North Blue, Donquixote Family Base.

Just two months into the new year, Rosinante had already made all his preparations.

He had come here for one reason: to stop his insane older brother, the same brother who had already destroyed five towns with his own hands.

At the entrance of the Donquixote estate, a few fierce-looking pirates stood guard, eyeing the tall mute man in front of them. He had a long blade at his waist and wore a brightly colored necklace around his neck.

They furrowed their brows, sensing something unusual about him. His presence alone made them tense up.

Although Rosinante's strength wasn't much in Enel's eyes, this was the Four Blues. Not to mention, these pirates were just gatekeepers. To them, his aura was overwhelming.

Rosinante made some hand gestures, then handed over a folded piece of paper. As the pirates opened it and scanned its contents, their pupils shrank. They looked up at him and started whispering amongst themselves.

"No way… is this for real?!"

"I've never heard of the young master having a brother."

"But their hair color really is the same. There aren't many other similarities, but still…who would dare joke about something like this?"

"Hiss... it might be real?"

"I need to report this to the young master! You guys treat him well. Just in case this is really—"

"Got it, got it!"

One of them quickly ran toward the heart of the family estate. The rest put on big smiles and turned to Rosinante with newfound hospitality.

"Please, have a seat over here!"

"You must be hungry, I'll get something right away..."

* * *

Inside the Donquixote Family's Main Hall.

A meeting was underway. The upper-ranking officers were gathered, discussing the family's next moves.

Thanks to the recent arms deal, they had secured a large sum of money. Under Doflamingo's leadership, the family was growing at a rapid pace.

But the thought of Trebol's death cast a shadow over Doflamingo's mood. He couldn't shake the discomfort from his mind.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked at the door.

Doflamingo frowned. He had made it clear that no one was to interrupt during meetings. His face turned cold as he called out, "Come in."

The pirate outside, knowing full well what that meant, let the gatekeeper enter.

The man walked in, visibly nervous in front of all the top officers and Doflamingo himself. He swallowed hard and spoke carefully, "Young Master, there's a tall blond man outside… he says he's your brother."

Doflamingo's expression changed immediately. "What did you say?!"

But he composed himself fast and walked out without another word, face returning to a blank state.

The officers exchanged glances, surprised. Then they followed him. This was big.

Despite his expressionless face, Doflamingo's heart was racing.

When he reached the entrance, he stopped. The figure waiting there looked a little unfamiliar. But even so, he recognized him instantly.

"Rosinante." His voice was calm.

Rosinante looked at him and smiled brightly.

* * *

West Blue, The Four Blues Sweep Campaign Fleet.

Several months had passed and the purge operation in West Blue was nearly complete.

Unlike the chaotic North Blue, West Blue had remained relatively stable after the Ohara incident a few years ago.

With Sakazuki in charge and the North Blue media reports serving as a warning, things progressed unusually smoothly. Pirate numbers here were far lower than in the north.

So much so that Sakazuki barely felt challenged. It was over before it even felt like it began.

Now, at Reverse Mountain, the fleet was fully assembled and began sailing upstream toward the summit.

On his warship, Sakazuki stood at the bow. Enel leaned against the railing, while Bullet stood silently nearby.

Enel turned around and rested his back on the rail. "This is kind of boring. Is the West Blue always this peaceful? Didn't even run into any pirates worth killing."

Sakazuki chuckled. "That's because the mafia runs things here. Anyone with some real power has already joined those syndicates. But compared to pirates, they're much more stable, so no need to wipe them out right now. Besides, with the threat of Ohara still fresh, and the impact of the purge operation, West Blue should remain quiet for a long time."

Enel tilted his head back and sighed. "Ahhh… I see. Then the South Blue and East Blue probably have more pirates than here, right?"

Sakazuki nodded. "In theory, yes."

Enel grinned. "Then—"

His words suddenly stopped.

At this time, their ship was just about to reach the peak of Reverse Mountain. All three raised their brows... they were going to crash.

* * *

On the Other Side of Reverse Mountain.

Riding an upward current from the opposite direction, two pirate ships raced against each other.

One of them, pink and very feminine in design, pushed ahead.

At the stern stood Catarina Devon, known as the "Crescent Moon Hunter." Her heavy makeup made her look like a witch.

She turned back, shouting at the vessel behind her, "Eat my dust, you drunk idiot! I win this round! I'll be the first to enter the Grand Line! Murunfuffuffu!"

Behind her, on the second ship, the drunkard with the sausage-like nose, "Heavy Drinker" Vasco Shot, slammed his fist onto the railing in anger. "That damn nine-tailed fox! Just you wait—"

His eyes widened. "Behind you!"

Devon turned around, curious. A massive marine warship was flying through the air, riding the force of the upward current. It was coming straight down toward her.

If nothing changed in the next few seconds... the warship would crash right into her ship.

With a contemptuous smirk, Devon activated her powers. In an instant, she transformed into a giant nine-tailed fox.

She had eaten the Mythical Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox.

'Let me just destroy this oversized ship in one strike—'

Her pupils shrank abruptly. She clearly saw the cold, unmoved figure standing at the warship's bow.

Admiral Akainu!

Sweat poured down her face as her brain worked at lightning speed. Then in one motion, she twisted her giant fox body and leaped toward Shot's ship behind her.

But it was too late. Over the roar of waves, two chilling words came down with heat that burned the air.

"Great Eruption."

BOOM!

In the final moment before she blacked out, Devon saw Shot's terrified face. Then she was swallowed whole by the surging lava.

She didn't even have time to scream. The magma poured down like a hellish wave, smashing into her body and Shot's ship.

Everything was dragged beneath the sea... into silence and darkness.

Crack, crack.

The remains of Devon's ship shattered under the weight of Sakazuki's huge warship, which continued forward without slowing down.

Pirates still aboard were pulled under the hull and crushed, turned into pulp.

Enel let out a soft chuckle. "Was she trying to attack us just now?"

**

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