The Wind Rises

Although Doflamingo had believed Carlos had shown mercy, he still harbored a sliver of doubt. But after seeing Carlos's Susanoo and Amaterasu, he was completely convinced.

This wasn't merely showing mercy—it was downright magnanimous. He had spared Diamante's worthless life. Otherwise, Diamante would have long since been reduced to ash!

Phew... Carlos let out a soft breath. Using Susanoo and Amaterasu back-to-back consumed a tremendous amount of Pupil Power, but thankfully, things would be much easier from here on.

Extinguishing the Amaterasu flames, Carlos controlled the red Susanoo and began slaughtering the utterly demoralized Marine soldiers. It wasn't one little soldier per swipe, but three or four with every claw.

At present, there was no one in the Marines capable of breaking through Susanoo's defense. That made Carlos invincible, and he cut down Marine soldiers as easily as chopping vegetables.

Seeing this, Doflamingo grew even more serious. Not only did he manipulate the Marine soldiers into killing one another, but he also personally joined the battle.

Working together, the two of them drove the Marines into collapse. Yet what was even more crushing, even more despairing, was that they could neither win nor escape.

In the span of half a quarter-hour, this Marine force of over four hundred men was slaughtered to the last by Carlos and Doflamingo. Corpses covered the ground, blood flowed like a river, and the stench of blood permeated several streets!

After dealing with the Marines, Carlos turned his gaze toward Doflamingo again. He had planned to evolve Susanoo from its initial form into its first stage and have a proper fight with Doflamingo, but to his surprise, Doflamingo actually backed down.

It wasn't really backing down—at most, he was only half backing down. Doflamingo mainly felt that he had simply lost the will to fight. Having witnessed Carlos's true strength, he was no longer angry over Carlos injuring Diamante. He could accept it.

Diamante had been lucky. He hadn't provoked the man called Lucifer Carlos, and had managed to keep his life. That alone was extraordinarily good fortune.

The strong had the power to earn respect, and they could make someone like Doflamingo calmly weigh the gains and losses. Fighting to the death over something like this was not only ungrateful, but simply not worth it!

"Our battle ends here. As the young master of the Donquixote Family, I thank Lord Carlos on behalf of the Donquixote Family for showing Diamante mercy!"

"If Lord Carlos ever comes to the North Blue, please be sure to visit the Donquixote Family's territory. Allow me to properly entertain you."

"Although the Donquixote Family is not yet widely renowned in the North Blue, I believe that by the time you arrive there, Lord Carlos, the Donquixote Family will already be famous!"

"Therefore, there is no need to leave a telephone number. Lord Carlos, until we meet again."

Doflamingo delivered that entire spiel with a serious expression. Once he finished, he didn't even wait for Carlos to respond. Activating the power of the String-String Fruit, he flew into the sky and rapidly headed toward the sea.

Carlos: "..."

Damn!

He left without even letting him say a word back. How awful—Carlos hadn't even had his fill of the fight yet!

Though he couldn't use Susanoo's complete form yet, he could at least use Susanoo's second stage. Yet the grand treasure he had prepared had no audience to appreciate it. What a pity...

Maybe it was just an illusion, but Carlos always felt that Doflamingo was suspiciously like he had run away. His words had certainly sounded pretty, proud, and imposing.

Why not keep fighting, then?

Was he wary of the Susanoo and Amaterasu Carlos had displayed? Or was he wary of Marines arriving as reinforcements?

If the incoming Marines discovered that he had killed so many Marines, he was probably worried that his family wouldn't be able to return to the North Blue... After all, Buffalo couldn't carry that many people, and if they really ran into the Marines, it would be quite a headache.

Carlos maliciously speculated about Doflamingo's motives. With his opponent gone, he had no reason to remain. He dispersed Susanoo, shifted his Mangekyo Sharingan, and entered a spatial vortex to leave.

Elsewhere, Doflamingo returned to his Pirate Ship. As it raised its sails and set off, all the officers hurriedly gathered around him, eagerly asking about the battle's outcome.

