The rising sun had already climbed above the horizon, casting its warm embrace upon the earth.
Under the bright morning light, their father, Whitebeard, and his crew were rapidly approaching Bugara Island.
The night had passed without incident. Doflamingo and Enel had woken early and were dealing with the matter of breakfast.
Enel took a sullen bite of the apple in his hand and glanced at Doflamingo, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground, deep in meditation. Bored, he decided to go check on the woman.
After giving Whitey Bay food and water on their first day on the island, Enel had ignored her. She wasn't a delicate person; she wasn't about to starve to death in a vast forest.
When Enel found her, she was skillfully roasting some meat over a fire, eating with a surprising elegance.
"Roasted meat first thing in the morning? Aren't you afraid of clogging your arteries?" Enel said with his usual venom.
"None of your business. Get lost, you bastard," Whitey Bay shot back without a hint of politeness.
"Remember your place. You're our prisoner. Your things are my things," Enel said shamelessly, calmly taking the rest of the meat from the spit and beginning to eat it with relish.
"Damn you!" Whitey Bay cursed under her breath, but she was powerless to stop him and could only watch as he devoured her food.
"Tsk, tsk. Not bad. From now on, you're in charge of the food," Enel said after finishing, appointing her as their cook.
You damn bastard, I'm not a maid, Whitey Bay fumed inwardly, but her face remained impassive.
Seeing that she didn't react, Enel grew bored. He tossed the leftover bones aside and calmly walked away.
Once he was gone, Whitey Bay dropped her pretense. She extinguished the fire and went down to the shore to clean up, waiting for the arrival of the Whitebeard Pirates.
The sun set, and another lonely night fell. Whitebeard was not making good time.
While Doflamingo waited patiently, his executives were busy making trouble. The Whitebeard Pirates hadn't arrived yet, but several other pirate crews who had been lurking nearby became their targets.
"How many is that?" Diamante, the man in charge, asked Law as he casually knocked out a pirate.
"This is the third crew," Law replied calmly.
"Law, have you taken care of everything?" Diamante asked.
"Don't worry, Lord Diamante. I have each of their hearts. They won't dare to disobey," Law said, tossing a pulsating heart in his hand with a hint of pride.
"Excellent! Law, your contribution to this mission has been immense," Diamante praised.
"As long as I can help the family, that's all that matters."
"Haha, Doffy will be pleased with your growth."
"Diamante, should we capture more?" Ibes asked, joining them.
Diamante thought for a moment. "Let's grab a few more crews. If we're going to do this, let's go big. Otherwise, it'll make us look petty."
"I agree with Lord Diamante," Monet said, having finished off the small fry around her and joining the group.
"In that case, let's get a few more. With Law here, they won't be able to cause any trouble," Robin said, descending gracefully from the sky, also agreeing with the decision.
"Then let's move out. We should try to finish up here before Doffy is done on his end," Diamante said, glancing at Robin before addressing the group.
"Right!" they all replied.
With that, the Donquixote family members vanished, leaving the defeated pirate crews with no choice but to follow their orders and set a course for Dressrosa.
After a few days of living like hermits in the forest, Doflamingo and the others finally saw the flag of the Whitebeard Pirates in the morning light.
"Pops is here!" Whitey Bay, who was washing up by the sea, saw the long-awaited flag and grew excited.
"Pops! Pops! I'm over here!"
She shouted toward the distant ships, her voice filled with elation.
Aboard the Moby Dick, Marco had already heard her voice. Seeing that she was unharmed, his worries finally subsided.
"Pops, it's Big Sis," he said happily.
"Gurararara! As long as she's safe," Whitebeard's mood lifted. He stood at the bow, Murakumogiri in hand, ready to welcome his children home.
The commotion on the shore had not escaped the notice of Doflamingo and Enel. They, too, had heard Whitey Bay's shouts.
Doflamingo, who had been sitting cross-legged, opened his eyes. He exchanged a knowing look with Enel, who was already eagerly waiting.
"They're finally here," Doflamingo said softly.
"Yahahahaha! They sure kept us waiting! Let me give them a little welcome," Enel said excitedly. His form dissipated, and he reappeared high in the sky.
Doflamingo watched him go without a word. They were both bored; a little fun wouldn't hurt.
"Celestial Dustfall!"
Enel appeared high above the Moby Dick. A hail of dust-like cloud particles, each the size of a hailstone, rained down on the ship.
"Pops! Everyone, watch out! It's the Cloud Demon, Enel, from the Donquixote Pirates!"
Seeing the attack, Whitey Bay shouted a warning.
"Is this their welcoming gift? Don't underestimate the Whitebeard Pirates," Marco said, his expression calm as he looked at the descending clouds.
The others were equally unfazed. Whitebeard didn't even glance up, his eyes fixed on his beloved daughter. He trusted Marco to handle it.
Marco shot into the air, his arms covered in blue flames that transformed into a pair of wings. He flew straight into Enel's attack.
"Explode," Enel said, watching Marco's move with a cold expression. Doflamingo had already told him about the abilities of the Whitebeard commanders. He wasn't surprised to see Marco emerge unscathed.
"As expected of Commander Marco!" the fat, dark-haired Teach praised with a broad grin.
Inspired by Blackbeard's enthusiasm, the other commanders cheered as well.
"Celebrating a little too early, are we?" Hearing the cheers from the enemy ship, Enel was displeased. This wasn't just about him; the honor of the Donquixote Pirates was at stake.
"Great Desolate Nebula!"
A brilliant, golden sphere of energy shot toward Marco with unstoppable force.
Feeling the power of the attack, Marco grew serious for the first time. He transformed into his full phoenix form and flew to meet Enel.
Their attacks collided high in the sky with a deafening roar.
"Get down!"
Enel's Haki-coated fist slammed into Marco's phoenix talons, his voice booming with authority as he tried to knock him from the sky.
"As if I'd let you," Marco shot back, putting more force into his counter.
With the advantage of height, Enel had a slight edge. Marco had to maintain his position while fending off the attack, putting him at a disadvantage.
The stalemate didn't last long. Enel moved in a flash, appearing behind Marco and delivering a swift, vicious whip kick. But Marco was no amateur. With a powerful flap of his wings, he dodged the attack.
"Alright! Way to go, Commander Marco!" the men below cheered.
Not bad. The commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates have some skill, Enel thought, impressed but not discouraged. He prepared to attack again. He had said he would knock him down, and a true man always keeps his word.
"Phoenix Flare!"
Marco wasn't one to just defend. It was his turn to counterattack. He unleashed a wide-range attack, sealing off Enel's escape routes and forcing him to meet it head-on.
"Bring it on! Surging Sea of Clouds!"
Enel was fearless, his face alight with excitement.
BOOM!
A muffled explosion echoed through the sky. Seeing that his attack had failed to faze Enel, Marco remained calm, using his Observation Haki to sense his opponent, who had vanished, and preparing his next move.
"There!"
Marco spun around, kicking at Enel, who had appeared behind him. Enel blocked the kick with his own leg.
Just as Marco was about to make his next move, another Enel appeared behind him, also attacking.
"What?" Marco was surprised, but not flustered.
"You blocked that one. What about three?" As Enel's words fell, a third Enel appeared above Marco, preparing to strike him down.
"Damn it!" Marco's eyes narrowed. He hadn't expected this.
"Get down!" Enel roared.
The three Enels attacked simultaneously. Marco, outmatched, was finally struck and sent plummeting from the sky.
He landed on the bow of the ship, looking a little worse for wear, and glared up at Enel.
"Now it's your turn, Whitebeard," Enel provoked.
"Gurararara... you arrogant brat."