The final battle had begun.
On the shores of the port town, Doflamingo stood at the forefront of his assembled Family. Robin and Ibes flanked him closely, while the other core members stood half a step behind. Further back, rows upon rows of subordinates clad in black waited silently.
The town's residents, witnessing the massive gathering on the coast, knew today's commotion would be no less intense than the last major incident. They scrambled back to their homes, bolting doors and shuttering windows, determined to keep their heads down and avoid getting caught in the crossfire while still hoping to catch glimpses of the unfolding drama.
The sun climbed high into the sky, yet there was still no sign of the Five Families. Doflamingo's crew waited patiently, the lower ranks not daring to complain, seeing that their Young Master himself was waiting alongside them.
"They're here!" Diamante's sharp eyes spotted them first, alerting the others.
"Finally! Kept me waiting this long," Enel grumbled, irritation giving way to excitement as he spotted the enemy fleet. "I'll make them pay for this. Hey, Squeaky, try not to fall too far behind me later!" He couldn't resist digging at Pica.
"Big-Ears, I might lose to anyone, but never to you! Just watch, I'll definitely surpass you!" Pica shot back, refusing to back down as their usual bickering commenced.
Doflamingo paid their squabble no mind. Everyone was used to it; it felt like those two couldn't go a single day without arguing. Their strange rivalry fueled their growth, pushing each other to improve. As long as it didn't interfere with his plans, Doflamingo was content to let them be. He had always allowed his people a great deal of latitude to be themselves.
"So many people..." Robin murmured, taken aback by the sheer scale of the approaching fleet. The decks of the ships swarmed with figures – easily ten or twenty thousand men, it seemed. It looked like they were throwing everything they had at them.
Doflamingo observed the approaching armada, his expression unreadable.
"What good are numbers? Just a bunch of small fry," Enel scoffed dismissively. "I'll handle five thousand myself. How about you take the other five thousand, Squeaky?"
"Hmph! Like you even need to ask? It's only five thousand," Pica declared confidently, not to be outdone.
"They certainly came prepared, Doffy," Diamante commented gravely, unlike Enel and Pica, refusing to underestimate the enemy based on numbers alone. In his eyes, only Doflamingo's judgment truly mattered; everyone else's opinions were just noise.
"Prepare to engage," Doflamingo stated calmly, his voice neither arrogant nor dismissive, just stating a fact. "Let them know who the true masters of the North Blue are. The old geezers should just stick to retirement."
Hearing Doflamingo's words, a wave of tension swept through the lower ranks, though the executives remained composed. Hands tightened on swords and firearms; a battle for survival was imminent, and their weapons were their only solace.
Aboard the lead enemy ships:
"Dole, Coy, Warner, Buto, look! It's the Donquixote Family!" McNeil pointed towards the shore.
"Is that all they have? So that's Doflamingo? Doesn't look like much," Warner sneered, scrutinizing the figures on the coast. "Just looks like a pretty boy to me."
"Idiot! Don't be fooled by appearances! How do you think he got that bounty?" Dole reminded him sharply.
"Ahahaha! I was just joking!" Warner laughed awkwardly, trying to cover his blunder.
Coy ignored Warner completely, wondering silently how such a fool ever became a family leader.
"Make landfall," Coy ordered, his focus entirely on the objective. He was the calmest among them, already planning beyond this battle. Once the Donquixote Family was eliminated, the other four families would be next. Coy had no intention of sharing the spoils; the cake might be large, but nothing tasted sweeter than eating it all himself.
"Alright men, prepare to land!"
The vast fleet docked along the coastline, ship after ship disgorging teeming masses of men who quickly formed ranks on the island, facing off against the Donquixote Family.
The leaders of the Five Families, backed by their immense force, confronted Doflamingo's significantly smaller group.
"Are you Doflamingo? The real leader of the Donquixote Family?" McNeil couldn't resist asking, stepping forward.
"What if I am? What if I'm not?" Enel cut in before Doflamingo could respond, perhaps deeming McNeil unworthy of his leader's attention. Enel struck a pose, clearly enjoying the spotlight. "Bring whatever you've got! Stop dawdling like a woman! I've been itching to cut someone down!"
"You little brat! You've got a foul mouth on you! I'll tear it off later and see how you scream then!" McNeil roared, thoroughly enraged by Enel's disrespect.
"Don't waste your breath on them, McNeil," Coy interrupted, clapping a hand on McNeil's shoulder to calm him. He then addressed Doflamingo directly, his voice ringing out clearly. "Doflamingo! Today marks the end of your Donquixote Family! Prepare for your funeral!"
"Fuffuffuffu..." Doflamingo chuckled coldly. "Big words. Let's see if you have the skill to back them up."
"Our skills might not be much, but they're more than enough to wipe out your family! Men, attack!" Coy retorted ruthlessly, his words dripping with killing intent.
"KILL THEM!" "LEAVE NONE ALIVE!" "SLAUGHTER THE DONQUXOTE FAMILY! AVENGE OUR FALLEN BROTHERS!"