In truth, they had already made their guesses. Judging by the way their young master had returned, even if he had not won the later battle, he should not have suffered any losses.

"Diamante, tell me in detail exactly how your conflict began and ended." Doflamingo picked up a bottle of liquor from the deck and asked in a rather serious tone.

The officers were slightly startled. Diamante did not dare conceal anything and honestly recounted the entire sequence of events. When all was said and done, he had been the one in the wrong—he had been too arrogant and had not regarded Carlos, a mere passerby, as worth his attention.

"Sigh... You truly were lucky. You didn't provoke him. He only wanted to teach you a lesson. Otherwise, you would already be dead."

"After you left, the strength he displayed became increasingly formidable, especially the Devil Fruit ability he revealed after the Marines surrounded us."

"A red skeleton filled with an evil, destructive aura, and black flames as dark as night that burned silently!"

"None of the Marines surrounding us, from officers to ordinary soldiers, could withstand a single exchange. Most were killed instantly."

"Especially those black flames—they are incredibly terrifying. If they struck me accurately, I fear I would be burned alive as well!"

"I have no idea where this man called Lucifer Carlos came from. He looks quite young, yet he possesses an unknown Devil Fruit and such formidable Body Techniques..."

"I need to develop a technique to deal with those black flames. Otherwise, I would be far too passive when facing that move."

Doflamingo's expression shifted between solemnity and admiration as he spoke. In his mind, an idea quietly emerged—using a clone to deal with the Amaterasu flames...

Hearing Doflamingo's words, the officers exchanged looks... They understood Doflamingo well enough to know that he disdained fabricating such lies. They all believed what he said was true.

A look of relief appeared on Diamante's face...

Not long after Carlos and Doflamingo left, the Loguetown Marine branch received the news. This enraged even the Marine rear admiral stationed in Loguetown due to the opening of the Great Pirate Era, while the Marines were filled with righteous indignation!

Such a major incident could neither be concealed nor dared to be concealed. The Loguetown Marine branch sent the details, its deductions, and its report to Marine Headquarters.

Marine Headquarters took the matter very seriously. Although the culprits had long vanished without a trace, and the Marines had to contend with the surging number of pirates, making a detailed investigation impossible, everything at the scene had been recorded clearly. In particular, the methods used to kill—sooner or later, they would identify the suspects and the culprits.

Later, Marine Headquarters did identify the culprits. Neither Doflamingo nor Carlos remained hidden.

Doflamingo was exposed relatively early, as the killing characteristics of the String-String Fruit were quite obvious. Of course, the main reason was that Doflamingo's younger brother, Rosinante, was an undercover Marine agent.

Carlos was exposed much later. It was only after his clashes with the Marines became particularly intense and he displayed Susanoo that the Marines discovered him.

Inside the Kamui Space, Carlos rested after traveling for a while, replenishing his water and food while enjoying a little drink.

Bulu Bulu...

Hearing the Den Den Mushi ring, Carlos pulled one from his clothes. It was a blue Den Den Mushi, clearly modeled after Kelly.

"What is it, Kelly?"

"B-Boss, word came from home. The John Family has already gathered forces and is heading for Iron Island."

Kelly's voice was somewhat rushed, and the Den Den Mushi wore an anxious expression.

"Hm?"

"John couldn't possibly know I was behind that, could he?" Carlos frowned.

"Probably not. According to the reports from below, the forces they dispatched aren't much larger than ours."

"If they knew, their response would be far more severe. It wouldn't be impossible for them to send out everything they have," Kelly analyzed confidently.

"Hehehe... That makes things easier."

"Even if they didn't make a move, I was about to make one myself."

"Stay calm. They're nothing but a rabble!"

"I'm already on the way. I'll be back soon. Bring the ship beneath the Red Line."

"Yes."

Hearing Carlos speak with such confidence, Kelly felt much more at ease.

In this world, the winds of chaos had already begun to blow...