The voice wasn't loud, but in a battlefield that felt almost divine, it cut through the tension like a blade.
In a place like this, who would dare to intervene?
All eyes turned toward the source.
And when they saw who it was—even Doflamingo and Tesoro's pupils contracted sharply.
"That's Fujitora? Why is he on his ship?!"
Tesoro was the first to lose composure.
He had only agreed to help because Doflamingo had assured him this would be a sure thing.
But now, a man considered Admiral-level by Marine HQ had appeared.
Did this mean they were now facing two Admirals?
This was turning into a nightmare.
Doflamingo's face was equally grim, but the arrow had already left the bow. He clenched his jaw and growled:
"Tesoro, we're in this together now. No matter how strong they are, we're both awakened Devil Fruit users. There's no way they can take us down in thirty minutes."
"If they fail, they'll be the ones blamed for the massacre of an entire kingdom."
"I'd love to see how he explains that. All we have to do is hold out—and we win."
"So I'm betting he still won't dare make a move. He's bluffing."
"Another bet?"
Tesoro's face was pale, sweat beading on the hand gripping his golden titan's controls.
Standing beside Luo Yu, Fujitora's presence was impossible to ignore.
But Doflamingo wasn't wrong—if they could just hold out…
Even ten minutes might be enough.
Victory would be theirs.
Sensing Tesoro's hesitation, Doflamingo's eyes gleamed with ruthless intent.
He was already struggling against one Admiral.
He couldn't afford to let Tesoro back out now.
"Do it, Tesoro. They can't afford to gamble."
But before Tesoro could respond, a hearty laugh rang out.
"Hahaha! The youth of this era really are something. If he says you can't afford to gamble—then count me in!"
BOOM!
Blue Ogre Dorry stepped out from a special cabin, wielding his massive greatsword.
Behind him followed Red Ogre Brogy.
Two towering figures, nearly ten meters tall, instantly drew every gaze.
Their rugged faces and overwhelming presence radiated raw power.
As honored heroes of Elbaf, Dorry and Brogy's aura dwarfed that of ordinary giant vice admirals.
When they finally stood behind Luo Yu, the few who still had their wits recalled the hottest topic of recent weeks:
The Navy had declared war on two Yonko simultaneously.
The new Admiral had been tasked with recruiting special combatants.
Sengoku himself had failed to recruit two of them—turning Marine HQ into a laughingstock.
That infamous front-page headline from Morgans' World Economy News was still fresh in everyone's minds.
They had laughed then.
But now, the truth before them shattered everything they thought they knew.
"Wait… aren't these the so-called 'failed' special combatants?"
Trebol's face turned ghostly pale.
They hadn't recognized the two giants at first.
But standing beside Fujitora, aboard Luo Yu's ship—their identities were clear.
"Two more? I've never seen these giants before. They're probably just for show."
"Tesoro, don't be scared. We just need to hold out for thirty minutes."
Doflamingo's face was ashen, but he forced himself to speak.
"It's three, actually. There's one more on the giant's shoulder."
Tesoro's voice cut in.
Everyone turned to look.
There, perched on the giant's shoulder, was a disheveled man with a pipe in his mouth.
At first glance, he looked like a nobody.
But when Fujitora greeted him with a respectful "Brother," both Doflamingo and Tesoro flinched.
If Fujitora's sudden appearance had already crushed their confidence…
Then the arrival of three more special combatants—standing with Fujitora and Admiral Luo Yu—was a death knell.
Doflamingo's earlier words echoed in his mind:
"Numbers are a kind of strength."
"I bet you won't dare strike."
Now, he felt like he'd dug his own grave.
He looked around at the terrain he had transformed with his Devil Fruit—and suddenly, it didn't feel so powerful anymore.
"Young Master… what do we do?"
Pica finally broke the silence.
"What do we do?"
Doflamingo froze, then clenched his fist, his face twisting into madness.
"I don't believe all of them are truly special combatants!"
"Tesoro, we strike together. We only need to last twenty minutes—no, ten!"
"They're paper tigers! This is all a trick by Marine HQ, using that brat to bluff us!"
"Fine then! I'll tear these paper tigers apart myself!"
"Die, you Marine scum!"
"Savage Thread Surge!"
Doflamingo roared like a madman.
Countless white threads surged from beneath his feet, forming massive waves that crashed toward Luo Yu and the others.
The sheer density of the threads made it clear—
If this hit, anyone caught in it would be shredded like paper.
Even Tesoro hadn't expected Doflamingo to lash out so suddenly.
But with the situation spiraling, he had no choice but to look toward the warship—
To see if these so-called special combatants were truly just for show.
But what he saw made everyone's pupils contract in shock.