The Radiant Eclipse was rapidly descending through the ocean.
Its invincible defenses withstood the imnse pressure of the water, far safer than any coated ship.
With the speed of the Radiant Eclipse, they would reach Fish-Man Island within the hour.
"Fish-Man Island," Kuke murmured, as he began to see the beautiful outline of the underwater kingdom beneath the sea.
"Fisher Tiger has already been killed by the Navy. It seems he couldn't escape the fate of the original story," Kuke sighed.
It was unfortunate.
Despite Kuke diverting 90% of the world governnt's attention and hatred towards himself, the Sun Pirates still couldn't survive.
Tiger was dead.
Kuke recalled the events of the original story.
Fish-Man Island was famous for its rmaids, but there were no particularly powerful warriors among them. The strongest individual on the island was the Sea Knight, Jinbei, a Warlord of the Sea with decent combat abilities.
But Jinbei wasn't a woman.
"And as for Shirahoshi... she's probably around three years old now, right?" Kuke estimated.
Shirahoshi, the legendary Ancient Weapon Poseidon, would be roughly that age by now.
"If she becos a crew mber, would that be a greater gain than even Big Mom?" Kuke mused.
Big Mom was rely one of the Four Emperors.
But Shirahoshi was one of the three Ancient Weapons, Poseidon.
Shirahoshi was a must-have.
"By the way, did you all have any trouble earlier?" Kuke asked the won who were enjoying the ocean view.
When Kuke had first returned to the Radiant Eclipse, the ship itself was undamaged, but he sensed a strange energy lingering in the air. It felt as though Gion and the others had recently used their abilities.
"Doflamingo, that clown, showed up. He wanted us to hand over the Ope Ope no Mi, and he also tried to recruit to join the Beasts Pirates," Gion explained.
"Did you kill him?" Kuke asked, amused by Doflamingo's audacity.
He admired Doflamingo's courage.
Daring to attack the Radiant Eclipse? He had a death wish.
Kuke glanced at the won. Gion alone was soone Doflamingo couldn't handle, and Stussy, with her Rumble-Rumble Fruit, was also too much for him. Not to ntion, Hancock and Shakky both possessed the strength to hold their own against Doflamingo.
Out of the four won, who could Doflamingo confidently claim he could defeat in a one-on-one fight?
"He ca in suddenly and ran off just as quickly," Gion remarked, clearly not regarding Doflamingo as any sort of threat.
Her current strength was far beyond the likes of Doflamingo. She only considered top-tier fighters, or at least those with the strength of an emperor's right hand, as worthy of her full attention.
"He ran away," Kuke chuckled, surprised that Doflamingo had managed to escape with his life.
His ability to flee was clearly well-practiced.
Shakky added, "Captain Kuke, there's a rumor circulating that Doflamingo might be one of the newly ford Warlords of the Sea."
"Warlord?" Kuke mused.
A new idea was forming in his mind.
An idea for revenge against the Navy.
...
anwhile, back on the Sabaody Archipelago, a figure darted through the sky.
It was a disheveled Doflamingo.
His pink feathered coat had been burned away, his sunglasses shattered, and his body was charred all over.
"Damn it! Even without Kuke, the Sun and Moon Pirates are still terrifying," Doflamingo thought, trembling slightly at the mory of his recent encounter.
He had been so confident when he pursued the Radiant Eclipse, certain he would claim the Ope Ope no Mi.
He had even invited Gion to join Kaido's Beasts Pirates, picturing a future where he would secure both the Ope Ope no Mi and Gion, who possessed the Mythical Phoenix Zoan. He envisioned Kaido's appreciation and the rewards that would follow.
But instead...
Gion, along with Stussy's Rumble-Rumble Fruit, had overwheld him in an instant.
He had barely escaped with his life.
Had Gion been more inclined to chase him, Doflamingo wasn't sure he would have made it out alive.
"No chance of getting the Ope Ope no Mi now," Doflamingo thought grimly.
Having taken the beating, he now fully understood his limitations. There was no way he could take what he wanted from the Sun and Moon Pirates on his own.
Frustrated, Doflamingo returned to the Sabaody Archipelago, only to find the Navy had completely taken over the island.
Where was his human auction house?
"What the hell did the Navy do to my territory?!" Doflamingo demanded, landing on the frozen island, his anger boiling over as he confronted the Marines.
He was on the verge of slaughtering them all.
"This is Kuke's grave. The Navy has claid it," one of the vice admirals stated coldly.
Doflamingo's eyes widened in shock.
Kuke was dead?
He had died on this island?
Doflamingo sneered internally. He had always known that Kuke wouldn't last long. That arrogant fool thought he could get away with targeting the World Nobles? His death was inevitable.
But Doflamingo's gaze then lingered on the frozen island.
"Kuke's grave... What a pri piece of real estate," Doflamingo's grin widened. There were endless possibilities for how he could exploit this. "Get lost! This is my territory. If you don't want to die, scram!"
The Marines drew their guns, aiming at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo spread his arms, his voice filled with arrogance, "If you're looking to die, I'll gladly send you on your way."
But before he could act, he sensed a scorching heat approaching.
Looking up, he saw Akainu, still wrapped in bandages, walking towards him.
Doflamingo's expression turned pale.
"Since you're here, I'll finish you off," Akainu growled, his fist transforming into molten lava.
Doflamingo's face twitched. "Akainu, you mad dog! Do you know who I am?"
"A dead man," Akainu replied without missing a step.
Doflamingo panicked.
This guy was truly insane.
"Akainu, you crazy dog! I'll make sure you pay for this one day," Doflamingo scread as he took to the skies, fleeing the scene.
In a single day, he had fled for his life twice.
The proud Doflamingo was seething with fury.
"How can I get the Ope Ope no Mi?" He couldn't let go of the idea, especially now that Kuke was confird dead. His greed only grew stronger.
"The World Governnt will probably try to seize the Ope Ope no Mi, and Kaido will definitely be after Gion's Phoenix Fruit as well."
Doflamingo knew his place.
He couldn't compete with either of those forces.
Whoever claid the Sun and Moon Pirates' "inheritance," he wouldn't stand a chance on his own.
"I'll have to work with Kaido."
After so thought, Doflamingo picked up a Den Den Mushi and contacted Kaido in Wano Country.
They would divide the "inheritance."
"What is it, you clown?" Kaido's deep, growling voice ca through the receiver.
Doflamingo instinctively stood up straighter, his voice careful as he responded, "Kaido-sama, Kuke is dead. Just now, on the Sabaody Archipelago, he was killed by the Navy."
"Hm?"
On the other end of the line, Kaido's voice shifted, as if he had just sobered up.
"Tch, pathetic. A weakling who couldn't even make it to the New World. What was I even expecting from him, thinking he had what it took to stand in front of ?" Kaido mocked.
He had once planned to capture Kuke when he reached the New World.
"If the Navy killed him so easily, then that just proves how weak he was," Kaido added.
Doflamingo's face twitched. "It wasn't just any simple attack from the Navy. They sent Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu, and I heard even Zephyr joined the ambush on Sabaody."
A loud crash echoed through the Den Den Mushi.
Kaido's voice, full of disbelief, ca through. "What did you say? Four of them, working together?!"
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