A deafening roar erupted from the massive force as they charged, a wave of bloodlust washing over the shore. Yet, Doflamingo and his executives remained impassive, watching the onslaught calmly. Even Robin's expression was serene. Having witnessed truly overwhelming power before, she felt strangely secure knowing these men posed little threat to her personally, not while Doflamingo stood beside her.
"About time!" Enel yelled excitedly, grabbing his long golden staff and charging headfirst into the enemy wave, ready to crush skulls.
"Don't think you're getting ahead of me!" Pica shouted, drawing a massive longsword and plunging into the fray without hesitation, cutting a swathe through the attackers. In the chaos of thousands, sharp steel proved far more effective than fists.
The Donquixote subordinates surged forward behind Enel and Pica, clashing violently with the first wave. Only Doflamingo and the executives beside him remained stationary, observing the unfolding carnage.
Blood sprayed, bodies fell, and corpses began to pile up, but no one on the battlefield showed any sympathy. This was war, and death was simply part of it.
Doflamingo's attention, however, wasn't focused on the fighting prowess of Enel or Pica. Instead, he subtly used his Observation Haki to monitor Robin, gauging her reaction to the brutal scene.
She was only eight, after all. Witnessing such widespread death and the horrors of war could be deeply traumatizing. Doflamingo had brought her here specifically to expose her to this 'hell on earth.' The pirate life wasn't child's play; death was commonplace. If she couldn't adapt, he would have to reconsider her education.
Robin did feel deeply unsettled. The destruction of Ohara, the annihilation of the evacuation ship by Akainu – those memories were seared into her mind. Yet, somehow, this visceral, close-up slaughter felt more immediate, more impactful. She saw the dying faces, heard their final cries, felt their desperate unwillingness to perish. It carved itself onto her soul. A powerful urge to flee washed over her, but she stood her ground, unwilling to disappoint Doflamingo. She forced herself to watch the blood-soaked spectacle.
Beside her, Ibes seemed much more composed, having already experienced similar, albeit smaller-scale, conflicts. As for Diamante and Trebol, they were practically veterans of villainy; scenes like this were trivial to them.
Doflamingo noted Robin's slight trembling but also her refusal to look away. Progress, he thought, satisfied. He reached out and gently patted her head.
"Don't be afraid," he murmured soothingly. "For the sake of our happiness, death is sometimes necessary. Their deaths have meaning, Robin. Just like the scholars of Ohara – they faced death without fear for their beliefs. These men," he gestured vaguely at the enemy fodder being cut down, "are dying for our home, for our happiness. We should be cheering them on, really."
Doflamingo, the master manipulator, was at it again, subtly twisting reality to fit his narrative.
Diamante watched his Young Master with open admiration. He respected no one more than Doflamingo, who possessed the uncanny ability to stand atop a mountain of amorality and paint himself as the champion of justice. They were the invaders, meddling in the North Blue's affairs, yet Doflamingo framed it as a noble battle for home and family. But then, Diamante mused, in this world, the strong devour the weak. Power dictates righteousness. History is always written by the victors.
Robin seemed to find some strange comfort or understanding in Doflamingo's words. She nodded slightly, leaning against his side and watching the battle unfold with a newfound quiet intensity.
"Is that the one they call Enel?" Coy asked Dole, pointing towards the figure wreaking havoc in their ranks.
"Yes, that's him," Dole confirmed, his teeth clenched, eyes filled with hatred. He wished he could tear Enel limb from limb for the humiliation suffered during their last encounter.
"He's strong," Coy acknowledged grimly. "It seems it's time to let them make their move. Otherwise, our numbers mean nothing against him."
"It's about time." "We've let them wear themselves out long enough." "Leave it to them, then." "Let's see what they can do."
The other bosses readily agreed with Coy's assessment. Coy quickly dispatched a subordinate with new orders.
Doflamingo, his Observation Haki catching the shift in the enemy's movements, alerted his own crew. "Looks like they're finally bringing out their heavy hitters. You two should join the fun. Enel and Pica could use the support, dealing with so many."
Hearing Doflamingo's command, Diamante and Trebol grinned, excitement bubbling within them. They had been itching to get into the fight; merely watching was incredibly dull.
"Enel! Pica! Trebol and I are coming to help!" Diamante shouted towards the ongoing melee.
"We don't need your help! I'm handling this just fine! Diamante, maybe you should go help the Squeaker instead!" Enel retorted dismissively, waving him away.
"Hmph! Big-Ears, what are you talking about? As if I need help!" Pica bristled indignantly.
Both Enel and Pica flatly rejected the offer, essentially telling Diamante and Trebol to get lost. Frustrated, the two executives channeled their thwarted energy into slaughtering the nearest enemies with renewed vigor.
"Heehee..." Hearing Enel and Pica start bickering yet again even amidst the chaos, Robin, who had fallen silent, couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Those two really are something else, she thought, a flicker of amusement momentarily overriding the grimness of the scene.