Sorry, Ace

"Let's talk about the weapons after the big event is over."

"There's no point in discussing them now."

Uchiha Tamaharu turned around and looked at Doflamingo, who was almost half a head taller than him, then spoke bluntly.

Doflamingo was powerful, and he also had plenty of influence at his disposal.

Tamaharu planned to replace Kaido as Doflamingo's new daddy.

But that would have to wait until after he completed the Summit War scenario. It wasn't the right time to reveal too much of his strength or give away too much information.

Getting Doflamingo to willingly submit would take some effort, and Tamaharu had no time for that right now.

"But I want to talk to you now!"

But Doflamingo wasn't about to obediently fall in line.

He couldn't stomach words that were practically an attempt to manipulate him.

His voice instantly dropped, and the air around them grew heavy as Doflamingo released his aura to intimidate Tamaharu.

The line of World Government personnel standing nearby all turned pale, staring at Doflamingo in terror.

Doflamingo wasn't so arrogant as to release his Conqueror's Haki here. Doing so would amount to provoking the true ruler of the world.

"Is that all?"

Tamaharu closed and opened his eyes. They were now blood-red Mangekyō Sharingan.

At the same time, he used the Dōjutsu Purgatory with his left eye on Doflamingo.

After his bloodline evolved and returned to its ancestral form, he could freely control the environment within his Dōjutsu. He could even unleash all eight hells at once, though it would take a heavy toll.

But he was only issuing a warning now, so Tamaharu used just the Sea of Flames, letting Doflamingo experience the sensation of being surrounded by endless fire.

Doflamingo's expression instantly stiffened, then turned fearful as he stared at Tamaharu in shock.

"0.3 seconds!"

"With my current ocular power, that's all it can do?"

"But Doflamingo's reaction is enough to serve as a benchmark for judging how others might fare."

Watching Doflamingo, Tamaharu estimated how long someone could withstand his Dōjutsu.

Doflamingo had Conqueror's Haki, and his Kenbunshoku Haki was no weakling either. He wasn't someone who could easily be controlled by an illusion-based Dōjutsu.

People like him were almost like Might Guy with the Eight Inner Gates open: their Chakra surged wildly through their bodies, and their minds were brimming with energy. Illusions were practically useless against them. If not for the Dōjutsu, Doflamingo would have only felt uncomfortable; he wouldn't have fallen under its influence.

"We'll talk after the big event is over."

Tamaharu repeated himself.

But this time, after speaking, he turned and left.

Doflamingo watched Tamaharu's retreating back, but didn't call out to him again.

He had spent a full six hours in the sea of flames before realizing something was wrong and finding a way to break free of the illusion.

But the sensation of being roasted by the flames had felt utterly real.

"You let that brat leave?"

"You're useless!"

Meanwhile, Gekko Moria had finally caught up, moving at a relatively slow pace.

He hadn't seen Tamaharu. The only person in the middle of the corridor was Doflamingo, so he immediately mocked him.

"Watch out for that guy."

"Next time, he really will cut your head off!"

Doflamingo looked at Moria coldly, then spoke in an icy voice.

Then he continued on his swaggering way and left.

"What?"

"I won't lose to a brat a second time! Never!"

Moria continued to shout.

Losing to a young man this time had cost him face. He considered it a tremendous humiliation!

But no one paid him any attention. He was the only one left there, fuming.

"Doing this mission alone, my chance of success is still over 85 percent. Unless the things I've done since coming to this world have changed the plot, that remaining 15 percent is the uncertainty."

After attending the Shichibukai meeting, Tamaharu had a general idea of how the Summit War would unfold.

At the very least, Luffy wouldn't be executed alongside Ace, so the chances of the Revolutionary Army appearing would be much lower.

Likewise, Tamaharu had sent Luffy to Impel Down. He wouldn't have the same freedom as he did in the original story, when he infiltrated the prison with Hancock. Could he use the opportunity Tamaharu had given him to escape Impel Down, bring reinforcements to the Summit War, and bolster the Whitebeard Pirates?

And Luffy's appearance was a crucial factor in keeping Garp from wanting to fight. Garp couldn't bear the possibility of losing both his grandsons.

If Luffy appeared, he could hold back Garp and Sengoku, two Admiral-level fighters. That would be important if Tamaharu wanted to help Whitebeard's side.

"If I fight Blackbeard, he has four subordinates besides himself right now. How many people he can take out of Impel Down is also uncertain because I captured Luffy. That's a variable."

"Blackbeard definitely isn't as strong as a Yonko yet. He beat Ace because Ace didn't understand the Yami Yami no Mi's abilities. Otherwise, Ace wouldn't have been captured so easily."

"Using the Yami Yami no Mi as a basis, I'd estimate Blackbeard's peak strength at Yonko Commander level. His subordinates are basically on the level of the Shichibukai's officers. The troublesome ones are the people released from Impel Down. I'll have to take them all out!"

Back at the clan compound, Tamaharu listed the enemies he would have to deal with on both sides.

He also marked how much each uncertain factor could affect the outcome.

"If I fight Blackbeard, the Whitebeard Pirates will definitely sit back and watch. The Navy has to deal with Whitebeard, so there may not be anyone to help me. And fighting the future Yonko crew's elite forces won't be easy either."

"If I rescue Ace and help the Whitebeard Pirates, I'll be fighting alongside a Yonko, but the Navy will probably be even more troublesome. Garp and Sengoku might be free to join the fight, leaving me to face five Admiral-level fighters. Whitebeard might not be able to hold them off, so I'd have to do it myself. Without Haki, all I can do against three Logia Admirals is take a beating."

"If I bring in the Uchiha Clan's fighters to help, the situation will become much simpler. Whether we help the Whitebeard Pirates escape or intercept Blackbeard's crew, we can quickly reduce the mission's difficulty."

"But the price would be the lives of my clan members!"

Tamaharu looked at the final result and furrowed his brow.

"Sentiment matters, but the lives of my clan matter more. Sorry, Ace."

Without hesitation, Tamaharu chose to abandon the mission to save Ace.

The mission would actually be easier if he went through with it, but the price would be the lives of many of his clan members.

Ever since they had fled to this world with him, he had been responsible for protecting them. Like Whitebeard, he wouldn't abandon his own clan.

So he chose to take out the Blackbeard Pirates!

Wipe them all out!