Chapter 44

The scream that tore through Dressrosa wasn't one of pain, but of memories flooding back like a tidal wave.

"I remember! My husband! He was the toy dog!"

"You… you were the tin soldier all along?!"

"The pirates! The Marines! They're all back!"

In the Underground Trade Port, the chaos was absolute. The Tontatta dwarves cheered. The gladiators wept. Giants raised their weapons.

But amidst the celebration, Laki and Carmen stood back to back, weapons drawn.

"Don't celebrate yet," Laki warned, her eyes scanning the trembling ceiling. "His aura… it just turned from angry to apocalyptic."

"Who?" Carmen asked, shaking slime off her boot.

"The Demon," Laki whispered.

The Sky Falls

High above on the Royal Plateau, Donquixote Doflamingo stood at the window of his palace. His veins pulsed against his forehead, threatening to burst. The veins weren't just anger; they were fear. His secrets were out. The darkness of ten years had been exposed to the light.

"Law… Straw Hat… Time Witch…"

He raised his right hand.

"If I can't rule them… I'll kill them all."

A massive bundle of white threads shot up from his palm into the sky. It expanded like a firework, arching over the entire island of Dressrosa.

Then, it fell.

Birdcage.

The strings hit the outer edges of the island. They were razor-sharp, harder than steel, and infused with Haki. They sliced through buildings, ships, and trees as if they were butter.

"The signal is cut!" A Marine shouted into his Den Den Mushi. "I can't reach HQ!"

"The strings… they're moving inward!"

Dressrosa had become a prison. A slaughterhouse.

The Game Begins

Huge screens flickered to life all over the island. Doflamingo’s face appeared, smiling a smile that promised genocide.

"Citizens of Dressrosa! Pirates! Marines!"

His voice boomed.

"You have all become prisoners in my cage. There is no escape. The strings will slowly contract, slicing everything in their path until this island is nothing but a pile of ribbons."

Panic erupted. People trampled each other.

"However!" Doflamingo continued. "I am a merciful King. I offer you a game. If you bring me the heads of the criminals who caused this chaos… I will end the game and spare you."

Pictures flashed on the screen with star ratings. One star equaled 100 million berries.

* Pirate Hunter Zoro: 2 Stars.

* Devil Child Nico Robin: 1 Star.

* Cyborg Franky: 1 Star.

* Traitor Marine Kurumi: 3 Stars.

* Trafalgar Law: 3 Stars.

* Straw Hat Luffy: 3 Stars.

"And finally…"

A picture of Usopp appeared. His face was swollen, his eyes rolling back, held aloft by a Giant who called him "God."

"The man who ruined my family… God Usopp. 5 Stars. 500 Million Berries!"

"FIVE HUNDRED MILLION?!"

Every criminal, bounty hunter, and desperate citizen in Dressrosa turned their eyes toward the Underground Port.

"Run, Long-Nose!" Carmen shouted, grabbing Usopp by his collar. "You're the jackpot!"

The Stone Giant

While the chaos unfolded below, Kurumi stood at the base of the King's Plateau. She watched the Birdcage descend.

"He actually did it," she whispered, checking her calorie count. "He locked us in with him."

"Hey! Clock-girl!"

Luffy came sprinting down the street, carrying a heavily injured Law over his shoulder. Zoro ran beside him.

"Luffy!" Kurumi waved. "You got Law back?"

"Yeah! Doffy kicked his butt!" Luffy laughed, though his eyes were serious. "We gotta go up! To kick Mingo's butt!"

"Put me down, Straw Hat-ya," Law groaned, bleeding from gunshot wounds (courtesy of Doflamingo’s strings). "The alliance is… over. Leave me here."

"Shut up!" Luffy tightened his grip. "We're friends now!"

Suddenly, the ground shook.

The stone beneath their feet began to rise. The earth groaned and twisted. A massive shadow eclipsed the sun.

Rising from the plateau itself was a stone golem the size of a mountain. It had shoulders as wide as a city block.

It was Pica, the Elite Officer of the Donquixote Family. User of the Ishi Ishi no Mi (Stone-Stone Fruit).

"Goooood…"

The voice was incredibly high-pitched. Like a soprano singer inhaling helium.

"…aaaaafternooooon…"

Luffy puffed his cheeks. He turned purple.

