For a long time afterward, Teach stayed hidden, completely disappearing from public view.
He drifted from island to island, slipping through back alleys and abandoned ruins, evading pursuit from all sides. His presence became increasingly elusive, as if he had vanished into the sea itself.
But a seething rage continued to burn in Teach's heart.
He hated Ace with every fiber of his being. That man had refused his invitations again and again and was hell-bent on hunting him down to the very end.
Every time Teach thought of Ace's determined eyes and cold rejections, his chest tightened with fury and resentment.
He swore he would find a chance to get back at Ace and vent all his frustration.
"Ace... just you wait. I won't let you off!" Teach vowed silently, his eyes turning icy.
He began to plan his revenge, moving cautiously, afraid that the slightest misstep would expose him.
His current situation was precarious. One mistake, and he could be seized by the Marines or the Whitebeard Pirates.
...
While the chaos from the Alabasta incident was still simmering, a jaw-dropping video exploded on TikTok like thunder, instantly rocketing to the top of the TikTok Hot List!
In the footage, Rebecca knelt inside her small home. Her long pink hair was messy, tears streaming from her swollen eyes. Her face showed despair, her gaze full of helplessness.
Her trembling finger pointed outside the window. "Look, everyone... those people who were turned into toys..." Her voice was hoarse, but her tone remained firm.
The camera panned to the street, where a group of lifeless toys walked by. Smiles were frozen on their faces, but their eyes were hollow—soulless.
"The Donquixote Family took over this country through conspiracy..." Rebecca said through tears, her tone unwavering. "Doflamingo's subordinates used a Devil Fruit to turn everyone who opposed them into toys!"
At that moment, the Toy Soldier stepped into the frame, confirming Rebecca's story.
"Everyone watching, what Rebecca said is true. If we hadn't been protected, we probably wouldn't have dared to speak out even now."
The Toy Soldier's face showed no expression—joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness—only its eyes revealed any emotion.
"Once someone is turned into a toy, everyone forgets about them. It's as if they never existed. Even if a parent turned into a toy stands in front of their child, that child won't recognize them."
The scene then cut to the Tontatta tribe's tragic plight. They were treated like livestock, forced to work day and night without rest.
Some were even brutally beaten for failing to meet their work quotas!
Rebecca sobbed uncontrollably. "They... they just wanted to protect Princess Mansherry..."
At the end of the video, Rebecca bowed deeply to the camera. "Please, everyone... save Dressrosa..." She lifted her tear-streaked face, voice trembling. "Save our country..."
This video hit the internet like a meteor slamming into the ocean, instantly causing a tidal wave. Views skyrocketed by tens of thousands every second, and the comment section exploded:
>"Oh my god! Those walking toys are actually transformed humans?!"
>"The Tontatta tribe is so pitiful!"
>"Doflamingo is a monster!"
>"None of the Shichibukai are decent! First Crocodile, now Doflamingo!"
>"They're all wolves in sheep's clothing!"
---
On the King's Plateau in Dressrosa, Doflamingo stood silently before a floor-to-ceiling window.
The glow of Rebecca's video reflected in his sunglasses. His fingers clutched the window frame so tightly that he nearly scratched grooves into the tempered glass.
"Fufufu..." His lips curled into a grin. But that grin quickly twisted and warped, as if being tugged by invisible strings. His pupils behind the lenses contracted violently. Veins throbbed on his forehead like writhing worms.
"Fufufu... Fufufufufufu..." The laugh rasped up from his throat, sharper and more guttural each time, until it sounded like the growl of a beast.
The wine glass in his hand shattered with a crisp crack, the red liquid dripping from his fingers like blood.
"Trebol!!!" His furious roar shattered the surrounding glass panes.
His pink feathered coat whipped up without wind. Fine threads erupted from his fingertips, instantly shredding the entire room to pieces.
Rebecca's sobbing face flashed through his mind. Every tear was a direct insult to his rule.
"You little brat..." he muttered through clenched teeth. His sunglasses reflected the video's climbing view count—already past 300 million.
Suddenly.
He spun around, his String-String Fruit tearing the thick oak door to splinters. "Immediately! Go capture that little brat for me!"
His voice distorted with rage. "I want her to watch with her own eyes... as her father is cut into a thousand pieces!"
Outside the window, Dressrosa was still singing and dancing like nothing had happened. But Doflamingo knew this video had already spread like a plague.
He pulled out his phone and stared at the comment section under the hashtag #SaveDressrosa. Each accusation was a knife to the gut.
"Fufufu... Excellent..." His voice was low, cold, and dripping with madness.
This storm had only just begun. If he didn't step in, it would spiral beyond his control.
...
All over the world, Rebecca's plea was like a bombshell, instantly igniting the fury of the seas.
Countless people held their phones, watching the horrors play out on screen with disbelief. Shock and outrage spread like wildfire.
...
In the Revolutionary Army's headquarters meeting room, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt solid.
Around a massive round table, Revolutionary cadres sat in silence, each staring at a phone in front of them, Rebecca's video on loop.
Onscreen, Rebecca's tear-filled face stood out vividly. Her voice trembled with despair but held a sliver of determination. "Please, everyone... save Dressrosa... save our country..."
Sabo stood before the projection screen, eyes gleaming sharply from beneath his hat.
He took a deep breath. His tone was grave. "According to intel, internal division within the Navy regarding the Shichibukai system has reached its peak. A major move could happen soon."
Koala flipped through her notebook urgently. "We've received distress signals from 17 islands, all under Shichibukai control."
Her pen dug deep into the page. "But acting rashly could trigger a full-scale Marine crackdown."
(To be continued.)