useless idiot! How could you die so easily?!"
The subordinates below him exchanged helpless glances before cautiously speaking up.
"Kaido-sama… there was nothing that could be done. No matter how strong Joker was, he couldn't possibly stand against a Yonko."
Kaido's crying abruptly stopped.
His face darkened, killing intent surging.
"Marco…" he growled. "I didn't go looking for you, and now you dare come after me."
"He must have known about Joker's connection to me—so he deliberately killed him!"
Then, just as suddenly, Kaido began crying again.
"Waaah! Waaah! Joker, you poor bastard… to die like that!"
His subordinates could only sigh internally. Their Governor was terrifying—and unbearably emotional.
One of them quickly spoke up, hoping to redirect his attention.
"Governor Kaido, according to Queen-sama, the true creator of SMILE isn't Joker—it's Caesar Clown. Joker was merely the middleman."
"If we can capture Caesar Clown, we won't need Joker at all. We can produce SMILE ourselves."
At those words, Kaido's sobbing slowly began to subside.
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