"PFFFT!" Luffy burst out laughing. "HIS VOICE! HE SOUNDS LIKE A SQUEAKY TOY!"

Zoro smirked. Even Law cracked a painful smile.

But Kurumi didn't laugh. She saw the rage in the stone face.

"Luffy, you idiot," she sighed. "You just taunted a mountain."

"HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT MY VOICE!" Pica roared (squeaked).

A fist made of solid stone, the size of a town, crashed down toward them.

Time vs. Stone

"Zoro!" Luffy shouted.

"I got it," Zoro tied his bandana. He drew his three swords.

But Kurumi stepped forward.

"Save your stamina for the Executive Tower," she ordered. "I haven't tested my SAD-Serum fully yet. Let's see if I can move a mountain."

She pulled a vial of the green serum from her belt and crushed it in her hand, absorbing the liquid through her skin.

Her veins glowed emerald green.

Zafkiel: First Bullet – Aleph (Max Output).

She didn't aim at Pica. She aimed at herself, Luffy, Law, and Zoro.

"Hold on to your lunch."

She fired Haki-infused time bullets at the ground beneath them.

Temporal Displacement.

In the blink of an eye, the world blurred. Pica’s fist smashed into the street where they had been standing a millisecond ago, obliterating the city block.

But the group wasn't there.

They reappeared 500 meters up the plateau, standing on the second level of the King's Plateau.

"Whoa!" Luffy looked around, dizzy. "We teleported!"

"We ran," Kurumi corrected, leaning against a wall, panting slightly. "I just accelerated our movement so fast the human eye couldn't track it. We ran up the wall while he was punching."

Law looked at her. "You moved four people at Mach speed? Your heart should have exploded."

"Better living through chemistry," Kurumi tapped her glowing vein. "Caesar's cocktail is working. But Pica is still below us."

The Cutter

"I'll handle the stone guy," Zoro said, looking down at the shifting mountain. "He’s annoying. I need to cut him down to size."

"Are you sure?" Kurumi asked. "He can assimilate into any stone. Unless you cut the real body, he’s immortal."

"I'll cut the whole island if I have to," Zoro grinned, Wado Ichimonji gleaming in his mouth. "Go ahead. Take the Captain to the top."

"Cool!" Luffy shouted. "Thanks, Zoro! Don't get lost!"

"I WON'T GET LOST!"

The Final Ascent

Kurumi, Luffy, and Law (still being carried) sprinted toward the final level—the Flower Field where the Royal Palace stood.

But the path wasn't clear.

Standing on the steps, waiting for them, were the remaining executives.

Gladius (Punk Rock Popper).

Baby 5 (Weapon Girl).

Lao G (The Old Martial Artist).

Dellinger (The Fighting Fish Half-breed).

"They won't let us pass," Law warned. "And I can't fight in this state."

"I'll blow them away!" Luffy cracked his knuckles.

"No," Kurumi stopped him. "Save your Haki for Doflamingo. His Awakening is no joke. You need to be fresh."

She tapped her earpiece.

"Carmen? Laki? Are you in position?"

Static.

"We're a little busy being chased by half the island!" Carmen’s voice yelled over the sound of explosions. "But… we see you! The Sunflower Field!"

"Good," Kurumi looked at the executives.

"Luffy, jump," she ordered.

"Huh? Jump where?"

"Over them."

Kurumi drew her pistols.

Zafkiel: Seventh Bullet – Zayin (Temporal Freeze).

She aimed at the air above the executives.

"Freeze."

A patch of air stopped moving. The wind froze, creating a solid platform of compressed, timeless air.

"Use the platform!"

Luffy didn't question it. Gomu Gomu no… Rocket!

He launched himself, kicked off the invisible frozen air platform, and vaulted completely over the confused executives.

"What?! They flew over us?!" Gladius screamed, inflating his hair to explode.

"Too late!" Kurumi shouted, grabbing Luffy’s ankle as he flew.

They landed in the Sunflower Field.

Ahead of them stood the Palace.

And standing at the pool, drinking wine as if the world wasn't ending, was Donquixote Doflamingo.

"You made it," Doflamingo smiled, crushing his wine glass. "The worst generation… indeed."

Next Chapter: The Heavenly Demon vs. The Rubber Man & The Time Witch.